Senate votes to confirm US ambassador to Haiti amid gang attempt to seize power in Caribbean country
The Senate confirmed Dennis B. Hankins as the U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Haiti, as the country faces a brutal campaign for control by violent gangs. By a vote of 89-1, Hankins was confirmed to the post. Hankins has worked for years in the Senior Foreign Service and previously served as the ambassador to Mali, and before that, Guinea. The sole vote against Hankins’ confirmation was cast by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., who told Fox News Digital he plans to block nominees by President Biden until he changes his energy policies. “Until Mr. Biden drops this battle against American energy, I’m going to block every nominee he tries to place at the State and Energy departments,” Kennedy said. “Like the Terminator, I’ll be back again and again to stop his nominees and remind the world that he’s intentionally killing jobs and threatening our national security to placate confused climate extremists.” SCHUMER CALLS FOR NEW ISRAELI LEADER TO REPLACE NETANYAHU IN SENATE FLOOR SPEECH Meanwhile, Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced Tuesday that he would be resigning, but not until a transitional presidential council is formed, which will be tasked with naming an interim PM. Henry’s decision came just hours after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Caribbean officials met in nearby Jamaica to address the events unfolding in Haiti, as gangs target police stations, prisons, and the country’s main airport. A specialized Marine anti-terrorism unit arrived in Haiti Thursday to help protect the American embassy and potentially evacuate personnel, the U.S. Southern Command told Fox News. The task of installing an interim president in Haiti faced a significant obstacle Wednesday when some of the country’s political parties rejected the plan for a transitional presidential council. Former senator and presidential candidate Moïse Jean-Charles claimed he wouldn’t take part in it, according to the Associated Press. Jean-Charles has reportedly been working with a former rebel leader, Guy Philippe. JOHNSON SAYS HOUSE WILL ‘APPLY EVERY AMOUNT OF PRESSURE’ TO SENATE TO PASS TIKTOK BILL The unrest in Haiti has led to disagreement among lawmakers and President Biden’s administration in the U.S. Blinken revealed Monday that $300 million would be contributed to a multinational security mission to Haiti, led by Kenya. ILHAN OMAR SAYS ‘OF COURSE’ SHE WILL VOTE FOR BIDEN AFTER WARNING HIM ABOUT LOSING MUSLIM VOTES OVER ISRAEL However, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jim Risch, R-Idaho, have presented a hurdle for the administration. “After years of discussions, repeated requests for information, and providing partial funding to help them plan, the administration only this afternoon sent us a rough plan to address this crisis. Whether it’s ‘credible and implementable’ remains to be seen,” they said in a joint statement to NatSec Daily. “Given the long history of U.S. involvement in Haiti with few successful results, the administration owes Congress a lot more details in a more timely manner before it gets more funding.” The most powerful gang in Haiti, which is trying to seize power, is known as the G9 Family and Allies. It is led by 46-year-old Jimmy Cherizier, who is referred to as “Barbecue.” Prior to his becoming a gang leader, Cherizier was once a Haitian National Police officer. His murky past of allegedly orchestrating the 2018 La Saline massacre, resulting in 71 deaths and 400 homes being burned down, gave him his nickname of “Barbecue,” but Cherizier said his moniker is due to his mother’s fried chicken street vending business, the AP reported.
More Marines arrive in Haiti, with Pentagon ‘ready’ to evacuate Americans, commander says
The United States Southern Command is prepared to execute a noncombatant evacuation of U.S. citizens in Haiti at any time, a top Pentagon official said. U.S. SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Laura Richardson, while attending a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday, was asked if Southern Command has been tasked with evacuations due to the unfolding violence and unrest in Haiti. “SOUTHCOM has successfully airlifted embassy staff out of the country. But a number of Americans still remain in Haiti, and some may be looking to leave,” Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said at the hearing. “Some are concerned that the U.S. has not initiated a noncombatant evacuation order, a NEO, to get Americans out of Haiti. General, have you been tasked to operate an evacuation?” “As part of the wide range of contingency plans that US SOUTHCOM has, we are ready for a NEO activation if required and have other plans ready to go, as we always do, and keep those plans refreshed over and over,” Richardson replied. “So we’re ready at any time for any type of crisis.” US DEPLOYS MARINE ANTI-TERRORISM UNIT TO HAITI TO PROTECT EMBASSY Kelly pressed for further information, asking if any additional planning is underway in case the mission becomes an immediate necessity. US ANNOUNCES $100 MILLION FOR DEPLOYMENT OF MULTINATIONAL FORCE TO VIOLENCE-STRICKEN HAITI “I think the two missions of increasing the security at the embassy and a little bit of my capability as well – expanding that – is the platform that we would use if we need to expand from there,” said Richardson. “And so we put in all of the necessary measures and that are necessary for any of the plans to be activated.” Southern Command said in a statement early Wednesday that, at the request of the State Department, it deployed a “U.S. Marine Fleet-Anti-terrorism Security Team (FAST) to maintain strong security capabilities at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and conduct relief in place for our current Marines, a common and routine practice worldwide.” “The U.S. Embassy remains open, and limited operations continue, focused on assistance to U.S. citizens and supporting Haitian-led efforts to secure a peaceful transition of power,” it added. The U.S. military already has sent forces to Haiti over the weekend to bolster security at the U.S. Embassy and airlifted non-essential personnel – such as family of diplomats – who had remained after an order for such individuals to evacuate last summer. Department of State spokesperson Matt Miller told Fox News Digital that no plans are currently underway to rescue U.S. citizens stuck in Haiti amid the government collapse, citing state travel warnings that have been in place. Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.
Biden parallels? How Carter fared against Reagan in this stage of election cycle
When President Biden and former President Donald Trump face off in an election rematch this November, one man will remain a one-term president. Trump, a Republican whom Biden unseated in 2020, seeks to return the favor in 2024 as the incumbent Democratic president struggles with lackluster approval ratings reminiscent of infamous one-term president Jimmy Carter. As of February, Biden’s job approval rating stood at 38% in a Gallup poll — less than one point above President Carter’s record-low Gallup rating of 37.4% after his third year in office. There is reason to believe that Biden today is in a weaker position than Carter was in 1980, when the Democratic incumbent lost re-election to Republican Ronald Reagan. In March 1980, a Gallup head-to-head poll showed Carter at 58% to Regan’s 33% — but the gap would narrow in the ensuing months, and Reagan ultimately defeated Carter in a 44-state landslide with 50.8% of the popular vote to Carter’s 41%. There is no comparable Gallup survey for Biden and Trump in 2024, but other recent polls show a much closer race, with Trump maintaining a slight 2.1 point lead over Biden in the RealClearPolitics average of polls. A Fox News Poll released Sunday found Trump at 49% support, while Biden registered at 47%, a statistical tie within the margin of sampling error. BIDEN APPROVAL PLUMMETS TO NEAR CARTER LEVEL: GALLUP Craig Shirley, a Reagan biographer who wrote about the 1980 campaign in his book “Rendezvous with Destiny,” attributed Carter’s early lead over Reagan to “public sympathy and an outpouring of support for the Iranian hostage crisis.” The Iran hostage crisis began on November 4, 1979, when radicalized students seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran to protest Carter’s decision to allow the deposed Shah of Iran into the U.S. for medical treatment. Fifty-two Americans — mostly State Department employees and Marines — were held captive for 444 days while Ayatollah Khomeini spurned Carter’s attempts to free the captives. “Public attitudes turned about the hostage crisis, because I think people were starting to realize that Carter was using it to his political advantage,” Shirley told Fox News Digital in an interview. “The goal was to get the hostages released in October. And Americans, in an outpouring of gratitude, would vote for Carter for his re-election. That’s what the Carter campaign really wanted, was to get the hostages out right at the crest of the election. Didn’t happen, of course.” Carter’s re-election effort faced economic challenges as well, with inflation and unemployment both in double digits, a phenomenon economists have dubbed “stagflation.” The crisis in Iran intersected with the U.S. economy when Iranian oil workers went on strike, triggering a supply shock that led to notorious lines at the gas station and incidents of gas theft. BIDEN-TRUMP SEQUEL UNDERWAY IN HISTORY-MAKING FIRST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION REMATCH SINCE 1956 The final years of Carter’s presidency saw inflation rise by an average 11% in 1979 and nearly 14% in 1980. Biden faces similar foreign and domestic crises. While the president proclaimed an economic “comeback” in his State of the Union address last week, inflation remains persistent at 3.2% year-over-year, according to the Labor Department’s February consumer price index (CPI) report. Under Biden’s watch, inflation surged to 9.1% in 2022 after a series of coronavirus spending packages that began under Trump and culminated in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan signed into law by Biden. Inflation has since come down but remains higher than the Federal Reserve’s target 2% rate. But compared with January 2021, shortly before the inflation crisis began, prices are up a dramatic 18.49%. High inflation has created severe financial pressures for most U.S. households, which are forced to pay more for everyday necessities like food and rent. The burden is disproportionately borne by low-income Americans, whose already-stretched paychecks are heavily affected by price fluctuations. GAME ON: TRUMP, BIDEN, CLINCH 2024 MAJOR PARTY PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATIONS Progress on inflation has largely flatlined since June, with the consumer price index hovering at or above 3% for the past nine months, stoking concerns on Wall Street over the possibility of renewed “stagflation.” On the foreign policy front, Biden lost public support, and his poll numbers never recovered after 13 U.S. service members died during the chaotic military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. His term in office has also seen war erupt in Ukraine and Israel with no end in sight. Repeated military aid packages to Ukraine have failed to stop the Russian offensive or turn the tide in the war. And despite efforts to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, war rages on in Gaza. Biden also faces his own hostage crisis as at least five Americans are still held in captivity by Hamas. Israeli authorities say the terrorist group took at least 250 hostages during the October 7 surprise attack on Israel, during which Hamas killed 1,200 people, including 32 Americans. But Trump must overcome his own challenges to make Biden a one-term president. He made history last year as the first president or former president to face criminal charges and now faces four major trials and a total of 91 indictments — including federal cases on his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and on handling classified documents. He must also juggle an appeal of a $355 million civil fraud judgment as he splits time between courtrooms and campaign stops before the November election. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 POLLING Shirley said that for Trump to repeat Reagan’s success, he must make Biden the issue in this campaign. “Now, Trump’s already proved that he can be an acceptable alternative,” he explained, noting that he has already been president and is ready to “step into the job and replace the other guy.” In Shirley’s estimation, Trump has done a good job attacking Biden on the illegal immigration crisis and on inflation. He said that immigration is Trump’s “signature issue, just as anti-communisim was Regan’s signature issue.” “The issue
Lawmakers blast Biden Gaza port plan as political move to win back progressives
House Republicans are accusing President Biden of building a temporary aid port for Gaza in a bid to win back progressive voters ahead of November, and they’re worried it will put American lives at risk. Biden unveiled a plan to build a temporary floating port off the coast of Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians who were displaced as a result of the war between Israel and Hamas. International groups and several nations have raised concerns about the spread of famine and disease while struggling to get food and medical aid to the population there. The initiative is expected to take several weeks, and it still remains unclear what the cost would be to taxpayers. WORLD, UN SIGNAL NO EXIT FOR CIVILIANS CAUGHT UP IN GAZA WAR: ‘POLITICALLY TOXIC’ Though the administration announced it would not require American troops to set foot in Gaza, lawmakers raised concerns about their proximity to the war zone. “It is clearly putting our troops in harm’s way,” Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, told Fox News Digital earlier this week. “[Biden] doesn’t seem to understand their hatred for the American soldiers, sailors and airmen and Marines, and if he puts them within range of Iranian proxies’ rockets, then Iranians proxy rockets are going to be flying at our people. “I think it’s got more to do with his politics and trying to appease a faction of the Democratic Party.” Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, who is also on the committee, chalked up the Gaza port plan to Michigan Democrats’ backlash against Biden in the recent primary election. Arab and Muslim leaders in the state urged voters to choose “uncommitted” instead of the president in protest of him not taking a harsher public stance against Israel. US ARMY BOATS DEPART FOR GAZA ON MISSION TO BUILD FLOATING PIER FOR FOOD DELIVERIES “I think he’s worried about losing Michigan in November, so he wants to throw [something] … to Muslim American voters, particularly in Michigan,” Fallon said, adding the plan was “not in our nation’s best interest.” “That aid in Gaza has been used by Hamas as currency,” Fallon added. A third Armed Services Committee member, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said, “We’re going to be a target out there, and it will help Hamas in the end. Let Israel defeat Hamas, then let us help out with humanitarian aid. We didn’t do aid to Germany in 1944. We did it after [the Nazis] were defeated.” URBAN WARFARE EXPERT SAYS ISRAELI MILITARY TAKING UNPRECEDENTED STEPS TO PROTECT GAZA CIVILIANS Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, also accused Biden of launching the Gaza port effort for political reasons. “He’s doing that, in my opinion, because he had a lot of uncommitted voters out there. These American Palestinians that could vote for him are saying, ‘What the hell, you ain’t supporting us enough.’ So, he’s going to try to do what government does, throw some money at it,” Nehls said. Biden made his announcement as the U.S. joined other countries in airdropping aid into Gaza. “Tonight, I’m directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the Gaza coast that can receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters,” Biden said during the State of the Union March 7. “No U.S. boots will be on the ground. “This temporary pier would enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day. But Israel must also do its part. Israel must allow more aid into Gaza and ensure that humanitarian workers aren’t caught in the cross fire.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment for this story but did not immediately hear back.
Pentagon commander warns of ‘alarming’ number of drone incursions at US-Mexico border
Drone incursions on the United States’ border with Mexico number in the “thousands,” according to a senior Pentagon official. Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., questioned Gens. Gregory M. Guillot and Laura J. Richardson at a Senate hearing Thursday, asking about the number of drones documented at the southern border and their risks to homeland security. “The number of incursions was something that was alarming to me as I took command last month,” Guillot told the senator. “I don’t know the actual number – I don’t think anybody does – but it’s in the thousands.” PENTAGON SEEKS LOW-COST AI DRONES TO BOLSTER AIR FORCE: HERE ARE THE COMPANIES COMPETING FOR THE OPPORTUNITY He continued, “I’ve talked to Customs and Border Protection, who are responsible for the UAS incursions on the border, along with DOJ. And they put the number at thousands.” Budd pressed for what time frame Guillot was referencing in regard to the “thousands” of drone incursions. Guillot responded, “I would say in probably over a month we could probably have over 1,000 a month.” FBI DIRECTOR WARNS OF ‘VERY DANGEROUS THREATS’ AT BORDER, SMUGGLING NETWORK WITH ‘ISIS TIES’ The general went on to say that while he is alarmed at the number of incidents and sees the national security threat only growing, there has not yet been indications that they are a risk for homeland defense. Guillot additionally expressed concern with Chinese nationals crossing the U.S. border from South America. “The number of Chinese that are coming across the border is a big concern of mine. In fact, in the short period of time that I’ve been in command, I’ve gone down to the southern border to talk to the agents and leadership about that. And then I’ve also spoken with the acting commissioner of the CBP on this subject,” Guillot said. Guillot continued, “What concerns me most about specifically the Chinese migrants is – one, that they’re so centralized in one location on the border. And two, is while many may be political refugees, other explanations, the ability for counterintelligence to hide in plain sight in those numbers.” The general told the Senate committee that intelligence agencies have been sharing gathered information regarding individuals of Chinese origin at the border. These reports on the “disposition” of apprehended Chinese nationals have been the subject of “frequent briefings” at headquarters.
Biden ghostwriter spotted on NYC streets hours after GOP lawmakers ripped him during heated Hur hearing
President Biden’s former ghostwriter, who become a key figure in Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents, was spotted on the street in New York City shortly after Hur testified before Congress. In photos first reported by New York Post and obtained by Fox News Digital, Biden ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer was seen walking the streets of Manhattan’s Upper West Side wearing sneakers, a button-down shirt, and jacket alongside an unidentified woman around 7 p.m. Tuesday night. The pair dined at Bustan NYC on Amsterdam Ave before returning home around 8:15 p.m., according to the Post. Zwonitzer’s appearance came just hours after Hur testified before Congress about the Biden document case and explained why he ultimately did not file charges against Biden in a case where Zwonitzer has become a prominent figure. HUR INSISTS THAT HE ‘DID NOT EXONERATE’ BIDEN, REPEATEDLY SHUTS DOWN DEMOCRAT CHARACTERIZATIONS Hur’s report states that Biden shared classified information with Zwonitzer while the two collaborated on Biden’s 2017 book, “Promise Me, Dad.” Hur testified that ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, had audio recordings of his conversations with Biden, in which the then-vice president read information from classified records. Hur also testified that Zwonitzer “slid those files into his recycle bin on his computer” upon learning that a special counsel had been appointed to investigate the matter. Although Zwonitzer admitted to the FBI that he “was aware that there was an investigation” when he deleted the evidence, he was not charged with any crimes. Hur’s report said that Zwonitzer gave “plausible” and “innocent reasons” for deleting the recordings. SCHIFF SPARS WITH HUR IN HEATED EXCHANGE OVER REPORT THAT ‘DISPARAGED’ BIDEN: ‘THAT DID NOT HAPPEN’ Zwonitzer’s actions sparked outrage from Republicans on Capitol Hill and GOP Congressman Jim Jordan argued during Tuesday’s hearing that profiting from the book gave Biden a motive to knowingly misuse classified documents. “He knew the law,” Jordan said in the hearing. “Been in office like 50 years, five decades in the United States Senate; chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee; eight years as vice president; he got briefed every day as vice president; he’s been in the Situation Room.” “In fact you know he knew the rules because you said so on page 226,” Jordan added as he read through the report in front of Hur. “Why did he have strong motivations? Because, next word, because he decided months before leaving office to write a book,” Jordan continued. “That was his motive. He knew the rules. He broke them because he was writing a book.” Biden reportedly earned $8 million from the memoir. HUR TRANSCRIPT CONFIRMS BIDEN MEMORY LAPSES, CONTRADICTS PRESIDENT’S CLAIM ABOUT EXCHANGE OVER SON’S DEATH “Pride and money is why he knowingly violated the rules — the oldest motives in the book — pride and money,” Jordan told Hur. Jordan added: “You agree with that, Mr. Hur? You wrote it in your report.” Hur replied: “That language does appear in the report. And we did identify evidence supporting those assessments.” White House Counsel’s Office spokesman Ian Sams accused Jordan of “lying” on social media about the case and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended the president on Wednesday. “They examined every theory and found there was no case to be made,” Jean-Pierre said. “So House Republicans wasted their time, continue to waste their time and they’re not being serious to do their jobs. Fox News Digital’s Brooke Signman and Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report
$12B in earmarks: Congress’ roller-coaster history with earmark spending takes another twist
6,628. That’s the number of earmarks bipartisan House and Senate lawmakers tucked into the $467 billion minibus spending bill which just passed last week. The funding plan covers six areas of federal spending – averting a partial government shutdown through Sept. 30. Earmarks totaled $12.7 billion of that spending package, a little less than 3%. Is this pork barrel spending? Government waste? Or are lawmakers simply doing the nation’s business – in the public interest? Earmark defenders argue that Congress is simply adhering to the Constitution. Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution states that “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” Now to be clear, not all congressional appropriations are earmarks. But all earmarks are part of appropriations bills. That’s why earmarks are in the eye of the beholder. Let’s start by establishing a definition for a congressional earmark: It’s a specific amount of money for a specific project at a specific place. MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS PRIVILEGES FOR DISGRACED EX-REP GEORGE SANTOS Earmarks got a bad name in the mid-2000s. There were multiple ethics investigations in the House. And there was a federal corruption probe into the late Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, and the late Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. The feds convicted Stevens on corruption charges related to accepting improper gifts. A court later reversed Stevens’ conviction. Investigators also looked at Young – but never charged him. Young faced criticism for the mother-of-all-earmarks: the so-called “Bridge to Nowhere.” At the time, Young chaired the House Transportation Committee. He tacked on an earmark requiring that the government spend $175 million to connect Gravina Island and Ketchikan, Alaska. The bridge was intended to replace an auto ferry. After much consternation – and a nationwide controversy – lawmakers stripped the earmark. That’s what prompted Republicans – and then Democrats – to impose a ban on earmarks. Former President Obama even warned that he would not sign any bill which included earmarks. So, there was a moratorium on such set-aside programs. But Democrats ended the freeze in 2021. Republicans then enthusiastically joined. And so earmarks are back in full force. About $1 million for a coffee shop and greenhouse for refugees in Minnesota. Another million bucks designated for organic dairy farmers in San Francisco. And $3.5 million for a new headquarters where they build floats for the annual Thanksgiving Day parade in Detroit. “These earmarks are like cocaine,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. “I mean, it’s like spending crack. It’s just got to stop.” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., argued that lawmakers should be ashamed of authoring earmarks. “I think if senators had to go to the floor and defend some of these (earmarks) they do, they might then think they wouldn’t have offered them,” said Marshall. But many lawmakers who earmark are proud to earmark. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., is one such lawmaker. “Everything from infrastructure to criminal violence abatement,” said Durbin. “All I insist on is full disclosure of everything.” Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., is also willing to earmark. “What we look for is community projects. That’s going to update sewer systems. Wastewater systems. Bridges. Things that involve safety and quality of life for our citizens,” said Bergman. “Not some pork barrel project.” For his efforts, Bergman scored multiple earmarks in the minibus bill. The city of Ironwood, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula, notched $481,000 for new emergency and rescue equipment. And there was $770,000 to expand classrooms at the Traverse City, Michigan, YMCA. But lots of earmarks are still contentious. Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., initially requested a $1,000,000 allotment for a LBGTQ community center – which is also known to host events focusing on kink. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., railed against that particular earmark. “Government taxation and spending must be for the general welfare of the people,” said Paul. “It’s not for a sex club in Philadelphia.” Paul applauded when Keystone State lawmakers withdrew the earmark because of the optics. “That was a confusion within my office. I wasn’t part of that,” said Fetterman. The senator defended the right for people to engage in those activities. Just not on the public dime. “To me, it’s about freedom and adults. And I don’t know why that’s really controversial,” said Fetterman. GOP COLORADO REP KEN BUCK TO RESIGN FROM CONGRESS BY END OF NEXT WEEK Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, opposes earmarks. He offered amendments to remove earmarks, but without any success. “I was told by the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, ‘Sorry, no can do,’” said Lee. The Utah Republican then found it rich that lawmakers later struck money for the controversial community center in Philadelphia. “They were embarrassed to defend that. So [Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash.,] went to the floor and had that removed.” And some earmarks even outlast the members who authored them. Even a dead or former lawmaker can score an earmark. Even 112 earmarks. Such was the case with late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. Feinstein passed away late last September, one day before Congress was supposed to have spending measures approved for this fiscal year. But here we are in mid-March still wrestling with appropriations. So earmarks live on. Feinstein submitted those requests last year – sometimes alongside Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., or Reps. Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., or Jim Costa, R-Calif. This isn’t a new phenomena. Among Feinstein’s earmark requests: money for a Chinese railroad worker history center and a fire truck for a county in northern California. But Feinstein isn’t the only one. Former Reps. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., and Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, resigned from Congress earlier this year. Both received earmarks – even though they left. For instance, Higgins marshaled money for a radio project with the Niagara Country, New York, Sheriff’s Department and for wind tests at the State University of New York-Amherst. Johnson also received money for sewer and water projects in Youngstown and Steubenville, Ohio. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Israel’s US ambassador slams Schumer’s ‘unhelpful’ anti-Netanyahu speech: ‘Israel is a sovereign democracy’
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog charged that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership is “unhelpful” as the Jewish state continues its war against Hamas in response to the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks that left over 1,200 dead and hundreds more taken hostage. “Israel is a sovereign democracy. It is unhelpful, all the more so as Israel is at war against the genocidal terror organization Hamas, to comment on the domestic political scene of a democratic ally. It is counterproductive to our common goals,” Herzog wrote on X. The highest ranking Jewish elected official in the U.S., Schumer, D-N.Y., excoriated Netanyahu in a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday. “I believe in his heart, his highest priority is the security of Israel,” Schumer said. “However, I also believe Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel.” SCHUMER CALLS FOR NEW ISRAELI LEADER TO REPLACE NETANYAHU IN SENATE FLOOR SPEECH “He has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows. Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah,” Schumer added. The speech came a day after the No. 3 Senate Republican, John Barrasso, of Wyoming, invited Netanyahu to speak at a GOP retreat in Washington. Herzog spoke in Netayahu’s place due to a “scheduling conflict,” the New York Times reported. Along with Netanyahu, Schumer listed “Hamas, and the Palestinians who support and tolerate their evil ways, radical, right-wing Israelis in government and society, [and] Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas” as the other obstacles. The Senate majority leader said that Israeli elections are “the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel.” He added that he believed a majority of Israelis also recognize a need for change in their government. AMERICAN NONPROFIT TIED TO UNRWA SUED BY OCT. 7 SURVIVORS FOR ‘AIDING AND ABETTING’ HAMAS TERRORISTS “The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after Oct. 7. The world has changed – radically – since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past,” Schumer said. He promoted a two-state solution with a “a demilitarized Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in equal measures of peace, security, prosperity and dignity.” “As a democracy, Israel has the right to choose its own leaders, and we should let the chips fall where they may,” Schumer said. “But the important thing is that Israelis are given a choice. There needs to be a fresh debate about the future of Israel after Oct. 7.” As recently as January, Netanyahu rejected the prospect of two states, claiming, “I will not compromise on full Israeli security control over all the territory west of Jordan – and this is contrary to a Palestinian state.” The Palestinian Authority has also reiterated its desire for the territories of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, with Jerusalem as the capital. After Schumer’s speech, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R–Ky., took to the floor and addressed the remarks of his Democratic colleague, but did not call him out by name. “The Jewish state of Israel deserves an ally that acts like one,” he said, condemning the call for new Israeli elections as “unprecedented.” “Israel’s unity government and security cabinet deserve the deference befitting a sovereign democratic country.” Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
House GOP leaders call Schumer’s Israel comments ‘inappropriate,’ demand apology in impromptu press conference
House Republican leaders are blasting Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and demanding he apologize for urging Israel to hold new elections while criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The top four GOP lawmakers held an impromptu press conference during their annual retreat this year at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, immediately after Schumer’s statement. “As we were in a work session here within the last half hour, there was a buzz among the audience as people were seeing notices come across their phone as something that was rather shocking to us,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said. “We saw the remarks from Sen. Chuck Schumer calling for new elections in Israel. And we want to speak very clearly and concisely to say that this is not only highly inappropriate, but just plain wrong for an American leader to play such a divisive role in Israeli politics, while our closest ally in the region is in an existential battle for its very survival.” WORLD, UN SIGNAL NO EXIT FOR CIVILIANS CAUGHT UP IN GAZA WAR: ‘POLITICALLY TOXIC’ House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said Schumer’s comments were “disturbing” in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel, in which terrorists invaded the southern part of the country and killed over 1,200 people – mainly civilians. “Sen. Schumer owes an apology to the people of Israel, who elected their leadership,” Scalise said. “This isn’t a time for games. This is a time to stand with our friends who are under attack and show no daylight between the United States and Israel.” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., accused Schumer and fellow Democrats of choosing Hamas over Israel. “Our Democrats, Chuck Schumer, et al., the White House, they have a problem. But it’s not with Netanyahu. It is with the anti-Israel members of their own party that have taken over the woke left. While they choose Hamas, House Republicans will continue to stand with Israel,” Emmer said. US ARMY BOATS DEPART FOR GAZA ON MISSION TO BUILD FLOATING PIER FOR FOOD DELIVERIES They left without taking questions from reporters. It comes just as House Republicans are expected to hear from Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog at their multi-day retreat. Back in Washington, Schumer took to the Senate floor on Thursday morning, where he condemned both Hamas and Israel for the high death toll of Palestinians and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza as Israel responds to the Oct. 7 attack. He called on Palestinians to throw off their leader, President Mahmoud Abbas, and for Israelis to demand a new election to elect a less “radical” government. URBAN WARFARE EXPERT SAYS ISRAELI MILITARY TAKING UNPRECEDENTED STEPS TO PROTECT GAZA CIVILIANS “Hamas and the Palestinians who support and tolerate their evil ways, radical right-wing Israelis in government and society, President Abbas, Prime Minister Netanyahu – these are the four obstacles to peace, and if we fail to overcome them, then Israel and the West Bank and Gaza will be trapped in the same violent state of affairs they’ve experienced for the last 75 years,” Schumer said. “These obstacles are not the same in their culpability for the present state of affairs. But arguing over which is the worst stymies our ability to achieve peace.” More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military response, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
Former Missouri child brides demand child marriages be outlawed as several states consider bans
Adult women who left marriages they entered as children on Wednesday called on Missouri lawmakers to outlaw child marriage, a practice currently legal in most states. Missouri lawmakers in 2018 prohibited marriages of children 15 and younger, only allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to marry with parental permission. Most states have a similar policy, according to the nonprofit group Unchained At Last. Those laws do not go far enough, said Unchained At Last founder and Executive Director Fraidy Reiss. She said 231 minors were married in Missouri between 2019 and 2021. MISSOURI AG SAYS JUVENILE SYSTEM MUST BE REFORMED AFTER TEEN ARRESTED FOR SLAMMING GIRL’S HEAD INTO PAVEMENT “Under the new law, almost all of them, like before, were girls wed to adult men,” Reiss said of the children recently married. “That is unacceptable.” Bills pending this year in states including Missouri, California and South Carolina would prohibit underage marriages completely. Efforts to ban child marriage altogether have failed before in states including South Dakota, California and West Virginia. Supporters of child marriages say minors sometimes marry to escape the foster care system or to raise children as a wedded couple. Others have cited anecdotal cases of people in their communities marrying as children and enjoying the relationship. Rebecca Hurst, a former Missouri resident who now lives in Kentucky, said her mother arranged her marriage to a 22-year-old fellow church-goer at age 16 to save her from “damnation.” Hurst said her ex-husband physically, emotionally and sexually abused her. She said he refused to go to prom with her “because he said it was embarrassing to be a grown man at a high school event” and forced her to drop out of school. “I had no one advocating for me or my right to stay a child,” Hurst said. “Parents cannot always be trusted to make the best decisions for their child.” For Missouri Republican state Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder, marriage to her 21-year-old boyfriend at age 15 was a chance to escape poverty and the premature responsibility of caring for her younger sister and her mentally unwell mother. But she warned girls in similar situations against marrying. COUPLES MARRIED FOR OVER 50 YEARS SHARE THE SECRETS OF LONG-LASTING LOVE “I was not old enough to understand what challenges I was putting on myself,” Thompson Rehder said. She said her little sister later got married at age 16 to her 39-year-old drug dealer. After Missouri GOP Rep. Chris Dinkins’ sister became pregnant at age 15, Dinkins said her parents followed cultural expectations and signed papers allowing her sister to marry the child’s father. The relationship later turned abusive, Dinkins said, and the marriage did not last long. Marriage for people younger than 18 was legal in all 50 U.S. states as of 2017, according to Unchained At Last. Nearly 300,000 children as young as 10 were married in the U.S. between 2000 and 2018. Mostly, girls were wed to adult men, the organization said. Reiss said marriage, “even for the most mature teen, creates a nightmarish legal trap because you just don’t have the rights of adulthood.” Reiss said if a child is married against their will, the child cannot sue or file for divorce on their own. Thompson Rehder said marriages between minors and adults have been used by adults as a shield against rape charges. Missouri’s bill passed unanimously out of a committee in February. One person — a former lobbyist for the state’s Baptist Convention — testified against it. An Associated Press call and email to the opponent were not immediately returned Wednesday. The Missouri bill has not yet been debated on the Senate floor. Lawmakers face a mid-May deadline to pass legislation.