GOP senator challenges Biden to clarify Hamas position after State of the Union remark
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is asking President Biden and his administration to clarify their stance on Hamas, following Biden’s State of the Union address. In a conversation with NBC’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday, Graham pointed to a line in the speech when Biden said about Hamas, “If you release the hostages, the war will be over.” “I literally about fell out of my seat,” Graham said. “Is the president saying that if the hostages are released by Hamas, they can stay in power? That ends the conflict?” Graham noted that former President Trump, who will likely be Biden’s opponent in November’s election, “believes it’s non-negotiable when it comes to Hamas: they have to be destroyed militarily, they can’t be in charge.” “I’m challenging the Biden administration today to clear this up,” Graham said. “You cannot allow Hamas to stay in power. You can’t allow them to have six brigades to do October 7th again.” VOTERS DON’T CARE ABOUT THE STATE OF THE UNION AS MUCH AS THE MEDIA DOES: KEVIN CORKE Welker said Biden has stated in the past that he stands behind this position as well. Graham also criticized Biden for “missing the boat” by focusing on what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be doing, and not Hamas or their backer Iran. “Israel is not killing American soldiers,” Graham said. “Iran is through their proxies. So I would urge President Biden to hold the Great Satan, Iran, accountable for killing soldiers in Jordan and attacking shipping. So yeah, I think he’s got it backwards.” HAMAS TERROR ATTACK EXPOSES AL JAZEERA FOR WHAT IT REALLY IS Graham says the United States should be “all in and helping Israel” while not saying or doing anything that would “empower our enemy.” President Biden on Saturday said the U.S. does not have a “red line” with Israel over its actions in the war with Hamas that would leave the Middle Eastern country unprotected. “I am never going to leave Israel,” the president told MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart in a wide-ranging interview. “The defense of Israel is still critical. There’s no red line [where] I’m going to cut off all weapons, so they don’t have the Iron Dome to protect them.” Biden was clarifying a hot mic comment from Thursday night after delivering the State of the Union address in which he was caught saying he planned a “come-to-Jesus” talk with Netanyahu over his handling of the war. Fox News’ Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
Jan. 6 committee allegedly suppressed testimony showing Trump admin pushed for National Guard presence: report
The Jan. 6 congressional committee allegedly falsely claimed it did not have evidence showing former President Donald Trump’s administration requested National Guard assistance, according to a report detailing a “hidden transcript” that was recently released. “The former J6 Select Committee apparently withheld Mr. Ornato’s critical witness testimony from the American people because it contradicted their pre-determined narrative. Mr. Ornato’s testimony proves what Mr. Meadows has said all along: President Trump did in fact offer 10,000 National Guard troops to secure the U.S. Capitol, which was turned down,” Georgia Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk said in a statement on Friday. Loudermilk released a transcript of former White House deputy chief of staff Anthony Ornato’s interview with the congressional committee investigating Jan. 6 on Friday, following the Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway, also a Fox News contributor, reporting, “Former Rep. Liz Cheney’s January 6 Committee suppressed evidence” that the Trump administration pushed for 10,000 National Guard members to be on the streets. Ornato’s interview was conducted in January 2022, and attended by Cheney, among other members on the committee. In addition to serving as deputy chief of staff under Trump, Ornato served in the Secret Service for decades. LIZ CHENEY CALLS SPEAKER JOHNSON ‘DANGEROUS’ FOR HELPING TRUMP ‘UNDERMINE OUR REPUBLIC’ The committee, which included seven Democrats and two now-former Republican Congress members, Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, concluded that it found “no evidence” that the Trump administration called for 10,000 National Guard members to Washington, D.C., to protect the Capitol. Trump has long claimed that he requested the National Guard but that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., failed to act on the request. Amid and following the congressional committee’s investigation, media outlets such as the Washington Post “debunked” Trump’s comments, repeatedly awarding him “Four Pinocchios.” HOUSE JAN. 6 COMMITTEE DELETED MORE THAN 100 ENCRYPTED FILES DAYS BEFORE GOP TOOK MAJORITY: SOURCES Loudermilk on Friday released a transcript of Ornato’s interview with the committee detailing that he overheard then-White House hief of staff Mark Meadows asking D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to request as much protection for D.C. as she needed. “When it comes to the National Guard statement about having 10,000 troops or any other number of troops, do you recall any discussion prior to the 6th about whether and how many National Guard troops to deploy on January 6th?” a staffer with the committee asked Ornato. “I remember he had – he was on the phone with [Bowser], and we – I had walked in for something, and I was there, and he was on the phone with her and wanted to make sure she had everything that she needed. Because I think it was the concern of anti and pro groups clashing is what I recall. And not anywhere near the Capitol, this was just out on the mall area or at the event; and wanted to know if she needed any more guardsmen,” Ornato responded, according to the transcript reviewed by Fox News Digital. Ornato went on to cite the “10,000” guardsmen number, according to the transcript, arguing Trump wanted “to make sure that you have enough.” “And I remember the number 10,000 coming up of, you know, the President wants to make sure that you have enough. You know, he is willing to ask for 10,000. I remember that number. Now that you said it, it reminded me of it. And that she was all set. She had, I think it was like 350 or so for intersection control and those types of thing not in the law enforcement capacity at the time. And then that’s the only thing I recall with that number 10,000 National Guard guardsmen,” he continued. HOUSE INVESTIGATION INTO ‘WHAT REALLY HAPPENED ON JANUARY 6’ ENTERING ‘NEW PHASE’ WITH SPEAKER JOHNSON SUPPORT Bowser ultimately asked for just over 300 National Guard members, who she requested would not be armed and only work to assist the local police department. Ornato said in his interview with the committee that after Bowser refused additional National Guard members, the White House requested the Defense Department have a “quick reaction force” on hand. “The only thing I remember with DOD and the National Guard was even though the mayor didn’t want any more National Guard in D.C., that a request was made to have kind of a, lack of better term, a quick reaction force out at Joint Base Andrews being that it was a military installation,” Ornato said in his interview, according to the transcript. “I remember Chief Meadows talking to DOD about that, I believe. I remember Chief Meadows letting me know that, ‘Hey, there was going to be National Guard that’s going to be at Joint Base Andrews in case they’re going to need some more, we’re going to – the Mayor would need any, we’re going to make sure they’re out there.’” LIZ CHENEY ADDRESSES CRITICISM OF HER CRITIQUES OF TRUMP AND BIDEN Cheney’s spokesman Jeremy Adler told Fox News Digital on Sunday morning that the Federalist’s report is “flatly false.” “The Federalist report is flatly false. No transcripts were destroyed, and as this letter (which has long been public) describes in detail, the Committee adhered to its obligations to allow the Secret Service to protect sensitive security information for interviews of its agents before preserving that testimony in the archives,” Adler said in a statement. “Also, relevant content of the Secret Service transcripts was summarized in multiple places in the report… This is all a continuation of efforts to lie about and cover up Donald Trump’s culpability for January 6th,” he added, providing links to summarized Secret Service transcripts. Cheney also took to X this weekend and referred to the report as “BS” while responding to a tweet posted by Mark Levin. Meadows was reportedly worried about the crowd size ahead of Jan. 6, including from left-wing protesters, according to the Federalist’s report, which pointed to Ornato’s transcript detailing members of the Trump administration wanted to ensure there were enough troops on the streets. “And, again, the crowd
Dana Carvey impression shreds Biden changing tune on border
Comedian Dana Carvey recently pulled out a new impression of a bumbling President Biden flip-flopping on the border crisis with spot-on Biden-isms, a push-up challenge and nonsensical words. Carvey delivered the impression during an episode of his podcast “Superfly” with fellow comedian David Spade, who tweeted a clip of the bit. The impression was two parts, beginning with Biden denying the crisis at the border shortly after he is elected, followed by the president recently acknowledging the crisis amid public outcry. “I started with Biden, ’cause the border is all the rage now, everyone’s crazy for the border,” Carvey begins. “So I did Biden three years ago, he’s at a press conference, you know.” Carvey says a member of the press asks the president how he’s going to handle the crisis at the border when Biden calmly responds, “First of all, let’s get our facts straight. There’s no crisis at the border. C’mon.” FEDERAL COURT BLOCKS BIDEN ADMIN FROM DIVERTING FUNDS FROM BORDER WALL Carvey continues: “And [the press goes], ‘How do you know, sir?’” “Cause it says so on the piece of paper!” Carvey’s Biden replies as he holds up a sheet of paper. “Says it on the paper right there.” “And then recently,” Carvey says, setting up the next part of the impression, “everyone wants to close the border. Everyone’s screaming and Biden’s up there, ‘I’ll close the border harder than anyone’s ever closed the border! ‘Cause I know how to close the border. C’mon Jack!’” MAYORKAS CALLS POLICY TO LET 30K MIGRANTS FLY IN EACH MONTH A ‘KEY ELEMENT’ OF BORDER PLAN AFTER LEGAL WIN As the press, Carvey replies, “But last time …” “Get your facts straight! I’ll beat the hell outta ya,” Carvey’s now-fiery Biden responds before going into exaggerated Biden-isms. “Whattaya dog pace pony shoulder? C’mon! Let’s do some push-ups! I’ll close the border like nobody’s ever closed the border – the border patrol – the border – can’t believe it’s not butter!” Both Spade and a producer off-screen can be heard laughing as Carvey ends the bit. Biden used his first term to end many of the border and immigration policies of former President Trump’s administration, actions Republicans argue have led to the ongoing crisis at the southern border. A recent Monmouth poll showed Biden’s approval ratings slipping concerning his handling of immigration, while a recent Fox News poll shows that a majority of voters believe the situation at the southern border is at least a major problem, if not an emergency.
Trump projected to win Republican presidential caucuses in American Samoa
Donald Trump is taking another step toward formally locking up the Republican presidential nomination. The Associated Press on Saturday projected that the former president would win the GOP nominating caucuses in American Samoa, a U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean. Trump on Wednesday became his party’s 2024 presumptive presidential nominee, after his last remaining rival in the primary race – former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley – suspended her campaign. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST PRIMARY AND CAUCUS RESULTS The former president won 14 of the 15 Republican nominating contests that were held on Super Tuesday, and heading into Friday’s contest, stood at 1,031 delegates to this summer’s Republican National Convention. Nine delegates are at stake in the American Samoa caucuses. Trump is expected to reach the 1,215 delegates needed to clinch the Republican nomination on Tuesday, when four states – Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi and Washington – hold GOP nominating contests. The Republican National Convention is scheduled to begin on July 15, 2024, and wrap up on July 18, 2024. It will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. American Samoa held its Democratic presidential caucuses on Tuesday, and made plenty of news, as President Biden suffered his first defeat in his overall easy road to renomination. Biden was edged by extreme long-shot candidate and entrepreneur Jason Palmer. The two candidates split the six Democratic delegates up for grabs. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Biden torched for claiming ‘undocumented’ immigrants ‘built this country’ after saying same of middle class
President Biden received criticism online for claiming in a recent interview that “undocumented” immigrants built this country. The statement came as he apologized for using the term “illegal” to describe Jose Ibarra, the Venezuelan national accused of killing Augusta University nursing student Laken Riley. The president drew backlash on social media for crediting illegal immigrants for having “built” the U.S. – something he had previously credited to the American middle class. “In his SOTU speech he said unions and the middle class built this country, now he says ‘undocumented’ immigrants built the country. Any guess as to who he will say built the country the next time he’s speaking to an African-American audience?” journalist Jeff Gremillion wrote on X. Sitting down with MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart for a wide-ranging interview that aired Saturday, Biden said he should not have used the term “illegal” for Ibarra, 26, who illegally crossed the border in Texas but was still released for parole into the U.S. before being charged with murdering Riley. Biden stressed to Capehart that he should have used the word “undocumented” – instead of “illegal” – when citing Riley’s accused murderer during an off-script moment at the State of the Union address last week. BIDEN SAYS HE REGRETS USING ‘ILLEGAL’ TO DESCRIBE LAKEN RILEY MURDER SUSPECT DURING STATE OF THE UNION “And I shouldn’t have used illegal, I should’ve… It’s undocumented,” Biden said. “And look, when I spoke about the difference between Trump and me, one of the things I talked about on the border was his – the way he talks about vermin, the way he talks about these people polluting the blood. I talked about what I’m not going to do, what I won’t do. I’m not going to treat any, any, any of these people with disrespect. Look, they built the country. The reason our economy is growing, we have to control the border and more orderly flow.” During his State of the Union address, Biden – while acknowledging his endorsement by United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain – said, “Wall Street didn’t build America. They’re not bad guys. They didn’t build it, though. The middle class built the country, and unions built the middle class.” The juxtaposition also drew condemnation from another X user, who wrote, “Did president @JoeBiden just say the illegal’s, I mean undocumented immigrants built this country? The @WhiteHouse needs to explain this…. My great grand parents [were] born in this nation in slavery!” LAKEN RILEY MURDER SUSPECT’S SECOND BROTHER WAS TWICE DEPORTED BEFORE SETTLING IN GEORGIA Former President Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, slammed Biden’s apology at a rally. Torching Biden for mixing Laken’s name up with USC head football coach, Lincoln Riley, Trump lamented that Biden “went on television and apologized for calling Laken’s murderer an illegal,” drawing boos from the crowd. “They have a new name that’s even worse. You know what the new name is? Neighbor,” Trump said. “A newcomer to our country… are we going crazy or what? Is this country going crazy? How about that one, newcomer… no, he was an illegal. And I say he was an illegal alien. He was an illegal immigrant. He was an illegal migrant. And he shouldn’t have been in our country, and he never would have been under the Trump policy.” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who had challenged Biden during the State of the Union to say Riley’s name, also criticized Biden’s apology for the term “illegal.” “Disgusting. Joe Biden just apologized to the illegal alien animal who brutally murdered Laken Riley,” Greene wrote on X. Trump met with Riley’s parents at his rally Saturday, the same day Biden’s interview apology aired.
FDNY ‘looking into’ staff who booed NY AG Letitia James, cheered for Trump at ceremony
The FDNY pushed back on a report that it was “hunting” down firefighters and staffers who booed New York Attorney General Letitia James and shouted, “Trump! Trump! Trump!” during a promotion ceremony last week, saying that it is simply looking into those who broke department regulations. “Nobody is hunting anyone down,” FDNY spokesman Jim Long told Fox News Digital in an email on Sunday morning. “We’re looking into those who clearly broke department regulations. It has nothing to do with politics. It’s about professionalism at an official event held in a house of worship.” The New York Post first reported that FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens wrote in an email to department brass that the FDNY’s Bureau of Investigation and Trials was investigating the incident and “will figure out who those members are.” “I recommend they come forward. I have been told by the commissioner it will be better for them if they come forward and we don’t have to hunt them down,” Hodges said in the email obtained by the Post. WOMAN ARRESTED AFTER SHE SHOWERED KAMALA HARRIS’ MOTORCADE WITH RED LIQUID IN PHOENIX The booing erupted as James walked up to the podium to honor the swearing-in of the first African American woman chaplain of the FDNY, the Rev. Pamela Holmes, as well as other first responders. “Oh, c’mon, we’re in a house of God. Simmer down,” James told the rowdy crowd. “Thank you for getting it out of your system.” As James continued her remarks, the crowd repeatedly chanted “Trump!” NEW YORK APPEALS COURT ALLOWS TRUMP, SONS TO CONTINUE RUNNING BUSINESS, DENIES REQUEST TO DELAY PAYMENT Following the ceremony, Hodgens admonished the rowdy behavior of the firefighters. “Today’s ceremony was about one thing: the accomplishments of the members being promoted,” he said. “The members whose behavior distracted from that celebration were an embarrassment and not befitting of the world’s best fire department.” James led the months-long civil trial against Trump in New York City that alleged the former president had inflated his assets and committed fraud. Judge Arthur Engoron handed down his ruling last month, finding Trump liable for more than $350 million in damages and barring him from operating his business in New York for three years. Fox News’ Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
ISRO chief Somanath provides major update on Chandrayaan-4 mission, says ‘rockets up to…’
Reports suggest that the Chandrayaan-4 lunar mission will be launched in two phases. In the first phase, the LVM-3 will launch propulsion, descender, and ascender modules, similar to the Chandrayaan-3 mission in 2023.
Hezbollah fires rockets into Israel after deadly strikes
Armed group says it launched dozens of rockets on Israeli village of Meron, after Israeli strikes killed five people in southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s Hezbollah has said it has fired dozens of rockets into northern Israel after Israeli strikes the day before killed at least five people in southern Lebanon, including three of the group’s members, as fears grow of a regional escalation. Hezbollah, an ally of the Palestinian group Hamas, and Israel have been exchanging near daily fire across the border since Israel launched a brutal war on Gaza on October 7 in the wake of a deadly attack inside Israel. Hezbollah said on Sunday it had launched “dozens of katyusha-type rockets” in the morning on the Israeli village of Meron, 8km (5 miles) from the border. Meron is home to a major air control base that the Iran-backed group has targeted several times since the start of the year. Hezbollah said it had acted “in response to Israeli attacks against villages in the south and the homes of civilians”, particularly the targeting of the home of a fighter in Khirbet Selm the day before. A woman and another person were also killed in the same strike, according to Lebanon’s official National News Agency. “Following the sirens that sounded in northern Israel, approximately 35 launches from Lebanon towards Israeli territory were identified, a number of which were intercepted,” the Israeli army said on Sunday. The statement added that the Israeli air force struck Hezbollah infrastructure during the night, including a “military structure in which Hezbollah terrorists were identified in the area of Khirbet Selm”. At least 312 people have been killed in Lebanon since the start of cross-border violence on October 8, most of them Hezbollah fighters but also including 53 civilians, according to an AFP tally. On the Israeli side, 10 soldiers and seven civilians have been killed, according to the latest official figures. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced by the fighting on both sides of the border. Strikes have largely remained confined to border regions for the moment, but several have hit Hezbollah positions further north in recent weeks, raising fears of a full-blown conflict. The group has repeatedly said that it will only stop its attacks on Israel with a ceasefire in Gaza, where people have died from malnutrition and dehydration. More than 31,000 Palestinians have been killed in the more than five months of Israeli offensive. But Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said recently that any truce in Gaza would not change Israel’s goal of pushing Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon, by force or diplomacy. Adblock test (Why?)
India signs $100bn free trade deal with European EFTA bloc
India to lift import tariffs for several industrial products from four-nation group in return for 15-year investment. India has signed a $100bn free trade agreement with a four-member European bloc and will lift most import tariffs on industrial products from these countries in return for the investment over 15 years. The deal signed on Sunday with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – after several rounds of negotiations spanning 16 years – will see investments across a range of Indian sectors, including pharmaceuticals, machinery and manufacturing. The EFTA comprises Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, all non-European Union nations, that will get access to a fast-growing market of 1.4 billion people, said India’s Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal. “The India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement [TEPA] marks a historic milestone in our growing partnership,” Goyal said after the signing in New Delhi. It “will pave the path for mutual growth and prosperity” by boosting exports, promoting investment and creating employment, he added. In the last two years, India has signed trade agreements with Australia and the United Arab Emirates, and officials say a deal with the United Kingdom is in the final stages as Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to hit $1 trillion in annual exports by 2030. India will lift, or partially remove, very high customs duties on 95.3 percent of industrial imports from Switzerland, excluding gold, either immediately or over time, the Swiss government said in a statement. “Norwegian companies exporting to India today meet high import taxes of up to 40% on certain goods,” Industry Minister Jan Christian Vestre said in a separate statement. “With the new deal, we have secured nil import taxes on nearly every Norwegian good.” Under the agreement, Indian agricultural exporters will enjoy liberalised trade rules in the form of tariff concessions in the European bloc. Professionals will also be able to take up jobs in the EFTA zone, officials said. The pact covers some new elements such as intellectual rights and gender equity, Goyal said, telling a news conference, “It is a modern trade agreement, fair, equitable and win-win for all five countries.” The five must ratify the deal before it can take effect, with Switzerland planning to do so by 2025. The signing comes ahead of India’s general elections, due by May, in which Modi will seek a third term. India is EFTA’s fifth-largest trading partner after the EU, the United States, the UK and China, with total two-way trade of $25bn in 2023, its Ministry of Trade estimates. Formed in 1960 as a counterweight to the EU, the EFTA has signed about 30 trade agreements with some 40 countries and territories outside the EU. Adblock test (Why?)
Will Israel be allowed to continue its Gaza starvation strategy?
US Senator Chris Van Hollen: It’s time for the United States to tell Israel, ‘If you continue to ignore us, there will be consequences.’ US Senator Chris Van Hollen says it is time for the Biden administration to tell Israel, “If you continue to ignore us, there will be consequences.” Senator Van Hollen, who is one of seven senators (out of 100) to have called for a permanent ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza, tells host Steve Clemons that Hamas’s surprise attack last year “does not justify the humanitarian catastrophe that we’re witnessing in Gaza”. The Democratic senator from Maryland said that the United States has to use “all the levers of our power and influence” to allow more aid to get to starving Palestinians. Adblock test (Why?)