Texas Weekly Online

Texas-trans-white
Menu
Menu

Author:

Biden confirms plans to airdrop aid into Gaza after stampede kills over 100

Biden confirms plans to airdrop aid into Gaza after stampede kills over 100

President Biden confirmed plans on Friday to airdrop aid supplies into Gaza in the coming days after a stampede towards aid trucks killed over 100 Palestinians this week. Biden said the first of the airdrops will land within days, and other administration officials say it is likely to contain military MREs, or meals ready-to-eat. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says the drop will be part of a “sustained effort” by the U.S. “We need to do more and the United States will do more,” Biden told reporters on Friday. “Aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere nearly enough.” The U.S. is also considering the delivery of aid by U.S. navy vessels in the Mediterranean Sea along the coast of Gaza. PALESTINIAN HUNGER CRISIS CONTINUES AS DESTROYED BAKERIES STRUGGLE TO REOPEN President Biden confirmed plans on Friday to airdrop aid supplies into Gaza in the coming days after a stampede toward aid trucks killed over 100 Palestinians this week. The airdrop campaign comes after more than 100 people were reported dead and hundreds more wounded when Palestinians rushing toward trucks loaded with humanitarian aid encountered fire in Gaza City early Thursday, according to local media reports. The exact circumstances surrounding the deaths remain unclear; while several reports suggested Israeli troops fired on the crowd as they descended upon the trucks, the Israeli military suggested that most who died were trampled. Ashraf al-Qidra, a spokesman for the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, said at least 104 people were killed and around 760 were wounded, describing the incident as a “massacre.” ISRAEL REJECTS UN, AID AGENCIES CRITICISM THAT GAZA IS ON BRINK OF STARVATION: ‘NO SHORTAGE OF FOOD’ Israel has contested that description, however, saying the vast majority of those killed in the incident were trampled in the rush toward aid. “Early this morning, during the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into the northern Gaza Strip, Gazan residents surrounded the trucks, and looted the supplies being delivered,” Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement. “During the incident, dozens of Gazans were injured as a result of pushing and trampling. The incident is under review.” The IDF suggested that fewer than 10 civilians were injured by Israeli forces opening fire during the delivery of humanitarian aid. Hamas says it holds Israel and Biden’s administration “fully responsible” for the incident and for the “ethnic cleansing” of its people. The group called for worldwide demonstrations against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.  “We have mercy on the souls of our people’s martyrs, and we affirm that their sacrifices and blood will not be in vain and that we will remain loyal to our cause, our land, and our sanctities,” the group posted to Telegram. Fox News’ Michael Dorgan and Reuters contributed to this report.

Manchin appears to square up against climate protester after being called a ‘sick f—‘

Manchin appears to square up against climate protester after being called a ‘sick f—‘

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., appeared to square up against a climate protester after being confronted during an appearance at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Friday.  A video posted on X, formerly Twitter, by climate change group Climate Defiance, shows an activist approaching Manchin during the round-table discussion.  “Joe Manchin, you sold our futures and got rich doing it,” the protester told the senator. “You sick f—. How dare you?” JOE MANCHIN WILL NOT LAUNCH THIRD-PARTY PRESIDENTIAL RUN Manchin immediately stood up and began to make his way toward the activist before a man stepped between the two.  “You sold our futures,” the activist proceeded before being shoved to the ground.  The edited video cuts to Manchin speaking with the activists, saying, “Y’all want to sit down somewhere and talk?” “I’m not going to sit down,” one activist responds. “You’ve received more funding from fossil fuels than any other senator.” “You’ve made millions, you’ve made millions out of your position. You drive a Maserati,” another activist tells Manchin.  “Oh my goodness,” Manchin is heard saying in response.  MANCHIN HINTS AT POTENTIAL THIRD-PARTY RUN AFTER SUPER TUESDAY: ‘PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR OPTIONS’ The activists specifically honed in on questioning the senator over the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Manchin played a role in securing the pipeline in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, filing his own amicus brief in the Supreme Court case last year.  “Do you think people support this pipeline?” one activist asked the senator directly.  WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE:  Manchin began to explain why people should support the pipeline before being cut off by the same activist. “They don’t support it,” the activist said.  The activists are then heard chanting, “Not our futures, not your profits” as Manchin shakes individuals’ hands before appearing to head out.  “Earlier today, protesters disrupted for a few minutes an IOP study group in which Senator Joe Manchin was the guest speaker,” a statement released by Harvard stated. “A Harvard University police officer ordered the protesters to leave the Kennedy School campus, and the protesters complied. Senator Manchin continued his discussion with IOP students after the disruption. The Harvard University Police Department and the Kennedy School are reviewing the incident.” Fox News Digital reached out to Manchin’s office, Harvard Police Department, the Kennedy Institute of Politics, and Climate Defiance for additional comment.  FAR-LEFT GREEN ACTIVISTS ‘SURROUND’ JOE MANCHIN EVENT IN NEW HAMPSHIRE JUST WEEKS AFTER WHITE HOUSE INVITE Manchin was scheduled to appear alongside Resident Fellow Alison King at the Kennedy School on Friday, wherein they would cover who Manchin expects to back in the 2024 election among other topics, according to the Institute’s promo of the event.  Climate Defiance also confronted Manchin in January, saying the organization had surrounded him in New Hampshire in an effort to confront him over energy and climate policy. Climate Defiance said its members had cornered Manchin, forcing him to hide in an “old” building in Goffstown, New Hampshire. This came shortly after the senator addressed the New Hampshire Institute of Politics’ “Politics & Eggs” forum which is often attended by presidential candidates. The West Virginia senator settled speculation of a potential presidential run of his own last month, saying he would “not be seeking a third-party run, I will not be involved in a presidential run.” 36 PROGRESSIVE HOUSE DEMS VOTE AGAINST BIPARTISAN GREEN ENERGY BILL Manchin made the announcement during a speech at West Virginia University as part of his “listening tour” that kicked off in January with his daughter’s campaign group “Americans Together” — a movement that touts itself as the “moderate majority” that rejects the “extremism in politics.”  He had previously stated he would tap Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, or former Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman to be his vice presidential running mate in a hypothetical run.  As of late February, Manchin has yet to endorse President Joe Biden, telling CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, “I’m not endorsing anybody, right now. We’re going to see what all happens.” Manchin — who has previously said a president should possess the “knowledge,” “passion,” and “ability” necessary to unite the divided populace — said he still has reservations about Biden’s increasingly polarizing policies. “I’ve had this conversation with him and with his people that he’s gone too far to the left. They’ve pushed him, and pulled him, and whatever,” Manchin said. “But that’s not where America is. That’s not where our country is.” Fox News’ Jamie Joseph and Thomas Catennaci contributed to this report. 

Florida House passes bill to prohibit homeless people from sleeping in public

Florida House passes bill to prohibit homeless people from sleeping in public

Florida House lawmakers passed a bill on Friday that would prevent homeless people from sleeping in public and require local governments to fund homeless camps. H.B. 1365 passed the Republican-controlled House 82-26 in a near party-line vote. The legislation is supported by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said it is a way to “combat homelessness and keep Florida’s streets clean.” “We’re not going to let Florida become San Francisco where homeless are everywhere,” DeSantis said last week. The bill would also make it easier for residents and business owners to challenge local officials over how homelessness is addressed, according to The News Service of Florida. SQUAD MEMBER TLAIB PROPOSES PILOT PROGRAM TO PAY SOME HOMELESS PEOPLE $1,400 PER MONTH FOR 3 YEARS The Florida Senate is expected to take up a similar proposal on Monday. House sponsor Sam Garrison, R, admitted the measure “isn’t going to eliminate homelessness,” but said current initiatives to address homelessness are not working. “This is not a bill designed to put people out of sight, out of mind. It’s quite the opposite,” Garrison said on the House Floor. Garrison said the goal is to keep Florida cities from becoming like San Francisco and other U.S. cities with a homelessness crisis. “The status quo is not acceptable,” he said. “When it gets to a point where the problem exceeds the resources to address it, the cost of dealing with it on the back end is inevitably 10 times what it would be on the front end.” Florida had the nation’s third-highest homeless population as of 2022, with nearly 26,000 people. That same year, San Francisco had a homeless population of nearly 8,000. For two months during the coronavirus pandemic, Tampa attempted to designate a two-month homeless camp for homeless people. City officials told Fox 35 that it costs roughly $60,000 monthly for every 100 homeless people. At about $600 per tent, this costs $720,000 per year. HOLLYWOOD RESIDENTS GROW FRUSTRATED WITH LOCAL LEADERS OVER HOMELESS PROBLEM The bill would bar cities and counties from allowing people to sleep on public property, including at public buildings and in public rights of way. The proposal would also allow local governments to designate certain areas for sleeping or camping if the locations meet standards established by the Florida Department of Children and Families. These designated areas would have to include restrooms and running water, security and be alcohol- and drug-free. The sites, which could only be used for a year, must also not harm the safety or value of nearby properties. “With no security, with no basic sanitation, with no access to behavioral health services for folks who have been ravaged by drug abuse and mental illness…the answer is let’s get a home for everybody,” Garrison said. “If we do nothing for these folks, that is unacceptable,” Rep. Ralph Massullo, R, said the bill would start to clean up streets while at the same time providing safe shelters and mental-health services. “Will you all have to come back here next year and do some more work? Possibly,” Massullo said. “But when the cities aren’t acting, the state needs to, and that’s our responsibility.” Democrats say that without state funding to support the bill, it would increase local government costs and force homeless people into wooded areas. Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis, D, said the bill attempts to criminalize homelessness while “bullying municipalities and counties into doing what we want them to do.” “We must acknowledge that pushing the unhoused out of sight isn’t a solution. It is a failed attempt to sweep a societal problem under the rug,” Bracy Davis said. Rep. Anna Eskamani, D, said lawmakers should prioritize “robust investments in transitional housing and shelters. But no, instead, we want to designate a location that’s probably going to be really hard to identify.” The bill would also provide residents and business owners with standing to file civil lawsuits against local governments for allowing illegal sleeping or camping on public property. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Some counties would be exempt from certain requirements under the proposal if these requirements would create financial hardship. The House rejected a series of amendments on Thursday that had been proposed by Democrats, including banning perpetrators of domestic violence from being allowed in the designated homeless areas and allowing the areas to remain in place for more than a year.

Republican Senate leader fight expected to put party rift between factions on full display

Republican Senate leader fight expected to put party rift between factions on full display

The race for the next Republican Senate leader has the potential to further expose deepening divisions within the party as the conference looks to select a new head in November after the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell R-Ky., steps down from his post.  While the Republicans boast 49 seats in the Senate, they don’t all champion the same brand of conservatism. This has become more evident in the Trump era as the party’s positions and base shift.  According to Republican strategist Ron Bonjean, former top spokesman to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and former chief of staff of the Senate Republican Conference, more attention will likely be called to “the old guard versus the new populism that is growing quickly within the Senate GOP” during the leader fight.  The battle is further poised “to draw Trump into the mix more often on high-profile national issues,” he said.  CROWDED FIELD OF POTENTIAL MCCONNELL SUCCESSORS EMERGES IN SENATE The Trump campaign did not comment when reached by Fox News Digital regarding the former president’s preference for leader.  In his remarks on the Senate floor, McConnell cited “Father Time,” noting he wasn’t “the young man sitting in the back” anymore. He explained it was time for “the next generation of leadership.” He further expressed his “full confidence” in the Republican conference to choose a successor. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, announced his bid for leader the day after McConnell’s announcement on the Senate floor, telling colleagues in a statement he was asking them “to give me the opportunity to succeed Leader McConnell.”  POLICE LIEUTENANT ATTACKED BY MIGRANTS IN TIMES SQUARE INVITED TO BIDEN’S STATE OF THE UNION Former Cornyn staffer and Republican strategist Brian Walsh said the race “will be a moment for all sides to make their voices heard.” However, he believes the competition will demonstrate exactly why the next leader “should have the experience and record to bring the different factions together and move forward with a unified agenda.”  While Cornyn is the only senator to have formally entered the race, several others are understood to be eyeing the position and are actively consulting with their colleagues.  A spokesperson for Senate Republican Whip John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Senator Thune is reaching out to each of his colleagues directly to discuss the future of the Senate Republican Conference and what they would like to see in their next leader.” Thune plans to continue talking to fellow senators in the days and weeks to come, “but he intends on keeping those conversations private,” the spokesperson said.  BIDEN SIGNS STOPGAP FUNDING BILL, PUSHING SHUTDOWN DEADLINE ONE WEEK Other senators believed to be considering their own bids are Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and senators Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Steve Daines, R-Mont.  Barrasso recently told reporters he was focused on the general election, but said, “I’m going to talk to members of the conference, hear what they have to say [and] listen to them in terms of what direction that they want to take with us.” As for Daines, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, he also said his focus was on the election.  “It’s far too early to know where this lands, but whatever we see play out publicly is nothing compared to the intense inside game already underway,” Republican strategist and Capitol Hill veteran Zack Roday said.  “The Senate is still the Senate, even if an increasing number of its members may operate like counterparts in the House.” While some strategists suggested experience would win the leadership position, a few senators have indicated different qualities they want to see in McConnell’s successor.  BOB MENENDEZ’S CORRUPTION CASE CO-DEFENDANT PLEADS GUILTY TO 7 COUNTS, COOPERATING WITH INVESTIGATORS “Our next Senate GOP leader must be someone who understands that the real reason our party is changing so fast is because voters keep electing new leaders who want to end mass migration, bring jobs & factories back, get control of our debt & put America first ahead of anything and everyone else,” Sen. Marco Rubio R-Fla., wrote on X, formerly Twitter.  Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., said the leader needs to reflect a “new point of view” that says the U.S. can’t continue borrowing money at the current rate and giving the amount of aid it currently does to other countries. He added he wants to see a conference that doesn’t “vote for democratic legislation” and introduces “conservative ideas that are entrepreneurial.” Scott poses the most potential to rile up the faction of Senate Republicans most unhappy with McConnell’s leadership. In 2022, he notably challenged McConnell’s long-running reign but ultimately failed to knock off the Kentucky Republican. At the time, Braun told reporters McConnell maintained 37 votes, with Scott peeling away 10 senators. One Republican also voted “present.”  Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, a vocal member of the hardline faction, would welcome Scott’s leadership if the Florida Republican managed to get the conference on board, a staffer in the senator’s office conveyed to Fox News Digital. HALEY SLAMS TRUMP FOR SENATE LOSSES, CALLS OUT GOP LAWMAKERS FOR COURTING HIM “In recent years, congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle have been given fits by the extreme wings of their parties, and a lot of that has to do with how closely divided the parties are in their control of the two chambers,” Grant Reeher, a political science professor at Syracuse University, explained. “Every vote counts. If the race ends up calling the question of where in the party the energy and the center of power are, it could produce a clear winner but also lay bare the divisions within the party — which, for example, are indicated by the fact that former President Trump is getting just 60% of the primary vote.” However, he said it’s also possible a moderate candidate could appeal in different ways to each faction, carrying that candidate to a win. But this person is certain to face “more headaches down