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Top Obama official’s attack on Biden’s foreign policy failures resurfaces after 3 US soldiers killed

Top Obama official’s attack on Biden’s foreign policy failures resurfaces after 3 US soldiers killed

A former top Obama administration official’s past criticism of President Biden’s foreign policy failures has resurfaced in the wake of an attack on a U.S. military outpost in Jordan that tragically took the lives of three American soldiers over the weekend. That official, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, first expressed his displeasure with Biden’s foreign policy positions in a 2014 memoir titled, “Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War,” writing that although Biden was a man of integrity, he believed the former senator and then-vice president had “been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.” Gates doubled down on those claims when asked about his book during a 2021 interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” saying, “I think he’s gotten a lot wrong.” He then pointed to what he said was Biden’s opposition to “every one of Ronald Reagan’s military programs to contest the Soviet Union,” the first Gulf War, and to their differences concerning the war in Afghanistan. FORMER GREEN BERET SHREDS ‘CRIMINALLY INCOMPETENT’ BIDEN, STRESSES NEED FOR MORE VETERANS IN CONGRESS Gates also said he believed Biden made a mistake in the way he handled the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan that same year. First appointed by former President George W. Bush in 2006, Gates was the sole cabinet member to remain in his post after Obama took office in 2009. He stepped down from the role in June 2011. Prior to his appointment, Gates served as the Director of the CIA and as Deputy National Security Advisor to former President George H. W. Bush. The Pentagon on Monday identified the names of the three U.S. soldiers killed in the Iran-backed militia attack as Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Ga.; Spc. Kennedy Landon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Ga.; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Ga. TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT SENDS STARK MESSAGE TO SANCTUARY CITIES AS MIGRANT CRISIS CONTINUES All were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Fort Moore, Ga.  Critics lashed out at Biden following the attack, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who called for the president to hit Iran “hard” in retaliation. “When the Biden Administration says ‘don’t’, the Iranians ‘do’. The Biden Administration’s rhetoric is falling on deaf ears in Iran. Their policy of deterrence against Iran has failed miserably. There have been over 100 attacks against U.S. forces in the region. Iran is undeterred,” Graham said in a statement. WATCH: WHITE HOUSE TOUTS ‘FIERY’ BIDEN ABORTION SPEECH DESPITE A MUCH-NOTICED FLUB, FREQUENT INTERRUPTIONS The soldiers’ deaths marked a major escalation of violence in the ongoing attacks on U.S. forces in the region. The Biden administration has blamed these attacks on Iran-backed militia groups in Syria and Iraq who have struck American targets in retaliation for the U.S.’ support of Israel in its ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza that began on Oct. 7. Per the DOD, there have been 165 attacks in Iraq, Syria, and now Jordan since Oct. 17. Of these, 66 were in Iraq, 98 were in Syria, and one was in Jordan.  The Pentagon says more than 40 people were injured in the weekend attacks on a small desert installation known as Tower 22 in Jordan. At least eight were medically evacuated and the most seriously hurt service is in critical but stable condition.  An additional 80 U.S. service members have been injured since Oct. 17. Fox News’ Bradford Betz contributed to this report.

Austin city agency offers racially segregated ‘anti-racist’ trainings for ‘white folks’ and ‘people of color’

Austin city agency offers racially segregated ‘anti-racist’ trainings for ‘white folks’ and ‘people of color’

A city agency in Austin, Texas invited employees to racially segregated “anti-racist” meetings where “white folks” were asked not to attend a meeting that was only for “people of color.” A January email obtained by Fox News Digital reveals Austin’s Parks & Recreation Department’s equity and inclusion coordinator invited employees to attend “Antiracist Affinity Spaces,” consisting of two separate trainings segregated by race as part of an “Equity and Inclusion program.” “For People of Color*: Once a month, PARD employees of color will meet up at various city sites,” the email says. “The first 1.5 hours will be for fostering dialogue and the last 30 minutes will be for networking. This monthly space will offer folks the opportunities to gather and connect with other PARD employees of color, share about our personal and professional experiences with racism, and learn about mentoring and job opportunities for professional development.” That description is followed by an asterisk disclaimer explaining that the February 22nd meeting is only for “people of color.” MAJOR DONOR CALLING ON CORNELL PRESIDENT TO RESIGN OVER DEI SEES OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT “To cultivate a brave and safe space for attendees, we kindly ask that you do not attend these spaces if you are not a Person of Color,” the email says. The email goes on to explain what will take place at the meeting for “white people” on February 26th.  “Once a month, white PARD employees will meet up at various city sites. The first 1.5 hours will be for fostering dialogue and the last 30 minutes will be for networking,” the email says. “In this space, white folks will share about their ongoing learning around anti-racism, explore their role in disrupting racism in and outside of work, hold one another accountable in this work and actively practice being in solidarity with PARD employees of color and communities of color.” DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION PROGRAMS TOOK A HIT IN 2023 No disclaimer was included for the “white people” meeting placing conditions on who should attend. Fox News Digital was told by a source that “staff of all races are upset” by the email and several Austin citizens also expressed disgust over the concept of holding separate trainings for different races. “It is terrible that the City is splitting up employees by race and telling White employees they cannot attend certain meetings,” Austin area attorney Adam Loewy told Fox News Digital. “That is racism and should be condemned – as it rightly would be if Black employees were excluded from meetings. I’m shocked this is happening.” Dennis Farris, President of the Austin Police Retired Officers Association, told Fox News Digital that it “seems they missed a great opportunity to bring everyone together and instead what they are proposing is divisive at best and racist at worst.” ‘FOCUS ON MERIT’: OREGON COUNTY AXES DIVERSITY OFFICE THAT COST NEARLY $1 MILLION A YEAR “With multiple issues with homeless living in the parks and recently a young man was attacked with a machete that has changed his life forever and this is what the parks department worries about,” Farris added, referring to a recent attack on a 19-year-old walking on a trail in Austin’s Auditorium Shores park. Farris continued, “Plus it seems the equity and inclusion office isn’t for ‘white folks’, their words, and is more interested in pitting co-workers against each other. Could you imagine if you flipped the flyer and said people of color weren’t allowed at the meeting for white people what the reaction would be? This should be no different. It appears they are actively promoting discrimination against “white folks, again their words.” Specifically segregated “Affinity Groups” have become increasingly popular as  part of an overall DEI push from the progressive left in recent years and opponents have pushed to remove those kind of training from public institutions and city governments. In Massachusetts in 2022, a school district was forced to back away from holding racially segregated “affinity groups” after a non-profit filed a lawsuit. Similar controversial situations have popped up in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Illiinois, Indianapolis, Indiana, and several other cities across the country. Some states, including Florida, have moved to ban DEI funding all together arguing that it promotes exclusion rather than inclusion.  In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for the Austin Parks and Recreation Department said that an apology was issued over the email. “Department leadership is aware of an email sent to the City’s Parks and Recreation Department staff regarding efforts to establish antiracist affinity groups,” the statement said. “The email was not vetted, did not reflect the Department’s values, and, within 24-hours, the Department issued a retraction email apologizing for the exclusion of employees in any space.” “The Department remains committed to ensuring all employees benefit from collaboration and professional development that is inclusive of all staff. While the original email identified separate racial groups to encourage participants’ comfort and willingness to share personal experiences, the intent of the email/groups was not to be exclusionary, but rather to provide a supportive environment for sharing their lived experiences and identify ways to improve the Department’s relational culture.” 

In Myanmar’s Kayah, medics treat war wounded in hidden hospitals

In Myanmar’s Kayah, medics treat war wounded in hidden hospitals

Kayah State, Myanmar – When the military seized power in February 2021, Dr Ye was living a life many young people in Myanmar only dream of – working as a doctor in London. Hailing from a military-supporting family, he had given little thought to politics before then. “Before the coup, I was brainwashed by them,” the 32-year-old told Al Jazeera during an interview in southern Shan State in December. “The coup enlightened me.” But it also left him reeling with survivors’ guilt. He watched from afar as hundreds of people his age and younger were gunned down in the streets during peaceful pro-democracy protests. Soon, those protests morphed into an armed uprising, with the military deploying mass reprisals against the civilian population. “For a while, I was donating money, but I wasn’t happy with that. Every morning when I woke up, I was depressed seeing news about the killings, the bombings, the burned down villages,” he said. At his lowest point, Dr Ye even attempted suicide. “I decided I had to come back and participate in the revolution physically,” he said. In April 2022, he travelled to Kayah State, which shares a mountainous border with Thailand. A coalition of anti-coup armed groups has carved out significant territory there and in neighbouring southern Shan. Dr Ye’s decision to move to this “liberated area” caused a rift in his family because his father is an official in the regime’s prison department in the nation’s capital of Naypyidaw. “We totally split up, we don’t talk at all any more,” he said, adding that his father had even threatened him with arrest. “I don’t think he’ll ever change his mind.” A PDF fighter in Demoso shows off the tattoo he had inked to mark the date he was injured by a military RPG [Andrew Nachemson/Al Jazeera] His background as a paediatrician made Dr Ye valuable in treating the many children displaced by the conflict, but like all healthcare professionals in Kayah, he is also a temporary war medic. “I have to stabilise the vital signs, check the blood pressure and heart rate,” he said, of patients brought in after being injured in the conflict. Raining down bombs When a resistance fighter was rushed into her clinic in east Demoso with a serious injury to his right leg from an air attack, Dr May got to work despite the buzz of warplanes overhead. “We could hear the sound of a fighter jet flying over us, but we couldn’t run anywhere because we had to resuscitate the soldier. So, we just had to stay there and accept whatever might come,” said the 33-year-old, who worked as a general practitioner at a private hospital in Mawlamyine before the coup. “I could work in a private hospital again or go abroad, but if I did that I’d feel like I wasn’t doing my duty for my country, for my people,” she said. In the first half of 2023, east Demoso was one of the worst conflict zones in the country, and Dr May took to sleeping in a bomb shelter. “Every day when I woke up, I heard the sound of artillery, and sometimes at 2 or 3am, we’d hear a fighter jet flying over our heads,” she said. “We literally lived beneath the soil in the bunker. We had to sleep there, we had to eat there because we didn’t feel safe on the surface any more.” Kayah has been hit by multiple air attacks by the military, which is fighting forces opposed to its February 2021 coup [Andrew Nachemson/Al Jazeera] When Al Jazeera visited east Demoso on January 4, it was eerily quiet. Fighting had since shifted to Loikaw, the state capital, but few civilians had returned home, leaving the area largely devoid of people. Dr May said the military targets healthcare facilities because it knows resistance fighters receive treatment there, even though common civilians also rely on them for life-saving care. “Because we’ve been taking care of our comrades, including war injuries, and that’s not good for these …,” she pauses thinking of the right word. “These dogs.” Since the coup, people in Myanmar have taken to referring to regime soldiers as sit-kway, or “military dogs”. The Geneva Convention says that health facilities and mobile health units “may in no circumstances be attacked”. A resistance fighter injured by a landmine gets treatment at a clandestine hospital in Kayah [Andrew Nachemson/Al Jazeera] After months of near-misses, Dr May’s hospital was hit by an air raid in May 2023. “It felt like I’m suddenly on a battlefield, I’m inside my own coffin, everything flashed before my eyes,” she said. Luckily, nobody was killed, but the inpatient buildings were destroyed. Dr May’s hospital has since moved to a more stable area in the state and Dr Ye said his facility has also relocated three or four times. Dr Oak, who did autopsies of the victims of the Christmas Eve massacre, said he has had to move twice as well. Once, a missile landed next to his hospital in Nanmekhon in Demoso township. The second time, an air raid hit his facility in northern Loikaw township. Dr Oak was taking a break, using the internet in town, but four of his medics were killed. For this reason, most hospitals in Kayah are not only hidden but also come equipped with bomb shelters. On the front lines When Al Jazeera visited one of these clandestine hospitals in late December, a member of the Demoso People’s Defence Force (PDF) was groaning in his bed. “It hurts so much I can’t sleep,” he said. The PDF is a pro-democracy armed group with units spread out across the country. The fighter’s legs had been badly injured by an air attack in Loikaw; doctors had already amputated one of his feet. Half of the 12 patients in the hospital had been injured by landmines in Moebye, a town in southern Shan that is mostly controlled by the resistance. The military seemingly rigged it with

Qatar’s prime minister in US for Gaza truce negotiations

Qatar’s prime minister in US for Gaza truce negotiations

NewsFeed Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, is in Washington, DC, to meet with top US officials. In an interview with the Atlantic Council, he discussed where negotiations stand for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war and the push for the release of captives. Published On 29 Jan 202429 Jan 2024 Adblock test (Why?)

How will UNRWA function as more donor countries cut funding?

How will UNRWA function as more donor countries cut funding?

Israel says some of the UN agency’s staff members were involved in Hamas’s October 7 attacks. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees – UNRWA – offers a lifeline for nearly 6 million people. Established in 1949, its mission is to provide relief to Palestinians forced from their homes when the state of Israel was created and for their still displaced descendants. Now, the agency’s future – and that of those who depend on it to survive – is under threat. Several Western nations have suspended their funding to UNRWA in the wake of Israeli accusations that some of its staff members were involved in the attacks by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7. The agency has dismissed some employees and opened an investigation What impact will the aid suspension have on the Palestinian people – both in Gaza and beyond? Presenter: Nastasya Tay Guests: Samir Zaqout – Palestinian rights and social activist who lives in Gaza and has been displaced by Israel’s war Ardi Imseis – professor of international law at Queen’s University and former legal counsel to UNRWA Raymond Johansen – secretary-general of Norwegian People’s Aid and former Norwegian state secretary for foreign affairs Adblock test (Why?)

‘Don’t know’ what shutting down the border means ‘exactly,’ White House spokeswoman says

‘Don’t know’ what shutting down the border means ‘exactly,’ White House spokeswoman says

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said there are “different definitions” of what it means to shut down the border when pressed if President Biden’s recent immigration rhetoric is any different from comments then-President Trump made in 2018 which critics cited as “racist.”  “Back in the winter of 2018 and the spring of 2019, President Trump vowed to shut down the border with Mexico using almost the identical language that the president used on Friday. Many, many, if not most, if not practically all Democrats called that xenophobic and even racist. Why shouldn’t people make the same conclusion about this president’s threat to shut down the entire border with Mexico?” a reporter asked the press secretary on Monday. “We believe the new enforcement tools that currently don’t exist that we believe will be part of this bipartisan agreement will be fair. We believe … it’ll be tough, but it will be fair,” Jean-Pierre responded. She was then pressed that Biden did not say last week that the administration would use “enhanced enforcement to improve the processing of people at the border” and was instead much stronger by saying he would shut the border down. FLASHBACK: TRUMP’S BORDER WALL WAS CALLED ‘RACIST’ AND ‘ANTI-IMMIGRANT’ BY LIBERAL MEDIA FOR YEARS “Why isn’t that the same thing that Trump did?” the reporter questioned after a short back-and-forth with Jean-Pierre. “There are different definitions, right, of what that looks like, of what actually shutting down the border looks like, right? So, we’re going to let them work through it. We don’t know what that looks like exactly. What we are asking for, what the president wants to see, is that we deal with the challenges at the border, that we have an opportunity to deal with what’s going on, the security, and make sure that we have the funding and the resources to deal with what we’re seeing at the border,” she responded. “There are different definitions to what that looks like.” BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ACCUSED OF HYPOCRISY FOR PROPOSING BORDER WALL AMID MIGRANT CRISIS Biden on Friday vowed to “shut down the border” if Congress passes a bipartisan immigration deal he said would give him the “emergency authority” to stop the rush of migrants that have been flooding the border during his administration. “For too long, we all know the border’s been broken,” he said. “It’s long past time to fix it.” “What’s been negotiated would — if passed into law — be the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border we’ve ever had in our country,” Biden said. “It would give me, as president, a new emergency authority to shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed. And if given that authority, I would use it the day I sign the bill into law.” BIDEN PROMISES TO ‘SHUT DOWN’ BORDER IF CONGRESS APPROVES BILL GOP CLAIMS WOULD ‘INCENTIVIZE ILLEGAL ALIENS’ Trump was slammed by Democrats and other critics as a “racist” in November 2018 and again in March 2019 for threatening to shut down the border if Mexico didn’t stop people from illegally crossing into the U.S. “We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with. Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!” Trump said amid a series of tweets in 2018. “If Mexico doesn’t immediately stop ALL illegal immigration coming into the United States through our Southern Border, I will be CLOSING the Border, or large sections of the Border, next week,” Trump again tweeted in 2019. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Critics attacked such a plan as racist, including the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2019, which said the plan was “illegal” and accused Trump of “using scare tactics to paint lawful immigration as a security threat.”

Resurfaced video of Matt Rosendale reveals GOP divide in potential Montana Senate primary

Resurfaced video of Matt Rosendale reveals GOP divide in potential Montana Senate primary

A clip of likely Senate candidate Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., supporting DACA policies resurfaced over the weekend, garnering mixed reactions from Republicans on social media. Montana’s Republican Senate race is expected to heat up soon with Rosendale considering a primary run against former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, who is backed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), for the nomination. Amid talk of a likely competition between the two, Republican voters and individuals close to former President Donald Trump’s campaign appear to already be taking sides in the potential primary race. During a 2018 Montana Senate debate, Rosendale was asked if the United States should deport all illegal immigrants in America. “I don’t think it’s feasible to say we’re going to deport all of the illegal immigrants that are here,” Rosendale said, adding that he believes minors who were brought here without consent should be given “a path with which they can become citizens.” GOP CANDIDATE COMPARED DEPORTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO NAZIS, ‘NOT OPPOSED’ TO FAST-TRACKING DACA CITIZENSHIP Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an immigration policy that allows migrants who were brought into the U.S. as minors to be given a pathway to citizenship, has been controversial among the GOP base. Trump tried to terminate the program during his presidency, but the Supreme Court ruled that his decision violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). AMNESTY REMAINS PRIORITY FOR BIDEN ADMIN, DEMOCRATS EVEN AMID RECORD BORDER NUMBERS As several million illegal migrants have crossed the southern border during the Biden administration, the issue of immigration is likely to play a pivotal role in nationwide elections. Kaelan Dorr, who served in the Trump administration, posted the initial flashback clip and bashed Rosendale for the “bombshell” comment. Dorr wrote that Rosendale “opposed deporting illegals,” after the GOP lawmaker stated that he supported a pathway to citizenship for specifically migrant minors.  The clip of the comment, posted on X, revealed the divide between the GOP in a potential Montana Senate primary race. “If you’re a ‘Republican’ who advocates for amnesty you are most definitely not a MAGA-Republican,” Alex Bruesewitz, a political consultant and close ally of former President Trump, said in a repost of the clip. “I’m glad the posers are all being exposed this year.” “#Nobodycares Shanghai Sheehy is still a warmongerer & a RINO,” Caroline Wren, a political operative with ties to Trump world, responded to the video, blasting Sheehy. Ryan Girdusky, the founder of the 1776 Project PAC, posted on social media that Dorr’s characterization of Rosendale is “literally horse—-” and said Rosendale made the comments after “Trump endorsed the DACA Amnesty… following the lead of the man that Kaelan would never criticize.” “This is a gross smear by cowards and liars,” Girdusky added. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who endorsed Trump for the presidency, campaigned with Rosendale over the weekend in Montana.  “I’m going to campaign for Matt Rosendale because he’s exactly the shock to the system the Senate needs. Also, I hear Montana is lovely in January,” Gaetz told Fox News Digital of the events. Rosendale has confirmed he is considering a run for the Montana Senate and has already held several campaign events, but has not yet made any official announcements. Earlier this month,Rosendale introduced a broad immigration package that includes measures to “shut down the border” and reverse key Biden-era policies that Republicans blame for the historic crisis at the southern border. The package introduces or reintroduces five bills that would limit entry into the U.S., restore Trump policies that Republicans have credited for slowing illegal immigration and limit the effects of immigration on the U.S. “Biden is destroying our country with his open border policies,” Rosendale said in a statement. “My immigration bills will set the proper mechanisms in place to shut down the border, give DHS the tools to pursue criminals evading border checkpoints, encourage American companies to hire American employees, protect taxpayer dollars by only counting citizens in the census and require those waiting on an immigration hearing to wait in Mexico.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Rosendale campaign for comment.  Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.