Reckoning looms for politicians as longest government shutdown persists
A reckoning is coming. Or shall we say “reckonings.” And they’re coming, whether the government reopens soon or remains shuttered. If the government stays closed, voters will likely torch both parties for not hammering out a deal. Air traffic delays are stacking up. Those problems only intensify as we near Thanksgiving and Christmas. That’s to say nothing of multiple missed paychecks for federal employees, stress, economic consequences and no SNAP benefits for the needy. SCHUMER, DEMS UNVEIL ALTERNATIVE SHUTDOWN PLAN, ASK FOR ONE-YEAR EXTENSION TO OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES Some of those concerns will dissipate if lawmakers address the shutdown quickly. But there will be a reckoning if the shutdown drags deeper into November. There are likely specific reckonings for both political parties. For Republicans, it’s a resistance by GOP leaders to address spiking healthcare subsidies. Yes. The GOP is making a compelling argument that healthcare subsidies are only necessary because Obamacare is a problem and health care prices skyrocketed. So, Republicans are back fighting against Obamacare. In fact, the entire government shutdown is not about spending levels and appropriations. It’s a re-litigation of the touchstone law passed under President Obama in 2010. And Republicans, despite multiple campaign promises and dozens of efforts to kill the law over a six-year period, failed at nearly every turn. Despite issues with Obamacare, Democrats annexed the public’s concern about healthcare costs and linked that to government funding. Democrats appear like the party trying to address the issue as premiums spike. And Republicans, despite promises that they’ll get to it, are inert on the subject. They’re even championing efforts to lambaste Obamacare — much the same as they did in 2010 when Congress passed the law. Republicans are latched on to the concept that the subsidies are “pumping money to insurance companies,” as Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., put it on Fox. Lankford also characterized those who benefited from Obamacare as a “select group.” It works out to about 24 million people. That’s 7% of the U.S. population. So, maybe that burns the GOP politically. Maybe it doesn’t. A major reckoning looms for the Democrats, too. It’s possible that a coalition of Democratic senators may break with the Democratic Party and support a new GOP plan to reopen the government on a temporary basis. Nowhere is it written that Democrats — who made the shutdown about health care — are guaranteed an outcome on Obamacare subsidies. Yes, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., have said they’ll address the health care issue after the government is open. But that’s not necessarily a fix. TRUMP URGES SENATE REPUBLICANS TO REDIRECT FUNDS FROM OBAMACARE-BACKED INSURERS, PAY AMERICANS DIRECTLY So Democrats are fuming. Therefore, it’s a distinct possibility that Democrats will refuse to fund the government in an effort to extract a concession on Obamacare subsidies and walk away empty-handed. Such an outcome will spark an internecine firestorm inside the Democratic Party. Progressives felt that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., rolled them back in March when he and a squadron of other Democrats helped the GOP crack a filibuster to avoid a shutdown. It’s doubtful that Schumer will help this time. But Senate Republicans hope to coax just enough Democrats to overcome the filibuster on a pending test vote and then fund the government through late January. That’s the reckoning for the Democrats. No outcome on health care. And getting the screws put to them by members of their own party. Again. Progressives will be apoplectic. And House Democrats will seethe — not so privately — at Senate Democrats. The Senate’s test vote on the new GOP proposal could come as early as Sunday evening. The revised package would also fund the Department of Agriculture and Department of Veterans Affairs, plus Congress until Sept. 30, 2026. Fox is told Republicans believe they are in range of persuading Democrats who are sweating the shutdown to join them. Fox is told that air traffic control and flight delays are contributing to the Democrats’ consternation. That said, it is believed that the Senate GOP leadership is reluctant to force a vote related to the retooled, spending bill without a guarantee it could break a filibuster. The last thing the Senate needs is another failed procedural vote after repeated failed test votes over the past six weeks. REPUBLICANS TURN THEIR ATTENTION TO BASHING OBAMACARE AS SHUTDOWN ENTERS DAY 39 Let’s game out the timing for a moment: By the book, if the Senate breaks the filibuster late Sunday, it’s doubtful the chamber can take a final vote on the package until Monday or Tuesday. But Fox is told there is a distinct possibility that Democrats could yield back time to expedite the process in the interest of quickly reopening the government. By the same token, angry liberal senators could bleed out the parliamentary clocks and attempt to amend the bill to their liking — presumably with Obamacare provisions. The Senate must break yet another filibuster to finish the bill. Then it’s on to final passage. That only needs a simple majority. And even if some Democrats voted to hurdle the filibuster, they might not support the underlying plan at the end. However, that’s not a problem if GOP senators provide the necessary votes. Then it’s on to the House. The House’s disposition is unclear on this legislation. However, it’s hard to believe that most Republicans wouldn’t take this deal. Reps. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y.; Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash.; and Jared Golden, D-Maine, are among moderate Democrats who may be in play to vote yes if the GOP loses a few votes. Golden was the lone House Democrat who voted for the old interim spending bill Sept. 19. Golden has since announced his retirement. Another big question: Would the House swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., before or after the vote? Democrats will bray if Johnson fails to swear in Grijalva before a possible House vote And, as we say, it’s always about the math. Swearing in Grijalva puts
Newsom tells Texas crowd taking back House is ‘the whole thing’ for Democrats in 2026
California Gov. Gavin Newsom told a crowd in Texas Saturday that Democrats winning back the House of Representatives in 2026 is “the whole thing.” Newsom, 58, continued to ride high over the weekend, four days after California’s Proposition 50 — to redistrict the state’s congressional map in favor of Democrats — passed in a landslide. Newsom also couldn’t resist taking a jab at his frequent foe, President Donald Trump. “He is an historic president, however historically unpopular,” he told the crowd in Houston. “And he had a very bad night on Tuesday.” OBAMA CALLS NEWSOM’S CALIFORNIA REDISTRICTING MOVE A ‘RESPONSIBLE APPROACH’ TO GOP TACTICS Along with Prop 50 in California, Democrats also won gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia and democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani handily beat Democrat-turned-independent candidate Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayoral election. Proposition 50 was a response to Texas’ legislature redistricting its congressional map in favor of Republicans over the summer. On Tuesday after Proposition 50 passed, Newsom called on other Democrat-led states to follow suit. “We need to see other states, their remarkable leaders that have been doing remarkable things, meet this moment head-on as well,” he said in a late-night news conference on Tuesday. “We can de facto end Donald Trump’s presidency as we know it, the minute Speaker Jeffries gets sworn in as speaker of the House of Representatives. It is all on the line.” NEWSOM SET TO RALLY TEXAS DEMS WITH VICTORY LAP DAYS AFTER PROP 50 PASSES: ‘CALIFORNIA STEPPED UP’ He continued his celebration on Saturday, telling the crowd, “There were lines around the block two hours after polling had stopped because people wanted to be heard, not just seen. They wanted to send a message. But, as I said, we cannot rest until we take it back. “There is no more important race in our lifetimes than the House of Representatives, and taking back the House and getting speaker [Hakeem] Jeffries sworn in next November. It’s the whole thing. It’s the whole thing. “And, so, that starts today,” he continued. “It started on Tuesday. “We can shape the future here in Texas. We can shape the future all across the South and across the United States of America. You have that power.” Trump and the GOP have spearheaded an effort to pad the party’s razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the 2026 midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats. Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio have drawn new maps as part of the president’s push. Trump is aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections. Although he hasn’t announced his intentions to run for president, Newsom has been widely seen as a possible frontrunner for Democrats in the 2028 presidential election. While two other Democratic blue state governors with likely national ambitions in 2028, JB Pritzker of Illinois and Wes Moore of Maryland, are mulling new maps in their states to create one or two more blue-leaning congressional districts, Newsom has been the most visible leader so far in the redistricting wars and the first Democrat to succeed. Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Republicans turn their attention to bashing Obamacare as shutdown enters day 39
Amid a 39-day government shutdown, Republican after Republican took to the Senate floor on Saturday to blast the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, calling the program a failed approach to addressing the country’s health care needs. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., went as far as to say the current system might need replacing. “You were promised when Obamacare passed in 2010, President Obama said that every family in America who participated in this thing would have a $2,500 savings in premium reductions. It’s been like a 100% increase. This thing is unsustainable,” Graham said. FLASHBACK: TED CRUZ PREDICTS BALLOONING OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES NOW AT CENTER OF SHUTDOWN FIGHT “We’re going to replace this broken system with something that is actually better for the consumer to meet the goal of lowering health care costs,” Graham added. Graham wasn’t the only Republican voice to speak out against Obamacare. “I hate to report that folks on the other side refused to acknowledge the very obvious damage being done across the board by Obamacare,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said. “The problem we have in healthcare is we’ve largely driven free-market principles out of healthcare. That’s because of the faulty design of Obamacare. It’s got to be fixed.” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., a former health care executive and longtime critic of the program, joined in. “It’s all caused by Obamacare. When the government gets involved in things, they often go up in price,” Scott said. Notably, Republican criticisms of Obamacare on Saturday went beyond the front-and-center issue holding up consideration of government funding. Where Republicans have advanced a short-term spending package meant to keep the government open through Nov. 21, Democrats have rejected it 14 times, demanding that lawmakers first consider extending COVD-era emergency tax subsidies for Obamacare plan holders. Republicans, who maintain the temporary subsidies and their expiration have nothing to do with government spending, have largely focused their attention on the shutdown itself instead of engaging in a debate over the COVID-era assistance. They’ve said they will negotiate on the subsidies when the government reopens. But President Donald Trump changed the picture on Saturday morning in a post to Truth Social by arguing that lawmakers should restructure the enhanced subsidies so that they go directly to the policyholders instead of insurance companies who currently receive the tax credit payments. TRUMP URGES SENATE REPUBLICANS TO REDIRECT FUNDS FROM OBAMACARE-BACKED INSURERS, PAY AMERICANS DIRECTLY After Trump’s suggestion, lawmakers began blasting Obamacare’s structure. “Obamacare costs the federal government closer to $150 billion a year. That’s right. We’re spending $150 billion of your tax-earned dollars supplementing other people’s health care,” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said. “When they sold this to the American people, they said it would cost $40 or $50 billion, but we’re triple that. That’s $400 million a day,” he added. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, echoed those comments, arguing that Obamacare had missed the mark on its original design. “It’s clear that Obamacare has failed to deliver on its promises,” Ernst said. “The answer isn’t throwing more money into a broken system. What we need to do is fix what’s broken. We can end that waste.” HOUSE REPUBLICANS DIVIDED OVER OBAMACARE AS GOP EYES FIX AFTER SHUTDOWN Like Ernst and Marshall, Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio., also took to the floor, calling for Congress to evaluate the source of climbing health care costs. “So, I hope we want to get at the costs and the cause of what’s affecting the unaffordability of healthcare in this country. Healthcare has increased since Obamacare started by 6% a year while overall inflation has been 3% or less,” Husted said. “I hope we will reopen the government and begin serving the American people while we continue the very important conversation of how we make healthcare more affordable,” he added. Although Sen. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has kept the Senate in session over the weekend while lawmakers attempt to break the gridlock, it’s unclear when lawmakers will next consider spending legislation.
Senate in limbo as Thune eyes long haul until shutdown ends
The Senate is in for a rare weekend session as the chamber remains in limbo while lawmakers try to find a way out of the government shutdown. Behind the scenes, appropriators are cooking up a trio of spending bills to attach to the House-passed continuing resolution (CR), along with an extension to the bill that would, if passed, reopen government until December or January. But the package was not ready for primetime Saturday, and no votes were held. Instead, Senate Republicans spent hours railing against Obamacare and Senate Democrats’ desire to extend the expiring premium subsidies on the floor. When the package does hit the floor, Senate Democrats, as they’ve done 14 times previously, are likely to block it. It all comes as the upper chamber is scheduled for a week-long recess to coincide with Veterans Day. DEMS BLOCK GOP BILL ENSURING FEDERAL WORKER, MILITARY PAYCHECKS CONTINUE DURING SHUTDOWN Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., now wants to keep lawmakers in town until the shutdown ends. When asked if there would be a vote on the plan, Thune said it would be ideal to have the package on the floor, but “we’ve got to have votes to actually pass it.” Republicans are reticent to put the CR out again just to see it fail. “I’ve been talking all morning with some of the folks that are involved with the meeting, and I think we’re getting close to having it ready,” Thune said. “We just need to get the text out there.” The spending package, however, is just one piece of the puzzle to reopening the government. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus, freshly emboldened by sweeping Election Day victories earlier in the week, are sticking by their newly released plan that would extend the expiring Obamacare subsidies by one year and create a bipartisan working group to negotiate next steps after the government reopens. But Senate Republicans immediately rejected the idea; Thune called it a “non-starter,” while others in the GOP were angered by the proposal. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said he would appeal to President Donald Trump and his administration to slash funding from “pet projects” in blue states and cities to pay federal workers as the shutdown drags on. SCHUMER, DEMS UNVEIL ALTERNATIVE SHUTDOWN PLAN, ASK FOR ONE-YEAR EXTENSION TO OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES “The idea that you’ve got a bunch of kamikaze pilots trying to burn this whole place down because they’re emboldened by an election where Democrats won in Democrat areas is totally insane,” he said. Senate Democrats were largely unsurprised that Republicans rejected the offer, however. “I know many Republicans stormed out of the gate to dismiss this offer, but that’s a terrible mistake,” Schumer said. Thune and his conference have, throughout the course of the 39-day shutdown, said they would only deal with the subsidies after the government reopened and have offered Schumer and Senate Democrats a vote on a bill addressing the healthcare issue once the closure ends. “I’m not surprised,” Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said. “They don’t want to help people with their healthcare.” But Republicans countered that a simple extension of the enhanced subsidies, which were modified under former President Joe Biden during the COVID-19 pandemic, would funnel money straight to insurers. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., has been in talks with Senate Democrats on a path forward, particularly through jump-starting government funding with the impending trio of spending bills. THUNE SAYS ‘WHEELS CAME OFF’ AS REPUBLICANS MULL NEXT SHUTDOWN MOVE After Schumer unveiled Democrats’ plan, she charged that “since Obamacare came into effect, look who’s gotten rich? It’s not the people.” “They’re talking about the people’s premiums and have … they have taken it to the companies that are actually making the money off of it? They’re not,” Britt said. “So, I look forward to hearing why in the world they want to continue these profits and not actually help the people they serve.” Senate Democrats, however, contend that their offer was fair. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., argued that there were some in the caucus that wanted to do a multi-year extension, while others wanted to go beyond just the enhanced subsidies. He reiterated his frustration that the core of the issue, from his perspective, was that neither Schumer nor Thune would sit down and negotiate. “We made a really simple, really scaled-down offer that could get the government up and operating and [is] really good for them politically,” he said. “I just still don’t understand why they won’t accept the offer.”
Pelosi earned more than $130 million in stock profits, return of 16,930%, during time in Congress: report
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and husband Paul Pelosi have raked in more than $130 million in stock profits over the course of her congressional career, a report said. That’s a return of 16,930% over nearly four decades representing California, according to the New York Post. The figure comes as Pelosi, 85, announced this week she will not be seeking re-election after completing her current term in 2027. Fox News Digital has reached out to Pelosi’s office for comment. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREEN PRAISES NANCY PELOSI’S ABILITY TO GET HER AGENDA PASSED, WISHES GOP COULD DO THE SAME Before entering office in 1987, Pelosi and her husband reported between $610,000 and $785,000 in stocks in their portfolio, the Post said, citing a financial disclosure form. Those stocks reportedly included Citibank and companies that are no longer publicly traded. Over time, that portfolio has soared in value to $133.7 million today, the Post reported, citing estimates from Quiver Quantitative. The newspaper said the profit of 16,930% exceeds the 2,300% that the Dow Jones had during the same time period. NANCY PELOSI’S CRITICS CELEBRATE RETIREMENT ANNOUNCEMENT The Pelosis are now worth an estimated $280 million, according to the Post. Pelosi announced Thursday that she would not be seeking re-election. “There has been no greater honor for me than to stand on the House floor and say, ‘I speak for the people of San Francisco.’ I have truly loved serving as your voice in Congress, and I’ve always honored the soul of Saint Francisco — ‘Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.’ The anthem of our city,” Pelosi said in a video. “That is why I want you, my fellow San Franciscans to be the first to know I will not be seeking re-election to Congress,” she said. “With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative as we go forward.” Pelosi has been a power player in U.S. politics for decades, having served as House speaker from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023. Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and Rachel Wolf and Fox News’ Peter Doocy contributed to this report.
Biden claims ‘Democratic Party is back’ after election, says late son ‘should have been the president, not me’
Former President Joe Biden told Nebraska Democrats Friday their party “is back” after a series of sweeping election wins last week and also accused President Donald Trump of destroying the Constitution and cutting health care and food assistance for millions of Americans. Biden, 82, speaking at the Nebraska Democratic Party’s Ben Nelson Gala in Omaha, also urged Republicans to end the ongoing government shutdown and said his late son, Beau Biden, should have been president instead of him. “The Democratic Party is back. That’s not hyperbole,” Biden said. “Did you see the election results?” CHUCK TODD SAYS BIDEN’S PRESIDENCY WAS SO ‘WEAK AND INEFFECTIVE’ IT MADE PEOPLE GO BACK TO TRUMP Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J. and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., won gubernatorial races in their respective states, while democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani scored a stunning victory to become New York City’s next mayor. The wins came a year after former Vice President Kamala Harris lost to Trump. Harris was propelled to the top of the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket after Biden backed out of the race following a blistering debate performance against Trump. “Well, the American people are sending a message, a message to Trump and to his crowd,” Biden said, accusing the president of trampling on democracy and working for the rich. “I just want you to know you work for us, Mr. President. We don’t work for you,” Biden said. “You work for us, not just billionaires and millionaires. You know, this is democracy. And the fact of the matter is that there are no kings in democracies. None. None. But you act in a way that embarrasses the nation.” Biden said Trump and the GOP were cutting healthcare programs and driving up costs, adding that more than 300 rural hospitals in America, including two in Nebraska, are expected to shut down. BIDEN PRAISES LATE-NIGHT HOSTS SPEAKING OUT AGAINST TRUMP ‘KNOWING THEIR CAREERS ARE ON THE LINE’ “Folks, I’ve never said this my whole career. I think it’s immoral. It’s un-American. It’s flat-out wrong,” Biden said. Biden, who had a bandage on his head, referred to his own battle with cancer and praised the healthcare workers who have been treating him. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer earlier this year. “I know what cancer research means. Cancer. It’s every family. It hit my family hard, just as so many of yours,” Biden said. “When the love of my life, my oldest son, the attorney general of the state of Delaware, who should have been the president, not me, volunteered to go to Iraq for a year, didn’t have to, came back with Stage 4 glioblastoma because he lived in a burn pit just like those guys did on 9/11, and he died.” Biden also took aim at Trump’s plans to build a new ballroom at the White House after bulldozing the East Wing, calling it “the perfect symbol of his presidency.” “When I left the presidency, President Trump was going to take a wrecking ball to the country, but I had no idea it would be an actual wrecking ball,” Biden said. “Anyone see what he’s done to the East Wing of the people’s house? Trump has taken a wrecking ball not only to the people’s house, but to the Constitution, to the rule of law, to our very democracy.” He also accused Trump of “deliberately making hunger worse” and claimed “one in five children go to bed hungry every night.” He mocked Trump for holding a “Great Gatsby” themed Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago while cutting food aid for millions, saying it showed “who he is.” “On Friday, everyone dressed up like the rich folks they are from the roaring twenties, and on Saturday he cut assistance to 40 million Americans,” Biden said. The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Tottenham and Manchester United both score stoppage-time goals in 2-2 draw
Matthijs de Ligt equalised in the sixth minute of a dramatic period of stoppage time to earn Manchester United a 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. Tottenham looked like claiming all three points on Sunday when Richarlison glanced in a header in the first minute of added-on time, completing a Spurs comeback from a goal down. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list There was still time for de Ligt to find space at the back post at a corner to direct a header goalwards and over the line before Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario clawed the ball away. Trailing to Bryan Mbeumo’s 32nd-minute header, Tottenham dominated the second half and grabbed an equaliser in the 84th through substitute Mathys Tel’s shot that deflected in off de Ligt. De Ligt said United deserved more from the game than a point. “I’m proud of the team for how we fought back and got a point in a really difficult stadium,” he said. “You can see that we still have the fire in our belly to get a goal, to get a point – even with 10 men,” he added, as United played the last few minutes a man down as Benjamin Sesko was forced off injured after United had made all their five substitutions. However, Tel said he felt Spurs merited all three points. “We are feeling 50-50, we conceded a goal, but our reaction in the second half was top,” Tel said. “We changed the game, but we are mad because we have to win today. The subs brought energy to change the game, and we showed great mentality; we deserved to win.” United extended their unbeaten run in the league to five games – three wins followed by two draws – while Tottenham have only won one of their six home games so far. Advertisement However, the Red Devils have now failed to beat Spurs in their previous eight meetings, but it was the most recent of these that will live long in the memory of the Tottenham support. Spurs ended their 17-year trophy drought thanks to a scrappy 1-0 win in the Europa League final in May, which also took them into the Champions League while United missed out on European football altogether. Despite the huge blow to United’s finances and prestige, Ruben Amorim is making the most of having more time on the training field to finally build some momentum after a tough first year at Old Trafford. Unlike most of United’s big-money signings in recent years, Bryan Mbeumo has proved his worth since a 65-million-pound ($86m) move from Brentford in July. The Cameroonian was named Premier League player of the month for October and took his tally to four goals in as many games when he headed in from Amad Diallo’s cross on 32 minutes. Mbeumo celebrates scoring United’s opener [Toby Melville/Reuters] Spurs were booed off after a woeful attacking display in losing a London derby 1-0 to Chelsea last weekend. After another dreary first 45 minutes, the hosts came to life early in the second period. Senne Lammens produced a brilliant stop to turn Cristian Romero’s flick behind. The Belgian goalkeeper was quickly called into action again to parry Joao Palhinha’s effort. Brennan Johnston, who scored the winner when the sides last met in Bilbao, was then denied an equaliser by the offside flag. Tottenham’s burst of attacking threat quickly fizzled out, though, and discontent among the home fans with manager Thomas Frank showed when his decision to replace Xavi Simons was roundly booed. However, the Spurs boss can claim his changes turned the game around. Destiny Udogie crossed for fellow substitute Tel to turn and fire into the top corner via a deflection off de Ligt. Tel equalises for Spurs [Toby Melville/Reuters] Wilson Odobert, introduced off the bench at half-time, then curled a shot towards the far corner that Richarlison flicked in to leave Lammens helpless. The Brazilian tore off his shirt and was reduced to tears in his celebration. Yet, it still was not enough to earn Tottenham a first home league win since the opening weekend of the season. De Ligt was offered too much space at the back post from Bruno Fernandes’s corner, and his header was too powerful for Vicario. Later, Arsenal take a six-point lead into a match at Sunderland, while Chelsea host Wolverhampton in one of three other games. Adblock test (Why?)
Irish football body overwhelmingly backs call for Israel’s ban from UEFA
The Football Association of Ireland has called for Israel’s immediate suspension over the Israeli FA’s violation of UEFA’s statutes in occupied Palestinian territory. Published On 8 Nov 20258 Nov 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Members of Irish football’s governing body have approved a resolution instructing its board to submit a formal motion to UEFA requesting the immediate suspension of Israel from European competitions, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) said. The resolution passed by the FAI members on Saturday cites violations by Israel’s Football Association of two provisions of UEFA statutes: its failure to implement and enforce an effective antiracism policy and the playing by Israeli clubs in occupied Palestinian territory without the consent of the Palestinian Football Association. The resolution was backed by 74 votes, with seven opposed and two abstentions, the FAI said in a statement. UEFA considered holding a vote early last month on whether to suspend Israel from European competitions over its genocide in Gaza, but the voting did not take place after a US-brokered ceasefire took effect on October 10. The Irish resolution follows calls in September from the heads of the Turkish and Norwegian football governing bodies for Israel to be suspended from international competition. Those requests came after United Nations experts appealed to FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel from international football, citing a UN Commission of Inquiry report that said Israel had committed genocide during the war in Gaza. ‘Israel is allowed to operate with total impunity’ In October, more than 30 legal experts called on UEFA to bar Israel and its clubs. The letter highlighted the damage that Israel is inflicting on the sport in Gaza. At least 421 Palestinian footballers have been killed since Israel began its military offensive in October 2023, and the letter explained that Israel’s bombing campaign is “systematically destroying Gaza’s football infrastructure”. Advertisement FIFA President Gianni Infantino brushed aside the calls by indirectly addressing it as a “geopolitical issue” at the FIFA Council on October 2. “We are committed to using the power of football to bring people together in a divided world,” Infantino said. The apparently preferential treatment given to Israel’s football team was an extension of the “total impunity” the country has enjoyed amid the two-year war, according to Abdullah Al-Arian, associate professor of history at Georgetown University in Qatar. “Sporting bodies often mirror the broader power politics that are at play [in the world] and so they’re only doing what we’ve seen happen across all walks of political life, in which Israel has not been held to account,” Al-Arian told Al Jazeera. “It [Israel] has been allowed to operate with total impunity throughout this genocide and has enjoyed this impunity for many decades.” In 2024, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) presented arguments accusing the Israel Football Association (IFA) of violating FIFA statutes with its war on Gaza and the inclusion of clubs located in illegal settlements on Palestinian territory in its domestic football league. The PFA wanted FIFA to adopt “appropriate sanctions” against Israel’s national side and club teams, including an international ban. It called on FIFA to ban Israel, but the world body postponed its decision by delegating the matter to its disciplinary committee for review. Al-Arian termed that “a move to keep the bureaucratic machinery moving without making any real progress”. “Ultimately, it’s a political decision being made at the highest levels of the organisation,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
The bipartisan comfort with Islamophobia harms us all
This week, Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani made history by becoming the first Muslim mayor of New York City. His road to victory was anything but smooth. After he secured a historic win in the mayoral primary, he faced a landslide of attacks from across the political spectrum. In the months that followed, the hateful rhetoric from right-wing provocateurs, social media personalities, and even his three opponents mushroomed. Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa claimed that Mamdani supports “global jihad”; independent candidate and former New York governor Andrew Cuomo agreed with a comment that Mamdani would celebrate “another 9/11”; and outgoing NYC mayor, Eric Adams, who dropped out and endorsed Cuomo, suggested that a Mamdani mayorship would turn New York into Europe, where “Islamic extremists … are destroying communities.” Sadly, as researchers of anti-Muslim bias, and Muslim individuals who came of age in a post-9/11 America, we know attacks of this nature – on someone’s character or fitness for a job because of their religious background or national origin – aren’t entirely unexpected. We know that Islamophobia spikes not after a violent act, but rather during election campaigns and political events, when anti-Muslim rhetoric is used as a political tactic to garner support for a specific candidate or policy. Worryingly, these attacks also reflect a general trend of rising Islamophobia, which our research has recently uncovered. The latest edition of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding’s (ISPU) American Muslim Poll, which contains our Islamophobia Index, released on October 21, reveals that in the last three years, Islamophobia has sharply risen in the US, across almost all demographic groups. Advertisement Among the general population in the US, on our 1 to 100 scale, the index increased from a score of 25 in 2022 to a score of 33 in 2025. This jump was most pronounced among white Evangelicals, whose score increased from 30 to 45 between 2022 and 2025, and Catholics, whose score increased from 28 to 40 during the same period. Protestants also saw a rise of 7 points, from 23 in 2022 to 30 in 2025. Jews had an Islamophobia score of 17 in 2022, the lowest of any group that year, which increased only slightly to 19 in 2025, the same score as Muslims in 2025. The only group that did not change since 2022 is the non-affiliated. Undoubtedly, the weaponisation of Islamophobia by high-profile individuals is a major driver of this worrying trend. And it can lead to devastating outcomes for Muslims: From job loss and inability to freely worship, to religious-based bullying of Muslim children in public schools and discrimination in public settings, to even physical violence. Simply put, dangerous rhetoric can have dangerous consequences. Much of this Islamophobic rhetoric relies on five common stereotypes about Muslims, which we used in putting together our index: That they condone violence, discriminate against women, are hostile to the US, are less civilised, and are complicit in acts of violence committed by Muslims elsewhere. We then surveyed a nationally representative sample, including 2,486 Americans, to identify the extent to which they believed in these tropes. More Americans are embracing these stereotypes about Muslims, even though they are easily disproved. For example, despite popular media portrayals of Muslims as more prone to violence or as being complicit in violence perpetrated by Muslims elsewhere in the world, ISPU research shows American Muslims overwhelmingly reject violence. They are more likely than the general public to reject violence carried out by the military against civilians and are as likely to reject individual actors targeting civilians. The popular stereotype that Muslim communities discriminate against their women also does not hold water. The fact is that Muslim women face more racial and religious discrimination than they do gender discrimination, which all women, Muslim or not, report at equal levels in the United States. The vast majority (99 percent) of Muslim women who wear hijab say they do so out of personal devotion and choice – not coercion. And Muslim women report that their faith is a source of pride and happiness. Our research also disproves the belief that most Muslims living in the US are hostile to the country. We have found that Muslims with strong religious identities are more likely than those with weaker ones to hold a strong American identity. It also shows that Muslims participate in public life from the local to the national level through civic engagement, working with neighbours to solve community problems, and contributing during times of national crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and the Flint water crisis. Advertisement The trope that most Muslims living in the US are less “civilised” than other people has no factual basis, as well. The use of the “civilised/uncivilised” dichotomy strips individuals of their human dignity and separates people into a false, ethnocentric hierarchy on the basis of race or religion. Accusing a group of being less civilised than another is a frequently used dehumanising tactic. Dehumanisation, defined by Genocide Watch as when one group denies the humanity of the other group, is a step on the path to genocide. We have seen all of these tropes activated in the past few weeks to launch Islamophobic attacks on Mamdani. We have also seen too many of our politicians and public figures use them comfortably in their public speech, placing an entire faith community in harm’s way. As Mamdani said in a speech addressing the Islamophobic attacks by his fellow candidates, “In an era of ever-diminishing bipartisanship, it seems that Islamophobia has emerged as one of the few areas of agreement.” But Islamophobia isn’t just bad for Muslims – it undermines our democracy and constitutional freedoms. Research has linked belief in these anti-Muslim tropes to greater tolerance for anti-democratic policies. People who embrace Islamophobic beliefs are more likely to agree to limiting democratic freedoms when the country is under threat (suspending checks and balances, limiting freedom of the press), condone military and individual attacks on civilians (a war crime under the Geneva Convention), and approve of
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