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Trump says his relationship with one-time rival DeSantis now a ‘9.9’

Trump says his relationship with one-time rival DeSantis now a ‘9.9’

They were bitter Republican rivals a year and a half ago, but President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis were all smiles this week, as the two appeared side-by-side for the opening of a new migrant detention center in the Everglades. “The relationship between the governor and the president is fantastic,” DeSantis communications director Bryan Griffin told Fox News Digital. Griffin spoke with Fox News Digital the day after Trump and DeSantis, along with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, toured what’s being called “Alligator Alacatraz,” a detention center quickly constructed on a remote airstrip that’s surrounded by alligator-infested swamps. DeSantis, the two-term conservative governor who unsuccessfully ran against Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, used emergency powers to seize the land and speed construction of the facility, with encouragement from Trump and his administration. TRUMP TOUTS ONLY WAY OUT OF ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ IS DEPORTATION “Ron worked beautifully with Kristi (Noem) and all of the people at Homeland Security and got it done in how many days, Ron?” Trump said as he turned to the governor while answering reporters’ questions. “Eight days, a new facility was up and running,” DeSantis responded. FOX NEWS TAKES YOU INSIDE ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ Following his 2022 gubernatorial re-election landslide, DeSantis moved toward running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and formally launched his White House bid in the spring of 2023. But even before he announced his candidacy, DeSantis was repeatedly attacked by Trump and his political allies.  The long-term targeting of the governor proved successful. DeSantis was considered Trump’s top threat among the field of Republican White House hopefuls. But the governor saw his support deteriorate, and he ended his presidential bid in January of last year, after a disappointing second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, far behind Trump. DeSantis immediately endorsed Trump, helped raise money for the then-former president’s general election campaign, and gave a well-received speech last summer at the Republican National Convention in Milwuakee, Wisconsin. Asked about his relationship with DeSantis, Trump told reporters, “I would say it’s a 10. I think it’s a 10,” before adding “maybe 9.9 because, you know, might be a couple of little wounds.” DESANTIS TAKES VICTORY LAP ON FLORIDA’S ‘MOMENTOUS IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION DeSantis has been extremely aggressive in assisting Trump in his sweeping immigration crackdown.  The governor signed stiff immigration measures into law earlier this year, after a compromise with the Republican leaders of the Florida legislature was brokered, which brought to an end a weekslong standoff over dueling bills.  “This is going to be a force multiplier,” DeSantis told Fox News late last week. “We’re happy to work with the federal government to satisfy President Trump’s mandate.” And the governor, during his Fox News interview, suggested that the president visit the facility. “An invitation from me: We can land Air Force One right there no problem,” DeSantis said. “I think the president would be impressed with what the guys are doing out here.” Trump, at the event, highlighted that “Ron and I have had a really great relationship for a long period of time. We had a little off period for a couple of days, but it didn’t last long.” The president added that he and the governor have a “lot of respect for each other.” DeSantis returned the praise, noting that “you can call him [Trump] anytime and he wants to be helpful for governors.” But some top figures in Trump’s political orbit, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, may still hold unflattering opinions of the governor. Wiles was once a top DeSantis political advisor before a very bitter falling out. And in a sign of political friction, Trump-ally Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida also attended Tuesday’s event.  Donalds earlier this year launched a bid to succeed the term-limited DeSantis in Florida’s 2026 gubernatorial election, and he landed Trump’s endorsement even before he announced his candidacy. DeSantis’ wife, Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, has been mulling a run for governor of her own, and her husband earlier this year said she would be a worthy successor. Asked by reporters if Casey DeSantis should run for governor, the president would only say “we get along great.” Ron DeSantis quickly interjected, noting that “I endorsed him immediately, in January 2024. I raised one of his PACs millions and millions of dollars.”

Colorado Capitol replaces ‘distorted’ Trump portrait following monthslong backlash

Colorado Capitol replaces ‘distorted’ Trump portrait following monthslong backlash

After facing several months of backlash, the Colorado state Capitol has replaced a controversial portrait of President Donald Trump, which he claimed was “purposely distorted” by the artist.  A new presidential portrait, recently donated by the White House, was installed last week at the Denver Capitol, the Colorado Capitol Building Advisory Committee told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. It replaces Colorado artist Sarah Boardman’s painting, which had hung since 2019. Despite the previous portrait’s six-year run on display, Trump took to social media last spring to criticize the artwork, saying Boardman “must have lost her talent as she got older” and had “purposely distorted” his image. The Colorado Springs artist denied the claims.  While Boardman’s painting depicted a much younger Trump, the latest display by Arizona artist Vanessa Horabuena mirrors Trump’s intense official presidential photo. TRUMP’S FRESH WHITE HOUSE PORTRAIT SPARKS INTEREST AMID CONTROVERSY OVER NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY LEADERSHIP COLORADO TO TAKE DOWN TRUMP PAINTING AT STATE CAPITOL “Thank you to the Highly Talented Artist, Vanessa Horabuena, and the incredible people of Colorado,” Trump said Tuesday on Truth Social. Horabuena is a “Christian worship artist” who has done several other depictions of Trump as well as Abraham Lincoln, Mount Rushmore and Jesus Christ, according to her website. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.  Boardman told Fox News Digital she had no comment on the new painting. TRUMP WANTS ‘DISTORTED’ PORTRAIT OF HIMSELF REMOVED FROM COLORADO CAPITOL, SLAMS GOV. POLIS: ‘TRULY THE WORST’ The Horabuena portrait was installed as a temporary display following a Thursday decision by the advisory committee, which oversees art displays at the Capitol.  “The Capitol Building Advisory Committee has agreed at the committee’s meeting on June 26, 2025, to temporarily display this donated portrait and will consider the disposition of the full presidential portrait collection at a future meeting,” the committee told Fox News Digital. “The new portrait is installed in the third floor gallery of the Colorado Capitol.” Lois Court, a former state lawmaker who chairs the committee, told the Associated Press that installing the donated artwork was the right move. “There was a blank on the wall,” Court said. “It seemed inappropriate. We knew that the White House had sent us this replacement and it simply made sense to put it up.”  Boardman’s portrait was removed from the Capitol’s presidential gallery wall in April, according to the committee, after Colorado Democrats – who control the legislature – agreed to take it down at the request of local Republican leaders. “Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the State Capitol, put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before,” Trump said in March on Truth Social. “The artist also did President Obama, and he looks wonderful, but the one of me is truly the worst. She must have lost her talent as she got older.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Can Trump strip Musk and Mamdani of their US citizenship?

Can Trump strip Musk and Mamdani of their US citizenship?

US President Donald Trump and officials from his administration have hinted that they might consider revoking the US citizenship of Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s Democratic mayoral candidate. Separately, Trump said former aide Elon Musk would have to “close up shop and head back home to South Africa” amid a row over his tax breaks and Trump’s narrowly passed spending bill. But would the Trump administration have the power to revoke the citizenship of Mamdani and Musk, both foreign-born, naturalised citizens of the US? What is the immigration status of Mamdani and Musk? Mamdani, 33, was born in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, to ethnically Indian parents. He moved to New York at the age of seven and became a naturalised US citizen in 2018. Musk was born in 1971 in Pretoria, South Africa to a Canadian mother and South African father. At the age of 17, he moved to Canada of where he is also a citizen. In 1992, he moved to the US to study at the University of Pennsylvania. He became a naturalised US citizen in 2002, according to a biography of him written in 2023 by journalist Walter Isaacson. In October 2024, the Washington Post reported that Musk began his career in the US without the proper work authorisation, but Musk has denied this. “I was in fact allowed to work in the US,” Musk wrote in an X post on the same day the report was published. “I was on a J-1 visa that transitioned to an H1-B,” Musk wrote in another post. A J-1 visa is a temporary visa for foreign students, while an H-1B is a temporary work visa. Advertisement To become naturalised as a US citizen, an individual needs to be above the age of 18 and to have lived continuously in the US as a green card holder for five years, or three years if they are married to a US citizen. What has the Trump administration said about Mamdani? Andy Ogles, a Republican Tennessee representative, wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi on June 26, asking for the Department of Justice to probe whether Mamdani, who identifies as a democratic socialist, should be subject to denaturalisation proceedings. Posting a copy of the letter to Bondi on his X page, Ogles wrote: “Zohran ‘little muhammad’ Mamdani is an antisemitic, socialist, communist who will destroy the great City of New York. He needs to be DEPORTED. Which is why I am calling for him to be subject to denaturalization proceedings.” Ogles said that the investigation should be conducted on the grounds that Mamdani may have procured US citizenship through “willful misrepresentation or concealment of material support for terrorism.” The Tennessee Republican cited reports, including an article published in the New York Post, stating that Mamdani expressed solidarity with “individuals convicted of terrorism-related offenses prior to becoming a US citizen.” Ogles said that Mamdani rapped “Free the Holy Land Five / My guys.” “The Holy Land Foundation was convicted in 2008 for providing material support to Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Publicly praising the Foundation’s convicted leadership as ‘my guys’ raises serious concerns about whether Mr. Mamdani held affiliations or sympathies he failed to disclose during the naturalization process,” Ogles wrote in his letter to Bondi. “Moreover, Mr. Mamdani has recently refused opportunities to reject the pro-terrorist rallying cry to ‘globalize the intifada’ a call to expand violent attacks on civilians to the United States and around the world,” Ogles wrote. Zohran “little muhammad” Mamdani is an antisemitic, socialist, communist who will destroy the great City of New York. He needs to be DEPORTED. Which is why I am calling for him to be subject to denaturalization proceedings. Attached is my letter to @AGPamBondi. pic.twitter.com/RWCZm67VOr — Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) June 26, 2025 Mamdani has also pledged to stop masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents “from deporting our neighbours”. When Trump was asked about this on Tuesday at a news conference, he said that if Mamdani prevents ICE agents from conducting deportation operations, “Well, then, we’ll have to arrest him.” Advertisement “We don’t need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I’m going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation,” Trump said, adding, “we’ll send him money, we’ll send him all the things he needs to run the government.” Trump continued, citing claims that Mamdani is in the US illegally, saying, “We’re going to look at everything”. The president also voiced support for the current New York mayor, Eric Adams, who is also a member of the Democratic Party. How has Mamdani responded? Mamdani posted a statement on his X account in response to Trump’s comments on Tuesday. “The President of the United States just threatened to have me arrested, stripped of my citizenship, put in a detention camp and deported. Not because I have broken any law but because I will refuse to let ICE terrorize our city,” Mamdani wrote in his statement. Mamdani also called Trump’s praise of Adams “unsurprising”, adding: “At the very moment when MAGA Republicans are attempting to destroy the social safety net, kick millions of New Yorkers off of healthcare and enrich their billionaire donors at the expense of working families, it is a scandal that Eric Adams echoes this President’s division, distraction and hate. Voters will resoundingly reject it in November.” My statement on Donald Trump’s threat to deport me and his praise for Eric Adams, who the President “helped out” of legal accountability. https://t.co/m7pNcT2DFS pic.twitter.com/UcYakMx4lI — Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) July 1, 2025 What has the Trump administration said about Elon Musk? While the billionaire owner of Tesla and SpaceX was once a key aide to Trump and a major donor to his presidential campaign last year, Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” has created a public rift between Trump and Musk. Musk has repeatedly decried the bill online and has threatened to form a new political party as a response to the bill passing. Musk stands to

Tesla global sales fall amid Musk backlash and pressure on EV market

Tesla global sales fall amid Musk backlash and pressure on EV market

Other carmakers including Volvo and Rivian reported a drop in sales on Wednesday. Tesla has reported another hefty drop in auto sales extending a difficult period amid intensifying electric vehicle competition and backlash over CEO Elon Musk’s political activities. On Wednesday, the electric vehicle (EV) maker reported 384,122 deliveries in the second quarter, representing a 13.5 percent decline from this time a year ago. Its earnings report will be released after the market close. Sales were roughly in line with analyst expectations. The global sales figures reflect the more contested nature of the EV market, which Tesla once dominated, but which now also features BYD and other low-cost Chinese companies, as well as legacy Western carmakers like General Motors, Toyota and Volkswagen. However, demand for EVs has slumped amid tariff fears and the looming end of the EV tax credit in the United States. On Wednesday, Volvo also announced that fully electric sales fell by 26 percent in June. Rivian sales also tumbled. The electric carmaker said there was a 22.7 percent drop in sales compared with to this time last year. Musk weighing on sales and the stock Musk’s political activism on behalf of right-wing figures has also made the company a target of boycotts and demonstrations, weighing on sales. Musk donated more than $270m to US President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, barnstorming key battleground states for the Republican. But in the last few weeks, he has had a falling out with Trump, driven by the president’s wide-ranging tax and spending bill. Musk’s objections to the “Big Beautiful Bill” has escalated tensions between the two. In a social media post, Musk accused bill supporters of backing “debt slavery”. Advertisement In response, the president called for the Department of Government Efficiency to look at subsidies for Musk’s companies, sending the stock tumbling and it closed down 5.3 percent on Tuesday. A brighter future? But analysts believe that increased production of the Model Y and 3 could show a positive road ahead for the EV-maker, which produced 396,835 cars of the two models in the second quarter — up from 345,454 in the first quarter. “We believe Tesla is on a path to an accelerated growth path over the coming years with deliveries expected to ramp in the back-half of 2025 following the Model Y refresh cycle,” Dan Ives, analyst at Wedbush Securities, said in a note to Al Jazeera. Musk has acknowledged that his work as head of the Department of Government Efficiency and his embrace of European far-right candidates have hurt the company. But he attributed much of the sales plunge to customers holding off while they waited for new versions of Tesla’s best-selling Model Y, and recently predicted a major turnaround in sales. The company is focusing more on robots, self-driving technology and robotaxis ferrying passengers around without anyone behind the wheel its test run of robotaxis in Austin, Texas, seems to have gone smoothly for the most part. But it also has drawn the scrutiny of federal car safety regulators because of a few mishaps, including one case in which a Tesla cab was shown on a widely shared video heading down an opposing lane. On Wednesday, Tesla stock was trending upwards at 11am in New York  (15:00 GMT) and was up 4.73 percent for the day, however, it is down 3.02 percent over the last five days. Adblock test (Why?)

Hamas-run court gives Gaza gang leader Abu Shabab 10 days to surrender

Hamas-run court gives Gaza gang leader Abu Shabab 10 days to surrender

Abu Shabab is the leader of the Popular Forces, a criminal group in southern Gaza thought to be backed by Israel. A Hamas-run court in Gaza has ordered Yasser Abu Shabab, the leader of a criminal group allegedly backed by Israel, to surrender himself for trial. The Revolutionary Court of the Military Judiciary Authority in Gaza gave the 35-year-old head of the Popular Forces group, which stands accused of collaborating with Israel to loot humanitarian aid, 10 days to turn himself in. Abu Shabab faces charges of treason, collaborating with hostile entities, forming an armed gang and armed rebellion, the court said on Wednesday, adding that he would be tried in absentia if he fails to surrender. The Popular Forces posted a response on a Facebook page that usually carries its announcements, describing the court’s order as a “sitcom that doesn’t frighten us, nor does it frighten any free man who loves his homeland and its dignity”. The group and its leader were thrust into the limelight last month when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government had “activated” powerful local clans in Gaza on the advice of “security officials”. Israeli and Palestinian media named the group as the Popular Forces, a well-armed Bedouin clan led by Abu Shabab, reportedly consisting of about 100 armed men. The group later said online that its members were involved in guarding aid shipments sent to distribution centres run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which Israel contracted to distribute aid in the enclave. Mass killings of aid seekers near the US-backed GHF distribution centres, which replaced existing distribution networks run by the United Nations and other experienced aid groups, have become a routine occurrence. Advertisement The European Council on Foreign Relations think tank has described Abu Shabab as the leader of a “criminal gang operating in the Rafah area that is widely accused of looting aid trucks”. It said he was thought to have been previously imprisoned by Hamas for drug trafficking. The court urged Palestinians to inform Hamas security officials about the whereabouts of Abu Shabab, who has so far remained beyond their reach in the Rafah area of southern Gaza held by Israeli troops. It said anyone who knows of Abu Shabab’s location and fails to report him would be considered to have concealed a fugitive from justice. Adblock test (Why?)

Hamas studying new ceasefire proposals, calls for end to Gaza war

Hamas studying new ceasefire proposals, calls for end to Gaza war

The Palestinian group Hamas says it is studying new proposals for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, but insisted it is seeking an agreement that would bring an end to Israel’s war. Hamas said in a statement on Wednesday that it had received proposals from the mediators and is holding talks with them to “bridge gaps” to return to the negotiating table and try to reach a ceasefire agreement. The group said it was aiming for an agreement that would end the Gaza war and ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave. The announcement comes a day after United States President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed to a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. Trump has been increasing pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas to broker a ceasefire and an agreement for the group to release the Israeli captives held in Gaza. Trump said the 60-day period would be used to work towards ending the war – something Israel says it will not accept until Hamas is defeated. Trump is due to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week. But Hamas’s announcement, which emphasised its demand that the war end, raised questions about whether the latest offer could materialise into an actual pause in fighting. Shortly after the Hamas statement, Netanyahu said “there will be no Hamas” in post-war Gaza. Israeli officials have warned that the country’s military will escalate its operations in Gaza if ceasefire negotiations do not advance soon, according to the US-based Axios news outlet. Advertisement “We’ll do to Gaza City and the central camps what we did to Rafah. Everything will turn to dust,” the outlet quoted a senior Israeli official as saying. “It’s not our preferred option, but if there’s no movement towards a hostage deal, we won’t have any other choice.” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said any opportunity to free captives held in Gaza should not be missed, adding that there is a lot of support, both in the cabinet and within the public at large, for the US-backed proposal. The proposal, though, has not been publicly backed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, said Palestinians mistrust Trump and have been disappointed several times by mooted ceasefires that have failed to materialise. “There are headlines that are talking about a potential agreement and an end to the genocide, but what we’re seeing on the ground, the reality tells a different story. An average of 100 to 120 Palestinians are killed every single day,” he said. “So for a lot of people, there is a lot of hypocrisy going on. If you talk about a ceasefire, then you need to create the conditions that would lead to a ceasefire, not an escalation, and what we are seeing on the ground is definitely an escalation.” Hospital director killed In Gaza, Israeli forces killed at least 67 people on Wednesday, according to Palestinian health authorities. Hospital officials said four children and seven women were among the dead. Among the victims was Dr Marwan al-Sultan, director of the Indonesian Hospital, who was killed in an Israeli strike on a residential building in an area southwest of Gaza City, according to our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic. His wife and children were also killed in the attack. Al-Sultan was a key source of information from Gaza, reporting on the conditions of Palestinians in the north of the besieged enclave. He had repeatedly called on the international community to press for medical teams’ safety, including when the Israeli army laid siege or struck the Indonesian Hospital, the largest medical facility north of Gaza City. Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 56,647 people and wounded 134,105, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks, and more than 200 were taken captive. The war has left the coastal Palestinian territory in ruins, with much of the urban landscape flattened in the fighting. More than 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has been displaced, often multiple times. The war has caused a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, pushing hundreds of thousands of people to famine-like conditions. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)