Trump says he’ll drop sanctions on Syria in move to normalize relations
President Donald Trump will drop sanctions against Syria and meet with the nation’s new president Ahmed al-Shaara on Wednesday. “I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump said in a speech in Saudi Arabia. “In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that we must all hope will succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace,” he went on. “So I say good luck, Syria.” Trump is expected to meet briefly with al-Shaara in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. TRUMP CONDEMNS ‘INTERVENTIONALISTS,’ PITCHES ‘MORE HOPEFUL FUTURE’ IN MIDEAST SPEECH The nation was cut off from the global financial system under ousted President Bashar al-Assad’s government, amid 14 years of civil war. Trump called the sanctions “brutal and crippling” but “important” at the time. “In Syria, they’ve had their share of travesty, war, killing many years. That’s why my administration has already taken the first steps toward restoring normal relations between the United States and Syria for the first time in more than a decade.” TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST TOUR BEGINS WITH SYRIA LOOMING AS STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITY Al-Shaara, who previously had a $10 million terrorist bounty on his head by the U.S., had been campaigning hard for a relationship with the U.S. and sanctions relief: he offered to build a Trump Tower in Damascus, détente with Israel and U.S. access to Syria’s oil and gas. His group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led Assad’s ouster last year. Originally founded as an offshoot of al-Qaeda, it has since worked to soften its image and lobbied to be delisted as a terrorist group. The announcement came on the sidelines of a whirlwind Middle East tour where Trump is traveling to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, whose government leaders were widely expected to press Trump to release the sanctions to help Syria’s economy. Trump said that both Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Erdoğan had encouraged him to lift the sanctions. “Oh, what I do for the crown prince,” Trump quipped. U.S. sanctions had slapped financial penalties on any foreign individual or company that provided material support to the Syrian government and prohibited anyone in the U.S. from dealing in any Syrian entity, including oil and gas, and Syrian banks were effectively cut off from global financial systems. The new Syrian government has cooperated with U.S. intelligence agencies and foiled several ISIS plots to attack Damascus. Syrian intelligence services arrested ISIS commander Abu al-Harith al-Iraqi in February. But still, some are skeptical. “Right now, Sharaa is not restricting political and civil liberties, but he’s an authoritarian by nature.” former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford told Fox News Digital. Ford, who led the effort to put al-Sharaa on the terrorist list in 2012, said although al-Shaara is pragmatic, he is leading an extremely weak government. “He doesn’t control all of Syria yet. The government in Damascus that he leads is not very strong, and it will take time to reassert all of its authority over Syria,” Ford said. Fox News’ Chris Massaro contributed to this report.
US deportations raise serious human rights concerns, UN says
NewsFeed The United Nations raised alarm over the large number of people being deported from the United States, particularly the hundreds sent to a mega-prison in El Salvador. The rights office warned that the whereabouts and legal status of many remain unknown, raising serious human rights concerns. Published On 13 May 202513 May 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Is Israel’s ‘template for genocide’ being used in Sudan?
NewsFeed Israel’s ‘template for genocide’ is being used in Sudan, according to international law expert Luigi Daniele, who says the paramilitary RSF is using carefully chosen terminology to whitewash killing civilians. Published On 13 May 202513 May 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Gutted
Fault Lines and Mother Jones investigate how a private equity firm gutted a hospital chain for profit, endangering patients. Fault Lines and Mother Jones magazine investigate how a private equity firm gutted a major United States hospital chain in pursuit of profit, leaving patients without critical care and families shattered. The film follows Nabil Haque, whose wife died after childbirth at a Boston hospital that lacked essential equipment. It also tells the story of Lisa Malick, whose newborn daughter died after delays at a Florida facility that lacked a functioning neonatal intensive care unit. Together, their stories reveal the devastating consequences of turning healthcare into a business. The investigation uncovers how Steward Health Care executives drained hospitals of resources, saddled them with crushing debt and triggered one of the largest hospital bankruptcies in US history – while walking away with millions. Adblock test (Why?)
Pakistani official declared persona non grata, told to leave India within 24 hours
This comes amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, following days of cross-border strikes.
Trump condemns ‘interventionalists,’ pitches ‘more hopeful future’ in Middle East speech
President Donald Trump hailed progress toward peace across the Middle East in an address in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, urging the region to pursue economic development rather than Iran’s “self-destructive” path. Trump made the comments during a speech in Riyadh shortly after meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Trump vowed to continue America’s strong partnership with the Saudi government and also condemned Western “interventionalist” policies that have brought disaster in the Middle East. “If the responsible nations of this region seize this moment, put aside your differences and focus on the interests that unite you, then all humanity will soon be amazed at what we will see here in the geographic center of the world, and the spiritual heart of its greatest faiths,” Trump said. “Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts and tired divisions of the past, and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos; where it exports technology, not terrorism; and where people of different nations, religions, and creeds are building cities together, not bombing each other,” he added. “It is crucial for the wider world to note, this great transformation has not come from Western interventionalists flying in with lectures on how to live or how to govern your own affairs. The gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called nation-builders, neo-cons, or liberal non-profits like those who spent trillions failing to develop Kabul and Baghdad,” he continued. Trump’s speech came after he and Salman signed several economic agreements totaling $600 billion in trade deals. The agreements could help create up to 2 million U.S. jobs, Trump said. TRUMP TARGETS MASSIVE INVESTMENTS IN FIRST MIDDLE EAST TRIP Several of the agreements tracked with previously stated ambitions by both Washington, D.C., and Riyadh, particularly when it comes to defensive deals. While the extent of the details of the agreements remain unclear, there were deals included that had not been previously flagged ahead of the president’s visit to the Middle East, like the “cooperation agreement” between Saudi Arabia and the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Asian Arts, as well as an agreement established with the Smithsonian Institute National Zoo and Conservation Biology. AMERICAN CEOS ELON MUSK, SAM ALTMAN, LARRY FINK JOIN TRUMP AT SAUDI ROYAL COURT In a statement immediately following the signing ceremony in Riyadh, the White House said, “Saudi Arabia’s $600-billion commitment to invest in the United States, building economic ties that will endure for generations to come.” The largest investments detailed in the agreement included a $20 billion investment by Saudi Arabia’s DataVolt in AI data centers and energy infrastructure in the United States, an $80 billion investment in “cutting-edge transformative technologies in both countries” by Google, DataVolt, Oracle, Salesforce, AMD and Uber, as well as a massive $142 billion defensive package. According to the White House, “The United States and Saudi Arabia signed the largest defense sales agreement in history – nearly $142 billion, providing Saudi Arabia with state-of-the-art warfighting equipment and services from over a dozen U.S. defense firms.” The defense sale will reportedly be completed in the fall and will include air force advancement and space capabilities, air and missile defense, maritime and coastal security, border security and land forces modernization, and information and communication systems upgrades. Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.
Trump’s $400M Qatar jet gift follows long history of unusual presidential presents
The White House may be courting controversy with President Donald Trump’s plans to accept a luxury jumbo jet from the Qatari government, worth $400 million, as the potential new Air Force One — but his administration wouldn’t be the first to welcome lavish gifts from foreign leaders. The practice goes all the way back to the founding of the country in 1776, with U.S. leaders receiving all manner of exotic and expensive gifts from royalty and heads of government around the world. Abraham Lincoln politely declined a gift of a herd of elephants from the King of Siam, modern-day Thailand, in 1862. But he kept “a sword of costly materials and exquisite workmanship,” a photo of the monarch’s family and two elephant tusks, according to a letter Lincoln sent to King Mongkut. QATAR OFFERS TRUMP JUMBO JET TO SERVE AS AIR FORCE ONE In 1880, Queen Victoria sent an intricately carved, 1,300-pound wooden desk to President Rutherford Hayes that was constructed from the oak timbers of the HMS Resolute, an Arctic exploration vessel. The desk was still in use in the Oval Office under the Biden administration but was temporarily removed in February for refinishing, according to reports. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill presented Franklin D. Roosevelt with a painting he did of Marrakech’s Koutoubia Mosque in 1943. Hollywood actor Brad Pitt bought the work in New Orleans for $2.95 million as a gift for his then-wife Angelina Jolie, who sold it a decade later for $11.5 million. Richard Nixon accepted a gift of two giant pandas from China in 1972 following the U.S. president’s visit to the Communist country. Female panda Ling-Ling and her male mate Hsing-Hsing were given to the National Zoo in Washington D.C. In 1997, President Clinton and wife Hillary received the gift of a handmade rug with their pictures woven into the tapestry as a gift from Azerbaijan’s leader, Heydar Aliyev. The six-by-five-foot rug was completed in a single day by a team of 12 women, according to reports. President George W. Bush received 300 pounds of raw lamb in 2003 as a goodwill gesture from Argentina’s then-president, Nestor Kirchner. Bush also received a puppy from Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov. At the end of his presidency, Bush and his wife Laura then bought the two-month-old Bulgarian Goran shepherd, named Balkan of Gorannadraganov, from the government and gave it to friends in Maryland. His father, George H.W. Bush, was gifted a Komodo dragon by the President of Indonesia in 1990. FREE RIDE: ALLIES, EVEN LAURA LOOMER, TURN ON PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR ACCEPTING LUXURY JET FROM QATAR One of the most lavish and controversial gifts was a gold and diamond snuff box given to Benjamin Franklin after his nine-year diplomatic tour of duty in France. In 1785, King Louis XVI gave the Founding Father the elaborate parting gift, which featured a miniature image of the monarch encrusted with 408 diamonds “of a beautiful water.” It raised questions about corruption and foreign influence on officials in the newly formed American government, wrote Fordham Law professor Zephyr Teachout in her 2014 book, “Corruption in America: From Benjamin Franklin’s Snuff Box to Citizens United.” Despite the hand-wringing over whether the gift entailed undue foreign influence, Franklin insisted upon keeping the box. The incident later contributed to the passage of the Emoluments Clause in the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits federal government officials from accepting any gift from the representative of a foreign state without the consent of Congress. Franklin’s daughter Sarah, who inherited the snuff box, gradually removed the diamonds to sell or give to family members. Hundreds of years later, only one diamond remained. The box is now at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia. Federal law requires executive branch officials to disclose any gift from a foreign government valued at $480 or more. Presidents are allowed to keep gifts to display at a presidential library, but cannot keep them for personal use unless they pay the fair market price. Trump has said that the $400 million new Air Force One plane would be donated to his presidential center or library after his term. Despite his administration’s insistence that the jet is a gesture of goodwill to the U.S. government, ethics watchdogs have raised concerns about transparency and foreign influence, particularly given Qatar’s efforts to bolster its profile in Washington over the past decade. More recently, Trump received a sword, dagger and three robes lined with white tiger and cheetah fur from Saudi Arabia’s royal family on his first trip abroad as president in 2017. The president held onto the items until he left office and did not disclose them as gifts but gave them to the General Services Administration. The pieces were later seized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which found that the fur was fake, according to reports.
David Hogg slams ‘fast-track’ effort to oust him as DNC vice chair
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair David Hogg on Monday slammed the Credentials Committee’s decision to elevate a procedural challenge to his leadership position as the “first steps to remove me from my position,” amid an ongoing intraparty dispute. “While this vote was based on how the DNC conducted its officers’ elections, which I had nothing to do with, it is also impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote,” Hogg said, as he described a country “in crisis” and a Democratic Party “asleep at the wheel.” “I ran to be DNC Vice Chair to help make the Democratic Party better, not to defend an indefensible status quo that has caused voters in almost every demographic group to move away from us. The DNC has pledged to remove me, and this vote has provided an avenue to fast-track that effort,” Hogg said after the DNC Credentials Committee voted on Monday to elevate a vote challenging the vice chairs’ leadership positions. Kalyn Free, a longtime Democratic Party activist, submitted a complaint following the DNC’s Feb. 1 officer elections, in which Hogg and Malcolm Kenyatta were elected vice chairs. Free alleged in her complaint that the DNC’s tabulation method violated the charter’s provision and parliamentary procedure and “discriminated against three women of color candidates.” DAVID HOGG FACES CHALLENGE TO DNC ROLE AS PARTY TENSIONS ESCALATE “I am disappointed to learn that before I became Chair, there was a procedural error in the February Vice Chair elections. The Credentials Committee has issued their recommendation, and I trust that the DNC Members will carefully review the Committee’s resolution and resolve this matter fairly,” DNC Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement following the credentials vote. DEMOCRATS’ VICE CHAIR GETS ULTIMATUM: STAY NEUTRAL IN PRIMARIES OR STEP DOWN FROM PARTY LEADERSHIP The Credentials Committee on Monday found the Feb. 1 election violated parliamentary procedure and voted to recommend the DNC conduct a new election for the two vice-chair positions currently held by Kenyatta and Hogg. The full DNC will now have an opportunity to vote, and if approved, will conduct a re-election. One vice-chair position may be filled by a male and one may be a candidate of any gender, according to the DNC. If the DNC goes through with a re-vote, only the candidates who were eligible for the third ballot during the Feb. 1 election will qualify, which includes Kenyatta, Hogg, Free, Jeanna Repass and Shasti Conrad. While Free’s complaint was filed before Hogg stirred up DNC division for his brutal plan to primary incumbent Democrats in deep blue districts, the fallout is the latest blow to the young Democratic leader. Hogg pledged to donate $20 million through his political action committee, Leaders We Deserve, to primary challenge some older Democrats in blue districts. Soon after, Martin affirmed that the DNC would stay neutral in intraparty primaries, giving Hogg the ultimatum to either rescind his vice-chair position or forego his political influence via his PAC. Now, Hogg is framing the DNC’s vote as an expedited plan to remove him as vice chair. But DNC officials, past and present, said the procedural vote has nothing to do with Hogg personally. “This is not about David Hogg, despite what he’s saying. It is gender balance…. It’s in the rules that the officers need to be balanced between men and women. The full DNC now gets to vote again. If they like what Hogg is doing then that’s great, and he’ll be re-elected. It was disingenuous to not reveal his intentions the first time before they voted. While it has nothing to do with him, it’s an elected position so now we’ll find out if the party supports it or not, which they very well may,” a former DNC official told Fox News Digital. An additional former DNC official added in a statement to Fox News Digital that “either Hogg is wrong and misled members or they think he’s doing the right thing. Either way, it’ll be settled. And he can’t complain. A re-vote is not forcing him out, there are other ways to do that if they chose to.” Kenyatta, in a series of social media posts, said “any reporter covering this as party retribution against David is full of s—. It is unfortunate as I believe we both won fairly & there is no charge that we acted improperly.” “However, any story about this that neatly places this into a narrative about David Hogg is wrong. I worked my a– off to get this role and have done the job every day since I’ve held it. This story is complex, and I’m frustrated – but it’s not about @davidhogg111. Even though he clearly wants it to be,” Kenyatta said in a jab to his fellow vice chair facing potential re-election. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Free said the Credentials Committee lived up to the DNC’s reputation as “the party of free and fair elections” on Monday, and proved that “protecting democracy is more important than saving face.” “This was never about Malcolm Kenyatta or David Hogg,” Free said. “For me, this was about ensuring that the Democratic Party lives up to our ideals as the only political party to believe in and stand up for election integrity and a free and fair democracy.”
GOP, Dems to square off over Trump’s sweeping tax plan in high-stakes meeting today
The House committee tasked with writing the U.S. tax code is meeting on Tuesday afternoon to advance one of the most significant portions of President Donald Trump‘s “big, beautiful bill.” A sweeping piece of legislation unveiled by the House Ways & Means Committee on Monday would follow through on Trump’s campaign promises to eliminate taxes on tips and overtime pay, as well as permanently extending the president’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), among other provisions. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said he wants House Republicans to pass their version of Trump’s bill by Memorial Day or “shortly thereafter,” as he told Fox News Digital in an interview late last month. House and Senate Republicans are working on Trump’s agenda via the budget reconciliation process, which allows the party in power to sideline the minority by lowering the Senate’s threshold for passage to a simple majority, provided the legislation at hand deals with spending, taxes or the national debt. ANTI-ABORTION PROVIDER MEASURE IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ COULD SPARK HOUSE GOP REBELLION Ways & Means Committee lawmakers are expected to meet for at least several hours on Tuesday to mark up debate on the bill. It could go even longer, however. A Ways & Means Committee markup meeting in 2021, when Democrats were trying to pass Build Back Better, lasted over 35 hours over four days due to Republicans dragging the process out in opposition to then-President Joe Biden’s progressive tax policies. Democrats are expected to put up an aggressive fight on Tuesday as well, having already accused Trump of trying to cut taxes for the wealthy while gutting critical programs for low-income Americans. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., a member of the committee, posted on X on Monday, “Going over line-by line last minute 389-page amendment to the Republican tax bill in our committee today. They have provisions that touch everyone: the richest people get huge tax cuts, working people lose their healthcare and future generations get the bill because it adds $5 trillion to the national debt!” However, Republicans have insisted their tax bill champions the working and middle classes, pointing to Trump’s elimination of tips on tax and overtime pay as evidence points. A portion released by the House Ways & Means Committee over the weekend would increase the current maximum Child Tax Credit from $2,000 to $2,500. Trump’s TCJA had doubled the maximum from $1,000 to $2,000 in 2017. It would also boost the maximum deduction for qualified business income, a tax provision known as 199A, from 20% to 22%. That would largely affect small business owners whose entities are taxed under individual income tax rates. Trump’s promise to eliminate taxes on Social Security for retirees is tackled via giving seniors a higher standard deduction. “It puts the interests of low-income, working families ahead of the wealthy by expanding tax relief to those who need it the most – including the President’s priorities of no tax on tips and overtime pay and additional relief for America’s seniors,” House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., said in a statement. The legislation also cracks down on big colleges and universities, including Ivy Leagues like Harvard University, which are locked in a battle over free speech with the White House. It is targeting those larger schools with higher excise taxes, which are federal duties paid on net earnings of the schools’ investments. That rate is currently 1.4%, but the legislation would bring it to as high as 21% for the largest schools, like Harvard and Yale University. HOUSE REPUBLICANS RELEASE TAX PLAN FOR TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ The nearly 400-page legislation must pass the Ways & Means Committee on Tuesday before being added back to a larger legislative framework, which will include similar bills from 10 other House committees dealing with policies under their jurisdiction. The House Energy & Commerce Committee, for instance, is also meeting on Tuesday afternoon to advance its portion of the bill. The broad-ranging committee has jurisdiction over Medicaid, Medicare, energy production and telecommunications. The House Agriculture Committee, which oversees federal food programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is meeting Tuesday evening to advance its portion. The full House and Senate must pass identical versions of the final bill before it gets to Trump’s desk for a signature. Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report.
‘Small nodule’ found in Biden’s prostate during routine exam, spokesperson says
A small nodule was found in the prostate of former President Joe Biden during a recent physical exam, according to media reports. The discovery “necessitated further evaluation,” the Associated Press reported Tuesday, citing a spokesperson. A spokesperson for Biden did not immediately respond Tuesday to multiple requests for comment from Fox News Digital. During his presidency, Biden had a “cancerous” skin lesion removed from his chest, according to the White House. BIDEN AIDES ALLEGEDLY FRETTED THEN-PRESIDENT WOULD NEED WHEELCHAIR IF RE-ELECTED, NEW BOOK REVEALS Former White House physician Kevin O’Connor said in February 2023 that skin tissue was removed during a health assessment Biden received and was sent for a biopsy, which revealed it was cancerous. JOE AND JILL BIDEN FIRE BACK ON ‘THE VIEW’ AGAINST ACCUSATIONS OF HEALTH COVER-UP, CALL STORIES ‘WRONG’ “As expected, the biopsy confirmed that the small lesion was basal cell carcinoma. All cancerous tissue was successfully removed. The area around the biopsy site was treated presumptively with electrodessication and curettage at the time of biopsy. No further treatment is required,” Biden’s doctor wrote in a memo. “The site of the biopsy has healed nicely and the President will continue dermatologic surveillance as part of his ongoing comprehensive healthcare,” O’Connor also wrote. Fox News Digital’s Adam Sabes and Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.