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    Trump Triggers Wave Of Backlash Over Gaza Strip Proposal

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1
    Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    President Trump’s explosive comments about the Gaza Strip immediately triggered a wave of backlash.

    The U.S. will “take over the Gaza Strip,” level it and rebuild the area, President Donald Trump said during a press conference Tuesday.

    “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,” Trump said Tuesday evening in a joint press conference with Netanyahu. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site.”

    “Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,” he said. “Do a real job. Do something different. Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years.”

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who joined Trump for the Tuesday press conference, is the first world leader to meet with the president at the White House under his second administration.

    When asked about taking over the Gaza Strip, Trump said he could see the U.S. in a “long-term ownership position” of the piece of land, which would likely bring stability to the Middle East.

    “I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East and maybe the entire Middle East,” Trump said. “And everybody I’ve spoken to – this was not a decision made lightly – everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land. Developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent in a really magnificent area that nobody would know. Nobody can look because all they see is death and destruction and rubble.” 

    Netanyahu, when also asked about the Gaza Strip, reiterated to the media that he has three goals, one of which is to “make sure that Gaza never poses a threat to Israel again.”

    “President Trump is taking it to a much higher level,” the Israeli leader said. “He sees a different – he sees a different future for that piece of land that has been the focus of so much terrorism, so much, so many attacks against us, so many, so many trials and so many tribulations. He has a different idea, and I think it’s worth paying attention to this.”

    Gaza has been devastated by months of Israeli military operations that followed Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which they killed more than 1,200 Israelis and took 250 people hostage.

    Trump said the Gaza Strip has become “a symbol of death and destruction for so many decades and so bad for the people anywhere near it.”

    “It should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have really stood there and fought for it and lived there and died there and lived a miserable existence there,” he added. 

    Former Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel shot down President Donald Trump’s plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza and turn it into a “riviera” on Tuesday, suggesting that the idea would not be able to get off the ground.

    Reacting on NewsNation’s Cuomo to Trump’s remarks, McDaniel said:

    Listen, I don’t think that this is something we’re gonna hear again. You saw Netanyahu kind of say, “Well we’ll look at it, review it.” Obviously, this is President Trump always thinking outside the box, always looking at different things, but it’s gonna have to have input from Arab partners, it’s gonna have to have input from Israel. I don’t know if this is gonna be something that’s gonna be a long-term strategy.

    Host Chris Cuomo noted, “It requires something that nobody in America wants. You would have to have, what, a hundred thousand troops on the ground?”

    “He would have to have support from Israel and Arab partners,” replied McDaniel:

    I mean, look at what he’s done with the Abraham Accords, look what he did with moving the embassy. I mean, Trump has thought outside the box and I remember, I remember sitting with him when he moved the embassy and everybody was, “Oh this is gonna cause so much unrest in the Middle East, and we can’t move the embassy to Jerusalem.” And I remember him saying this in a meeting, he said, “We’ll never find peace in the Middle East with this still on the table, so once we take this off the table, we can negotiate,”and that’s how he thinks. He thinks differently.

    She concluded, “So I do think he’s right that the same old, same old isn’t working and we do have to think differently when it comes to Gaza.”

    Hamas strongly rejected President Donald Trump’s proposal, calling it a “crime against humanity.”

    Fox News journalist Trey Yingst reported Wednesday that Hamas, the proscribed terrorist organization that has ruled Gaza since 2007, issued a statement to the network about Trump’s proposal.

    Read the statement in full below:

    What President Trump stated about his intention to displace the residents of the Gaza Strip outside it and the United States’ control over the Strip by force is a crime against humanity, and a reinforcement of the law of the jungle at the international level, and we consider it an interference in a topic which should not be of his concern, and accordingly we emphasize the following:

    First: Over the course of 15 months, the previous administration tried to displace the residents of the Gaza Strip with its unlimited support, especially militarily, for Netanyahu and his fascist government in carrying out genocide against our people, and failed to achieve this goal in the face of our people’s steadfastness and adherence to their homeland. Hence, with the previous administration failing to accomplish, no upcoming administration will succeed in implementing.

    Second: Gaza is in urgent need of comprehensive reconstruction plans after the systematic destruction caused by the aggression against it during 15 months, but the problem of reconstruction is not in the presence of the Palestinian people on their land, but rather in the continuation of the Zionist occupation and the stifling siege of the Gaza Strip for more than 17 years with American support.

    Third: We demand urgent regional and international action to put an end to these malicious plans, because any attempts to implement such plans will destabilize security in the region and beyond.

    Fourth: We demand that the mediators, especially the United States, oblige the occupation to implement the ceasefire agreement in its three stages without procrastination or manipulation, as we are committed to implementing the agreement as long as the occupation commits to it, and any manipulation in implementing the agreement may cause it to collapse.

    Senate Confirms Pam Bondi As US Attorney General

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    The Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Pam Bondi as the next attorney general, giving her control of a Justice Department embroiled in controversy.

    Bondi, a two-term attorney general in Florida, has been lauded for her prosecutorial experience and work battling the opioid epidemic in the sunshine state.

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

    Report: Trump Reinstates ‘Maximum Pressure’ Campaign Against Iran

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    2
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    President Donald Trump unveiled an executive order reinstating a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran on Tuesday, coinciding with a visit from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House. 

    Trump voiced that he was “torn” on signing the order and admitted he was “unhappy to do it,” noting that the executive order was very tough on Iran. 

    “Hopefully, we’re not going to have to use it very much,” Trump told reporters Tuesday. 

    The order instructs the Treasury Department to execute “maximum economic pressure” upon Iran through a series of sanctions aimed at sinking Iran’s oil exports. 

    His first administration also adopted a “maximum pressure” initiative against Tehran, issuing greater sanctions and harsher enforcement for violations. 

    Fox News reported that strict sanctions were reimposed upon Iran after Trump withdrew from the Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in May 2018. The 2015 agreement brokered under the Obama administration had lifted sanctions on Iran, in exchange for limits on Iran’s nuclear program. 

    Meanwhile, Trump signaled in January some optimism about securing a nuclear deal with Iran, when asked if he backed Israel striking Iran’s nuclear facilities. 

    “Iran hopefully will make a deal. I mean, they don’t make a deal, I guess that’s OK, too,” Trump said. 

    “We’ll have to see. I’m going to be meeting with various people over the next couple of days,” Trump told reporters on Jan. 24. “We’ll see, but hopefully that could be worked out without having to worry about it.”

    President Donald Trump also promised that Iran would face “total obliteration” if Iran tried to assassinate him on Tuesday — even if it succeeded.

    “How close do you think Iran is to developing nuclear weapons?” asked Fox News’ Peter Doocy.

    “I think they’re close, I think they’re close. They’re too close. But again, you can go back four years, I would have said they would have had it during this intervening period. But they’re pretty close, Peter,” answered Trump.

    Doocy then followed up by noting that Iran and its proxies have threatened to “retaliate against you and your team by killing you guys for taking out [Qasem] Soleimani.”

    “Well, they haven’t done that, and that would be a terrible thing for them to do. Not because of me, if they did that, they would be obliterated,” mused Trump. “That would be the end of-, I’ve left instructions: If they do it, they get obliterated. There won’t be anything left. And they shouldn’t be able to do it.”

    “And [former President Joe] Biden should have said that, but he never did. I don’t know why– lack of intelligence, perhaps, but he never said it,” continued the president. “If that happens to a leader or close to a leader, frankly, if you had other people involved also, you would call for total obliteration of a state that did it — that would include Iran. So I’m saying this and it’s a very powerful document, but hopefully we’re not going to have to use it.”

    FBI Agents Sue DOJ To Block Release Of Officials’ Names In Trump Investigations

    By
    Patrick Houck
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    4

    Nine anonymous FBI officials who worked on investigations related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and the classified documents case at Mar-a-Lago have filed a class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration. The lawsuit seeks to prevent the Department of Justice (DOJ) from compiling a list of officials involved in these high-profile cases, arguing that such a move could lead to retaliation and security risks.

    Agents Warn of National Security Concerns

    The plaintiffs claim the DOJ’s actions amount to an “unlawful” and “retaliatory” purge, raising alarms about potential misuse of the information.

    “Should this information fall into the wrong hands, the national security of the United States would be severely compromised,” the lawsuit states.

    Beyond job security, the agents fear broader professional consequences, alleging they could face demotions, lost promotions or blocked career opportunities as a result of their past investigative work.

    The New York Times has additional details:

    The lawsuits came in response to a demand by Emil Bove, the acting deputy attorney general, that the F.B.I. compile and turn over a list of everyone who worked on those cases. That group, the lawsuits estimated, could number as many as 6,000 agents.

    The lawsuits said that the agents believed the administration intended to reveal their identities, exposing the agents and their families to profound danger. They seek court orders prohibiting the executive branch from releasing the names.

    The Trump administration has not said it intends to release the identities of the law enforcement officials, but its demand for names of people who worked on the cases has stoked the belief that it may move to fire them en masse. At the Justice Department, prosecutors who have worked on cases involving President Trump or the Jan. 6 rioters have been dismissed. The lawsuits on Tuesday appear to be putting down a marker that could expand into a challenge to any mass firings if they happen.

    “It is clear that the threatened disclosure is a prelude to an unlawful purge of the F.B.I. driven solely by the Trump administration’s vengeful and political motivations,” Chris Mattei, a lawyer for the Federal Bureau of Investigation Agents Association, said in a statement. “Releasing the names of these agents would ignite a firestorm of harassment towards them and their families, and it must be stopped immediately.”

    DOJ Under Scrutiny

    The lawsuit marks a significant legal challenge to the administration’s handling of federal law enforcement personnel, particularly those involved in the cases against President Trump. Critics warn that the creation of such a list could pave the way for politically motivated employment retaliation, a concern that has gained traction, especially on the left, amid ongoing debates over government oversight and accountability.

    A key element of the case is a DOJ questionnaire, which the plaintiffs say was distributed to thousands of FBI officials, asking them to disclose their involvement in Jan. 6 and Trump-related investigations. The lawsuit argues this effort could set a dangerous precedent for targeting law enforcement officials based on past casework.

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

    Trump Repeats 51st State Comments As Tariffs Hit Canada

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    2
    The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    He’s not backing down…

    On Monday, President Trump reiterated his desire to see Canada become part of the United States as he prepared to impose steep tariffs on Canadian goods.

    “What I’d like to see — Canada become our 51st state,” Trump said in the Oval Office when asked what concessions Canada could offer to stave off tariffs.

    Despite Canada being one of the United States’ top trade partners Trump asserted the U.S. did not need Canada’s lumber or automobile production.

    The president suggested it’s unlikely the U.S. will annex Canada, partly because neither side would be willing to put up with the economic pain that would be required for that to happen.

    “We don’t need them. As a state, it’s different. As a state it’s much different. And there are no tariffs,” Trump said. “So I’d love to see that. Some people say that would be a longshot. If people wanted to play the game right, it would be 100 percent certain that they’d become a state. But a lot of people don’t like to play the game. Because they don’t have a threshold of pain.”

    Trump spoke Monday morning with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the two were expected to speak again later in the day. The U.S. is set to impose a 25 percent tariff on Canadian imports starting at midnight, with the exception of energy products, which will be tariffed at 10 percent.

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday night that Canada would impose 25 percent tariffs on more than $100 billion in U.S. goods. Trudeau’s likely successor, Pierre Poilievre, called Trump’s tariffs “unjust and unjustified” and called for a “dollar-for-dollar” response.

    Senior FBI Official Attempts To Skirt Agency-wide Purge

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    5

    A top New York FBI official is not ready to call it quits.

    James E. Dennehy, vowed to “dig in” and stand his ground as the agency reels from a wave of removals targeting officials involved in the investigation of the January 6th attack.

    On Friday, the Trump administration served some senior FBI officials with an ultimatum: either resign or be fired. (RELATED: Trump Hits Senior FBI Officials In Unexpected Ultimatum)

    The shake-up has already led to the removal of at least nine high-ranking FBI officials since the start of the Trump administration, creating what Dennehy described as “fear and angst within the F.B.I. ranks.” Adding to that tension is a controversial questionnaire requiring agents to disclose their roles in investigating and prosecuting January 6th rioters.

    In the fiery email to his staff obtained by The New York Times, Dennehy acknowledged the turmoil and indicated he had no intention of standing down.

    “Today, we find ourselves in the middle of a battle of our own, as good people are being walked out of the F.B.I. and others are being targeted because they did their jobs in accordance with the law and F.B.I. policy,” he wrote.

    Dennehy compared the current situation to his experience as a Marine when he was required to dig a foxhole for safety.

    “It sucked,” he wrote. “But it worked.”

    He went on to praise the two top acting officials at the F.B.I., acting director Brian Driscoll and acting deputy director Robert C. Kissane, as “warriors” for “fighting” on behalf of the staff.

    Amid reported anxiety within the agency, Kissane attempted to reassure employees, writing in an email: “We do not view anyone’s identification on the list as an indicator of any misconduct… We are still working with D.O.J. to better understand the purpose for which the list is being sought.”

    Trump Hits Senior FBI Officials In Unexpected Ultimatum

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    3

    Senior FBI officials were delivered a brutal ultimatum…

    According to Fox News, the Trump administration informed some senior FBI officials to either resign or be fired.

    The exact number has not been disclosed, but the ultimatum was allegedly given to senior employees promoted under former director, Christopher A. Wray.

    President Donald Trump’s administration took these steps as his nominee to lead the bureau, Kash Patel, said he would not begin his tenure with retribution or focus on past transgressions. 

    “I have no interest, no desire and will not, if confirmed, go backwards. There will be no politicization at the FBI. There will be no retributive actions taken,” Patel said at the Senate Judiciary Committee.

    According to reporting from The New York Times, an email to colleagues from one of the senior agents outlined that he had learned he would be dismissed “from the rolls of the F.B.I.” as soon as Monday morning.

    “I was given no rationale for this decision, which, as you might imagine, has come as a shock,” he wrote.

    During the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Patel said he is unaware of any plans of retribution by the Trump administration.

    “Are you aware of any plans or discussions to punish in any way, including termination, FBI agents or personnel associated with Trump investigations?” asked Democratic Sen. Cory Booker.

    “I am not aware of that, senator,” Patel replied.

    Although Patel has been nominated, a director has not been officially confirmed to take charge, so the news of the ultimatum was alarming for those involved.

    Until the vote comes to a close, Brian Driscoll remains the bureau’s acting director.

    Trump, Meta Settle Lawsuit Over Social Media Ban

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1
    Image via Pixabay free images

    Donald Trump has officially settled his lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta platforms.

    Earlier on Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed an agreement requiring Meta Platforms to pay $25 million to settle a lawsuit he brought after his social media accounts were suspended in 2021.

    The settlement resolves a 4-year-long court battle over free speech and social media censorship, with Meta suspending Trump following his remarks on the January 6 Capitol riot.

    According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, settlement negotiations reportedly became more serious after Mark Zuckerberg dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November following Trump’s election victory.

    Of the settlement, $22 million will go toward the president’s library, with the remainder designated for legal fees and other plaintiffs.

    This settlement follows efforts by tech companies previously hostile to Trump to get into his good graces, with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Apple CEO Tim Cook, in addition to Zuckerberg, each donating $1 million respectively, to the inauguration.

    Alongside Meta, Trump sued other major platforms, including Twitter and YouTube, over his suspensions, arguing that the companies had wrongfully violated his right to share political speech.

    Although Trump’s Facebook and Instagram access was eventually restored, his attorneys argued that an atmosphere of uncertainty continued for him online.

    Zuckerberg, for his part, had previously explained that Meta saw security concerns in allowing continued engagement by high-profile figures who contested election results.

    Reflecting on the 2021 suspensions, he said the potential risks posed amid that tumultuous period were “simply too great.”

    While the lawsuit with Meta has now been settled, the broader debate over what boundaries, if any, private businesses can set for political speech shows few signs of fading.

    Trump Appoints Acting FAA Commissioner

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1

    On Thursday, President Donald Trump appointed Christopher Rocheleau as acting commissioner of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after a passenger plane and an Army helicopter collided midair near Washington, DC Wednesday evening.

    “I’m also immediately appointing an acting commissioner to the FAA, Christopher Rocheleau. A 22-year veteran of the agency, highly respected. Christopher, thank you very much, appreciate it,” Trump told reporters in the White House briefing room.

    Rocheleau, who is serving as deputy administrator, was in the room for the announcement. Trump had just thanked Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who was just sworn into his post Tuesday, for his work after the crash so far.

    “We only have the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system,” the president said.

    Trump went on to blame the Biden administration for aviation issues, citing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and blaming former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

    “Do you know how badly everything’s run since he’s run the department of Transportation?” Trump said.

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

    CNN Pundit Blames Trump For Tragic DC Aircraft Crash – Quickly Regrets It

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    5
    Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers deleted a post blaming President Donald Trump for the deadly airplane-helicopter collision near the Potomac and quickly apologized

    The nation was stunned when an American Airlines flight with over 60 people aboard collided with a BlackHawk Army Helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport at 8:48 pm Wednesday night.

    On social media, some posted tweets suggesting President Trump could be to blame by referencing recent White House announcements. In one post, Sellers posted a screenshot of a recent press release entitled “Trump’s Dangerous Freeze of Air Traffic Control Hiring” and captioned it “8 days ago.”

    Sellers deleted the post and apologized for the timing of his observation, writing:

    I deleted the post because timing matters. Politics at this point does not. I fucked up, I own that. I am very prayerful but I’m also very frustrated upset and disturbed with where we are as a country. I recognize, and I will do better.

    The only thing that matters is rescuing the survivors, and ensuring this never happens again.

    No survivors have been found or expected, authorities said Thursday at an early-morning press conference, after a late-night midair crash between a passenger plane and Army helicopter near Washington, D.C.

    Authorities have moved to recovery efforts in the crash, which President Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy both said they believed was preventable.

    Shortly after the crash, President Trump write on X that the strategy looked “preventable.”

    The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time. It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane. This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!

    The flight, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, was en route from Wichita, Kan., to Washington, D.C. It collided with an Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter out of Fort Belvoir, Va.

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon and the US Army have launched an investigation into the catastrophic midair collision

    Hegseth confirmed the probe in a statement on X, emphasizing that the investigation was “launched immediately.”

    He called the incident “absolutely tragic” and noted that search and rescue efforts were still ongoing. “Prayers for all impacted souls, and their families,” he added.

    American Airlines CEO Robert Isom expressed “deep sorrow” about the crash in a statement.

    Isom, in a video statement, said the aircraft was operated by PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines.

    “First and most importantly, I’d like to express our deep sorrow about these events,” Isom said. “This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones.”

    Isom noted that the company was working with local, state and federal authorities to assess the crash and respond to the situation.

    “We’re cooperating fully with the National Transportation Safety Board and its investigation and will continue to provide all the information we can,” he said.

    The airline chief added that the company wants to learn everything it can about the crash but acknowledged that it “will take time.”

    Members of American Airlines’ “Go team” are being deployed to aid the situation.

    “I know that there are many questions in this early stage I just won’t be able to answer many, but we’ll provide additional information as it comes,” Isom added.

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