FOX News

Counterfeit drugs continue to threaten the lives and health of millions of Americans. Two years ago, the DEA warned that Mexican cartels are mass-producing fake pills using chemicals procured from China, marketing them as legitimate prescription pills, and killing many thousands of unsuspecting Americans.  Made to look like legitimate prescription drugs, such as Percocet, Xanax or Adderall, and readily available over social media and the internet, these fake pills are frequently laced with potentially fatal doses of fentanyl. So far this year the DEA has seized 69 million fentanyl-laced pills – over three times the number seized two years ago. Drug overdose deaths continue to climb, standing at 109,000 last year – with 70% of the deaths attributable to fentanyl. The same sad, familiar story is repeated hundreds of times a day in local news around the country: a college student unwittingly takes a phony Xanax pill and never wakes up; a high schooler takes what looks like an Adderall and falls into a coma; and on and on it goes. These pills from Mexico are an acute aspect of the broader challenge posed generally by counterfeit drugs. On a massive scale around the world, fraudsters and criminal organizations are counterfeiting a wide array of prescriptions medicines, running the gamut from common painkillers, antibiotics and antimalarial and antiretroviral drugs up to the most sophisticated cancer treatments.  AS MORE PHARMACIES CLOSE, CRIMINALS SELL FAKE PILLS ONLINE: ‘SIGNIFICANT HEALTH RISKS’ Sourced from shady companies in countries like China and India, these fake drugs have become big business globally – estimated to be worth $200 billion a year. According to the World Health Organization, counterfeit drugs account for roughly 10% of medical products circulating in low- and middle-income countries. These counterfeit drugs pose grave risks to life and health. They are frequently adulterated with dangerous and potentially lethal ingredients like lead, mercury, toxins or harmful chemicals. But, even when they are not contaminated, they often lack the required active ingredients and are ineffective.  In 2021, for example, in Texas, the owner of an Eastern European company was sentenced for smuggling and selling to patients in the U.S. cancer and hepatitis drugs with no active ingredients. That same year, two American doctors pled guilty for their part in distributing counterfeit cancer drugs lacking effective ingredients they had purchased from a Canadian online pharmacy. The pharmacy was charged with selling into the U.S. $78 million worth of unapproved, mislabeled or counterfeit cancer drugs. Fortunately, it is exceptionally rare in the U.S. for counterfeit drugs to infiltrate licensed pharmacies because we have a “closed system” of drug distribution supervised by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This requires drugs destined for use in the U.S. to be manufactured – whether at home or abroad – in plants inspected by the FDA and according to FDA standards, and further requires a national track-and-trace system that follows drugs from manufacture to the pharmacy shelf. But just like the cyber world, our drug distribution network is constantly being probed by criminal organizations. According to data from the Pharmaceutical Security Institute, over the past decade, global counterfeit drug seizures more than tripled with the greatest number of incidents recorded in North America.  AS A DEMOCRAT AND A REPUBLICAN, WE ARE UNITED IN WARNING CHINA’S XI ON FENTANYL, FAIR TRADE Just two months ago, for example, a Florida man pleaded guilty to using falsified documentation to sell at least $16.7 million of adulterated HIV drugs to wholesale drug suppliers from which they were dispensed to unsuspecting patients throughout the country. Vigorous enforcement is essential to protect the integrity of our drug distribution network. However, counterfeit drugs are a growing danger in the U.S. because more Americans are circumventing our closed system by procuring drugs outside authorized channels.  Unsafe counterfeit drugs are being peddled via tens of thousands of rogue online pharmacies, e-commerce and social media platforms, messaging apps, and the dark web. It is estimated that 36 million Americans have bought drugs online without a valid prescription.  The touting of Canada as an alternative source of cheaper drugs has conditioned many Americans to think that online pharmacies claiming to be “Canadian” are a safe source of drugs. But studies have found most have no connection with Canada and many are fronts for Eastern European organized crime networks that obtain their drugs from China, India, Turkey, Pakistan and Russia. BIDEN HITS CHINA, MEXICO WITH SANCTIONS FOR COUNTERFEIT, FENTANYL-LACED PILL PRODUCTION Few industries are as critical to our nation’s well-being as our pharmaceutical and biotech sector. Long the most dynamic and innovative in the world, our drug industry plays a major role in our economy – employing nearly one million workers, including essential manufacturing jobs; supporting more than 3.5 million additional jobs; funding critical research and development; and generating more than $1.4 trillion of economic output.  Yet COVID exposed how, over the past 20 years, our drug manufacturing has moved overseas, especially to China, and our supply chain has become vulnerable to being cut off in the event of pandemic, war or political tensions. The time has come to strengthen our nation’s drug industry. As part of this, we must step up efforts to protect the integrity of our drug distribution system. We spend ample amounts to keep harmful agents out of our general environment, and we must not scrimp when it comes to keeping harmful agents out of our pharmacies.  CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION We also need greater public education and enforcement efforts to stop consumers from circumventing regular distribution channels. We must be cautious about proposals to lower prices by relaxing our closed system to allow for more importation of drugs from foreign countries. These steps could undermine efforts to strengthen our own drug industry and make it far more difficult to ensure the safety of our drug supply. The scourge of counterfeit drugs is becoming a national crisis. It’s time we start treating it that way.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/counterfeit-drug-scourge-national-crisis-time-treat-that-way

Author :

Publish date : 2023-11-17 07:00:26

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Sheryl Crow found inspiration for her new album from artificial intelligence, though she said the technology left her “terrified.” At her induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame earlier this month, Crow said she hadn’t intended to do another album, planning instead to just release songs. But then “when the whole AI thing started coming out, particularly with the Beatles thing, and also having witnessed how AI is being used in my art form, I wrote a song about it.”  She continued, “I was terrified, and where do I go when I’m terrified? I go to my studio,” adding, “And I found myself writing just one thing after another, and lo and behold I had 10 songs.” WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)? Crow’s comment on the Beatles likely refers to the release of their final song, “Now and Then,” which features performances by the deceased members of the band, John Lennon and George Harrison.  Paul McCartney had previously caused a stir when he said they were able to pull Lennon’s vocals and piano performance with AI, causing fans to think Lennon’s vocals had been faked, which he later clarified was not the case.  Crow’s song about AI is titled “Evolution,” and serves as the title track to her new album.  “The song is called ‘Evolution’ and it really does stand for the whole thing because there are lots of things on the record that are very timely, but also I’m at that point where I look back more than I look forward,” the 61-year-old said. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER “I have to remind myself, there’s a lot more years in front of me and a lot more creativity to be had. You get to a certain point when you start looking back, and it changes your perspective, especially when you’re raising people, and so, ‘Evolution’ is very apropos for what’s on the record.” Crow spoke about the integration of AI into music during her Nov. 2 appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” WATCH: SHERYL CROW EXPLAINS HOW AI ‘TERRIFIED’ HER INTO MAKING A NEW ALBUM “I did a session the other day and this young songwriter had this incredible song, but she needed a guy to sing on it so that she could pitch it to male singers in Nashville,” the “All I Wanna Do” singer recalled. “Paid $5, put in John Mayer’s name and she played it for me. There’s no way you could tell the difference and it just blew my mind. And it didn’t just sound like him, I mean, like his inflections.” “For me, art is like soul, it’s attached to the soul,” she said. “So when you get into something that’s so much more advanced than our brains are at this point, it takes the soul out of it, you know, and it’s scary.” LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS Crow celebrated her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with other legendary musicians, including Willie Nelson, Missy Elliot, George Michael, Rage Against the Machine and The Spinners. DJ Kool Herc and Link Wray were inducted for musical influence, and Chaka Khan, Al Kooper and Bernie Taupin were inducted for musical excellence. Don Cornelius received the Ahmet Ertegun Award. Onstage, Crow was joined by Olivia Rodrigo, and they performed her hit 1996 song “If It Makes You Happy.”  The honor had the mom of two adopted sons, Wyatt and Levi, feeling reflective about her 37 years in the industry. “I started out with the big hair with Michael Jackson. Before that, I was a schoolteacher.… I’m a big believer in manifesting. I do believe we manifest the events in our lives by virtue of how much energy we put and how much attention we put on something,” Crow told reporters at the ceremony.  “And for me, all of my energy went into… expressing my experiences through music and through words. And, lo and behold, I got back what I put out.… I’ve been really blessed.”



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/sheryl-crow-terrified-by-ai-fears-technology-inspired-new-song

Author :

Publish date : 2023-11-17 07:00:55

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

If you want a textbook example of hysteria, look no further than the pronoun craze. Just a handful of years ago, this was never a thing. No one talked about it. It was as rare as Hunter Biden wearing pants. Then all of a sudden, it became a thing. It grew. It multiplied, even exponentially.  It was like mold or rabbits or Mitt Romney’s family. And the reason for this is pretty simple: Kids create a craze that’s about them, that brings attention to who they are, and why wouldn’t they embrace it? It sure beats eating Tide PODS or reading a children’s book written by Julie Banderas. That’ll sell a copy.  Suddenly, it became compulsory, specifically for the people around the kids who had to play along. It wasn’t just, “Hello, I’m Greg, and I’m a ze.” It’s, “Hello, I’m Greg, and if you don’t refer to me as ze, I’m going to report you to the principal.” Which is weird, because I should be out of school anyway, especially with the restraining order.  But what pronouns offered was an option for truly dull but needy people to gain attention and power over anyone in their vicinity. No longer did you have to do anything interesting or become knowledgeable in an area that might impress people. It was just me, me, me disguised as they, them or theirs, which destroyed language. Imagine telling your mom you’re having a friend over for dinner, and she asks, “What time?” And you say, “Oh, they’ll be there at 7.”  And your mom screams, “I didn’t make enough meatloaf for that many people.” And then, of course, she starts drinking and crying and drinking and crying and the next thing you know, you’re covered in blood and cake mix. PARENTS ‘BAFFLED’ AFTER SCHOOL ASKS STUDENTS TO CHOOSE FROM DOZENS OF PRONOUNS: ‘VERY CONFUSED AND UPSET’ You see how it screws up basic communications, but it’s worse than that because it’s not about pronouns. It’s about people, and people connect not through differences, but similarities.  And you never frontload a first impression like, say, at a job interview with a personal demand that makes it about you. Which is why I can safely say I’ve never met one interesting person who led with their pronoun because they didn’t have to. But thankfully, this fad is dying.  People are waking up to this madness. Take the school system in Newport News, Va. According to a new school policy, the faculty needs written permission from parents to use a different name or pronouns than the ones on a child’s official record.  Now, true, in the good old days, parents only had to sign a permission slip for field trips, not power trips. But at least now, parents have a say, which means if little Tommy has been brainwashed into believing he’s a girl, you can’t call him Tammy unless his parents say so.  And the school says nobody can be forced to use anybody else’s pronouns. So you can’t be coerced into this gender hokey pokey. God bless Newport News for having some balls or ovaries. I didn’t check. They’re kind of the same thing. But thankfully, the school recognizes that they don’t have more rights than a child’s parents and once that’s done, you stop feeding the flames of a stupid fad because that’s the nature of hysteria. It arrives, and it scares people into obeying, even if there’s no foundation for it.  Human history is filled with examples. The Salem Witch Trials, the Monkey Men in India, the disturbing growth of recipe books by annoying morning people. Take the Dancing Plague of 1518 — began in Strasbourg, France, when one woman started dancing in the streets and didn’t stop for almost a week.  Within a month, 400 citizens were afflicted with the urge to dance, often passing out from strokes, heart attacks and exhaustion. Authorities had no idea what caused this trance-like state, but they tried to exorcize this demon affliction by constructing a stage in hiring dancers and musicians, but by indulging it, it only made it worse. So the madness spread to Germany, Holland and Switzerland. I believe we have an example. CNN PUBLISHES ‘GUIDE TO NEOPRONOUNS,’ EMBRACES GENDERLESS PRONOUNS LIKE ‘LEAF, LEAFSELF, SUN, STAR’ Oh, they had tape of those times. Of course, they never found the root cause of this affliction. Does it sound familiar?  Well, just a few years ago, none of this pronoun crap existed. All we had was this pesky thing called biology. It just never even occurred to anyone to second-guess that, but by 2023, it changed and we indulged the change.  This performative identity theater flooded social media, which is the pusher of all pointless trends, and it infected schools and the workplace. You can get fired from your job for making the wrong guess about a pronoun, and it’s literally a federal case to call somebody he just because he is one.  But the bigger story is that years ago, none of this existed, now it does because, like most trends, it’s easily amplified. It grew fast because there was a low bar of entry, and it made people feel special, and feeling special trumped biological facts, especially among the young, who are already at odds with biology, especially if they have red hair.  And then sadly, you can’t find a kid smiling with red hair, it doesn’t exist. We looked, spent hours — and it saddled the rest of us with new rules and customs to accommodate the afflicted, but now we see the whole thing’s artificial. We realize that pronouns are now like man buns: a trend that never would have happened if David Beckham just focused on soccer.  But the fact is, interesting people don’t need to lean into their preferred pronouns. They are just who they are, but for a while, gender ideology gave the needy something to set them apart: I exist outside the boundaries of science, they declare, your gender binary doesn’t apply to me, now do exactly what I say, or I’ll make trouble for you. But the hysteria is waning. Perhaps the whole grift got boring.  GREG GUTFELD: RESUMES WITH NON BINARY PRONOUNS ARE THE PERFECT RED FLAG One day, and let’s hope it won’t be long, everyone will look back on this era and wonder how a mass psychosis convinced so many people that biology doesn’t exist, and we can go back to judging people by what really matters, how much money they make — because nothing is more gender-neutral than an a******. For more Culture, Media, Education, Opinion, and channel coverage, visit foxnews.com/media. 



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/greg-gutfeld-stupid-fad-people-enforcing-pronouns-dying

Author :

Publish date : 2023-11-17 06:05:44

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Two men were rescued from their sinking boat in a Florida waterway by local police amid tropical storm-like conditions. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office posted on social media about the rescue operation, saying that high winds and choppy waves caused a 15-foot skiff to begin to sink on the Intercoastal Waterway in Martin County, Florida. Two men were on board the boat when it began to sink. CHICAGO COMMUTER TRAIN COLLIDES INTO SNOW REMOVAL EQUIPMENT, 38 INJURED, 3 CRITICALLY Mark Cocorullo was outside his back door when he noticed that the small boat had begun to sink.  100TH FATALITY REPORTED IN MAUI WILDFIRE “At some point, a wave went over the bow of the boat, and it flooded the boat,” Cocorullo told FOX 29. Martin County Sheriff’s Office marine deputies who were patrolling the Intracoastal rescued both men before the skiff went underwater.  Neither of the men were hurt. “Another awesome job by our Marine Unit,” the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/us/men-rescued-from-sinking-boat-florida-waterway-amid-harsh-weather-police

Author :

Publish date : 2023-11-17 05:38:23

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

FOX News host Jesse Watters reacts to an alleged ballot stealing case on “Jesse Watters Primetime.”  JESSE WATTERS: Local election systems across America are weak and vulnerable. Wanda the ballot-stuffer from Connecticut proved that, but there are lots of Wandas running around, tinkering with our elections — and now “Primetime” has learned of a new Wanda, this time in Massachusetts. NBC10 Boston spoke to a man who claims three ballots were stolen from him in Lawrence, Mass., right before last week’s election, and he’s got it on video.   …  TIKTOK WILL REMOVE CALLS TO READ OSAMA BIN LADEN’S ‘LETTER TO AMERICA,’ SAYS IT ‘CLEARLY’ PROMOTES TERRORISM  It’s a dirty trick and we’re sick of it. “Primetime” reached out to the Massachusetts secretary of state, and they said they’re “aware of the incident” and they’re seeing it as “a criminal matter.” They “referred it to the D.A. for investigation and prosecution.” That is good, and the D.A.’s office told us the state police are investigating, which is good.   We reached out to the U.S. attorney’s office for Massachusetts to see if they’re going to join because this woman was allegedly tampering with mail, and that’s a federal crime. This isn’t the only case of possible voter fraud in the city. NBC10 spoke to a Lawrence woman who says the signature on her mail-in ballot was forged. “Primetime” will have more on voter fraud cases next week.  For more Culture, Media, Education, Opinion, and channel coverage, visit foxnews.com/media. 



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/media/jesse-watters-local-election-systems-across-america-weak-vulnerable

Author :

Publish date : 2023-11-17 04:01:23

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

A Texas death row inmate was executed Thursday via lethal injection, just over 22 years after killing a 5-year-old girl he abducted from a retail store and strangled to death, according to the Texas Department of Corrections.  Despite repeated attempts by his defense attorneys to halt the process, David Renteria, 53, became the eighth inmate to be put to death this year by the state.  Texas Department of Corrections spokesperson Robert Hurst told Fox News Digital that the lethal injection process began at 7 p.m., and that Renteria was pronounced dead at 7:11 p.m. at the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville. The state of Texas discontinued last meal requests in 2011 Hurst said, and that the staff members who would know Renteria’s final meal were “across the street dealing with the cleanup” after the execution.  Renteria’s mother and spiritual advisor looked on from one viewing chamber of the state’s execution chamber at the Huntsville Unit facility, Hurst said — family members of Alexandra Flora, the death row inmate’s victim, looked on from another. In his last words, Renteria told the Flores family that “not a day goes by that [he] does not think about that fateful event… and what transpired,” referring to killing their daughter then burning her body on Nov. 18, 2001.  “I pray that the Lord gives you peace,” Renteria said. “There are no words to describe what you are going through, and I understand your pain.” “I am a man of many faults,” he continued. “For those who I have hurt and caused pain in their life, I beg for forgiveness.” Renteria said he “forgave” those who “called for [his] death and transgressed against [him] and want [him] murdered.”

“Like Abraham Lincoln said once, mercy bears richer fruits than any other attributes,” he said. “I have learned there is no redemption above forgiveness.” 

“I’m ready, Warden,” were Renteria’s final words. “Send me home.” Less than three hours before Renteria was scheduled to be executed, his attorneys attempted to stay his execution, according to the Associated Press. TEXAS DEATH ROW INMATE SPEAKS OUT AFTER ‘SHOCKING’ LAST-MINUTE STAY OF EXECUTION The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rejected the stay request without comment, while the Supreme Court rejected another appeal to stop the execution.  Prosecutors say that 5-year-old Flores was Christmas shopping with her family at an El Paso Walmart, when Renteria, then 31, abducted the child, the Associated Press reported at the time.  The man searched the store before choosing Flores as his victim, prosecutors said, and grainy surveillance video shows her following him out of the store. Her charred body was recovered about 16 miles from the store the next day.  EXECUTION LOOMS FOR TX DEATH ROW INMATE CONVICTED OF ABDUCTION AND MURDER IN 2001 Renteria, a former warehouse worker, claims that members of a gang called Barrio Azteca — specifically a gang member named “Flaco” — forced him to kidnap the child with threats to his family.  Renteria’s defense team reportedly has pointed to witness statements from a woman who claimed her ex-husband was a member of Barrio Azteca and was involved in the death of a girl who went missing from a Walmart, released in 2018 and 2020 by El Paso police. A federal judge dismissed those statements as “fraught with inaccuracies” in 2018, and was “insufficient to show Renteria’s innocence.” Blood prints found on Renteria’s van matched the slain child’s DNA, prosecutors said, and the man’s palm print was found on a plastic bag placed over the girl’s head before she was lit on fire.  In 2006, a state district court blocked an earlier death sentence for Renteria on the grounds that prosecutors allegedly gave jurors misleading evidence that indicated the man was not remorseful.  But in a 2008 retrial, Renteria was again sentenced to death. Renteria was already a convicted sex offender when he carried out his alleged crime, per the Texas Department of Corrections — he had served a 20-year-long prison sentence for indecency with a child in El Paso County.  MOTHER OF WRONGFULLY DETAINED AMERICAN ON DEATH ROW IN CHINA CALLS ON BIDEN TO CONFRONT XI: ‘SAY MARK’S NAME’



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/us/texas-convict-kidnapped-girl-store-strangled-her-death-burned-body-executed

Author :

Publish date : 2023-11-17 03:03:20

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Director Martin Scorsese recently explained why his new film “Killers of The Flower Moon” centered the movie around Leonardo DiCaprio’s White character after some Indigenous critics slammed him for it. Scorsese’s film is based on the true story of the early 20th-century murders of a wealthy Osage tribe at the hands of American men looking to steal their oil wealth. The legendary director explained during a recent press event that he first cast DiCaprio as the FBI agent investigating the crimes in Oklahoma before casting him as one of the film’s villains, Ernest Burkhart. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the director said, “We took the character of Tom White that Leo was going to play and, after a couple of years [of development], we took it to its limit. We felt that, ultimately, a story seen through the eyes of the Bureau of Investigation coming in from Washington to this area to find out who did it was… it was [more] a matter of who didn’t do it.” LEONARDO DICAPRIO AND MARTIN SCORSESE: HOW HOLLYWOOD’S MOST DYNAMIC DUO MADE BOX OFFICE BILLIONS He decided to make DiCaprio play Burkhart, the husband of one of the family’s sisters who oversaw the plot to murder them, as that got closer to the “heart” of the story. Citing the granddaughter of the Osage sister married to Burkhart – who noted how the couple were in love despite the husband’s plot – he said, “A lot of these deceptions and betrayals and murders came out of people who really liked each other…. Ultimately, we were stuck.” He continued, saying, “We really couldn’t get into the true nature of what this tragedy was, at which point Leo [asked], ‘Where’s the heart of it?’ And I said, ‘Well, the heart is that Molly and Ernest are in love.’ So he says, ‘So maybe I should play Ernest,’ [at] which point everything turned upside down….” He added, “primarily it’s told, as much as possible, from the ground level in which the Osage and the European American were living together.” DiCaprio added, “As far-fetched as it may seem to others who see this movie — who are shocked at the atrocities that Ernest continues to commit and Molly’s understanding of what’s going on — it’s based on hard evidence and a sense of community from the Osage that in a lot of ways they have not openly talked about before.” Lily Gladstone, who plays DiCaprio’s Osage wife in the film, and the central victim of his plot, claimed she made sure her portrayal conveyed the authentic indigenous perspective. “But the most important element of all of it, for me, was that I was never alone on set. If I was uncertain about a choice I was making there was not just one but several Osage people in every level of production close at hand,” she said. MARTIN SCORSESE SLAMS COMIC BOOK MOVIES, SAYS THEY POSE ‘DANGER’ TO OUR CULTURE Scorsese’s breakdown of how he approached casting and telling the story followed multiple complaints from Indigenous people over the director’s choices.  The film’s Osage language consultant, Christopher Cote, suggested the film would have been more effective if the director was indigenous and slammed DiCaprio’s portrayal of Burkhart. He told The Hollywood Reporter, “As an Osage, I really wanted this to be from the perspective of Mollie and what her family experienced, but I think it would take an Osage to do that.” He added, “Martin Scorsese, not being Osage, I think he did a great job representing our people, but this history is being told almost from the perspective of Ernest Burkhart and they kind of give him this conscience and kind of depict that there’s love. But when somebody conspires to murder your entire family, that’s not love. That’s not love, that’s just beyond abuse.” Indigenous actor and “Reservation Dogs” star Devery Jacobs ripped Scorsese’s movie on X shortly after it premiered last month. She stated, “Being Native, watching this movie was f—— hellfire. Imagine the worst atrocities committed against yr ancestors, then having to sit thru a movie explicitly filled w/ them, w/ the only respite being 30min long scenes of murderous white guys talking about/planning the killings.” For more Culture, Media, Education, Opinion and channel coverage, visit foxnews.com/media. 



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/media/scorsese-defends-flower-moon-film-focusing-leonardo-dicaprios-white-character-after-indigenous-critiism

Author :

Publish date : 2023-11-17 02:00:43

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

EXCLUSIVE: The Republican National Committee (RNC) is threatening to take Arizona’s top election official “to court and win” if his office certifies the Patriot Party. Arizona’s Patriot Party, which bills itself as a constitutional conservative party, submitted faulty signatures for its state application, the RNC alleges. RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told Fox News Digital if Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, certifies the party, it would be “a drastic failure to uphold the standards of his office.” KARI LAKE GETS ANOTHER BIG BOOST WHILE GOP INCREASINGLY SEES HER AS STANDARD-BEARER FOR MAJOR SENATE SEAT FLIP “Upon review of the filing, it’s become clear that this party doesn’t even have the necessary signatures to make it onto the ballot. If Fontes chooses to certify their petition in the face of these glaring issues, the RNC, NRCC and AZGOP will take him to court and win,” McDaniel said. The RNC claims the Patriot Party submitted approximately up to 8,000 signatures from non-registered voters, 10,000 signatures from more than two years ago and 900 duplicate signatures in its filing. The Patriot Party must gather at least 34,127 valid signatures from qualified electors to appear on the ballot.  Should Fontes certify the Patriot Party’s signatures to become a party on Arizona’s ballot and it puts up a candidate, it could split the GOP vote in the 2024 elections after GOP losses in Arizona in 2020 and 2022. “Fontes didn’t notify anyone, blocked observers and essentially rolled out a secret red carpet in what looks like a drastic failure to uphold the standards of his office,” said McDaniel.  ‘NO LABELS’ LEADER SAYS GROUP LAUNCHING 2024 CANDIDATE COMMITTEE: MANCHIN DESERVES ‘SERIOUS CONSIDERATION’ The secretary of state’s office declined to comment on the Patriot Party’s application process. Patriot Party President John Fillmore told Fox News Digital the group has launched a campaign to recruit candidates in Arizona. “We are actively recruiting candidates. I have several people who are nameless … who said that if we become a party, they will join us,” said Fillmore. “We will always probably caucus with the Republicans, but we will not be hamstrung by the Republican Party rules.” “If I get enough signatures for us to become another party, well then, hey, there’s a problem in their house,” said Fillmore.  Fillmore asserted he does not think the addition of the party will split GOP votes, saying this party “will not be looking to put candidates in a race where we have a strong conservative Republican.” In 2022, Democrat Katie Hobbs beat Republican Kari Lake by a margin of less than 1%. Trump-backed venture capitalist Blake Masters also lost his senate bid to Democratic incumbent Mark Kelly by a large margin.  Both Democrats and Republicans have opposed third parties that threaten to split the ballot in key swing states. President Biden and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi have launched attacks against the No Labels Party, which seeks to qualify for ballots in all 50 states and is flirting with the prospect of offering an alternative presidential candidate in 2024.  Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, will decide whether the Patriot Party’s signatures are valid by Friday. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rnc-says-will-take-democrat-arizona-election-official-court-win-state-certifies-patriot-party

Author :

Publish date : 2023-11-17 00:17:14

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

This is one of two Fox News Polls released Thursday. With just under a year until the 2024 elections, Republicans are seen as better able to handle top voter concerns like inflation, and safety-related issues such as crime, national security, and terrorism, while they favor Democrats on lower-ranking problems such as climate change, abortion, and transgender issues. As voters zero in on issues that concern them most, the latest Fox News survey, released Thursday, finds three levels of concern. Economic concerns are still at the forefront of voters’ minds, as 89% are extremely or very worried about inflation and higher prices. This first tier also includes threats to personal freedoms and rights, higher crimes rates across the country, and political divisions (82% each). BIDEN ADMINISTRATION GRAPPLES WITH DEADLINE TO RENEW ANTI-TERRORISM SPY TOOL The next tier sees issue concern in the 70% range and includes the Israel-Hamas war (74%), attacks by Islamic terrorists in the U.S. (73%), gun laws (72%), and abortion policy (71%). All other concerns are under 70%, this third tier encompasses border security (69%), political showdown over the debt ceiling (69%), Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (67%), antisemitism (67%), climate change (58%), and transgender issues (46%). Who can better handle these concerns?  Voters see Republicans as better on border security (by 24 points), national security (+20), terrorism (+18), inflation (+12), foreign policy (+12), and crime (+12) and have for some time. They also have an advantage on government spending (+11). HERE’S THE PROOF BIDENOMICS REALLY ISN’T WORKING FOR AMERICANS Democrats maintain their strong positions on abortion (by 19 points) and climate change (+18). They also are favored on handling transgender issues (+24) and antisemitism (+9). Then there is the middle ground. Voters are more divided over who can bring the country together (+5D), handle gun policy (+3R), and protect personal freedoms (+4R). “The Democrats are hugely disadvantaged on two of the most salient issues: inflation and crime,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw who conducts Fox News surveys with Democrat Chris Anderson. “The fact that they are at parity on the other two extremely salient issues (protecting rights and freedoms and bringing the country together) offers some hope.” Concern over terrorist attacks happening in the U.S. is the only item that shows big movement over the last year, up 23 points since May when 50% were worried. The main driving force behind that jump in worry are Democrats, 66% are extremely or very concerned now versus 37% in May, though worry is up across the board. GOP SENATORS RAIL AGAINST TUBERVILLE’S MILITARY HOLDS NEARLY ALL NIGHT The terrorist group Hamas’s horrific attack on Israel took place October 7. Among partisans One reason Republicans hold wide advantages on certain issues is Democrats think Republicans can handle some better than their own party. About one in five Democrats prefer Republicans on border security (22% say R), crime (18%), terrorism (18%), and inflation (17%). DARK MONEY GROUP WIRED MILLIONS TO LAW FIRM SUING BIG OIL WITH DEM STATES On the other side, sizable numbers of Republicans think Democrats are better on transgender issues (30% say D), climate (26%), and abortion (24%). “There has been a lot of talk recently that Biden is providing a drag on the Democratic Party, but the opposite could also be true,” says Anderson. “Even though most haven’t felt improvements from Biden’s economic policies, indications are they will by next year. And assuming it’s a Biden-Trump rematch, Democrats will put their worries about their party behind them once the choice is Trump’s promised second term of revenge or giving Biden another term to continue work on issues they care about.” While Democrats and Republicans share concern over inflation, threats to personal freedoms, and political divisions within the country, the order and degree varies. Top concerns among Democrats are gun laws (88%), political divisions (85%), inflation (84%), abortion policy (83%), climate change (83%), and threats to personal rights (81%). For Republicans, it’s inflation (96%), crime (89%), threats to personal rights (87%), border security (85%), attacks by Islamic terrorists (83%), and political divisions (83%). CLICK HERE FOR TOPLINE AND CROSSTABS Conducted November 10-13, 2023, under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News Poll includes interviews with 1,001 registered voters nationwide who were randomly selected from a voter file and spoke with live interviewers on both landlines and cellphones. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points for all registered voters.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/official-polls/fox-news-poll-republicans-preferred-top-issues-inflation-security

Author :

Publish date : 2023-11-16 23:00:03

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

The death toll from the wildfire that devastated the historic Maui town of Lahaina last summer has risen to 100 after a 78-year-old woman injured in the disaster died last month, officials said Tuesday. HAWAII WILDFIRE RAVAGES OAHU’S NATIVE RAINFOREST, POSING THREAT TO FRAGILE ECOSYSTEMS The victim was among those who had been flown to Oahu after the Aug. 8 wildfire, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century, Maui police spokesperson Alana Pico said in an email. The woman died Sept. 4, said Honolulu Medical Examiner Dr. Masahiko Kobayashi. His office previously provided an incorrect date. Authorities have identified 99 victims in a process that has proved long and complicated. Forensic experts and cadaver dogs sifted through ash searching for bodies that were possibly cremated, and authorities collected DNA samples from victims’ family members. The youngest victim was 7 and the oldest was 97. Several were residents of a low-income senior apartment complex. Of the victims, 44 were 70 or older.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/us/100th-fatality-reported-maui-wildfire

Author :

Publish date : 2023-11-16 21:56:19

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Tiger Woods’ son, Charlie, just accomplished a feat on the golf course his legendary father didn’t this week.  Woods, along with his The Benjamin School teammates, won the Florida state high school golf championship. Woods shot 78-76 in the two days of the FHSAA Class A state championship on Wednesday at Mission Inn Resort and Club in Howey-In-The-Hills, Florida.  CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM The Benjamin School, located in Palm Beach Gardens, had five total golfers in the tournament, including the 14-year-old freshman in Woods. He finished tied-26th overall.  But The Benjamin School is no stranger to winning it all, as this was its fourth state title. TIGER WOODS TAKES SWIPE AT LIV GOLF AS HE TALKS UP NEW LEAGUE: ‘HERE IT’S VERY SIMPLE’ Jake Valentine, a sophomore at the private day school, scored birdie on the 17th hole on day two of the tournament as well as a putt on the final hole to clinch the title for The Benjamin School. He shot 72-76 to lead his squad to victory.  The elder Woods was among the gallery watching the state title play out. There was a moment caught on video, too, of his son holing out a chip just off a green that featured a typical Woods fist pump and reaction.  As a high schooler himself, Woods was never able to collect a high school state title while at Western High School in Anaheim, California. However, state golf championships were not instituted while Woods was in high school, so there is a caveat here.  Obviously, though, his son has a lot to live up to considering Woods remains the youngest golfer to ever win the U.S. Junior Amateur title, which he won in 1991. He would win it two more times before going on to his illustrious pro career.  But Charlie Woods is clearly in love with the sport, and his father admitted he has started to out-drive him when they play together. Perhaps one day the next generation of Woods will be on the PGA Tour wreaking havoc to the competition as his father did for years. He’s already loving that winning feeling now in high school.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/sports/tiger-woods-son-accomplishes-feat-father-never-has-high-school

Author :

Publish date : 2023-11-16 21:07:52

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif, said on “The Faulkner Focus” Thursday that many anti-Israel protesters are being “duped” into supporting Hamas terrorism. Sherman said Wednesday night that he was evacuated from DNC headquarters with the help of Capitol Police officers after protesters turned violent, pepper-spraying police and attempting to enter the building. PRO-PALESTINIAN VIOLENT PROTEST ERUPTS OUTSIDE DNC HEADQUARTERS IN WASHINGTON DC, CAPITOL POLICE INJURED BRAD SHERMAN: The Hamas object was to attack and kill as many Israelis as they could – 1,200 – on October 7th, retreat, regroup, and then do it again. And that’s not me speaking, that’s top Hamas leadership. And I think some of the demonstrators support that plan. Others are duped into the idea that somehow a truce that allows Hamas to regroup and repeat will bring peace, and obviously that isn’t the case. We all want a cease-fire, but the best way to get a cease-fire is for Hamas to release its hostages and disarm. And then the killing and the terrible scenes from Gaza can stop.  Police in the nation’s capital responded to the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee as pro-Palestinian demonstrators grew violent as they called for an immediate cease-fire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) said about 150 people were “illegally and violently protesting” near the DNC headquarters building in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington. Protesters told Fox News Digital that there were 300 people protesting the war. Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, a Republican, posted that the “nation’s capital is under siege.” “Last week, it was the White House,” Biggs wrote. “This week, it’s the DNC.” “These left-wing lunatics have to be held accountable,” he added. For more Culture, Media, Education, Opinion, and channel coverage, visit foxnews.com/media FOX News’ Houston Keene contributed to this report.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/media/democrat-congressman-calls-anti-israel-protesters-says-duped

Author :

Publish date : 2023-11-16 20:30:21

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Columbia and Stanford universities, which have been beset by antisemitic events on their campuses during Israel’s war with Hamas, received billions in taxpayer dollars in recent years, according to an analysis. Critics have assailed universities in recent weeks over what they say is an inadequate response to the antisemitic events, prompting questions and concerns over federal funding going to such institutions. OpenTheBooks, a government watchdog group, examined 10 top-tier universities’ federal funding and found that Columbia and Stanford sat atop the stack and acquired a staggering amount of cash supported by taxpayers. “Regular people are asking why taxpayer money is flowing into any university where they’ve incubated discrimination, bigotry and antisemitism,” OpenTheBooks founder Adam Andrzejewski told Fox News Digital. “Let alone advocacy of terrorism against our closest ally in the Middle East. Public funding and discrimination of any type cannot be reconciled.” ELITE AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES RECEIVING BILLIONS IN FEDERAL FUNDS SEE RISE IN ANTISEMITISM: ‘GAMED THE TAX CODE’ The group found that Stanford acquired federal funds at a higher clip than the other elite universities over a five-year span. According to their analysis, the school received roughly $7 billion in taxpayer-backed cash between 2018 and 2022, including federal grants and contracts. Columbia, meanwhile, obtained roughly $5.8 million in federal grants and contracts during the same period, the group said. “In fiscal year 2022, Stanford received $1.6 billion in federal grants and contracts, while they charged $598 million in undergraduate student tuition,” Andrzejewski said. “It’s a similar picture at Columbia. The feds sent them $1.26 billion while student tuition amounted to $769 million.” “These wealthy, elite universities get twice as much funding for acting as a federal contractor than an educator,” he added. Overall, the 10 universities studied received $33 billion in federal grants and contracts over the five years. The group also analyzed the University of Pennsylvania, Yale, Harvard, Northwestern, Cornell, Princeton, Brown and Dartmouth. “It’s time that Congress reconsiders the primary missions of these institutions,” Andrzejewski said. “These universities enjoy special nonprofit tax status while they stuff their endowments with tens of billions in private-sector donations and off-load the costs of their research on the American taxpayer.” Not only do Columbia and Stanford sit atop the pile of federal cash in the analysis, but they also have been among those scrutinized over antisemitic occurrences on campuses. TOP REPUBLICAN WANTS TO BAN UNIVERSITIES ENABLING ‘ANTISEMITISM’ FROM COLLECTING TAXPAYER CASH: ‘ABHORRENT’ Since Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israeli citizens that left over 1,200 dead, Columbia’s campus has experienced walkouts and rallies along with verbal and written clashes between students and faculty.  The events included nearly two dozen student groups signing a letter “holding the Israeli occupation accountable for its actions and putting an end to the untenable status quo of Israel’s apartheid and colonial system.”  Additionally, two student organizations – Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace – were suspended from the university through the end of the fall term for violating university policies. The school said the two student groups “repeatedly violated university policies related to holding campus events, culminating in an unauthorized event [last] Thursday afternoon that proceeded despite warnings and included threatening rhetoric and intimidation.” On Wednesday, students and staff at the school protested the removal of the groups, Fox News Digital reported. Meanwhile, a Columbia professor went viral for decrying the response by the school regarding antisemitic incidents. A Jewish student was also attacked with a stick after objecting to a woman tearing down posters of Hamas hostages. Columbia did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment. Stanford, on the other hand, has also experienced antisemitic incidents on its campus while seeing its leaders come under the microscope. NYC COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY FACULTY AND STUDENTS PROTEST SUSPENSION OF 2 FAR-LEFT GROUPS Stanford President Richard Saller and Provost Jenny Martinez came under fire for initially failing to condemn Hamas in a letter responding to their terrorist attack. Their actions led to over 1,800 Stanford affiliates slamming them in a letter, the Stanford Daily reported in late October.  When contacted for comment, the university pointed Fox News Digital to statements the university released, including one from Martinez days after the student publication reported on the letter. “I want to be unequivocally clear that Stanford stands against antisemitism and recognizes the deep historical roots of this form of hate and the ways in which Jewish students, faculty, and staff are affected by this historical legacy and its current manifestations,” Martinez said in the statement. Furthermore, a Stanford instructor was also dismissed from the classroom after downplaying the Holocaust and singling out students “based on their backgrounds and identities,” CNN reported. The rising antisemitic events on campuses – and many times, a lackluster response – have led to lawmakers such as House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., calling for tightening the taxpayer valve on those institutions. “It is abhorrent that Harvard and universities across America are enabling horrific antisemitism to run rampant on their campuses,” Stefanik told Fox News Digital last week. “U.S. taxpayer dollars should be prohibited from funding any institution that promotes antisemitism or anti-Israel bigotry, and House Republicans will hold these extremist institutions accountable for failing their students.”



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/politics/prestigious-universities-plagued-antisemitism-receive-billions-taxpayer-backed-cash-analysis-finds

Author :

Publish date : 2023-11-16 19:38:21

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

If lying were an art form, former Trump fixer Michael Cohen would be its Rembrandt.  Throughout his career, the disbarred lawyer has found powerful clients who valued his reputation for supporting any side that offered the biggest payback.  Now he is accused of yet another lie under oath and the question is whether his current benefactors will again protect him from a criminal charge. TOP REPUBLICANS CALL FOR DOJ PROBE INTO MICHAEL COHEN FOR ‘KNOWINGLY’ MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS TO CONGRESS For years, Cohen was the heavy for Donald Trump who threatened everyone from journalists to students with ruin for threatening the former president. Faced with disbarment and criminal charges, he then became an equally vicious critic of Trump; a human cudgel for Democrats. The most remarkable about his checkered career is the one constant: a long, uninterrupted line of lies upon lies. Indeed, he is now accused of lying about prior lies. I have been a critic of Cohen for years, going back to work as a legal thug for Trump. That criticism continued after Cohen sought to raise money from Democrats as a Trump killer as opposed to a Trump enabler. Those of us familiar with his history warned about the notion that he was now a “liberated former liar.” As expected, the sides changed but the lies continued. TRUMP FACES OFF IN COURT WITH COHEN AS EX-LAWYER TESTIFIES AGAINST HIM IN TRUMP ORGANIZATION CIVIL TRIAL He would appear as the new star Democratic witness before House Oversight Committee chairman, Elijah Cummings, and was promptly accused of lying under oath again. Cummings, who would later chair the January 6th Committee, refused to take any action against Cohen. He had again found a powerful ally who valued his moral flexibility. Even after being stripped of his bar license and sentenced to three years in prison, Cohen continued the pattern. In 2019, Cohen failed to appear to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee, citing the inability to travel due to a medical surgery. However, he was seen partying before the hearing date with five friends with no apparent problems. Even in jail, Cohen was accused of lying to a court in violation of an order for early release due to medical problems. He was ordered back into custody after being spotted at a high-end restaurant. Nevertheless, Cohen has few illusions about his sudden alliance with media outlets and Democratic figures. He does not have to be truthful; he has to be useful. That celebrated role continued this year when Cohen was called to testify in the New York fraud case brought by Attorney General Letitia James. It mattered little to James that Cohen is a serial liar. Yet, even her office may have been surprised with the ease with which Cohen now admits to false statements. TRUMP SUES FORMER ATTORNEY MICHAEL COHEN FOR $500 MILLION During his recent testimony, Cohen was confronted by statements about Trump inflating the value of his properties that directly contradicted his sworn testimony before Congress. Most witnesses would be petrified by the prospect of admitting lying under oath. Most would refuse to testify under the Fifth Amendment. Not Cohen. He simply seemed to shrug it off and admitted that he previously lied under oath in 2019 before Congress. In testifying before the House Intelligence Committee on February 28, 2019, Cohen was asked about the same alleged violation and responded: “I’m sorry. Did he ask me to inflate the numbers? Not that I recall, no.” When read that answer in New York, Cohen admitted that he was not being “honest” with Congress. Trump attorney Alina Habba then asked him: “So you lied under oath in February of 2019? Is that your testimony?” Cohen replied “yes.” For Cohen, the admission of a lie is hardly a significant moment. He pleaded guilty to felonies including false statements to banks in 2018. After professing his profound guilt and remorse, he was sentenced to three years. He then later said that he really did not mean it in denying aspects of the plea. TRUMP DROPS LAWSUIT AGAINST MICHAEL COHEN, VOWS TO RE-FILE AFTER HE HAS ‘PREVAILED’ IN OTHER CASES After that plea and then denying the sworn plea, Cohen was called to give testimony before the House Intelligence Committee. He now says that he proceeded to lie again. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik have sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland for an investigation into the admitted false testimony. This would seem an embarrassingly easy case for a prosecutor. A serial liar just admitted under oath that he lied previously under oath. There is a five-year statute of limitations on lying to Congress. Moreover, this is the attorney general who aggressively pursued Trump officials and associates for contempt and other violations linked to congressional investigations. It is also the same department that prosecuted figures like Gen. Michael Flynn for false statements made to FBI agents. CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION For Cohen, the key to his career has been to lie to the right people at the right time. It is now up to Garland whether he will join a long line of powerful allies covering for Cohen. Cohen may be able to again evade real punishment. When he was still thumping people for Trump, Cohen told the reporter that he should “tread very f—ing lightly because what I’m going to do to you is going to be f—ing disgusting. Do you understand me?” When it comes to the legal system, Cohen is ironically true to his word. What he has done to the legal system for decades is truly disgusting. The New York bar took no action for years until Cohen confessed to crimes to secure a plea deal.  Past incidents of alleged perjury before Congress were ignored because prosecution would have been inconvenient. Now he has nonchalantly acknowledged lying under oath in 2019 after pleading guilty to criminal falsehoods. The problem is not Cohen. He continues to act to his nature. The problem is a political and legal system that enables him as a serial liar. It is a system that continues to call Cohen to the stand and ask him to swear to God to offer the “truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” without a signature joke drum roll before his punchline.  The fact that Cohen can say “I do” without breaking up in laughter reflects a true artist at work. CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM JONATHAN TURLEY



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/lying-art-michael-cohen-rembrandt-getting-pass

Author :

Publish date : 2023-11-16 19:00:42

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

The U.N. special rapporteur to the occupied Palestinian territory claimed this week that Israel does not have a right to self-defense against Hamas under international law and accused the country of committing “war crimes.” The comments from Francesca Albanese came Tuesday during an address to the National Press Club of Australia, when she deemed Israel’s right to self-defense “non-existent” under international law as she took aim at the war-torn country for its “unrelenting bombardment of Gaza” and other actions. Israel, according to Albanese, cannot claim a right to self-defense because they are not under threat from another state. “Israel cannot claim the right of self-defense against a threat that emanates from a territory it occupies, from a territory that is under belligerent occupation,” Albanese said from the event in Canberra, Australia. US LETS UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION CALLING FOR PAUSES IN GAZA FIGHTING PASS WITHOUT HAMAS CONDEMNATION “What Israel was allowed to do was to act to establish law and order, to repel the attack, neutralize whomever was carrying out the attacks and then proceed with law and order measures … not waging a war,” she added. Anne Bayefsky, director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, slammed Albanese’s comments, saying they go “hand-in-hand with all her other legally-indefensible claims” surrounding the conflict. “Starting from October 7th until now, no major U.N. actor has said plainly that Israel has a right of self-defense. This is despite the fact that the U.N. Charter unambiguously declares every U.N. member has the inherent right of self-defense,” Bayefsky claimed in an email to Fox News Digital. “In the deafening silence, anti-Israel and antisemitic extremists hiding under the titles of U.N. ‘experts,’ have gone on the offensive and proclaimed that Israel has no U.N. Charter right of self-defense against the barbaric Palestinian terrorists who slaughtered and butchered their people. The Nazis said the same thing of their Jewish victims.” “Albanese’s abhorrent remarks go hand-in-hand with all her other legally-indefensible claims, such as defending a Palestinian ‘right to resist’ that ‘requires violence.’ Likewise, Navi Pillay, head of a U.N. so-called ‘Commission of Inquiry’ against Israel created back in 2021, has repeatedly spoken since October 7th of a Palestinian right of ‘armed struggle.’ These aren’t misguided lawyers. They are champions of hate, of antisemitism, of lethal violence against the Jewish people. It is an atrocity that they are given U.N. titles and a global platform of any kind at all,” Bayefsky added. Albanese claimed Israel’s actions toward the Palestinian people in Gaza, which have been relentless since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, are “wrong.” AOC LEADS TWO DOZEN DEMOCRATS CALLING FOR ISRAEL CEASEFIRE OVER ‘VIOLATIONS AGAINST CHILDREN’ IN GAZA “How many more people need to die,” she questioned at the event. Albanese also expressed concern over the potential that Israel “might commit the crime of genocide against the Palestinian people” and took aim at the international community in her speech, claiming most state governments are almost “completely paralyzed” amid the unfolding crisis in the Middle East. “In the face of all of this, the international community is almost completely paralyzed,” she said. “I am being generous when I say the U.N. is experiencing its most epic political and humanitarian failure since its creation.” “Individual member states, especially in the West, and Australia is no exception, are on the margins,” she added. “Muttering notable words of condemnation for Israel’s success at best or staying silent in fear of restraining Israel’s … claimed right to self-defense. Whatever that means.” The international community’s positioning on the issue, Albanese claimed, “epitomizes” how governments around the world have “so ethically failed to promote peace and security for both Palestinians and Israelis, premised on international law, the end of Israel’s 56-year-old patient and the realization of Palestinian self-determination and freedom.” Additionally, Albanese called for a cease-fire and the return of Israeli hostages, among other things. She also used her speech to defend the Palestinians, saying they had been subjected to a “violent structure of dispossession, confiscation of land, and forcible displacement.” ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED “When it is widespread and systemic, [it] is not just a war crime, it is a crime against humanity,” Albanese said. Following Albanese’s comments, Austrian Volker Türk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, condemned on Thursday the rights violations in the Israel-Hamas war and concluded an international investigation was needed. “Extremely serious allegations of multiple and profound breaches of international humanitarian law, whoever commits them, demand rigorous investigation and full accountability,” Türk said in a briefing to U.N. member states from Geneva. In response to the U.N.’s growing anti-Israel actions, Lior Haiat, Israel’s spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Fox News Digital that, “Israel and the IDF operate under international law, if there should be an investigation it should be under war crimes and crimes against humanity that Hamas terrorist organization on the Oct 7 massacre and since then, including the massacre of over 1200 people and kidnapping 239, among them babies, children that have seen their parents murdered in front of their eyes, entire families, Holocaust survivors and an investigation on the use Hamas using the Palestinian people as human shields and the use of hospitals, schools and mosques as cover for their terrorist activities.” Late last month, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan urged António Guterres to resign, ripping into the U.N. secretary-general for ostensibly rationalizing Hamas’ murder of some 1,200 people, including Americans, on Oct. 7 in Israel. CALLS FOR UN LEADER’S RESIGNATION INTENSIFY AFTER ‘SHAMEFUL’ COMMENTS ABOUT HAMAS ATTACKS ON ISRAEL Guterres said Hamas’ attacks “did not happen in a vacuum” and that the “Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation.” Guterres’ claim was rejected by Erdan, however, who insisted Guterres’ comments were “pure blood libel” and said, “This is false. It was the opposite.” Guterres responded to the criticism against him by noting in a statement outside the U.N. Security Council, “I am shocked by the misrepresentations by some of my statements yesterday in the Security Council. As if … as if I was justifying acts of terror by Hamas. This is false. It was the opposite.” On Wednesday, the United States allowed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a pause in the fighting within Gaza to pass despite a lack of condemnation for Hamas. Fifteen members of the security council passed the resolution Wednesday, which calls for a cease-fire for a “sufficient number of days” in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas. The resolution also calls for the “unconditional release” of hostages taken by Hamas during the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Twelve members of the council voted in favor of the resolution, while the U.S., Russia and Britain, who have veto power, abstained from the vote. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health claimed last week that more than 10,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, which is now in its sixth week. Fox News reached out to the United Nations secretary-general’s spokesman for comment. Fox News’ Adam Sabes and Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/world/un-official-causes-uproar-claim-israel-doesnt-right-defend-itself-against-hamas-terrorists

Author :

Publish date : 2023-11-16 18:20:33

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.