Trump received some unlikely support for his new penny plan.(Reuters/ Getty Images)
Over the weekend, Trump announced that he “instructed my Secretary of the US Treasury to stop producing new pennies.”
“For far too long, the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
“Let’s rip the waste out of our great nation’s budget, even if it’s a penny at a time.”
NOEM, HEGSETH, BONDI PLEAD WITH CONGRESS FOR MORE BORDER FUNDING AMID LARGE-SCALE DEPORTATIONS
Rosen took to X on Tuesday, writing, “I’m not afraid to embrace a good idea when it comes from the other side of the aisle, and I agree with President Trump on this.”
“Eliminating the penny is a common sense move that’ll save taxpayer dollars,” she said.
She isn’t the only Democrat who has come out in support of Trump’s idea, however.
LORI CHAVEZ-DEREMER: THE LITTLE-KNOWN TRUMP NOMINEE WHO MAY NEED TO RELY ON DEMS
Polis also backed the idea.(Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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“As well as saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, there are major environmental benefits to eliminating the penny. This is a great move,” Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colo., said of the president’s plan.
Trump’s unlikely Democratic backers come as much of the party has revolted amid his Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to aggressively audit and slash spending at executive branch agencies and departments.
Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.
Follow Julia’s reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to Julia.Johnson@fox.com.
While the nation anticipates an executive order from President Donald Trump to dismantle the Department of Education, New York Democrats sparked a debate about its legality. The White House says cutting wasteful government funding is “not a crime in a court of law.”
Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., held a press conference at a Manhattan public school this week, calling Trump’s plans for the Education Department “illegal” and “unconstitutional.” The White House said the Democrats are “gaslighting” Americans.
“Earlier this week, we learned that the Trump administration is drafting an executive order to shut down the Department of Education,” Gillibrand said on Sunday. “This would jeopardize thousands of New York jobs, and billions of dollars in federal funding for New York’s kids, teachers, families and schools. We’re here to show them that we are ready to fight for our kids, fight for our communities and fight for our schools.”
As Trump is expected to take steps this month to defund the Department of Education, Democrats began another week of Trump’s second term protesting the Department of Government Efficiency. The Trump administration dismissed the protests as an attempt “to recover from their embarrassing loss” in November.
MAXINE WATERS, HOUSE DEMS RIPPED FOR ‘UNHINGED’ CLASH WITH SECURITY GUARD AT EDUCATION DEPT
Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks about gun violence during the Clinton Global Initiative on Sept. 23, 2024, in New York City.(Alex Kent/Getty Images)
“The Democrats have no plan on how to recover from their embarrassing loss, and it shows. Instead of working to become a party that focuses on the will of the people, they are hell-bent on keeping their heads in the sand and gaslighting on the widely supported mission of DOGE. Slashing waste, fraud, and abuse, and becoming better stewards of the American taxpayer’s hard-earned dollars might be a crime to Democrats, but it’s not a crime in a court of law,” White House principal deputy press secretary, Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital in a statement.
DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER SAYS KIDS WILL BE IN TEACHERLESS CLASSROOMS, WON’T HAVE LUNCH IF DOGE, TRUMP GET THEIR WAY
Gillibrand on Sunday reminded New Yorkers that dismantling the Department of Education would require congressional approval.
“What he’s doing is illegal. It’s unconstitutional. It’s unconstitutional and illegal. It’s unconstitutional because Congress is the only body that is allowed to decide how the taxpayer dollars that New Yorkers send to Washington is spent.”
Sen. Kristen Gillibrand and Gov. Kathy Hochul called Trump’s plans for the Education Department “illegal” and “unconstitutional.”(Getty/iStock)
Hochul warned New Yorkers that they will pick up the tab if Trump shuts down the Department of Education.
“The largest part of your local property tax bill is your school taxes,” Hochul said. “If that money evaporates from the federal government, where are they going to go? This is going to hit homeowners and businesses, and I want them to be aware of this consequence.”
Students board a school bus in Manhattan’s East Village in New York City.(Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Hochul said defunding the Department of Education could deny students Pell Grants, a federally funded program that helps low-income students pay for college, and New York City’s public school nutrition programs, which provide free breakfast, lunch and after-school meals for students. Hochul urged New York Republicans to speak up in Washington for New York’s public school students.
“This is an outrage,” Gillibrand added. “The Trump administration is stealing money from our kids, from our teachers and from our schools. These are New York tax dollars.”
House Democrats were blocked from entering the Department of Education building in Washington, D.C., Feb. 7, 2025.(Fox News)
The New York Democrats said shutting down the Department of Education could cost New York’s 2.6 million students almost $1 billion annually.
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Hochul and Gillibrand join a growing coalition of Democrats speaking out against Trump’s education plans. Democrats protested outside the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., on Friday, demanding an audience with acting Education Secretary Denise Carter. Carter is keeping Linda McMahon’s seat warm during her Senate confirmation process.
Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., unveiled on Monday the Democrats’ counter-offensive plan against the broad government audit being conducted by President Donald Trump’s temporary agency, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“Senate Democrats have a responsibility to fight back on behalf of American families as Republicans look the other way in obedience to Donald Trump. And we are,” he wrote to members of the Senate Democratic Caucus in a letter.
Notably, with Democrats out of control in each legislative chamber, as well as the White House, they have very few levers of authority over items of which they disapprove.
TRUMP’S KEY TO CABINET CONFIRMATIONS: SENATOR-TURNED-VP VANCE’S GIFT OF GAB
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, right, detailed the Democrats’ efforts to hinder Elon Musk and DOGE.(Reuters)
The Democratic leader explained that the plan to fight DOGE, headed by Trump-aligned billionaire and special government employee Elon Musk, is four-pronged. Schumer said that Democrats will take on the audit through Oversight, Litigation, Legislation and Communication & Mobilization.
According to Schumer, Democrats have begun conducting oversight by sending “hundreds” of inquiries.
He and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Ranking Member Gary Peters, D-Mich., sent a letter to federal employees announcing a new portal for whistleblowers “to report corruption, abuses of power, and threats to public safety.”
INSIDE SEN. TOM COTTON’S CAMPAIGN TO SAVE TULSI GABBARD’S ENDANGERED DNI NOMINATION
As for litigation, Schumer noted that court challenges “are already bearing fruit.” He cited federal court injunctions against a since-rescinded Office of Management and Budget temporary funding freeze, judges’ actions to prevent buyouts and administrative leave for federal employees as ordered by the administration, and a judge’s ruling to prevent DOGE’s team from accessing certain government systems.
“Our committees and my office are in regular communication with litigants across the country, including plaintiffs, and are actively exploring opportunities for the Democratic Caucus to file amici curiae that support their lawsuits,” Schumer wrote.
LEADER THUNE BACKS SENATE GOP BID TO SPEED PAST HOUSE ON TRUMP BUDGET PLAN
Elon Musk, left, is a special government employee.(Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
He further pointed to opportunities to take on Trump and Musk through legislation, with the specific example of the upcoming government spending deadline next month. The Democratic leader noted that there will be 60 votes needed in the Senate to pass a deal — meaning Republicans will need some Democratic support.
With this in mind, Democrats will use this leverage to get certain priorities into a spending deal as both parties look to avoid a partial government shutdown.
“It is incumbent on responsible Republicans to get serious and work in a bipartisan fashion to avoid a Trump shutdown,” Schumer said.
SENATORS LEAPFROG HOUSE REPUBLICANS ON ANTICIPATED TRUMP BUDGET BILL
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told Democrats their response was four-pronged.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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Lastly, the minority leader said Democrats in the Senate are working to keep the caucus informed and united to amplify their concerns to the public.
“And the public is responding,” he wrote. “Grassroots energy is surging. From town halls to protests, Americans are pushing back. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and Senate Democrats are standing with the people to fight back, expose the truth, and stop the Trump agenda.”
Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.
Follow Julia’s reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to Julia.Johnson@fox.com.
President Donald Trump on Friday said that he isn’t interested in deporting Prince Harry, who famously left Britain with his wife, Meghan Markle, in 2020, eventually settling in Montecito, California.
The Duke of Sussex is in hot water after conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation filed a lawsuit last year against the Department of Homeland Security to have his immigration records released following Harry admitting to illegal drug use in the past in his 2023 memoir “Spare.”
“I don’t want to do that,” Trump told the New York Post on Friday after being asked if he would deport the royal. “I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.”
Markle has criticized Trump in the past, calling him “misogynistic” and “divisive” during a TV appearance ahead of the 2016 election.
PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE, VISIT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO SUPPORT WILDFIRE VICTIMS, RECOVERY EFFORTS
President Trump on Friday said that he isn’t interested in deporting Prince Harry, who famously left Britain with his wife, Meghan Markle, in 2020, eventually settling in Montecito, Calif. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images; Taylor Hill/WireImage)
In 2019, before a state visit to the U.K. during his first term as president, Trump called the Duchess of Sussex “nasty” over her remarks about him.
He then went on to meet with the royal family during the visit, minus Markle, who was with newborn Archie at the time.
He also told Piers Morgan in 2022 that Harry was “whipped like no person he had ever seen.”
The Heritage Foundation in its lawsuit says that Harry may have lied on his immigration forms about his past drug use or was given preferential treatment by the government and called on the records to be released.
“I’ll be urging the president to release Prince Harry’s immigration records and the president does have that legal authority to do that,” Nile Gardiner of the Heritage Foundation previously told the New York Post.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle enjoy the opening ceremony at the Invictus Games in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday. ( Karwai Tang/WireImage)
“It’s important because this is an issue of the rule of law, transparency and accountability. No one should be above the law,” Gardiner added. “Donald Trump is ushering in a new era of strict border control enforcement, and you know, Prince Harry should be held fully to account as he has admitted to extensive illegal drug use.”
PRINCE HARRY ‘CHOSE EXILE’ IN CALIFORNIA AFTER VERBALLY ANNIHILATING FAMILY: EXPERTS
This week a federal judge said he is “likely” to release Harry’s immigration files after the first hearing in the royal’s high-profile case since Trump took office.
U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols said Harry’s files should be released “to the maximum extent possible,” during Wednesday’s hearing in Washington, D.C., according to a report from the New York Post, with the judge reasoning that he is “required to make public everything that can be made public” but would take care not to violate any privacy laws.
Last year during the campaign, Trump told Nigel Farage in an interview that the government would have to take the “appropriate action” if Harry was found to have lied on his immigration forms, but didn’t explicitly say he would seek to deport him.
Prince Harry admitted to past illegal drug use in his memoir “Spare.” (Getty Images)
Trump also accused the Biden administration of “protecting” Harry, saying in a separate interview with the Daily Express in February 2024 “I wouldn’t protect him. He betrayed the Queen. That’s unforgivable. He would be on his own if it was down to me.”
On Friday, Trump conversely praised Prince William, with whom Harry has a long-running feud, as a “great young man.”
Trump recently met with William in December in Paris when the two attended the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral following its devastating fire.
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House Republican leaders spent nearly five hours at the White House on Thursday – some of it with President Donald Trump – as they tried to finalize the outline of their tax and spending cut package.
The plan is to release a framework with some numbers in the coming days.
Fox is told to expect north of $1 trillion in spending cuts. The bill would make permanent the 2017 Trump tax cuts. It is also likely the bill includes a provision to bar taxes on tips.
‘POWER GRAB’: JEFFRIES UNVEILS DATA PROTECTION BILL AMID DOGE CRACKDOWN
Congress is racing to be ready to execute the recommendations of President Donald Trump’s new DOGE commission.(Getty Images)
House Republicans hoped to have a bill ready to go before the Budget Committee this week after their retreat at Mar-a-Lago.
But no dice.
Republicans hope to prep this bill before the House Budget Committee next week.
DOGE TARGETS MEDICARE AGENCY, LOOKING FOR FRAUD
House Speaker Mike Johnson, right, discusses President Donald Trump’s agenda during an appearance on “Sunday Morning Futures.”(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | Photo by Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty Images/ Fox News Channel)
When asked if a plan would be unveiled Friday, Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News, “nothing today” on paper or details of a budget package.
He said the committee markup may come Tuesday, but that there are a couple of details to “work out.”
Republicans need a budget framework adopted on the floor so they can use the budget reconciliation tool to bypass a Senate filibuster. No budget? No reconciliation option.
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House GOPers are feeling pressure from Senate Republicans who are pressing ahead with their own plan. Senate Republicans dine at Mar-a-Lago tonight with President Trump.
House Republicans are worried if they stumble at moving first, they could get jammed by the Senate.
Chad Pergram currently serves as a senior congressional correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.
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House Republican leaders spent nearly five hours at the White House yesterday – some of it with President Donald Trump – as they tried to finalize the outline of their tax and spending cut package.
The plan is to release a framework with some numbers today.
Fox is told to expect north of $1 trillion in spending cuts. The bill would make permanent the 2017 Trump tax cuts. It is also likely the bill includes a provision to bar taxes on tips.
‘POWER GRAB’: JEFFRIES UNVEILS DATA PROTECTION BILL AMID DOGE CRACKDOWN
Congress is racing to be ready to execute the recommendations of President Donald Trump’s new DOGE commission.(Getty Images)
House Republicans hoped to have a bill ready to go before the Budget Committee this week after their retreat at Mar-a-Lago.
But no dice.
Republicans hope to prep this bill before the House Budget Committee next week.
DOGE TARGETS MEDICARE AGENCY, LOOKING FOR FRAUD
House Speaker Mike Johnson, right, discusses President Donald Trump’s agenda during an appearance on “Sunday Morning Futures.”(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | Photo by Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty Images/ Fox News Channel)
Republicans need a budget framework adopted on the floor so they can use the budget reconciliation tool to bypass a Senate filibuster. No budget? No reconciliation option.
House GOPers are feeling pressure from Senate Republicans who are pressing ahead with their own plan. Senate Republicans dine at Mar-a-Lago tonight with President Trump.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
House Republicans are worried if they stumble at moving first, they could get jammed by the Senate.
Chad Pergram currently serves as a senior congressional correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.
Had Micah Parsons not missed four games this season due to injury, he would easily be a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year – again.
In each of his first four seasons, including in this injury-riddled season, the Dallas Cowboys stalwart pass rusher has recorded a dozen sacks. He finished second, second and third in the Defensive Player of the Year voting in each of his first three years.
His 52.5 career sacks are the sixth-most by any player in his first four seasons. It is safe to say, he deserves to break the bank.
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Micah Parsons, #11 of the Dallas Cowboys, reacts against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Nov. 5, 2023 in Philadelphia.(Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Parsons was eligible for a contract extension last year but never got one. Now, he is entering his fifth season (obviously, Dallas exercised his fifth-year option), but without a contract this time next year, he would be a candidate for the franchise tag.
Parsons has said he wants to be a Cowboy for life, perhaps losing some leverage at the negotiating table. He even admitted he does not need to be the highest-paid defensive player ever.
But, he does want to be paid, and without a contract, he said he will be limited at training camp this year.
“I think I’ll report, because at the end of the day, with all of the new coaches, things like that, you need to be around the guys, they need a voice. I think I’ll be there,” Parsons said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. “Will I be doing activities? Probably not.
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, #11, walks on the field before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium on Sept. 22, 2024 in Arlington, Texas.(Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
HOW TO WATCH SUPER BOWL LIX BETWEEN CHIEFS, EAGLES STREAMED ON TUBI
“I want to make sure I’m doing what I need to do to respect my future, but I don’t believe in punishing the team. I want to be around my guys, making sure we’re leading and trending in the right direction of where we want to be.”
Nick Bosa’s $170 million is currently the most money ever given to a non-quarterback. However, for reference, Von Miller got $120 million at the age of 32 – Parsons is just 25. Sandwiched between them are Chris Jones at just shy of $159 million (aged 29 when he signed), Josh Hines-Allen, who inked a $141.25 million deal at age 25, and the $141 million deal Brian Burns signed this past offseason, also at 25 years young.
Jerry Jones has said he has zero plans to trade Micah Parsons. However, it may need some exploration, considering Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb are already combining for over 45% of the team’s salary cap.
Super Bowl LIX will be streamed on Tubi.(Tubi)
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Parsons will be a $24 million cap hit in 2025, meaning their three biggest stars will account for roughly 54% of their cap. One figures he wants a lot more money than that. It is safe to say, they need to be creative if they want to retain their star defender.
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President Donald Trump gathered with House Republican leaders at the White House on Thursday to relay his tax priorities.
In the meeting, he told House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and others that he wants to fulfill his campaign promise to stop taxing tips.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt updated reporters as the lengthy meeting was still ongoing, detailing that Trump wants “no tax on seniors, Social Security, no tax on overtime pay.”
TRUMP, GOP SENATORS TO DINE AT MAR-A-LAGO BEFORE CAMPAIGN RETREAT
Johnson and other House GOP leaders have preferred one large reconciliation bill.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Additionally, she said, he wants to renew his tax cuts from 2017 in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). The legislation’s provisions begin to expire later this year.
Leavitt added that Trump is focused on also adjusting the cap on State and Local Tax (SALT) deductions, which has been a sticking point for Republicans in states with high costs of living.
Further, Trump laid out to House Republicans that he is looking to “eliminate all the special tax breaks for billionaire sports team owners; close the carried interest tax deduction loophole,” and institute “tax cuts for Made in America products.”
INSIDE SEN. TOM COTTON’S CAMPAIGN TO SAVE TULSI GABBARD’S ENDANGERED DNI NOMINATION
Leavitt shared the tax priorities with the press.(AP/Evan Vucci)
“This will be the largest tax cut in history for middle-class working Americans. The president is committed to working with Congress to get this done,” Leavitt said.
Trump’s meeting with the House GOP leaders on taxes comes as the lower chamber attempts a one-bill budget plan that includes all of the president’s agenda priorities, including both the border and taxes.
LEADER THUNE BACKS SENATE GOP BID TO SPEED PAST HOUSE ON TRUMP BUDGET PLAN
House leaders joined Trump at the White House.(J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
The budget reconciliation process lowers the threshold to advance a bill in the Senate from 60 votes to just 51. And with a 53-vote majority in the upper chamber, Republicans are poised to push policies through with only support from the GOP conference.
The House Republicans have yet to move forward with a plan for the budget, however, allowing the Senate GOP to move out ahead of them.
SENATORS LEAPFROG HOUSE REPUBLICANS ON ANTICIPATED TRUMP BUDGET BILL
A plan to leapfrog House Republicans on the reconciliation process was unveiled to senators on Wednesday. (Reuters)
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On Wednesday, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., announced his intent to push a first bill on border, defense and energy through next week. Taxes would be addressed later in the year as part of a second budget resolution.
The move threatened the House Republicans’ positioning to lead the process and spearhead a one-bill approach.
Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.
Follow Julia’s reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to Julia.Johnson@fox.com.
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Last month, the United Nations (U.N.) released its “Action Plan to Enhance Monitoring and Response to Antisemitism,” partially in response to a “surge in antisemitic incidents targeting Jews and Jewish institutions in Europe, the United States of America and elsewhere.
Anne Bayefsky, the director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and the president of Human Rights Voices, told Fox News Digital that the Action Plan was a “phony exercise in futility,” that was “produced by what she claimed is the leading global purveyor of antisemitism…to pretend to do something to combat antisemitism.”
Developed by the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), the U.N.’s Action Plan emphasizes that “the ability to understand and identify antisemitism is crucial to global efforts to combat hatred and prejudice.” Despite the critical nature of understanding antisemitism, the plan wholly fails to define what constitutes antisemitism.
The Action Plan mentions, but does not adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, which 45 member states have endorsed and which Bayefsky said “the vast majoriy of major Jewish organizations and institutions around the world accept,” because it “recognizes the connection with Zionism and Israel.”
ISRAELI PRESIDENT HERZOG HIGHLIGHTS ANTISEMITISM IN UN SPEECH AS NEW REORT SHOWS SHOCKING TREND
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023.(AP Photo/Richard Drew)
“The U.N. champions the idea that victims of hate and intolerance define their own experience of discrimination, isolation, and violence – except when it comes to Jews,” she said.
UNAOC Director Nihal Saad was asked by Fox News Digital why the Action Plan does not define antisemitism and whether lacking this definition would hinder efforts to identify and curtail anti-Jewish prejudice.
Saad said that “the Action Plan underlines the importance of understanding antisemitism rather than focusing on the definition of antisemitism and entering into a debate about it, which proved distracting from the real goal here, which is enhancing our responses to antisemitism.”
Referencing other issues where there is no consensus over “definition of the subject matter,” Saad explained that a lack of a “definitive agreement among member states on the definition of terrorism” had not hindered the development of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which Saad called “a unique global instrument to enhance national, regional and international efforts to counter terrorism.”
Edmund Fitton-Brown, a senior advisor to the Counter Extremism Project and a former U.N. Monitoring Team coordinator, told Fox News Digital that “the CT[counterterrorism] strategy is a mess.”
ISRAEL ORDERS UNRWA TO CEASE OPERATIONS IN COUNTRY OVER TERROR TIES: ‘MISERABLY FAILED IN ITS MANDATE’
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers a statement at U.N. headquarters on the situation in the Middle East following the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel.(Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Though he said that some U.N. efforts to counter terrorism are effective, he said that given the lack of agreement over what constitutes terrorism, the U.N. particularly struggles with identifying groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis as terrorists. “If something really dramatic happens, then often a group will find it is being accused of being a terrorist group,” Fitton-Brown said, noting how the U.N. condemned the Houthis in the aftermath of their 2022 attack on Abu Dhabi airport but failed to designate them as a terror group. “On Hezbollah, the U.N. has been hopelessly weak,” he explained.
He said that Hamas was “a good example of where the absence of a definition is problematic because you get something like the 10/7 attack…and the U.N. just completely failed in its response to that, and that is partly because of its failure to judge that a group that adopts terrorist tactics is a terrorist group.”
Bayefsky said that the U.N. Security Council “has never condemned Hamas for October 7th because they can’t agree on what counts as terrorism. That isn’t a success story. It’s a malevolent dereliction of duty.”
A view of the United Nations Headquarters building in New York City on July 16, 2024.(Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
No Plan for Self-Monitoring
Among the Action Plan’s proposals are the implementation of training modules to help staff “recognize and understand antisemitism,” and the requirement that senior U.N. officials “continue to denounce antisemitic manifestations as and when they occur.”
Bayefsky questioned the implementation of these plans. “The U.N. says it is committed to educating U.N. staff about antisemitism without knowing what counts as antisemitism. Any actual educator gives that lesson plan an ‘F,’” she explained.
ISRAEL BANS UN SECRETARY-GENERAL OVER ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIONS: ‘DOESN’T DESERVE TO SET FOOT ON ISRAELI SOIL’
U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese attends the Maghreb-Mashreq Social Forum in Tunis, Tunisia, on May 11, 2024.(Mohamed Mdalla/Anadolu via Getty Images)
From the highest levels, Bayefsky claimed that the world body is not currently standing up against anti-Jewish prejudice. Though U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the world on International Holocaust Remembrance Day that “we must condemn antisemitism wherever and whenever it appears,” Bayefsky said that “if the when and the who are inside the U.N., [Guterres is] not only sitting down, he goes mute.”
“Take the cases of U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese and U.N. Commission of Inquiry head Navi Pillay, both widely condemned for egregious antisemitic behavior,” Bayefsky claimed. “The Secretary-General claims their ‘independence’ leaves him impotent. Nothing prevents him from using his platform to speak out about right and wrong. He’s mute by choice.”
Fox News Digital asked Saad whether the Action Plan would allow for the U.N. to make critical comments when special rapporteurs make antisemitic remarks in the name of the institution. “Special Procedure Mandate Holders/Special Rapporteurs are independent human rights experts appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council,” Saad responded. “They act in an individual capacity, and exercise their functions in accordance with their mandate, through a professional, impartial assessment of facts based on internationally recognized human rights standards. The views expressed by special procedures mandate holders remain those of the mandate holder and may not represent positions held [by] the wider United Nations system.”
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Fox News Digital asked Farhan Haq, spokesperson for Guterres, whether the Action Plan would allow him to comment on antisemitism emanating from the U.N., including from its special rapporteurs. “The Secretary-General has no authority over the independent experts who report to the Human Rights Council, and he does not comment on their activities or remarks,” Haq said. “But the UNAOC plan is designed to educate U.N. staff about antisemitism.”
Bayefsky said that the U.N. “can’t combat antisemitism without acknowledging its guilt and starting with ‘mea culpa.’”
Neither Navi Pillay nor Francesca Albanese responded to Fox News Digital questions concerning the allegations of antisemitism leveled against them.
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Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday he welcomes President Donald Trump’s proposal for large numbers of Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip as he instructed the IDF to prepare a plan in line with the controversial plan.
Katz said Trump’s “bold plan” could “create extensive opportunities for those in Gaza who wish to leave.”
Trump’s plan initially stated that Gaza’s population would be “permanently” relocated while the United States rebuilds the territory, but U.S. officials later walked back those comments, saying the relocation would only be temporary.
TRUMP’S PROPOSED US TAKEOVER OF GAZA STRIP ELICITS POSITIVE RESPONSE ACROSS ADMINISTRATION
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz looks on, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, November 7, 2024. (REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)
“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 LAUDS TRUMP’S LEADERSHIP WHEN ASKED IF BIDEN SHOULD TAKE CREDIT FOR CEASEFIRE
Israelis protestors set a fire as they block a road in Tel Aviv on November 5, 2024, after the dismissal of the defense minister, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the militant Hamas group. (JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
Katz said he believes that the plan should include multiple exit options for any country willing to receive them.
“The plan will include exit options via land crossings, as well as special arrangements for departure by sea and air. Countries such as Spain, Ireland, Norway, and others, which have falsely accused Israel over its actions in Gaza, are legally obligated to allow Gazans to enter their territory. Their hypocrisy will be exposed if they refuse,” said Katz.
Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday.(AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)
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As of now, the plan has been rejected by the Palestinians as well as many in the international community who believe it is forcible displacement and violates international law. Rights groups said it would amount to forcible displacement in violation of international law.
