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Rubio, Netanyahu affirm ‘common strategy’ for Gaza, set sights on Iran in join statement

Secretary of State Marco Rubio advanced President Donald Trump’s “bold” plan for Gaza during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.

Rubio and Netanyahu both highlighted that Iran is the single largest obstacle to peace in the region during a Sunday joint statement. While Netanyahu did not comment on Trump’s specific plans for Gaza, Rubio emphasized that the U.S. and Israel cannot return to “tired” strategies that have failed to produce peace in the past.

“The president has also been very bold about his view of what the future for Gaza should be. Not the same tired ideas of the past, but something that’s bold and something that, frankly, took courage and vision in order to outline. And it may have shocked and surprised many, but what cannot continue is the same cycle we’ll repeat over and over again and wind up in the exact same place,” Rubio said.

Netanyahu affirmed that he and Trump share a “common strategy” for Gaza that includes the complete destruction of Hamas as a political and military force. He did not comment specifically on Trump’s stated plans to develop Gaza.

TRUMP’S GAZA RELOCATION PROPOSAL SPARKS HEATED DEBATE AMONG PALESTINIANS: ‘NO LIFE LEFT HERE’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Courtesy GPO)

Netanyahu vowed to “open the gates of hell” on Hamas if it did not follow through with releasing every remaining hostage in Gaza.

Rubio and Netanyahu discussed various other threats in the Middle East, including the collapse of Syria’s government and the presence of Hezbollah in Lebanon, among other things.

SAUDI ARABIA CONTRADICTS TRUMP, VOWS NO TIES WITH ISRAEL WITHOUT CREATION OF PALESTINIAN STATE

“The common theme in all these challenges is Iran. It is the single greatest source of instability in the region, behind every terrorist group, behind every act of violence, behind every destabilizing activity, behind everything that threatens peace and stability for the millions of people who call this region home, is Iran,” Rubio said.

President Trump has put forward a “bold” plan to develop Gaza. (Getty Images / Fox News Digital)

“There can never be a nuclear Iran, a nuclear Iran that could then hold itself immune from pressure and from action. That can never happen,” he added.

‘LEVEL IT’: TRUMP SAYS US WILL ‘TAKE OVER’ GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST

The meeting comes more than a week after Trump raised eyebrows with a call to remove Palestinians from Gaza and develop the area under U.S. ownership. Trump said he remains committed to the plan despite heavy pushback.

Palestinians continue to return back to their homes after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, amid destruction in Gaza City, Gaza on Feb. 2, 2025. (Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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“I’m committed to buying and owning Gaza,” Trump said. “As far as us rebuilding it, we may give it to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it, other people may do it, through our auspices. But we’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn’t move back.”

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

February 16, 2025
JD Vance, Treasury Sec Scott Bessent to meet with Zelenskyy as Trump team sets sights on Russia-Ukraine war

Vice President JD Vance will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday after years of railing against the U.S.’ continued funding of Ukraine in the war against Russia.

The vice president will meet with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, a Vance spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital, just ahead of U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg’s trip to Ukraine on Feb. 20.

Trump announced on Tuesday he would also send Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to meet with Zelenskyy in Ukraine.

“This War MUST and WILL END SOON — Too much Death and Destruction. The U.S. has spent BILLIONS of Dollars Globally, with little to show,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

‘LET’S DO A DEAL’: ZELENSKYY CALLS TRUMP’S TERMS ACCEPTABLE FOR SECURITY PARTNERSHIP

Then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet at Trump Tower in New York City on Sept. 27, 2024. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo)

Bessent is expected to talk about sanctions, rare Earth minerals and where U.S. funding has gone with the Ukrainian leader.

Trump tasked Kellogg with hashing out a peace deal with Ukraine and Russia to bring the three-year-long war to an end. Last week Kellogg met with Ukrainian delegations at the State Department.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are also attending the conference where the Russia-Ukraine war is sure to be a top focal point.

RUSSIA SAYS US RELATIONS ‘ON THE BRINK OF A BREAKUP,’ WON’T CONFIRM TRUMP-PUTIN TALK

The U.S. does not have a concrete plan yet to end the war, contrary to public reporting, and is listening to concerns and proposals from allies, a European official familiar with peace talks told Fox News Digital.

“Munich is too soon to unveil a Ukraine peace plan,” the official said. “The negotiations between the principals – Trump, Zelenskyy, Putin – will be tough. All options to end the killing are on the table – the course of action will be Trump’s call. There’s still plenty of room to ramp up sanctions.”

Vice President JD Vance will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday after years of railing against the U.S.’ continued funding of Ukraine in the war against Russia. (Getty Images)

Trump said last week he might meet with Zelenksyy himself in the days ahead.

“I will probably be meeting with President Zelenskyy next week and I will probably be talking to President Putin,” Trump said.

In an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier Monday night, Trump emphasized the need for Ukraine to give the U.S. access to its rare Earth minerals in exchange for its defense. He also suggested Ukraine “may be Russian” someday.

“They may make a deal, they may not make a deal. They may be Russian some day, or they may not be Russian some day,” Trump mused.

“We are going to have all this money in there, and I say I want it back. And I told them that I want the equivalent, like $500 billion worth of rare Earth,” Trump said. “And they have essentially agreed to do that, so at least we don’t feel stupid.”

TRUMP’S ‘RARE’ PRICE FOR US MILITARY AID TO UKRAINE CALLED ‘FAIR’ BY ZELENSKYY

President Donald Trump announced he would send Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Ukraine. (Vincent Alban/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Both Zelenskyy and Putin have remained opposed to direct talks with each other. Putin is demanding that Ukraine withdraw from regions in the south and east that Kyiv still has control over. Zelenskyy has scoffed at any territorial concessions to Moscow, though he has admitted Ukraine may have to rely on diplomatic means to take back some of its territory.

Vance was long at the forefront of opposition to Ukraine aid in the Senate.

“I gotta be honest with you, I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another,” he said in February 2022 as Russia invaded.

“Vladimir Putin is not Adolf Hitler. It doesn’t mean he’s a good guy, but he has significantly less capability than the German leader did,” Vance said in an April 2024 speech on the Senate floor.

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A Munich Security report, released just days before world leaders gather in Germany, said that Trump’s election has turned the U.S. into a “risk to be hedged against.”

“Without global leadership of the kind provided by the United States for the past several decades, it is hard to imagine the international community providing global public goods like freedom of navigation or tackling even some of the many grave threats confronting humanity,” the report warned. “The US may be abdicating its historic role as Europe’s security guarantor – with significant consequences for Ukraine.”

February 11, 2025
Elon Musk’s DODGE setting its sights on America’s copper coin

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Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is eyeing ways to slash government spending. One of its first targets could be the penny.

DOGE, which officially became a part of the government on Tuesday after President Donald Trump signed an executive order, posted on X that producing the penny is costing American taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, suggesting that it may be one of the items it may consider eliminating.

Musk’s initiative, aimed at cutting $2 trillion in federal spending, didn’t directly state that the penny would be eliminated, but highlighted that it costs three times more to make than it’s actually worth.

According to the U.S. Mint, each penny cost 3.69 cents to produce in fiscal year 2024, costing taxpayers $119 million. This marked the 19th consecutive year in which production exceeded its face value.

ELON MUSK’S DOGE FACES FIRST LEGAL CHALLENGE WITHIN HOURS OF TRUMP INAUGURATION

In the U.S., the penny was one of the first coins made by the U.S. Mint after its establishment in 1792. When it was first produced, the coin was larger and made of pure copper. Today’s smaller coin is made mostly of zinc, according to the U.S. Mint.

For comparison, the Canadian government eliminated the penny from its coinage system in 2012 because inflation eroded its purchasing power.

“Over time, the penny’s burden to the economy has grown relative to its value as a means of payment,” the government’s Economic Action Plan 2012 read.

ELON MUSK AND VIVEK RAMASWAMY POINT TO DOGE TARGETS

At the time, the penny only retained about one-twentieth of its original purchasing power.

“Given its declining purchasing value, some Canadians consider the penny more of a nuisance than a useful coin,” the report said.

According to the U.S. Mint, each penny cost 3.69 cents to produce in fiscal year 2024, costing taxpayers $119 million. (Tim Boyle/Getty Images) / Getty Images)

The penny is just one of many items that DOGE may look to eliminate as it sets its sights on cutting $2 trillion in federal spending. However, Musk admitted in early January that DOGE may not reach its intended $2 trillion target.

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“I think we’ll try for $2 trillion. I think that’s like the best-case outcome,” Musk told Stagwell Inc. CEO Mark Penn, adding that he believes if DOGE aims for $2 trillion in cuts, it has a “good shot at getting one.”

January 23, 2025