Barron Trump, celebrating 19th birthday, praised as ‘smart guy’ by his father
President Donald Trump praised his youngest son, Barron Trump, as a “smart guy” with an affinity for technology ahead of Barron’s 19th birthday on Thursday. The president said his teen son has a knack for technology when asked whether Barron had more of a talent for business or politics during an exclusive interview on “The Ingraham Angle” this week. “Maybe technology,” Trump said. “He can look at a computer. I try I turn it off. As I turn it off I turn off his laptop. I said, oh good. And I go back. Five minutes later, he’s got his laptop. I say, how did you do that? None of your business, dad. No. He’s got an unbelievable aptitude in technology.” “Barron’s a very smart guy,” the president said. BARRON TRUMP SPOTTED ON NYU CAMPUS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE INAUGURATION Barron Trump is a first-year student at New York University (NYU) in the Stern School of Business. During the inaugural parade at Capital One Arena, Barron Trump was acknowledged by his father for his role in the 2024 presidential election results — as he reportedly guided the president on how to target the youth vote through podcasts hosted by Joe Rogan, Theo Von and others. ‘CLASS ACT’: BARRON TRUMP SETS SOCIAL MEDIA ABLAZE FOR SHAKING HANDS WITH BIDEN AT DAD’S INAUGURATION The 2024 presidential race was the first election in which Barron Trump was eligible to vote and his mother, First lady Melania Trump, shared a photo of her son on Election Day while he was casting his ballot at the voting booth. Trump went on to praise all his other four children – Eric, Donald Jr., Tiffany and Ivanka – during the interview, telling Ingraham that they’re “very smart” and were “always good students.” “I’m lucky,” the president said. “Look, you have to be a little bit lucky, too. Fox News Digital’s Ashley J. DiMella contributed to this report.
Dean Phillips calls out ‘great way to lose even more Democrats’ as Tim Walz bashes Elon Musk
Former Rep. Dean Phillps, D-Minn., has suggested that bashing billionaire business magnate Elon Musk will not be a winning political strategy. “Objecting to his initiative is one thing, but calling @ElonMusk, a US citizen who’s built some of the most innovative companies in world history, a ‘South African nepo baby,’ is a great way to lose even more Democrats,” Phillips noted in a Wednesday post on X. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz recently used that phrase to refer to Musk, who is spearheading an effort to expose government waste and fraud. ELON MUSK CONGRATULATES SPACEX, NASA FOR ‘EXCELLENT WORK’ RESCUING STRANDED ASTRONAUTS “And there’s nothing conservative about an unelected, South African nepo baby firing people at the VA,” he said last week during remarks in Iowa. He also deployed the phrase while speaking in Wisconsin on Tuesday, according to the New York Times, which also reported that he had called Musk a “dips—.” ELON MUSK CALLS JIMMY KIMMEL AN ‘UNFUNNY JERK’ AFTER HE APPEARS TO MAKE LIGHT OF TESLA ATTACKS Walz was Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate when she sought the presidency last year, but the Democratic duo lost to the Republican ticket headed by political juggernaut, now-President Donald Trump. “Regardless of one’s opinion of Musk, this is a great strategy for further alienating center right and center left Americans and losing federal elections,” Phillips opined earlier this month when retweeting a post that featured footage of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., calling Musk a “billionaire con man with a lot of money.” ‘SQUAD’ DEM AYANNA PRESSLEY TRASHES ELON MUSK, CALLING HIM A ‘NAZI NEPO BABY’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., has called Musk a “Nazi nepo baby.” Phillips mounted a Democratic presidential primary bid in 2023 but ultimately dropped out in 2024.
Thousands mourn victims of North Macedonia nightclub fire
Ceremonies held across the country, but main funeral was in Kocani, where 30 victims were buried. Thousands of mourners have flocked to funerals in North Macedonia for the dozens of victims of last weekend’s devastating nightclub fire. The fire broke out during a concert by the hip-hop duo DNK at the Pulse nightclub in the town of Kocani about 3am (02:00 GMT) on Sunday when sparks from flares set the ceiling alight. At least 59 people were killed and 155 were injured in the fire, triggering an outpouring of grief in the Balkan country. Burials were held in several cities and towns, but the main funeral was in Kocani, a town of about 25,000 people located 100km (62 miles) east of the capital Skopje, where 30 of the victims were buried. Thousands of mourners walked solemnly along dirt paths to newly dug graves marked with paper signs. Many carried baskets of white flowers or clutched photographs of their loved ones. Many wore T-shirts and badges with pictures and names of the deceased. People attend a funeral ceremony for the victims of a fire at the Pulse nightclub, in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia [Valdrin Xhemaj/Reuters] Several people overcome by grief required medical attention. A weeping man rested his head on the edge of one of the coffins. Advertisement Ana Kostadinovska, a backing vocalist for the band DNA, who survived the fire, wrote in an online post: “A part of my second family has left. Along with them, my soul. “All that remains is ashes and emptiness … and who would have thought that emptiness could hurt so much,” she wrote. The fire, and emerging stories of the harrowing scenes at the nightclub, have triggered an outpouring of grief and protests, led mostly by young people. Thursday’s religious service at the cemetery in Kocani was led by clergy from the country’s Orthodox Church, while Red Cross and emergency personnel were present to support grieving families. Workers prepare graves for a funeral ceremony at a cemetery, following a fire at Pulse nightclub that resulted in dozens of deaths, in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia [Valdrin Xhemaj/Reuters] Before the funerals, the country’s spiritual leader, Orthodox Archbishop Stefan, called for national unity in prayer for the victims and their families. “We pray constantly for the salvation of the innocent victims, holding memorial services for the deceased and offering prayers for the healing of the injured, as well as for the comfort of their families and loved ones,” he said. “National solidarity and unity are most needed in such difficult times,” he added. “We call on all the faithful to preserve peace within ourselves and peace among ourselves, and, praying diligently, to mourn with dignity.” Stefan presided over the Kocani funerals. Separate funeral services took place in the capital, Skopje, and five other towns – several neighbouring Kocani – where many businesses closed as a sign of respect. Advertisement Public tributes were also made for Ile Gocevski, a Kocani ambulance driver who died of apparent heart failure after completing 11 hospital runs on the night of the fire. Families and friends attend a joint funeral for the victims of the fire that erupted at the Pulse nightclub in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia [Fatos Bytyci/Reuters] The investigation into the tragedy continues to widen. Seven police officers are among more than 20 people detained as authorities probe the lack of fire safety measures at the Pulse nightclub, as well as allegations that the club’s permits had been obtained illegally. Health Minister Arben Taravari said 72 people remain hospitalised across the country, while 101 patients are receiving treatment abroad. He described the condition of those being treated for burns, smoke inhalation, and trampling injuries as “stable or improved”, easing earlier concerns that the death toll could rise further. The ministry on Thursday released the names of the 59 victims. They included 41 who were in their 20s or younger and three 17-year-olds. Adblock test (Why?)
Israel targeting West Bank refugee camps is ethnic cleansing, analyst
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Israel’s targeting of refugee camps to “end the Palestinian refugee issue” is part of plans to ethnically cleanse.
Netanyahu never planned to “Abandon Gaza Militarily”
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Netanyahu on Gaza
Cuban-born rep alerts DHS to alleged Castro-connected ‘refugees’ living in US under federal program
EXCLUSIVE: A congressman who fled Cuba in the 1960s will send DHS a list of people allegedly tied to the communist regime who are circumventing U.S. Cuban refugee laws. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., will transmit to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a letter including a list of Cubans residing in the U.S. under various humanitarian laws or programs that he and/or pro-Cuban-democracy groups attest are actually tied directly to the communist regime in Havana, Fox News Digital has learned. Gimenez, who also represents the congressional district closest to Cuba – in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties – will tell Noem of the “presence of agents of the murderous Castro regime and the Communist Party of Cuba currently residing in the United States.” In the letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, Gimenez continues that “it is imperative that the Department of Homeland Security enforce existing U.S. laws to identify, deport, and repatriate these individuals who pose a direct threat to our national security, the integrity of our immigration system, and the safety of Cuban exiles and American citizens alike.” CUBA-BORN REP RECOUNTS FIRST EMOTIONAL RETURN TO HOMELAND IN 64 YEARS ON CONGRESSIONAL GITMO TRIP Gimenez said the Cuban Adjustment Act – a 1966 law written by Rep. Jacob H. Gilbert, D-N.Y., that laid out how to handle the unique situation of Cuban refugees from the then-new Castro regime – and other laws were designed to help those fleeing communism, not assisting in it. The Miamian – who is also the only Cuban-born member of Congress – wrote of people “with direct ties to the Communist Party of Cuba and the repressive state security apparatus” who have “gamed” the U.S. immigration system and are a direct insult to true Cuban exiles seeking personal freedom. Gimenez then included a list of about 100 people personally denounced by nonprofit organizations and human rights watchdog groups, asking Noem’s office to “thoroughly vet” the list and start deportation proceedings if their malign credentials check out. Of the names, several are labeled as tied to or members of Brigadas de Accion Rapida – or Rapid Response Brigade. That group is made up of designated citizens who essentially patrol for dissidents of dictator Miguel Diaz-Canel and his regime. EXCLUSIVE: VENEZUELAN OPPO LEADER JOINS CUBA-BORN REP TO LAUD TRUMP AFTER BIDEN’S MADURO OIL DEAL CANCELED Others were listed as affiliated with the Cuban Union of Young Communists, high-ranking officers in the country’s military tribunal, Cuban State Department, Cuban Communist Party leadership, police forces, and the equivalent of district attorneys offices. While Miami and surrounding areas continue to see their collective Cuban-American community grow and flourish – particularly along SE 8th Street, the famed Calle Ocho of Little Havana – Gimenez said he wants to work with DHS to identify, vet, detain and deport anyone living as such “despicable fraudsters in our country.” “Like so many in our community, I was forced from my native homeland of Cuba shortly after the communist revolution and it is absolutely reprehensible how agents of the murderous Castro regime have gamed our immigration laws to infiltrate our country,” Gimenez said. Gimenez said the Trump administration recently caught a Cuban spy in Florida and expects more action against those flagged by Cuban rights groups. DHS declined to publicly share the former intelligence officer’s name, but the Miami Herald reported ICE and the FBI arrested him in West Park, Florida – near the Miami Dolphins stadium – for fraudulently obtaining a green card. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I applaud President Trump and his administration for that swift action,” Gimenez said. Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment on its overall stance toward the Castro/Diaz-Canel regime and calls to democratize Cuba.
Trump rescinds Biden-era policy declaring DEI an ‘integral’ part of scientific process
FIRST ON FOX: As part of the Trump administration’s efforts to peel back Biden-era diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) requirements, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) rescinded the agency’s “Scientific Integrity Policy” implemented under President Joe Biden. A “Final Scientific Integrity Policy” was unveiled by the Biden administration during the last few weeks of its term. The policy posited that DEI was an “integral” part of “the entire scientific process,” and pushed NIH’s chief scientist and top scientific integrity official to “promote agency efforts regarding diversity, equity and inclusion.” It also instituted agency-wide policy directives ordering supervisors at the NIH to “support” scientists and researchers who are “asexual” or “intersex,” while imploring NIH leadership to “confer with relevant offices” when additional DEI expertise is needed. In addition to the amended scientific integrity policy, the Biden administration also took other steps to infuse DEI into the scientific process throughout its term. This included compelling scientists seeking to work with the NIH to submit statements expressing their commitment to DEI, including when seeking certain grant funding for research projects. “The Biden administration weaponized NIH’s scientific integrity policy to inject harmful DEI and gender ideology into research,” said Health and Human Services Department spokesperson, Andrew Nixon. “Rescinding this [scientific integrity] policy will allow NIH to restore science to its golden standard and protect the integrity of science.” HHS EMPLOYEES OFFERED $25K AS ‘INCENTIVE TO VOLUNTARILY SEPARATE’ According to an HHS source, during the Biden administration, a member of NIH’s DEI office was placed on every search committee for scientists and leadership. The source also noted that under Biden, scientists who submitted work to the NIH’s “Board of Scientific Counselors,” which oversees agency research, were also required to include a statement pledging their commitment to DEI. The Biden administration also funded grants related to DEI, such as one for roughly $165,000 that was focused on “queering the curriculum” for family medicine doctors to guide them in their treatment of transgender patients. A similar project sought to use taxpayer funds from NIH to instruct nurses on the standards of care from the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH). MILLIONS SPENT BY BIDEN ON COVID ‘VACCINE HESITANCY’ CAMPAIGN SLASHED BY TRUMP NIH: REPORT WPATH’s standards of care for transgender patients, which support the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapy and gender-reassignment surgery for minors, have been rebuked globally. One controversial part of WPATH’s guidelines is the inclusion of “enuch” as a valid gender-identity. Several European countries, such as the U.K., Sweden and Finland, have taken steps to steer clear of the treatment modalities suggested by WPATH. TRUMP ADMIN PLANNING TO CONSOLIDATE HIV PROGRAMS, SLASHING ‘OVERHEAD’ AND DEI: OFFICIAL Under Biden, the NIH also brought DEI activist Ibram Kendi to speak with more than 1,200 staff members about “anti-racism.” In a recap of the 2022 speech, the NIH pointed out how Kendi “states unequivocally” that “policies are either racist or antiracist.” The Trump administration’s move to rescind the Biden-era scientific integrity policy follows other actions taken to extinguish DEI programs from the public and private sectors, calling such initiatives a civil rights violation. In addition to slashing DEI programs at the NIH, Trump has also moved to slim down its workforce. Shortly after he took office, the president implemented a funding cap for facilities and administrative fees associated with NIH research to help clear room for additional projects.
25 Indians awarded death sentence in UAE, 10150 lodged in foreign jails: Centre
The number of Indian nationals who have been awarded a death sentence in the UAE, but the judgement is yet to be implemented, stands at 25, the government informed Parliament on Thursday.
School choice activists warn parents about blue state’s homeschool bill with jail-time provision
From one blue-state parent to another, activists in California are warning Illinois families about a bill advancing through their state legislature that would create more regulations, and penalties, for homeschooling parents. It’s the latest high-profile battle dealing with school choice, a campaign issue President Donald Trump ran on. “Illinois, California, Colorado, they all compete with each other. They’re coming after homeschooling, just like they’ve been coming after public schools,” California parents rights activist Sonja Shaw said in a video posted to X on Wednesday. “They’re attacking families, stripping parental rights, and pushing their radical agendas while our kids are failing at reading, writing and math.” At issue is HB2827, the Homeschool Act, which would charge parents with a misdemeanor if they fail to register their kids in a “homeschool declaration form” to the nearest public school they would otherwise be attending. Failure to do so would be considered truancy, and parents could face up to 30 days in jail with fines. The bill passed a major hurdle passing out of the Democrat-dominated House education committee in a party-line vote on Wednesday, despite having upward of 50,000 witness slips in opposition and only 1,000 in support, including the Illinois State Board of Education. ILLINOIS PARENTS, LAWMAKERS SOUND ALARM OVER PROPOSED HOMESCHOOLING BILL: ‘DIRECT ASSAULT ON FAMILIES’ California parents opposed a similar bill that failed to make it out of committee in the state legislature in 2018, AB 2756, only after hearing three hours of testimony from parents and homeschoolers. Opponents say the Democrat-led bill would have mandated all homeschooling families in the state to adhere to involuntary home inspections, after the Turpin-family child abuse case. “This is calculated. This is how they do it. They do it in increments, slowly taking control away while people sit back thinking that their kids are safe and it doesn’t affect them,” said Shaw, who is a school board member in Chino and running for state superintendent of public instruction. “Every parent needs to be in this fight. If we don’t stand up now together, there will be nothing left to fight for our kids in their future. Please get involved. Please speak up. Please show up, because our children are worth this fight.” KAROLINE LEAVITT VOWS TRUMP WILL KEEP MALES OUT OF GIRLS LOCKER ROOMS AMID ILLINOIS SCHOOL CONTROVERSY Will Estrada, senior counsel for the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, told Fox News on Wednesday that the bill’s language was left “open-ended for unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats to be able to write different sections of regulations.” “If this bill is passed into law, it’s going to be expanded in future years to put even more restrictions on homeschool and private school families,” Estrada said after testifying at Wednesday’s hearing. “The record of homeschoolers shows that we do well academically, socially, emotionally and so why are we messing with them? That’s the question. This bill is a solution in search of a problem.” HHS’ CIVIL RIGHTS OFFICE FINDS MAINE IN VIOLATION OF TITLE IX FOR ALLOWING BIOLOGICAL MALES IN WOMEN’S SPORTS Democrats say the bill – which contains a portion that requires parents to hand over teaching materials if its suspected the child isn’t being educated properly – will strengthen oversight of homeschooling. Democratic state Rep. Terra Costa Howard introduced the bill following an investigative story by Pro Publica, which has a left-leaning bias according to the nonpartisan news rating company AllSides, entitled, “How Illinois’ Hands-Off Approach to Homeschooling Leaves Children at Risk.” The report included cases of abuse that went unnoticed because children were not in school. But opponents of the bill pushed back, saying in the hearing that there’s no correlation between homeschooled students being more at risk of abuse than those in the public school system. “I believe this bill will help protect abused and neglected children and leave in place the freedom of parents to decide how to best meet the educational needs of their children,” Tanner Lovett, an opponent of the bill, said Wednesday. The Illinois homeschool bill will now head to the state House of Representatives for a floor vote. If passed by the House and Senate, it would land on the desk of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat considered a potential 2028 presidential hopeful. The bill passed out of the committee as President Trump is expected to sign an executive order Thursday dismantling the federal Department of Education.
Dem senator on Schumer future: ‘Important’ to know ‘when it’s time to go’
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., faces potentially losing the confidence of his caucus after a controversial decision to advance the Republicans’ stopgap spending bill earlier this month and avoid a government shutdown. “Let me just say it’s important for people to know when it’s time to go,” Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., reportedly told constituents during a town hall on Wednesday. “We’re going to have conversations, I’m sure, in the foreseeable future, about all the Democratic leadership.” The senator had been asked if he would call for Schumer to step aside, which he did not commit to. SPEAKER JOHNSON SAYS GOP LOOKING AT ‘ALL AVAILABLE OPTIONS’ TO ADDRESS ‘ACTIVIST JUDGES’ OPPOSING TRUMP “I do think on the leadership question, it’s always better to examine whether folks are in the right place, and we’re certainly going to have that conversation,” he explained, per NPR. The comments come after Schumer faced swift backlash for his shutdown vote, during which he was in the minority of his caucus, most of whom opposed moving the stopgap spending measure forward. Despite claiming his caucus was unified just one day prior, Schumer revealed his decision to vote to advance the bill, to the dismay of many of his colleagues. “I believe allowing Donald Trump to take even much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option,” he explained at the time. DEM SENATOR REFUSES TO ADDRESS RELATIONSHIP WITH FOUNDER OF SOROS-FUNDED ‘PROPAGANDA’ NEWS NETWORK House Democrats, nearly all of whom voted against the measure, slammed the move. Dozens of the lower chamber Democrats even signed last-minute letters to Schumer to urge him not to go forward with his vote, to no avail. In a striking statement, House Democratic leaders came out against Schumer’s decision, without mentioning him by name. During a press conference, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., refused to answer a question about whether he was confident in his New York colleague. “Next question,” he responded. WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS? Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also released a statement during the controversy, urging the Senate to listen to the female appropriators. The prominent Democrats appearing at odds with Schumer publicly only further intensified the scrutiny he faced afterward. Jeffries later clarified his feelings on Schumer, however. “Yes, I do,” he said when asked if he was confident in Schumer during a different press conference. According to the House Democratic leader, “we are all aligned on the fights that are in front of us.” Jeffries and Schumer had a “good conversation about the path forward, particularly as it relates to making sure we all speak with one voice,” he added. What was already considered an identity crisis for Democrats following the 2024 election has appeared to evolve into a crisis of leadership, with senators, such as Bennet, entertaining the idea of discussions about the caucus and its direction. FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO PAY ‘UNLAWFULLY’ RESTRICTED USAID FUNDS “I think that Leader Schumer has been very effective in a lot of battles, but we also need to—these are new times, and we need to all come together,” Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., told reporters directly after the shutdown votes. “And so, you know, second-guessing Leader Schumer out here isn’t going to accomplish the kind of unity that we’re going to need to be able to stand up to the president. So we’ll have that conversation inside caucus.”