Biden pushes to finalize more student debt relief before end of term, including for ‘future borrowers’
President Biden’s Department of Education is trying to push through a new federal rule during the final weeks before President-elect Trump takes over to provide additional student loan forgiveness for 8 million borrowers who face financial hardships. If finalized, the new rule would authorize student debt forgiveness on a one-time basis for people who the department considers to have at least an 80% chance of defaulting on loans based on a “predictive assessment using existing borrower data.” The rule would also allow people, including potential “future borrowers,” to apply for relief that will be awarded based on “a holistic assessment of the borrower’s hardship.” Negotiated rulemaking for higher education between 2023 and 2024 began last year, and this latest rule was discussed in committee as early as November 2023. However, the rule was not proposed until Oct. 31 and is working its way through a public notice and comment period expected to end Dec. 2. GOP-LED STATES ASK SCOTUS TO TEMPORARILY BLOCK BIDEN’S STUDENT LOAN HANDOUT PROGRAM “For far too long, our broken student loan system has made it too hard for borrowers experiencing heartbreaking and financially devastating hardships to access relief, and it’s not right,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “The rules proposed by the Biden-Harris administration today would provide hope to millions of struggling Americans whose challenges may make them eligible for student debt relief.” While a handful of Biden’s previous attempts to wipe out student debt have been struck down as an overreach of power by the courts, and despite federal rulemaking typically taking anywhere from a few months to a few years to be completed, the Biden administration has not been dissuaded from initiating additional attempts to eliminate Americans’ student loan debt during its final weeks. In 2023, Biden announced his administration’s greatest effort to wipe out student debt for millions of borrowers through a new “SAVE” plan that sought to reduce borrowers’ debt obligations based on their economic circumstances. However, the effort was shot down by the Supreme Court after it was determined Biden did not have authority under a 2003 federal law to unilaterally forgive hundreds of billions of dollars in student debt. KEVIN O’LEARY TORCHES BIDEN STUDENT LOAN HANDOUT AS UNFAIR’ AND ‘UN-AMERICAN’: ‘I REALLY REALLY HATE THIS’ In addition to the SAVE program, other efforts by the Biden administration to cancel student debt relief remain tied up in the courts. President-elect Trump has described Biden’s attempts to wipe out debt for student borrowers “a total catastrophe.” “They didn’t even come close to getting student loans,” Trump said during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris in September, referring to the courts shooting down Biden’s student debt forgiveness attempts. “They taunted young people and a lot of other people that had loans. They can never get this approved.” The White House did not respond with an on-the-record comment when reached by Fox News Digital.
Rand Paul wants to abolish agency established under Trump, but calls prospect ‘unlikely’
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., wants the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to be abolished, but described the prospect as “unlikely,” he told Politico. “I’d like to eliminate it,” Paul told the outlet. “The First Amendment is pretty important, that’s why we listed it as the First Amendment, and I would have liked to, at the very least, eliminate their ability to censor content online.” “While it’s unlikely we could get rid of CISA, we survived for what, 248 years without them,” Paul said, according to Politico. “I think a lot of what they do is intrusive, and I’d like to end their intrusions into the First Amendment.” RAND PAUL HITS ‘BIDEN/HARRIS CDC’ OVER COVID-19 VACCINE GUIDANCE FOR 6-MONTH-OLDS “CISA does not and has never censored speech or facilitated censorship,” CISA senior adviser for public affairs Ron Eckstein asserted in a statement, according to the outlet. “Such allegations are riddled with factual inaccuracies. Every day, the men and women of CISA execute the agency’s mission of reducing risk to U.S. critical infrastructure in a way that protects Americans’ freedom of speech, civil rights, civil liberties and privacy,” he asserted. CISA was established in 2018 during President-elect Trump’s White House tenure. “On November 16, 2018, the President signed into law the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act of 2018,” which established CISA, according to cisa.gov. RAND PAUL BACKS KAT CAMMACK FOR HOUSE REPUBLICAN CONFERENCE CHAIR, RICK SCOTT FOR SENATE MAJORITY LEADER Republicans won the Senate majority during the 2024 election, and Paul, the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, is slated to become the chair during the next session of Congress. “I chose to chair this Committee over another because I believe that, for the health of our republic, Congress must stand up once again for its constitutional role,” the senator noted, according to a press release. FBI, CISA SAY CHINESE HACKERS BREACHED MULTIPLE US TELECOM PROVIDERS IN TARGETED ATTACK “This Committee’s mission of oversight and investigations is critical to Congress reasserting itself. Our first hearing will examine reinstating the successful Remain in Mexico policy from the first Trump Administration,” he said. Paul has served in the Senate since 2011. Fox News Digital has reached out to CISA for comment.
‘This s— has to stop’: Former Jill Biden spox rips Dems for ‘vilifying’ DEI critics as ‘White supremacists’
First lady Jill Biden’s former press secretary blasted Democrats who label opponents of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as racist this week after an MSNBC guest called President-elect Trump’s Secretary of Defense nominee a “White supremacist.” “This s— has to stop,” Michael LaRosa, who served as the first lady’s press secretary from 2021 to 2022, posted on X in response to an MSNBC guest calling President-elect Trump’s Defense Secretary nominee and former Fox News host, Pete Hegseth, a “White supremacist” in response to his opposition to DEI policies. “Opposing DEI initiatives does not make you a white supremacist. Conversations and demonization like this are a big part of the reason we got our a–es kicked,” he continued. “The answer to extremism is not more extremism. Voices like this on the left are turning the Democratic Party into a joke. We’ve got to knock it off and get serious guests who are going to diagnose politics, not make it worse,” LaRosa continued. “Name calling, vilifying, and defaming nominees you oppose, even if there is very good reason to oppose them, represents everything the Democratic Party should be RUNNING away from.” MELANIA TRUMP QUESTIONS ‘WHETHER JILL’S CONCERN WAS GENUINE’ FOLLOWING TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT LaRosa explained that Democrats should “fight back with strategy and tactics” rather than “pointless, defamatory and juvenile invective.” “We need to get serious people opining about policy and politics, not one-upping each other or competing for who can make the most provocative insult about a Trump nominee you oppose,” he said. The MSNBC guest speaking on Chris Hayes’ show, former NAACP Legal Defense Fund president Sherrilyn Ifill, drew widespread condemnation from conservatives on social media. JILL BIDEN’S APPARENT COLD SHOULDER FOR KAMALA HARRIS IGNITES SOCIAL MEDIA “Shame on @chrislhayes and @comcast for this pathetic attack,” former Trump acting Director of National Intelligence RIchard Grenell posted on X. “Sue her,” Red State writer Bonchie posted on X. “Enough of this crap.” “Appalling smear,” Fox News contributor Guy Benson posted on X. LaRosa told Fox News Digital on Friday that “there are too many on the left who preach at everyone, and if you disagree, then you are not only wrong, but you’re a bad human being as well.” “The Democratic Party I’ve always known is the party that represents the values of inclusiveness and tolerance,” LaRosa continued. “But that means inclusiveness and tolerance of diverse views, too, not just diversity for diversity’s sake. Let’s have a spirited disagreement or a debate but stop tagging people you disagree with as Hitler, fascists or white supremacists. It’s not a serious contribution to the path forward in opposing Trump, his policy or his nominees.” “If politics is about addition, conversations like that are precisely why we’re doing more subtraction lately, as Democrats.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital reached out to Ifill for comment but did not receive a response. In recent days, Democrats and pundits in the media have been searching for answers and explanations for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential election loss, with many concluding that the campaign alienated voters with identity politics. “This kind of obsession made Democrats view people too much through their ethnic or racial or gender identity and made them miss, for example, that working-class Latinos were moving toward Trump, perhaps, because they were socially conservative or liked his macho rhetoric or even agreed with his hard-line stance on immigration,” CNN’s Fareed Zakaria said after the election. “The problem is deeper than one about nouns and pronouns. The entire focus on identity has morphed into something deeply illiberal. Judging people by the color of their skin rather than the content of their character.”
Trump picks Steven Cheung for communications director, Sergio Gor for personnel office director
President-elect Trump announced two more additions to his White House staff on Friday, promoting his campaign spokesman to lead the communications shop. Trump announced that Steven Cheung would return to the White House as assistant to the president and director of communications. Cheung previously served as communications director for the Trump-Vance campaign and was the White House director of strategic response in Trump’s first term. Additionally, Trump confirmed that Sergio Gor will join the White House as director of the presidential personnel office. Gor, an ally and business partner of Donald Trump Jr.’s, was in charge of the pro-Trump political action committee Right For America and previously worked in Republican Sen. Rand Paul’s office. “Steven Cheung and Sergio Gor have been trusted Advisors since my first Presidential Campaign in 2016, and have continued to champion America First principles throughout my First Term, all the way to our HIstoric Victory in 2024,” Trump said in a statement. “I am thrilled to have them join my White House, as we Make America Great Again!” DONALD TRUMP JR ALLY SERGIO GOR OFFERED TOP WHITE HOUSE PERSONNEL JOB: REPORT Gor’s impending appointment was first reported by Semafor on Thursday and was welcomed by Trump Jr. “Awesome news. Sergio will be great!” the first son posted on X. Both Cheung and Gor are loyal to the president-elect. TRUMP’S PICKS SO FAR: HERE’S WHO WILL BE ADVISING THE NEW PRESIDENT Trump has previously said that the biggest mistake of his first presidency was picking disloyal people to join his administration. “The biggest mistake I made was I picked some people – I picked some great people, you know, but you don’t think about that. I picked some people that I shouldn’t have picked,” Trump said last month on the “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast. “I picked a few people that I shouldn’t have picked,” he said. TRUMP’S SPEEDY CABINET PICKS SHOW HIS ‘PRIORITY TO PUT AMERICA FIRST,’ TRANSITION TEAM SAYS The president-elect has also picked, among others, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., for national security adviser and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., for secretary of state. Tesla CEO and billionaire endorser Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy are expected to lead Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency. Controversially, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. has been tapped to be Trump’s attorney general and campaign surrogate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Fox News Digital’s Bonny Chu contributed to this report.
‘Political prosecutions’: Republican AGs demand end to ‘lawfare’ prosecutions of President-elect Trump
Republican attorneys general are putting President-elect Donald Trump’s prosecutors on notice, urging them to halt “political prosecutions of the incoming president.” “The cases brought against President Trump, particularly the criminal prosecutions, had nothing to do with crime,” Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird told Fox News Digital in an interview this week. “They had everything to do with the fact that he was running for president again. He is innocent. He didn’t do anything wrong, and those cases never should have been brought in the first place. That was another way they were trying to wage campaign lawfare.” NEW YORK APPEALS COURT APPEARS RECEPTIVE TO REVERSING OR REDUCING $454M TRUMP CIVIL FRAUD JUDGMENT Bird, alongside more than 20 other attorneys general, sent a letter to Special Counsel Jack Smith, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, calling on them to drop their cases to avoid the risk of a “constitutional crisis.” Attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia signed onto the letter. “Mr. Smith, a federal court has already dismissed your claims in one case due to your improper appointment,” the AGs wrote in the letter. “That appointment flouts both the Appointments Clause and Article II of the U.S. Constitution. Not only that, your prosecutions of President Trump—President Biden and Vice President Harris’s political rival—violated multiple Department of Justice policies.” MATT GAETZ FACES GOP SENATE OPPOSITION AFTER TRUMP SELECTION FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL “President of the United States is the most important job in the world,” they wrote. “The President leads the free world. And America just gave President Trump a mandate to lead the United States to a brighter future. Prosecutions aimed at “self-promotion” are at no time appropriate.” The Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that it is seeking to wind down two federal criminal cases against President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his second term. Trump was indicted on 37 federal counts in June 2023 on charges stemming from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. Trump was indicted in Georgia in August 2023 after a yearslong criminal investigation led by state prosecutors into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state. Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts. TRUMP’S PICKS SO FAR: HERE’S WHO WILL BE ADVISING THE NEW PRESIDENT In early 2023, Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee dismissed six of the charges against Trump, saying that District Attorney Fani Willis had failed to allege sufficient detail. The situation was then thrown into disarray when it was revealed that Willis had reportedly had an “improper affair” with Nathan Wade, a prosecutor she had hired to help bring the case against Trump. Wade was later removed. About three months into taking office, James announced an investigation into the Trump Organization, claiming there was evidence indicating that the president and his company had falsely valued assets to obtain loans, insurance coverage and tax deductions. The investigation was launched after Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, who had previously served federal prison time for violating campaign finance laws, testified before Congress that the Trump Organization had exaggerated the value of assets. Fox News Digital’s Haley Chi-Sing and Emma Colton contributed to this report.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to potentially releasing the Ethics Committee report on Gaetz
Fox News has been told for several days now that the House Ethics Committee no longer has any jurisdiction over former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. Gaetz resigned Wednesday after President-elect Donald Trump picked him to serve as attorney general. The ethics panel was planning on releasing its report investigating allegations of sexual misconduct and alleged drug use by Gaetz, but the panel canceled its meeting Friday, and no report has appeared. House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., said the following on Wednesday when asked about the Gaetz inquiry. “Once the investigation is complete, then a report will be issued. Assuming that at that time, that Mr. Gaetz is still a Member of Congress. If Mr. Gaetz were to resign because he is taking a position, with the administration, as the Attorney General, then the Ethics Committee loses jurisdiction at that point. Once we lose jurisdiction, there would not be a report that would be issued. That’s not unique to this case,” said Guest. TRUMP TAPS MATT GAETZ FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL That is generally how the Ethics Committee has rolled when it comes to outstanding ethics investigations involving former members. However, it is not a hard and fast rule. Fox News has found that the Ethics Committee released the findings of its probe into potential influence peddling by the late Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., after his death in 2010. MATT GAETZ FACES GOP SENATE OPPOSITION AFTER TRUMP SELECTION FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL The Ethics Committee also released a 699-page report on former Rep. Bob Boner, D-Tenn., after he left office in 1987. The committee found that Boner used campaign funds to travel to Hong Kong and may have used his office to influence a defense contractor. That said, there is a way on the floor to dislodge an Ethics Committee report. There is a device called “question of privileges of the House.” A lawmaker could get to the floor under this procedure and make the argument that keeping the Gaetz ethics report under wraps impugns the dignity and integrity of the House. The House would be required to vote on such a motion. If successful on the floor, the ethics panel could be compelled to release the report. Yours truly asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Friday morning if Democrats might try to dislodge the Gaetz report from the Ethics Committee. Pergram: “Could you envision a scenario where Democrats try to somehow dislodge this ethics report through a parliamentary maneuver?” Jeffries: “The Ethics Committee is an incredibly bipartisan committee. It’s the only committee in the Congress that is evenly divided. And it has a long history of having principled individuals on it. And I defer at this moment to whatever course they decide to take. And I hope they take a course that is bipartisan.”
‘Not committed’: Conservatives warn Mike Johnson still has hill to climb before winning speaker’s gavel
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., won unanimous approval from Republican lawmakers earlier this week to lead the House of Representatives next year, but some conservatives are warning that he still has an uphill climb before the House-wide election in January. “I think there’s still a lot of people that, as a favor to President Trump, didn’t request a vote, but it remains to be seen,” Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital on Thursday. “I’m going to be ready to get ready to govern, but he has a lot of people not committed. But as a favor to President Trump, we didn’t object.” Johnson won a unanimous voice vote to be the Republicans’ speaker nominee on Wednesday, hours after President-elect Donald Trump told GOP lawmakers he was fully backing the Louisiana Republican. JOHNSON BLASTS DEM ACCUSATIONS HE VOWED TO END OBAMACARE AS ‘DISHONEST’ The speaker was the only candidate in the race after it was revealed that Republicans managed to keep the chamber for another two years. Just a day earlier, GOP hardliners were threatening to force a vote via secret ballot to delay the process and keep Johnson from winning the speaker nomination unanimously in protest of his handling of government spending. It never materialized, but two conservatives who spoke with Fox News Digital also said there could still be holdouts in January. With just a razor-thin majority expected in the House, Johnson may have to work to avoid a messy, protracted battle for the gavel in January – not dissimilar to the one his predecessor Kevin McCarthy went through two years ago. He will need to win a majority of the entire House chamber to clinch the top spot again. REPUBLICANS PROJECTED TO KEEP CONTROL OF HOUSE AS TRUMP PREPARES TO IMPLEMENT AGENDA “I understand that might be the case,” one GOP lawmaker said when asked if there were still skeptics of Johnson’s leadership. “I’m concerned about informal deals that might be done. I want things in writing… We did not get to the long end of the stick with McCarthy because of handshake deals, so I don’t want to see that anymore.” A second GOP lawmaker said, “I don’t want to just see in December, ‘We’re going to throw another $100 billion in disaster relief spending. We’re going to throw $20 billion at a farm product…the speaker said he’s not going to do an omnibus, but I just want to see how this stuff plays out and see how we’re going to organize and how he wants to set up for January to succeed.” MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT “We made some baby steps in the last few days, and we need to take some more,” the second lawmaker said. However, not all conservatives agree – a third lawmaker who spoke with Fox News Digital said, “I think it’s going to be fine.” “President Trump came here and endorsed him yesterday. Yesterday was a resounding yes…this isn’t like two years ago,” they said on Thursday. Meanwhile, others who are inclined to support Johnson in January have also sought commitments from him for the next Congress. “He promised to work with me on legislation to protect women. He made that promise in front of the Congress, and I’m going to hold him to it,” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Additionally, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., told Fox News Digital that Johnson promised her the House would not pass more aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia. Both cited Trump’s endorsement, however, in signaling that he has their support in January. Johnson won the gavel via a unanimous vote by all House Republicans late last year after McCarthy’s ouster. When reached for comment, his office pointed Fox News Digital to Johnson’s comments after his unanimous election on Wednesday. He said, “The theme that you’ll hear over and over from all of our members across the conference is that we are unified and energized and ready to go. We have to deliver for the American people. Beginning on day one in the new Congress, and we will be ready for that.”
What a second Trump presidency means for the Middle East and Ukraine
Marc Lamont Hill discusses the impact of a second Trump presidency on US foreign policy and global crises. As the US braces for a transition of power between President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump, both US geopolitical allies and adversaries wonder what direction American foreign policy will take under Trump. With tensions in the Middle East at a boiling point and Israel continuing its genocidal campaign in Gaza, what effect will a Trump administration have on the region? And how will Trump’s handling of the war in Ukraine affect Europe and global stability? This week in UpFront, Marc Lamont Hill talks with former US State Department official Annelle Sheline, professor of international affairs at Harvard Kennedy School Stephen Walt, and political analyst Omar Baddar about the future of American foreign policy under a second Donald Trump term. Adblock test (Why?)
Project Esther: A Trumpian blueprint to crush anticolonial resistance
Donald Trump’s re-election as president of the United States marks a shift in US policy – from the Joe Biden administration’s hypocritical denial of American complicity in Zionist genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity to an unapologetic endorsement of all these actions. Besides bringing Washington’s support for all of Israel’s excesses, crimes and violations out into the open, Trump’s return to the White House will also intensify and make even more overt the persecution of those who dare resist white supremacy and its Zionist incarnation. Under Biden, those who opposed American-funded and -facilitated Zionist genocide, from university students and civil servants to racial justice activists and authors, already faced threats from politicians, police harassment, baseless accusations of anti-Semitism in the media and relentless intimidation from employers, university administrators and far-right-linked Zionist “self-defence” groups. And yet, Trump says Biden has been “weak” in countering “Hamas radicals” and he would do even more to shut down anticolonial resistance as president. On the campaign trail, he called for the deportation of foreign nationals who support Palestinian resistance and, since being elected, has nominated pro-Israel hawks to key intelligence and security posts in his government, signalling he intends to keep his promises on cracking down on anti-Zionist activists. For example, Trump named Kristi Noem, the South Dakota governor who once introduced a bill cracking down on criticism of Israel on the grounds of “ensuring the security of God’s chosen people”, as his secretary of homeland security. Another indication that Trump’s second term will be marked by a new crackdown on anticolonial and antiracist resistance came in the form of a strategy to “combat anti-Semitism” titled “Project Esther”, drafted by the prominent Trump-aligned conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation. The Heritage Foundation has been open about its intention to transform “Project Esther” into government policy under a second Trump administration. It states within the strategy document itself – which was published on October 7 to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel – that it hopes “Project Esther” would present “an opportunity for public-private partnership when a willing administration occupies the White House”. Created by the same minds that brought us the authoritarian, Christian nationalist “Project 2025”, “Project Esther” syncretises the story of Queen Esther, the Jewish heroine celebrated during Purim for saving Jews of ancient Persia from extermination at the hands of Vizier Haman, with modern day Zionist narratives of defence and victimhood to depict her as a defender of Jews against activists, academics and progressive members of Congress in the US who oppose racism, apartheid and genocide. The strategy paper, supposedly designed to be “a blueprint to counter anti-Semitism in the United States”, includes several fundamental aspects of fascistic thought and practice as outlined by Umberto Eco, such as syncretic culture, xenophobia, a cult of heroism and anti-intellectualism. Targeted individuals – including numerous Black, Brown and Jewish elected representatives who voiced any criticism of Israel, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Chuck Schumer – are collectively mischaracterised as members of “Hamas Support Organisations (HSO)”, part of a “Hamas Support Network” and equated with Purim’s villain, Haman. Through this framing, the campaign targets prominent social justice advocates and progressive Democratic Party representatives as enemies of the Jewish people, using the mythology of Queen Esther to justify their persecution and repression. “Project Esther” shamelessly states its aims to eliminate anticolonial perspectives from the US education system, limit the dissemination of related information and restrict advocates’ access to American society, the economy and Congress. It seeks to prosecute alleged legal and criminal violations by “HSO” members, disrupt their communications, restrict demonstrations and rally the Jewish community, allies and the American public against anticolonial resistance movements. With fearmongering rhetoric draped in patriotism and “American values” and the latest Zionist spin on rebranding offensive aggression as “defence”, “Project Esther” institutionalises repression of dissent within a fallacious, fascistic theoretical framework, casting itself as the final bulwark against an imaginary threat of “foreign influence” and valiant protector of citizens from brown-skinned heathen hordes who have supposedly promised to infect white American open society with an anticapitalist agenda. Typically, “Project Esther” ideologues see themselves as heroes, courageously waging a holy war, much to the tune of the Ku Klux Klan’s infamous portrayal in Birth of a Nation. Calling on “the silent majority” to “break its silence and speak” to “recover its voice and convert its words into actions to render impotent an illegitimate, hateful minority that threatens America’s soul” by, among other accusations, “corrupting our education system”, “Project Esther” weaponises xenophobic trends bolstered by the incoming Trump administration to threaten and fracture anticolonial movements that conscientiously oppose Zionism and white supremacy alike. Under the guise of combating hate and appealing to a supposedly terrorised and humiliated underclass, “Project Esther” seeks to frame antiracist opposition to Zionist apartheid and genocide as inherently anti-Semitic. However, this exposes Zionism itself as white supremacy and a modern embodiment of anti-Semitic ideology, much like Haman in the myth of Queen Esther, actively targeting Jewish organisations such as Jewish Voice for Peace and the Reformed Jewish movement. “Project Esther” criticises what it sees as “complacency” within the American Jewish community, invoking the Zionist-manufactured anti-Semitic ideal of a “new Jew” who rejects traditional beliefs that interpret oppression and hardship as divine punishment for sins. This vision disparages traditional reliance on defence as passive and weak, promoting instead an assertive, offensive approach to resistance. In line with this view, Zionists adopt the anti-Semitic notion that Jews have been responsible for their own suffering, advocating for segregation and land acquisition in a new homeland as the ultimate solution. Notably, fearmongering has long been used by Zionists to encourage Jewish, preferably white, immigration to Israel as a means to restock the Israeli military and combat the Palestinian “demographic threat”. By amplifying the partnership between US white supremacy and Zionist expansionism, “Project Esther” presents a serious threat to anticolonial and justice-oriented intersectional movements across the country, on the one hand, and minorities, including Jews, on the other. “Project Esther”
Germany’s Scholz speaks to Russia’s Putin for first time in two years
The Russian leader said he is open to talks, but intends to keep the territory Moscow seized in Ukraine. The leaders of Russia and Germany have had their first conversation in almost two years as Western countries prepare for the incoming Trump administration that has signalled its intent to end the war in Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz initiated a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, which reportedly lasted about an hour and revolved around different aspects of the Ukraine war. Scholz, who is facing a snap election in February after his government coalition collapsed, urged Putin to negotiate with Ukraine with the aim of achieving a “just and lasting peace” ” government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said in a statement. He also expressed German support for Ukraine “for as long as necessary”, condemned Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, and warned that the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers on Russian soil to fight off the Ukrainian assault on Kursk would mark an escalation. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz talks to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone [Steffen Kugler/BPA/Handout via Reuters] Putin said the current crisis is a direct result of NATO’s aggressive policies in what was described by the Kremlin as “a detailed and frank exchange of opinions”. “Possible agreements must take into account the interests of the Russian Federation in the area of security, proceed from new territorial realities, and most importantly, eliminate the root causes of the conflict,” the Russian leader said. Putin and Scholz also reportedly discussed bilateral relations, with the former saying Moscow remains ready for “mutually beneficial cooperation” including on energy trade if the same view is shared by Berlin. The call comes at a difficult time for Ukraine’s military, with Russian forces advancing in several areas in eastern Ukraine. The re-election of Donald Trump as US president also raises questions over the future of US aid to Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the call opened “Pandora’s box” by undermining efforts to isolate the Russian leader. “Now there may be other conversations, other calls. Just a lot of words. And this is exactly what Putin has long wanted: it is extremely important for him to weaken his isolation,” Zelenskyy said in his evening address. Scholz spoke with Zelenskyy before and after the call with Putin. Reporting from Berlin, Al Jazeera’s Dominic Kane said the call was largely being seen in relation to Trump’s re-election and the upcoming election in Germany. “The suggestion coming from various media outlets is that this is to be viewed through the prism of what’s happening in Washington, DC and the approach from the looming Donald Trump administration,” he said. “Another point is that there’s going to be a general election in Germany, 100 days from today. The war in Ukraine is a growing issue. Many people in this country, particularly in the old east, want an end to the war in Ukraine and specifically an end to Germany financing and arming the Ukrainians.” President-elect Trump has asserted he will end the war in Ukraine but has not given details. Vice President-elect JD Vance has suggested a second Trump administration will be in favour of allowing Russia to keep the Ukrainian land it has seized during the war. The outgoing Biden administration has signalled it will strengthen its support for Ukraine before it leaves the White House in January. The phone call between the Russian and German leaders comes as fighting continues to rage in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces have been inching forward in recent months. The Russian military also continues to direct air strikes against military and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, hitting a residential building and a boiler plant in Odesa in one of its latest attacks on Friday. Russia denies targeting civilians in Ukraine. Adblock test (Why?)