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Roadside nets aim to thwart Russian drone attacks in Ukraine

Roadside nets aim to thwart Russian drone attacks in Ukraine

NewsFeed Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford reports on the method being used to stop Russian drones from attacking Ukrainian vehicles near the border, not far from the Russian region of Kursk where fierce fighting is ongoing. Published On 16 Mar 202516 Mar 2025 Adblock test (Why?)

Trump, Putin call expected this week, as admin edges closer to Russia-Ukraine ceasefire deal: Witkoff

Trump, Putin call expected this week, as admin edges closer to Russia-Ukraine ceasefire deal: Witkoff

U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said Sunday that President Donald Trump will likely speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week.  In an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Witkoff was asked when a deal to end the war in Ukraine could be anticipated.  “The president uses the timeframe weeks, and I don’t disagree with him. I am really hopeful that we’re going to see some real progress here,” Witkoff said. “Nobody expected progress this fast. This is a highly, very complicated situation, and yet we’re bridging the gap between two sides. So, lots of things that remain to be discussed, but I think the two presidents are going to have a really good and positive discussion this week.”  ‘WE HAVE NEVER BEEN THIS CLOSE TO PEACE’ SINCE RUSSIA INVADED UKRAINE, LEAVITT TELLS REPORTERS Trump’s special envoy met with Putin in Moscow on Thursday, days after U.S. and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia agreed to the terms of a potential ceasefire with Russia.  Witkoff said he met with Putin for between three and four hours and had a “positive” and “solution-based” discussion.  “Before this visit, there was another visit, and before that visit, the two sides were miles apart,” Witkoff told CNN host Jake Tapper. “The two sides are, today, a lot closer. We had some really positive results coming out of the Saudi Arabia discussion led by our national security advisor, Mike Waltz, and our secretary of state, Marco Rubio.”  “I describe my conversation with President Putin as equally positive,” Witkoff said. “The two sides have… we’ve narrowed the differences between them, and now we’re sitting at the table. I was with the president all day yesterday, I’ll be with him today, we’re sitting with him, discussing how to narrow it even further.”   TRUMP ‘HOPES’ PUTIN AGREES TO CEASEFIRE AS MOSCOW SIGNALS NO TRUCE YET It was the second time Witkoff had met with Putin in the last month. The first sit-down in mid-February resulted in the Russians releasing U.S. prisoner Marc Fogel.  Witkoff said he briefed Trump, Vice President JD Vance, chief of staff Susie Wiles and Waltz from the U.S. embassy within five to 10 minutes of meeting with Putin last week.  “President Trump has been involved in every aspect and dimension of these discussions,” Witkoff said. “The president is getting updates in real time on everything that’s happening, and he’s involved in every important decision here. I expect that there will be a call with both presidents this week, and we’re also continuing to engage and have conversations with the Ukrainians. We’re advising them on everything we’re thinking about.”  “The four regions are of critical importance here,” Witkoff said of the terms of the deal. “And we’re in discussions with Ukraine, we’re in discussions with all these stakeholder European countries, so that includes France, Britain, Norway, Finland… the whole host.… And we’re in discussions with the Russians too about those regions. We’re also in discussion with all other elements that would be encompassed in a ceasefire.”  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP  Witkoff flew to Moscow last week from Doha, Qatar, where he mediated negotiations between Israel and Hamas on a potential extension of their ceasefire agreement. 

Democrats lash out at Schumer for ‘betrayal’ of siding with Trump

Democrats lash out at Schumer for ‘betrayal’ of siding with Trump

Several prominent Democrats have taken aim at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., over his decision to side with Republicans and vote for a continuing resolution to keep the federal government open. “I believe that’s a tremendous mistake,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told CNN’s Jake Tapper Thursday in response to Schumer’s decision. “It is almost unthinkable why Senate Democrats would vote to hand the few pieces of leverage that we have away for free when we’ve been sent here to protect Social Security, protect Medicaid and protect Medicare.” The progressive lawmaker was just one of several prominent Democratic figures to lash out at Schumer, who opted to vote in favor of a House-approved government funding bill that averted a government shutdown. Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., were the only other Democrats in the Senate to vote in favor of the bill, while Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was the only Republican senator to vote against the legislation, which passed 54 to 46. PRESIDENT TRUMP SIGNS CONTINUING RESOLUTION, OFFICIALLY AVERTING A SHUTDOWN Schumer, the most prominent of the trio of Democrats to support the bill, is now facing heat for that decision, including from some longtime allies. “Let’s be clear: neither is a good option for the American people. But this false choice that some are buying instead of fighting is unacceptable,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said of the decision. Anne Caprara, the chief of staff for Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Prtizker, appeared to pile on, arguing on social media that Democrats should unify around resisting President Donald Trump. “The fight going on in the Democratic Party right now is not between hard left, left and moderate. It’s between those who want to fight and those who want to cave,” Caprara said in the post. “Misread this at your own peril.” Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., refused repeated questions about whether he had confidence in Schumer at a Friday press conference urging Senate Democrats to vote against the continuing resolution. SHUTDOWN AVERTED AFTER SCHUMER CAVES AND BACKS TRUMP SPENDING BILL “We do not want to shut down the government. But we are not afraid of a government funding showdown,” Jeffries said. Democratic allies on television also lashed out at the Schumer decision, with CNN political commentator Van Jones arguing that the Democratic Party had to do more to push back against Trump. “We want some alpha energy. And that’s not what we’re seeing. This party is tired of watching Donald Trump and Elon Musk run over this party, run over this country, run over the Constitution,” Jones said during a Friday appearance on the network. “And if you only have one opportunity to take a stand, and you don’t take it, it’s very difficult.” Meanwhile, MSNBC political commentator Symone Sanders said she was “p—ed” that Schumer “folded like a paper napkin” and threatened to change her party registration to independent. Nevertheless, some Democrats tempered their criticism of the longtime Democratic leader, noting that the party was put in a no-win situation. “We’re stuck with two bad choices presented by a unified Republican front,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who voted against the bill, said, according to a report in WTTW. “These are tough, tough calls.” Schumer’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Trump orders the dismantling of government-funded, ‘propaganda’-peddling media outlet

Trump orders the dismantling of government-funded, ‘propaganda’-peddling media outlet

President Donald Trump ordered the dismantling of news agency Voice of America, the U.S.’s state-funded media outlet that Trump has railed against for promoting biased media reports.  “Voice of America has been out of step with America for years. It serves as the Voice for Radical America and has pushed divisive propaganda for years now,” a senior White House official told Fox News Digital.  Trump signed an executive order on Friday that commands the dismantling of seven government offices, including the United States Agency for Global Media, which is the parent company of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.  “The non-statutory components and functions of the following governmental entities shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, and such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law,” the EO reads.  MUSK AND DOGE HAVE ANOTHER PERFECT TARGET: MORE TAXPAYER-FUNDED, ANTI-AMERICAN MEDIA Kari Lake, whom Trump named as the VOA’s next chief in December, is currently serving as senior advisor at the U.S. Agency for Global Media and told employees to “check your email” for more information on their employment futures.  “The President has issued an Executive Order titled Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy. It affects USAGM and its outlets VOA and OCB. If you are an employee of the agency please check your email immediately for more information,” Lake, who is also a former news anchor and Republican Arizona political candidate, posted to X. OCB refers to the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which is a Spanish language, government-funded radio and TV broadcaster that operates Radio and TV Martí in Miami, Florida.  Employees received an email on Saturday detailing that their employment was terminated, the Wall Street Journal reported, though it is unclear how many employees were affected.  WHITE HOUSE SAYS FEDERALLY FUNDED NEWS SERVICE ‘SPENDS YOUR MONEY TO PROMOTE FOREIGN PROPAGANDA’ The seven government agencies targeted in the order include: the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; the U.S. Agency for Global Media; the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Smithsonian Institution; the Institute of Museum and Library Services; the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness; the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund; and the Minority Business Development Agency. Voice of America has come under scrutiny for promoting biased content, including for allegedly “sanitizing” Hamas when the outlet neglected to note in an article in January that residents in Gaza cheered the terrorist group when it brought out coffins holding the remains of Israeli hostages, including children.  TRUMP ANNOUNCES MORE NOMINATIONS, INCLUDING KARI LAKE AS DIRECTOR OF VOICE OF AMERICA BROADCAST “Let’s get the facts straight: Hamas paraded the dead bodies of innocent Israelis, including two children, in front of cheering crowds. American taxpayers should not be paying the salaries of Hamas apologists who spout terrorist propaganda,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., told National Review at the time of VOA’s coverage.  Just days after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, VOA told its employees to “avoid calling Hamas and its members terrorists, except in quotes,” National Review reported that year.  TAXPAYER-FUNDED VOICE OF AMERICA UNDER FIRE FOR SHARING CAMPAIGN-LIKE BIDEN VIDEO The government-funded news outlet has also come under fire for other stories across the years, including running an article in 2020 that asked, “What Is ‘White Privilege’ and Whom Does It Help?” It was also criticized over publishing a story and video that was compared to a Biden campaign video in 2020, and downplaying the Hunter Biden laptop controversy that rocked the 2020 presidential campaign in its waning days.  “I have monitored the agency’s bureaucracy along with many of its reporters and concluded that it has essentially become a hubris-filled rogue operation often reflecting a leftist bias aligned with partisan national media,” a former VOA employee wrote in an op-ed last year calling for the outlet’s dismantling. “It has sought to avoid accountability for violations of journalistic standards and mismanagement.”

El Salvador takes in hundreds of Venezuelan gang members from US, even as judge moves to block deportations

El Salvador takes in hundreds of Venezuelan gang members from US, even as judge moves to block deportations

The president of El Salvador announced his country has accepted hundreds of Venezuelan gang members who were illegally living in the United States, as a U.S. judge moved to block deportations of illegal immigrants under a wartime law invoked by President Donald Trump.  “Today, the first 238 members of the Venezuelan criminal organization, Tren de Aragua, arrived in our country. They were immediately transferred to CECOT, the Terrorism Confinement Center, for a period of one year (renewable),” El Salvador President Nayib Bukele posted to X on Sunday morning, accompanied by video footage of planes on a tarmac.  “On this occasion, the U.S. has also sent us 23 MS-13 members wanted by Salvadoran justice, including two ringleaders. One of them is a member of the criminal organization’s highest structure,” he added.  Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan-connected gang that has infiltrated communities in states such as Colorado and Texas, while MS-13 is a Los Angeles-founded gang with ties to El Salvador that has deep roots in California and other states such as Maryland. The State Department designated both gangs as foreign terrorist organizations last month.  EL SALVADOR AGREES TO ACCEPT US DEPORTEES OF ANY NATIONALITY FOLLOWING MEETING WITH RUBIO Secretary of State Marco Rubio celebrated the Salvadoran president as “the strongest security leader in our region” and “a great friend of the U.S.” for accepting the criminal illegal aliens.  “We have sent 2 dangerous top MS-13 leaders plus 21 of its most wanted back to face justice in El Salvador. Also, as promised by @POTUS, we sent over 250 alien enemy members of Tren de Aragua which El Salvador has agreed to hold in their very good jails at a fair price that will also save our taxpayer dollars. President @nayibbukele is not only the strongest security leader in our region, he’s also a great friend of the U.S. Thank you!” Rubio posted to X.  RUBIO HEADS TO PANAMA, LATIN AMERICA TO PURSUE TRUMP’S ‘GOLDEN AGE’ AGENDA The deportations of the gang members come as U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered the Trump administration to halt its deportations of illegal immigrants under a wartime powers act that President Donald Trump invoked on Friday to target Tren de Aragua members in the U.S.  The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 allows deportation of natives and citizens of an enemy nation without a hearing, and has been invoked three times before, including, during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II. Boasberg ordered on Saturday that the Trump administration is barred from using the wartime powers act to deport the illegal aliens. He added that he heard “flights are actively departing” and ordered them to return.  The planes of the violent gang members, however, arrived in El Salvador this weekend, with Bukele responding to news of Boasberg’s order, “Oopsie… too late,” accompanied by a laughing emoji.  Bukele offered to take illegal immigrants of any nationality facing deportation in the U.S. back in February, offering to book the illegal aliens in his country’s notorious prison system.  “We can send them, and he will put them in his jails,” Rubio told reporters back in February of Bukele’s offer “And, he’s also offered to do the same for dangerous criminals currently in custody and serving their sentences in the United States, even though they’re U.S. citizens or legal residents.” TRUMP CONGRATULATES BITCOINERS — EL SALVADOR’S NAYIB BUKELE TAKES VICTORY LAP WITH BITCOIN OVER 100K El Salavador’s CECOT prison is known as the nation’s most notorious prison. The prison, which can hold 40,000 inmates, was built to house gang members in a country that held one of the highest murder rates in the world before the violence dropped in recent history. Prisoners at CECOT are blocked from receiving visitors, can only attend hearings virtually, while the prison itself blocks any cell signal to ensure gang members cannot contact criminals still on the street, various media reports have detailed.  EL SALVADOR PRESIDENT RIPS FBI TRUMP RAID, QUESTIONS WHAT US GOV’T WOULD SAY IF HIS POLICE TARGETED CANDIDATES “The United States will pay a very low fee for them, but a high one for us. Over time, these actions, combined with the production already being generated by more than 40,000 inmates engaged in various workshops and labor under the Zero Idleness program, will help make our prison system self-sustainable. As of today, it costs $200 million per year,” Bukele added on X on Sunday.  “As always, we continue advancing in the fight against organized crime. But this time, we are also helping our allies, making our prison system self-sustainable, and obtaining vital intelligence to make our country an even safer place. All in a single action. May God bless El Salvador, and may God bless the United States.” Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report. 

Democrats’ favorable ratings drop to record low in new national poll

Democrats’ favorable ratings drop to record low in new national poll

The Democratic Party’s favorable ratings are falling to new lows, according to a new national poll. Just 29% of those questioned in a CNN poll released on Sunday say they have a favorable view of the party, with 54% holding an unfavorable view. That’s a record low in CNN polling dating back more than three decades.  The Democrats’ favorability has dropped four points since early January, ahead of the start of President Donald Trump’s second tour of duty in the White House, and it’s a plunge of 20 points from January 2021, just ahead of the start of former President Joe Biden’s term in office. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING Just 63% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents questioned in the survey said they hold a favorable view of the party, down from 72% in January and down from 81% four years ago, at the start of the Biden administration. The Democratic Party is in the political wilderness, following last November’s election setbacks, when Republicans won back control of the White House and the Senate, and defended their fragile House majority. According to the CNN poll, the favorable rating for the GOP stands at 36%, with 48% holding an unfavorable view of the Republican Party. The GOP’s favorable rating is unchanged from January, with the unfavorable rating up four points. The new survey by CNN, conducted March 6-9 by SSRS, follows a Quinnipiac University national poll last month that made headlines by indicating the Democrats’ favorability had also hit an all-time low in their surveys dating back to 2009. The new CNN survey also indicates that by a 57%-42% margin, Democrats say their leaders should mostly work to stop the GOP agenda rather than to try and find common ground with Republicans. That’s a shift from polling at the start of Trump’s first term in office, when nearly three-quarters of Democrats said their party should work with Republicans. The poll was conducted before the move last week by 10 Democrats in the Senate, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to vote in favor of a GOP-crafted federal government spending bill that averted a government shutdown. The move infuriated many on the left, who want their party to take a tougher stand in resisting Trump’s agenda. The poll also asked respondents to name the political leader who they feel “best reflects the core values” of the party. Ten percent of Democratic-aligned adults name Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, with 9% saying former Vice President Kamala Harris, 8% offering progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and 6% naming Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the top Democrat in the House. More than three in 10 did not offer a response.