Oscar win brings hope to Palestinians in Masafer Yatta
Just last week, Israeli troops tore down a Palestinian family’s shed in Masafer Yatta, a remote, hilly corner at the southern edge of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It was the latest instance of destruction targeting a collection of hamlets whose population is threatened with expulsion. Over the weekend, Masafer Yatta residents cheered the Oscar win of a documentary, No Other Land, which depicts life in the beleaguered community, and hoped it would bring them some help. No Other Land follows Palestinian activist Basel Adra, as he risks arrest to document the destruction of Masafer Yatta West Bank, joined by his co-director, Israeli journalist and filmmaker Yuval Abraham. The joint Palestinian-Israeli production has won a string of international awards, starting at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2024. Five years in the making, it gained greater resonance amid Israel’s genocide in Gaza, as well as increasing raids in the West Bank that have caused the displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians. Advertisement In al-Tuwaneh, one of the hamlets that make up Masafer Yatta, Salem Adra said his family stayed up all night for the Oscar ceremony. They watched as his older brother, Basel, the film’s co-director, came on stage to accept the award for the best documentary. “It was such a huge surprise, such joy,” he said. Salem said he hoped the Oscar win “opens the world’s eyes to what’s happening here in Masafer Yatta”. “It’s a win for all of Palestine and for everyone who lives in Masafer Yatta,” he said. Since the film was first released, he said, threats and pressure against his family have increased. Their car has been stoned by the settlers. After the movie won an award at the Berlin International Film Festival a year ago, the military returned over and over to the family, and once detained his father, searching his phone and asking: “Why are you filming?” The Israeli military designated Masafer Yatta as a live-fire training zone in the 1980s and ordered residents, mostly Arab Bedouin, to be expelled. Israel said the Bedouin did not have permanent structures in the area. But families say they have lived and herded their sheep and goats across the area long before Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 war. After a 20-year legal battle by residents, Israel’s Supreme Court upheld the expulsion order in 2022. But about 1,000 residents have largely remained in place, as Israeli troops regularly demolish homes, tents, water tanks and olive orchards. Palestinians fear outright expulsion could come at any time. Advertisement In his acceptance speech on Sunday night, Basel called on the world “to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people”. He said he hoped his newborn daughter would “not have to live the same life I am living now … Always feeling settler violence, home demolitions and forceful displacement.” Adblock test (Why?)
Can Trump legally force US universities to silence protests?
United States President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to target US universities that are hubs of student protests, from even before his election in November. Since he was sworn in on January 20, he has taken steps to back his plans, including executive orders. On Monday, he launched a new tirade, threatening to halt federal funding for schools, colleges, and universities if they allow “illegal protests”. Trump took to his Truth Social platform to deliver his newest threat, one that includes a promise to imprison “agitators”. “Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on the crime, arrested,” Trump wrote. But who is he targeting, what has Trump done so far, can he compel universities to act against student protesters, and how might higher education institutions respond? Who are the intended targets? US Ambassador to the UN Elise Stefanik shared Trump’s remarks in a post on X, saying “antisemitism and anti-Israel hate will not be tolerated on American campuses”, confirming that pro-Palestinian protesters and speech critical of Israel are the targets of the president’s threat. Under President @realDonaldTrump, colleges and universities will be held accountable. Antisemitism and anti-Israel hate will not be tolerated on American campuses. Promises made, promises kept. @POTUS @realDonaldTrump @WhiteHouse pic.twitter.com/h9nq1gVJRO — Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) March 4, 2025 Advertisement Trump’s announcement comes after he signed a series of executive orders in January targeting alleged anti-Semitism on campuses. In one directive, he pledged to deport foreign university students and staff involved in pro-Palestinian protests as part of the crackdown. He also created a task force through the Attorney General’s office devoted to combating alleged anti-Semitic speech, investigating universities that do not do enough to crack down on such speech. The orders and threats come months after huge pro-Palestine, student-led protests swept the country last spring as Israel’s genocide raged in Gaza. Students demanded an end to Israel’s military offensive, an end to US support for Israel, and for their universities to divest from companies with ties to Israel. Columbia University was widely seen as the epicentre of the protests, which resulted in mass arrests and student suspensions, ending in the resignation of the university’s president, Minouche Shafik, several months later. The demonstrations also spread to other universities including Harvard, Yale, and the University of California. Can Trump legally compel universities to stop protests? “It’s complicated,” said Jenin Younis, a civil liberties and free speech lawyer. “It’s hard to say that the tweet itself is unlawful, since it alone isn’t enforceable,” Younis told Al Jazeera of Trump’s latest post threatening funding. “So, it depends how the administration executes this particular threat, and it has not yet given details.” Advertisement Radhika Sainath, a senior lawyer at Palestine Legal, a US-based nonprofit, said the executive orders aren’t binding rules for universities to follow. “This executive order sets up a framework to encourage – but not require – schools to spy on and report their non-citizen students and staff,” Sainath told Al Jazeera. “As far as we can tell, these will be non-binding guidelines with no enforcement power or pressure.” Still, Trump’s directives are extremely concerning, experts said. “The strength of these orders lies in their chilling effect,” Younes said, adding they are clearly intended to silence First Amendment-protected speech. Fearing consequences, some universities may voluntarily clamp down on speech they believe will subject them to funding cuts, she said, and pressure students and professors alike into silence. Universities received $60bn in funding for research and development in 2023, constituting 55 percent of their total budget for science and engineering research. According to Sainath, this is the “most significant escalation in McCarthyite tactics from the Executive Branch regarding Palestine since October 7, [2023]”. Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man, director of research for Israel-Palestine at the nonprofit DAWN, says Trump’s threats are a “twisted new form of transnational repression”. “Restricting free speech and expression by cutting state funds, or more accurately, creating a chilling effect by threatening to do so, is a hallmark of autocratic takeovers,” Omer-Man told Al Jazeera, adding that in his view, such tactics can be “as effective as outlawing unpopular political views outright”. Advertisement Were universities targeted under Biden’s administration? Yes. Universities that witnessed pro-Palestine protests across the country were also targeted in multiple ways under former US President Joe Biden, who was critical of the student encampments. University heads had tried, and largely failed, to quell the demonstrations, which often saw the police intervening violently, with videos emerging from different states showing hundreds of students and even faculty members being arrested. In Columbia University, several deans resigned, as well as Shafik, who stepped down as president after she was summoned to a congressional committee over allegations the university had failed to protect students and staff from rising anti-Semitism. After the questioning, Shafik allowed police into campus to arrest the students and was faced with angry calls to resign. Trump now appears to be doubling down on targeting universities and students. He is “escalating the crackdown” on the Palestine movement and attempting to undermine the students’ and staff’s constitutional rights to speak out and organise, Sainath said. Will the threats work? Not on protesters, according to the experts. Omer-Man said the unprecedented support for Palestine on US campuses was “so powerful precisely because students and faculty already faced consequences for speaking out against Israeli apartheid and stood up anyway”. Students have continued to speak up for Palestine ever since Trump unveiled his executive orders. Advertisement Universities, though, are under pressure. This week, Columbia University was forced to reiterate its commitment to “combating antiSemitism” after Trump’s administration said it could pull more than $50m in contracts between the university and the federal government. A statement by federal agencies cited the school’s “ongoing inaction in the face of relentless harassment of Jewish students”. However, Omer-Man said young Americans have “never been dissuaded by violent attempts to bury the nation’s conscience”. Sainath agreed. “Students – and faculty – are
Zambia government’s neglect exposing more children to lead poison, HRW says
Report says more than 95 percent of children in the central town of Kabwe had elevated levels of lead in their blood. The failure of Zambia’s government to intervene against “blatant violations” of environmental laws is worsening the exposure of a high number of children to severe health risks, mostly lead poisoning, at a shuttered mining site in the country’s central region, warns a new report. The Human Rights Watch report published on Wednesday said Zambia is allowing South African, Chinese and domestic mining companies to continue to operate in the lead-contaminated town of Kabwe, where residents are already reeling from decades of toxic lead exposure. Kabwe, about 150km (95 miles) north of capital Lusaka, is one of the world’s most polluted places after decades of lead and zinc mining. “Companies are profiting in Kabwe from mining, removing, and processing lead waste at the expense of children’s health,” HRW’s children’s rights director Juliane Kippenberg said, adding that more than 95 percent of children in the area had elevated blood lead levels. Kabwe’s mine was shut in 1994, yet the government is still “facilitating hazardous mining and processing” in the area by a subsidiary of the multinational mining company Anglo American, HRW said in its 67-page report, leaving an estimated 6.4 million tonnes of uncovered lead waste in dumps. Advertisement Nearly 200,000 people, many of them women and children, have been exposed to the contamination, the rights group said, urging the government to revoke the permits of mining companies and clean up the pollution hazard. The government of Zambia has yet to respond to the report. Highly sought for industry, lead is nevertheless a particularly toxic metal that can cause severe health problems including brain damage and death, particularly in children, according to the World Health Organization. More than 95 percent of children living near the Kabwe mine had elevated blood lead levels with about half requiring urgent treatment, the HRW report said. The concentration of lead in the soil had reached 60,000mg per kg (0.95oz per lb), according to the report, 300 times the threshold considered a hazard by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. In 2022, a UN expert listed Kabwe as being among so-called “sacrifice zones” where pollution and resultant health issues were the norm for nearby communities. “The Zambian government should be protecting people from highly hazardous activities, not enabling them,” said Kippenberg. Adblock test (Why?)
Rep. Greg Casar and Elon Musk bring Texas clash to D.C. stage
From Austin city council to the halls of Congress, this lawmaker has been increasingly critical of Musk, saying the billionaire receives special treatment and has conflicts of interest.
U.S. Supreme Court takes up Texas nuclear waste disposal case
The case could establish the nation’s first independent repository for spent nuclear fuel in West Texas, despite the objections of state leaders.
Hemp industry pushes back against Senate bill to ban THC
There is little doubt that a ban will sail through the Senate. But its prospects are far less certain in the House.
Trump says America would welcome Greenland during joint address to Congress
President Donald Trump continued pushing the idea of America acquiring Greenland on Tuesday night, devoting a small portion of his speech to the topic while delivering remarks before a joint session of Congress. Trump declared that the U.S. would welcome the people of Greenland if they decided to join America. “And I also have a message tonight for the incredible people of Greenland. We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America,” Trump declared. TRUMP PROMISES ‘THIS WILL BE OUR GREATEST ERA’ IN JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS He said that the U.S. needs the island “for national security and even international security.” Trump promised that such a union would bring both security and prosperity to Greenland. “We will keep you safe. We will make you rich. And together we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before,” he said. TRUMP PROMISES ‘THIS WILL BE OUR GREATEST ERA’ IN JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS While Trump has previously advocated the idea, it was notable that he chose to wade into the issue during his address on Tuesday. “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” Trump declared in a December Truth Social post. In a January post, Trump declared, “Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation. We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside World. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!” FETTERMAN OPEN TO POTENTIAL GREENLAND ACQUISITION, DECLARES SUPPORT FOR LAKEN RILEY ACT CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP According to the official website of Denmark, “Greenland has its own extensive local government, but it is also part of the Realm of Denmark.”
House Minority Leader Jeffries describes Trump’s address to Congress as ‘most divisive’ in American history
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who encouraged his fellow Democrats to attend President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday, described the speech as “the most divisive” in American history after its conclusion. Jeffries, D-N.Y., said the president “did not try to unite the country” nor did he address “serious economic challenges facing everyday Americans.” “Instead, President Trump promoted the reckless Republican budget that sets up the largest cut to Medicaid in our country’s history. Democrats will continue to fight hard to make life better for the people, and together we will get through this turbulent moment,” the top House Democrat said in a statement. Trump’s speech, which lasted about an hour and 39 minutes, addressed a range of topics, from his administration’s fight against the illegal immigrant crisis to more touching moments where the president honored special guests in the chamber. HOUSE DEM LEADER HAKEEM JEFFRIES SAYS HE PLANS TO ATTEND TRUMP’S SPEECH: ‘DIGNIFIED DEMOCRATIC PRESENCE’ In a post-speech interview, Jeffries accused Trump and his administration of “repeatedly” lying and making things about him and “never about the American people.” “It’s always about him and never about the American people. This is why the economy is crashing. Things haven’t gotten better. They’re getting worse,” Jeffries said, adding that “the free world is falling apart because Donald Trump is playing footsie with Vladimir Putin.” In his criticism, Jefferies heavily focused on Trump assuring Americans that funding for social security, Medicaid and Medicare will not be cut unless fraud or abuse is detected, describing those promises made by the president and the Republican Party as lies. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP CONCLUDES REMARKS AFTER DECLARING ‘AMERICA’S MOMENTUM IS BACK’ “They’re going to go after Social Security benefits. I think that was clear after this speech. And we know that they are proposing the largest Medicaid cut in American history that’s going to hurt children, hurt families, hurt people with disabilities, shut down hospitals and close nursing homes,” Jeffries said, referencing proposed tax cuts. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has previously stated that Republicans are “not talking about in any way reducing benefits” for the programs Jeffries is concerned about. “What we’re talking about is efficiencies in the programs to make them work better for the people who receive those benefits and to make them longer lasting to sustain the programs,” Johnson said. The Democratic leader did not share any praise for the president’s speech, despite there being some moments that would seemingly be celebrated by all, such as swearing a 13-year-old cancer survivor in as an honorary Secret Service agent and telling a high school senior his application to West Point was accepted. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Jeffries did not publicly comment on anything specific besides his concerns about potential cuts to government programs in his post-speech interview, but he did criticize the “Republican agenda” as a whole multiple times. “What’s going to move this country back in the right direction is for the American people to fully understand the implications of this very divisive and extreme agenda that is being unleashed on the American people,” Jeffries said, in part.
Trump calls out federal workers not showing up to the office, says it’s time to drain ‘the swamp’
President Donald Trump said his administration called out the hundreds of thousands of federal workers who do not show up to work, saying it was time to drain “the swamp.” “We have hundreds of thousands of federal workers who have not been showing up to work,” Trump said while speaking at the U.S. Capitol Tuesday night. “My administration will reclaim power from this unaccountable bureaucracy, and we will restore true democracy to America again. “And any federal bureaucrat who resists this change will be removed from office immediately,” he added. “Because we are draining the swamp. It’s very simple. And the days of rule by unelected bureaucrats are over.” The Trump administration offered buyouts for nearly two million federal employees, including those who work remotely, as part of Trump’s efforts to get employees back into the office. Originally they only had until Feb. 6 to opt in. TRUMP TO SIGN MEMO LIFTING BIDEN’S LAST-MINUTE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS Under the buyout offer, employees will stop working early March and receive pay benefits through Sept. 30. The White House confirmed to Fox News Digital that numbers had climbed to 75,000 as of Thursday morning. It previously said it expected 200,000 people to accept the offer. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFERS BUYOUTS TO FEDERAL EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING REMOTE WORKERS: ‘DEFERRED RESIGNATION’ During Trump’s first week in office, he issued several directives to the federal workforce, including a requirement that remote employees must return to in-person work. The American Federation of Government Employees and two other unions filed a complaint, claiming the buyout offer was “arbitrary and capricious” and violates federal law. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The unions allege the administration cannot guarantee the plan will be funded and has failed to consider the consequences of mass resignations, including how it may affect the government’s ability to function.
GOP rebels head to White House for meeting to avoid government shutdown
A group of House conservatives are heading to the White House Wednesday to discuss the path forward for avoiding a partial government shutdown. “It’s a meeting with the House Freedom Caucus leadership, and then a few of the people who philosophically share our feelings about the fiscal situation,” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told Fox News Digital. “And we’re going to hear what the president has to say.” Fresh off an internal battle that ended with House Republicans taking the first step to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda through the budget reconciliation process, GOP lawmakers are facing another looming fiscal fight. Congressional negotiators have punted fiscal year 2025 government funding talks twice since the new fiscal year began Oct. 1, 2024. They did so by passing a continuing resolution, a short-term funding patch to extend current federal spending levels. TRUMP FIRES 17 GOVERNMENT WATCHDOGS AT VARIOUS FEDERAL AGENCIES Congress could risk a partial government shutdown on Trump’s watch if nothing is done by the end of March 14. To avoid that, however, GOP leaders are looking to pass another continuing resolution, this time through the end of fiscal year 2025. But Democrats and Republicans are at an impasse over the left’s demands that the resolution include assurances that Trump will not overstep Congress and spend less money than what’s appropriated. Democratic votes have been critical to passing every continuing resolution since Republicans took the House in January 2023. And with a razor-thin majority, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can lose few votes to pass anything with just GOP support. FEDERAL JUDGE HINTS SHE WILL CONTINUE BLOCKING TRUMP FROM FIRING HEAD OF WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION AGENCY Trump has spoken out on the matter, calling on Republicans to pass a “clean” extension of last year’s funds through the end of the fiscal year. Republican leaders are hoping that will be enough to sway conservatives and other GOP lawmakers who normally are, on principle, opposed to continuing resolutions. It is why several such lawmakers will be at the White House Wednesday. “I’m hopeful we can get this off the ground,” Harris said. “But, again, it’s going to involve all hands on deck in the Republican conference in the House.” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., another House Freedom Caucus member who normally opposes continuing resolutions, suggested he may be open to supporting this latest bid. Norman, who will be at the White House Wednesday, was hopeful Trump’s push to cut government waste represented a new chapter that could allow for Republicans opposed to a continuing resolution to feel comfortable crossing that line. “I will be part of the group, and we’ll be talking with the president,” Norman said. “It’s real important to keep his momentum going. It’s a new day with the DOGE cuts. (Continuing resolutions) a lot of us don’t like. We haven’t voted for them in the past. Today is different, and I think we’ll pass the vote. “If we have to get Democrats, that’s not a good sign. And I don’t think we have to, nor should we. And there’s no one better to sell a program or a point of view than Donald Trump.” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, declined to say if he would attend the meeting but said he was supportive of Trump’s stance on a continuing resolution. Roy, the House Freedom Caucus policy chair, has become a de facto liaison between Republican leaders and the most hawkish members of the House GOP Conference. “I have publicly said that I’m happy to support the president’s request to have a (continuing resolution) the next six months, provided that it’s clean, provided that it is at current levels or below,” Roy said. “I’m not going to talk about private meetings and what I’ve been invited to, but let’s say I’m in close contact with the White House.”