Business Sentiment
Sentiment Legend:
Negative < 44
Mixed 46-54
Positive > 56
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Police form a line in front of supporters of Calin Georgescu who were protesting after Romania’s electoral body rejected his candidacy in the presidential election rerun in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Supporters of Calin Georgescu react during a protest after Romania’s electoral body rejected his candidacy in the presidential election rerun in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Calin Georgescu, the winner of the first round of presidential elections, later annulled by the Constitutional Court, speaks to media after registering his new bid for the country’s presidency outside Romania’s Electoral Authority, in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, March 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A supporter of Calin Georgescu reacts during a protest after Romania’s electoral body rejected his candidacy in the presidential election rerun in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Police attempt to extinguish a fire as supporters of Calin Georgescu protested after Romania’s electoral body rejected his candidacy in the presidential election rerun in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A supporter of Calin Georgescu reacts during a protest after Romania’s electoral body rejected his candidacy in the presidential election rerun in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A supporter of Calin Georgescu reacts during a protest after Romania’s electoral body rejected his candidacy in the presidential election rerun in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Police attempt to extinguish a fire as supporters of Calin Georgescu protested after Romania’s electoral body rejected his candidacy in the presidential election rerun in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Supporters of Calin Georgescu react during a protest after Romania’s electoral body rejected his candidacy in the presidential election rerun in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A supporter of Calin Georgescu reacts during a protest after Romania’s electoral body rejected his candidacy in the presidential election rerun in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A supporter of Calin Georgescu reacts during a protest after Romania’s electoral body rejected his candidacy in the presidential election rerun in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Police officers and supporters of Calin Georgescu face of during a protest after Romania’s electoral body rejected his candidacy in the presidential election rerun in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Chaos broke out in Romania’s capital Sunday evening as incensed supporters of the far-right populist Calin Georgescu protested the electoral body’s decision to reject his candidacy in a presidential election redo. He won the first round of last year’s race before a top court annulled the election.
The 62-year-old Georgescu filed his candidacy on Friday in the capital, Bucharest. The Central Election Bureau, also known by its Romanian acronym BEC, had 48 hours to register or reject it.
It wasn’t immediately clear on what grounds his candidacy was rejected, but the BEC said that a full text of its decision would later be published on its website. The decision can be appealed at the Constitutional Court within 24 hours.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside BEC’s headquarters to express anger over its decision, with many waving Romanian flags and chanting: “The last resort is another revolution!” Some protesters threw broken paving stones and other objects at the scores of riot police dispatched to the area, overturned a news vehicle and set a bush ablaze.
Georgescu reacted to the decision Sunday by calling it “a direct blow to the heart of democracy worldwide!”
“I have one message left! If democracy in Romania falls, the entire democratic world will fall! This is just the beginning. It’s that simple!” he said in a post on X. “Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!”
The BEC’s rejection came after Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the first-round results two days before the Dec. 8 runoff, after allegations emerged that Russia had run a coordinated online campaign to promote the outsider, who ran as an independent.
The court’s unprecedented decision plunged the European Union and NATO member country into a protracted political crisis.
Last month, prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against Georgescu, accusing him of “incitement to actions against the constitutional order,” supporting fascist groups and false declarations of electoral campaign funding and asset disclosures.
Before the Nov. 24 election, Georgescu, who is under judicial control and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, had polled in single digits and declared zero campaign spending. Allegations quickly emerged of electoral violations and Russian interference. Moscow denied that it had meddled in the election.
Georgescu has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and questioned Ukraine’s statehood, but says that he’s not pro-Russia.
The first round of the rerun is scheduled for May 4. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the ballots, a runoff will follow on May 18. The deadline for presidential candidacy applications is March 15 at midnight.
George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, who had backed Georgescu’s bid, reacted to the BEC’s decision on Sunday by calling it “a new abuse and a continuation of the coup d’état.”
“Down with Ciolacu, down with the dictators!” he said in a post on Facebook, referring to Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.
Since Romania canceled the election, Georgescu has become a cause célèbre among the far right, with support coming from prominent figures such as U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk, who have both strongly criticized Romania for annulling the vote.
Musk reacted to the BEC decision in a repost of the news on X, saying: “This is crazy!”
Incumbent Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan also filed his candidacy on Friday as an independent under the campaign slogan “Honest Romania.” The BEC registered his candidacy on Sunday.
Crin Antonescu, the joint presidential candidate backed by Romania’s governing coalition — comprised of the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party, and the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party — also registered his presidential bid on Sunday.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the office would carry out the “massive logistical operation” needed to remove Palestinians from Gaza.
JERUSALEM — Israel will open an office under its Defense Ministry to manage the mass displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to other countries, far-right lawmakers said Sunday, as they pitched their mounting effort to depopulate the territory as being closely aligned with President Donald Trump’s own vision to “clean out” and redevelop the enclave.
The formation of the new office, which was not immediately confirmed by the Defense Ministry, would represent a tangible step toward implementing the highly controversial proposal voiced in February by Trump — and cheered on by Israel’s right wing — to remove Gazans, after 15 months of war and intense Israeli bombardment that have left the tiny territory in ruins.
At a public hearing on Sunday in Israel’s Knesset, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the new “Emigration Authority” would be co-led by the Defense Ministry and the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It would receive enough funding to carry out what he envisions as a “massive logistical operation” to find destination countries that will accept and employ Palestinians from Gaza, he said.
More than 2 million people currently live inside the Strip. Smotrich, who visited Washington last week, said he spoke to U.S. officials who backed the plan.
“Various officials in the [Trump] administration told me again and again, ‘We will not allow 2 million Nazis to live just beyond the fence,’” he said, referring to Palestinians. “Not too long ago, it was taboo to speak about people leaving Gaza, but now the people who were crazy are the most realistic,” Smotrich added. “Not only is it realistic, but it’s the only plan that’s realistic.”
The proposal, which would require the forced transfer of at least some of the population, has been likened to ethnic cleansing and has received heavy criticism from Arab countries. Last week, Arab leaders unveiled a competing plan for Gaza’s reconstruction — one that does not include the displacement of Palestinian civilians.
But right-wing Israeli lawmakers and experts who support the plan to remove Palestinians said at Sunday’s hearing that emigration from Gaza would be voluntary and that polls indicate most Gazans would choose to leave the territory if they could. When asked if Palestinians would be allowed to eventually return to Gaza, or if Jewish settlement would be allowed after the population leaves, some demurred.
Simcha Rothman, a lawmaker from the Religious Zionism party led by Smotrich, told reporters that the Arab counterproposal unveiled last week in Cairo is unacceptable to Israel because it would leave Hamas, the militant group that ruled Gaza, in place. The idea from Trump and Israelis to relocate Gaza’s residents abroad is realistic, Rothman argued, because they need jobs and many aging countries around the world need to import young laborers.
The Religious Zionism party, whose supporters often view Gaza as part of the land given to Jews by God and its settlement as a religious duty, has wielded significant influence within Netanyahu’s coalition government and has been one of the major voices calling for a resumption of war against Hamas.
The militant group that governs Gaza led a violent attack on communities in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and abducting more than 250 others. Israel responded with a punishing military operation that destroyed the enclave, displaced the majority of the population and killed more than 48,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority of the dead are women and children.
On Sunday, Israel also announced that it would cut its supply of electricity to Gaza, about a week after a 42-day ceasefire expired March 1. Israel has provided almost no electricity to Gaza since the start of the war, but the largely symbolic announcement was applauded by the far right, which has argued for the near-total elimination of humanitarian aid, fuel and power supplies to ramp up pressure on Hamas and Palestinian civilians.
Several right-wing lawmakers said Sunday that the Gaza war presented a rare opportunity that must be seized by Israel.
“Things that seemed impossible for many years are now completely legitimate topics for policy initiatives,” said Yuli Edelstein, a Knesset member and the chair of the “Land of Israel” caucus, who has called for the annexation of Palestinian territory by Israel.
“We must not squander the opportunity to take the right steps toward the new Middle East we are discussing,” Edelstein said.
Alon Rom in Tel Aviv contributed to this report.
Humanitarian groups and some Arab nations, including mediators Qatar and Egypt, condemned Israel’s decision Sunday to halt the entry of all aid into war-battered Gaza. Follow live updates on the ceasefire and the hostages remaining in Gaza.
The Israel-Gaza war: On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas militants launched an unprecedented cross-border attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking civilian hostages. Israel declared war on Hamas in response, launching a ground invasion that fueled the biggest displacement in the region since Israel’s creation in 1948. In July 2024, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an attack Hamas has blamed on Israel.
Hezbollah: In late 2024, Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire deal, bringing a tenuous halt to more than a year of hostilities that included an Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon. Israel’s airstrikes into Lebanon had been intense and deadly, killing over 1,400 people including Hasan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s longtime leader. The Israel-Lebanon border has a history of violence that dates back to Israel’s founding.
Gaza crisis: In the Gaza Strip, Israel has waged one of this century’s most destructive wars, killing tens of thousands and plunging at least half of the population into “famine-like conditions.” For months, Israel has resisted pressure from Western allies to allow more humanitarian aid into the enclave.
U.S. involvement: Despite tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some U.S. politicians, including former President Joe Biden, the United States supports Israel with weapons, funds aid packages, and has vetoed or abstained from the United Nations’ ceasefire resolutions.
Humanitarian officials say move could hit already meagre water supply, as ceasefire talks grow increasingly chaotic
Israel is to cut off any remaining electricity supplies to Gaza in an apparent attempt to ramp up pressure on Hamas amid increasingly chaotic multi-track negotiations over the fragile ceasefire in the territory.
The potential consequences of the Israeli decision for the 2.3 million residents of the devastated Palestinian territory are unclear, as most rely on diesel-fuelled generators for power.
But humanitarian officials in Gaza contacted on Sunday afternoon said they thought the two functioning desalination plants would be forced to shut down, reducing the already meagre supply of clean water. Others have suggested the remaining sewage treatment plant could be affected.
In a video announcing the directive, Eli Cohen, Israel’s energy minister, said that Israel would use “all means available … to ensure the return of all Israeli hostages” and that Hamas would not remain in Gaza after the war.
Israel is seeking to force Hamas to accept an extension until mid-April of the first phase of the ceasefire, which came into effect in mid-January but ended formally last weekend. Israel has already cut off all supplies of goods to the territory, claiming that Hamas was stealing aid and profiting from its distribution.
Israel has also intensified strikes in Gaza, while military officials have briefed local and international journalists that preparations for a major offensive are under way.
There are daily reports of casualties inflicted by Israeli warplanes, drones or artillery.
On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out an airstrike in northern Gaza, which a spokesperson said was aimed at militants “attempting to plant an explosive device in the ground in northern Gaza” near Israeli troops.
A day earlier, an airstrike in Rafah in southern Gaza targeted a drone that entered the territory from Israel and a group of suspected militants, according to the IDF.
Israel wants Hamas to release more of the 58 hostages the group and its allies in Gaza are believed to be holding. Fewer than half are thought to still be alive. Hamas has rejected any extension and wants an immediate start to negotiations on the ceasefire’s second phase, which aims to bring a permanent end to the war and was supposed to directly follow the first phase.
Representatives of the group met mediators in Cairo over the weekend, emphasising the urgent need to resume humanitarian aid deliveries to the territory “without restrictions or conditions”.
“We call on mediators in Egypt and Qatar, as well as the guarantors in the US administration, to ensure that [Israel] complies with the agreement … and proceeds with the second phase according to the agreed-upon terms,” the Hamas spokesperson, Hazem Qassem, told Agence France-Presse.
Hamas’s key demands for the second phase include further releases of Palestinians held in Israeli jails in exchange for hostages, a complete withdrawal of Israel from Gaza, a permanent ceasefire and the lifting of the Israeli blockade.
The office of Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, said it would send delegates to Doha on Monday to join talks on continuing the ceasefire in one form or another.
Complicating the picture further are unprecedented direct talks between the US and Hamas aimed primarily at freeing five US citizens among the hostages still held by Hamas. Only one is thought to be still alive.
The US envoy involved in the direct talks, which were revealed by US-based media last week, described on Sunday his meeting with Hamas as “very helpful” and said he was confident a hostage release deal could be reached “within weeks”. Speaking to CNN, Adam Boehler acknowledged it had been “odd” sitting face to face with leaders of a militant Islamist group that the US has listed as a terrorist organisation since 1997, but did not rule out further meetings.
Boehler said he understood Israel’s “consternation” that the US had held talks with the group, but said he had been seeking to jump-start the “fragile” negotiations. “I think something could come together within weeks … I think there is a deal where they can get all of the prisoners out, not just the Americans,” he added.
January’s truce paused more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza in which virtually the entire population was displaced, swaths of the territory were reduced to rubble and more than 48,000 people, mostly civilians, were killed by Israel’s military offensive. The war was triggered by Hamas’s surprise attack into Israel in October 2023, in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 hostages taken.
The six-week first phase of the ceasefire led to the exchange of 25 living Israeli hostages and the remains of eight others, for the release of about 1,800 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. It also allowed much-needed food, shelter and medical assistance to re-enter Gaza.
Since Israel subsequently cut off the aid flow, UN rights experts accused the government of “weaponising starvation”.
Last week, Donald Trump threatened further destruction of Gaza if all remaining hostages were not released, issuing what he called a “last warning” to Hamas leaders. The US president caused outrage in February when he said the US wanted to oversee the mass displacement of Palestinians in Gaza to allow the territory to be reconstructed as the “riviera of the Middle East”. On Sunday Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s far-right finance minister, said that proposal was “taking shape”.
Smotrich said the government was planning to establish a “migration directorate” to assist residents of Gaza who wanted to leave the territory permanently.
Arab leaders have proposed an alternative plan under which Gaza’s reconstruction would be financed through a trust fund, with the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority returning to govern the territory.
At a weekend rally in Tel Aviv, family members of Israeli hostages demanded their government fully implement the ceasefire. “The war could resume in a week,” Einav Zangauker, the mother of Matan Zangauker, told the crowd. “The war won’t bring the hostages back home. It will kill them.”
Claudia Sheinbaum has twice persuaded Trump to postpone tariffs. The low-key scientist’s success is helping her step out of her predecessor’s shadow.
MEXICO CITY — Tens of thousands of Mexicans poured into the country’s most important plaza on Sunday to cheer President Claudia Sheinbaum after she succeeded in one of the most daunting challenges in global politics: negotiating with Donald Trump.
The U.S. president on Thursday backed down on his plans to impose 25 percent tariffs on all Mexican and Canadian products “out of respect for President Sheinbaum,” he said. It was the second time in two months that the Mexican leader won a delay of the penalties.
Supporters of Sheinbaum’s party, top business leaders and ordinary citizens packed the capital’s iconic Zócalo on Sunday, chanting “Mexico! Mexico!” in a sign of how the nation’s first female president has unified the population. Sheinbaum’s approval rating leaped from 70 percent when she took office in October to 85 percent last month, according to a poll by the newspaper El Financiero.
Politicians around the world, including the leaders of Ukraine, Colombia and Canada, have been upended in the riptide of Trump’s wrath. Sheinbaum, in contrast, has emerged from her encounters with the U.S. president “looking even and measured,” said Carin Zissis, a fellow at the Mexico Institute of the Wilson Center in Washington. “It has given her a global presence that is distinct.”
Sheinbaum has made significant concessions to Trump, sending 10,000 more troops to the border to deter fentanyl shipments and illegal migration — his stated reason for imposing the tariffs. She handed over 29 drug-cartel operatives in a massive operation involving 20 jets. But she hasn’t hesitated to challenge him, either.
“We cannot cede our sovereignty,” Sheinbaum told the massive, flag-waving crowd. “Nor can we let our people be hurt by decisions that foreign governments or powers make.”
As she has navigated Mexico’s most important bilateral relationship, analysts say, Sheinbaum has shaken off the image that she is merely a dutiful protégée of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the founder of their leftist Morena party.
Sheinbaum still faces enormous challenges. Trump may call her a “very wonderful woman,” but his administration hasn’t ruled out U.S. military strikes on fentanyl targets in Mexico. He could cripple Mexico’s export-reliant economy with recurrent tariff threats and pressure on auto manufacturers to relocate to the United States.
“The uncertainty and volatility are going to remain,” said Julián Ventura, a former senior Foreign Ministry official. But Sheinbaum is among a handful of leaders — including Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer — who have built a constructive dialogue with Trump, Ventura said, adding: “It’s a win.”
Sheinbaum’s diplomatic skill has surprised Mexicans who viewed her mainly as López Obrador’s handpicked successor.
It’s not that Sheinbaum lacked her own political credentials — she served as Mexico City mayor and won June’s presidential election by just over 30 percentage points.
But she has been criticized as a brainy technocrat who moved in lockstep with López Obrador, even imitating his country-boy drawl. The Mexican constitution prohibits presidents from seeking reelection. Nonetheless, López Obrador, known by his initials, AMLO, still wields enormous influence in the Morena party.
Analysts questioned whether Sheinbaum could replicate López Obrador’s friendly relationship with Trump. The two men sit at opposite ends of the political spectrum, but they bonded as charismatic founders of antiestablishment movements.
Sheinbaum, in contrast, is a low-key scientist with a Ph.D. in energy engineering. She can be so unemotional that her main rival in the presidential race, Xóchitl Gálvez, dubbed her the “Ice Lady.”
How has Sheinbaum succeeded with Trump?
She says she has benefited from AMLO’s warm relationship with the U.S. leader. But she has brought her own strengths to the job. She prepares rigorously for calls with Trump, aides say, consulting her cabinet ministers, business leaders and others, and studying the U.S. president’s statements. She doesn’t take umbrage at his insults, they say, and instead calmly lays out facts.
For example, after Trump said that he would go ahead with the 25 percent tariffs on March 4, alleging a lack of progress by Mexico and Canada on stopping cross-border fentanyl shipments, Sheinbaum sent him a graphic with data from the Department of Homeland Security. It showed U.S. seizures at the southern border plummeting since October. Less fentanyl was reaching the United States because it was being stopped in Mexico, Sheinbaum told Trump.
“He didn’t know about this graphic until we sent it to him,” she later told reporters.
In another call, Sheinbaum told Trump about the Mexican government’s publicity campaign to discourage fentanyl use. Trump was impressed. “You know, I make so many calls, and I never learn anything from anybody,” the U.S. president said last month. “And I spoke to this woman, as soon as she said it … I said, ‘Exactly, what a great idea.’” He soon announced a multimillion-dollar campaign of his own.
In both cases, the reality is a bit more complicated than how Sheinbaum portrayed it. Analysts say there are any number of possible reasons for the reduction in U.S. fentanyl seizures, including infighting in the Sinaloa cartel, a main trafficker of the opioid.
As for the ad campaign against fentanyl, it was largely designed to impress the U.S. government, said one prominent Morena official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment. Mexico has no fentanyl-use epidemic.
Still, Sheinbaum has also made politically risky moves to assuage Trump’s concerns, starting when he first threatened to impose tariffs in early February. She has roughly doubled military forces at the U.S. border and handed over the 29 cartel leaders in an operation that legal scholars said violated Mexican law. Mexico has taken back not just its own migrants but also people from other countries deported from the United States.
Sheinbaum has proved to have a good sense of timing. While Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has quickly announced tit-for-tat tariffs following the U.S. threats, Sheinbaum has held off each time, seeking dialogue. As U.S. stock markets plunged and retailers warned of higher prices, the pressure mounted on Trump to call off the measures.
The Mexican government “built off that pressure without having to actually put out their own measures,” said John Creamer, a former senior U.S. diplomat in Mexico. The result? The Mexicans “don’t get Trump’s ire, the way the Canadians do.”
Morena holds majorities in both houses of Congress and a virtual lock on power, thanks largely to López Obrador’s popularity. Now, analysts say, Sheinbaum is coming into her own.
When asked in the February poll who exercises the most power in Mexico, 49 percent of respondents answered Sheinbaum, while only 11 percent answered López Obrador. (Roughly one-fourth of Mexicans replied “organized crime.”)
Sheinbaum’s expulsion of the 29 drug traffickers was a pivotal moment, political analyst Carlos Heredia said. “With this action, she essentially slammed her fist on the table and said, ‘I’m in command,’” he said.
Still, Mexico is probably facing a difficult period, with a slowing economy and growing wariness among investors. They have been spooked not just by possible tariffs but also by a judicial reform backed by Sheinbaum that is likely to reduce the independence of Mexico’s courts, analysts say.
Sheinbaum scheduled Sunday’s rally to announce her countermeasures to Trump’s tariffs. Once they were postponed, it turned into a victory celebration.
Luis Ramirez, 74, an electrician from Michoacán state who attended, said Sheinbaum “has all of our support.” But the negotiations with Trump continue. “As our president said, we need to stay serene and patient — very patient,” he said.
Valentina Muñoz Castillo contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Some relatives of hostages and their supporters woke up outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on Sunday, after sleeping in tents there. They demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza that would enable all the remaining hostages to be released. (AP video: Ami Bentov)
Israel’s decision to cut off food and other supplies to Gaza has left residents in the enclave grappling with food insecurity and uncertainty with prices on essentials tripling. (AP video shot by Mohammad Jahjouh)
Displaced Palestinians lives in a school run by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees, west of Gaza City, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Displaced Palestinians girls fill a plastic jerrycan with water at a school run by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees, which they use as a shelter west of Gaza City, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
People take part in a protest in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, March 9, 2025, demanding the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Displaced Palestinians make tea at a school run by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees, west of Gaza City, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Displaced Palestinians lives in a school run by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees, west of Gaza City, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Relatives of hostages and demonstrators light flares during a protest demanding a ceasefire deal and the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
People take part in a protest in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, March 9, 2025, demanding the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel cut off the electricity supply to Gaza, officials said Sunday, affecting a desalination plant producing drinking water for part of the arid territory. Hamas called it part of Israel’s “starvation policy.”
Israel last week suspended supplies of goods to the territory of more than 2 million Palestinians, an echo of the siege it imposed in the earliest days of the war.
Israel is pressing the militant group to accept an extension of the first phase of their ceasefire. That phase ended last weekend. Israel wants Hamas to release half of the remaining hostages in return for a promise to negotiate a lasting truce.
Hamas instead wants to start negotiations on the ceasefire’s more difficult second phase, which would see the release of remaining hostages from Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a lasting peace. Hamas is believed to have 24 living hostages and the bodies of 35 others.
The militant group — which has warned that discontinuing supplies would affect the hostages — said Sunday that it wrapped up the latest round of ceasefire talks with Egyptian mediators without changes to its position.
Israel has said it would send a delegation to Qatar on Monday in an effort to “advance” the negotiations.
Israel had warned when it stopped all supplies that water and electricity could be next. The letter from Israel’s energy minister to the Israel Electric Corporation tells it to stop selling power to Gaza.
The territory and its infrastructure have been largely devastated, and most facilities, including hospitals, now use generators. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassam said that Israel has ”practically” cut off electricity since the war began and called the latest decision part of Israel’s “starvation policy, in clear disregard for all international laws and norms.”
The desalination plant was providing 18,000 cubic meters of water per day for central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah area, according to Gisha, an Israeli organization dedicated to protecting Palestinians’ right to freedom of movement. Executive director Tania Hary said that it’s expected to run on generators and produce around 2,500 cubic meters per day, about the amount in an Olympic swimming pool.
Israel’s restrictions on fuel entering Gaza have a larger impact, Hary said, and water shortages are a looming issue, because fuel is needed for distribution trucks.
Israel has faced sharp criticism over suspending supplies.
“Any denial of the entry of the necessities of life for civilians may amount to collective punishment,” the U.N. human rights office said Friday.
The International Criminal Court said there was reason to believe Israel had used “starvation as a method of warfare” when it issued an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year. The allegation is central to South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide.
Israel has denied the accusations, saying it has allowed in enough aid and blaming shortages on what it called the United Nations’ inability to distribute it. It also accused Hamas of siphoning off aid.
The leader of the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, warned Friday that attacks against Israel-linked vessels off Yemen would resume within four days if aid doesn’t resume to Gaza. The Houthis described their earlier attacks as solidarity with Palestinians there.
The ceasefire has paused the deadliest and most destructive fighting ever between Israel and Hamas, sparked by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The first phase allowed the return of 25 living hostages and the remains of eight others in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli forces have withdrawn to buffer zones inside Gaza, hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza and hundreds of trucks of aid entered per day until Israel suspended supplies.
The White House on Wednesday made the surprise confirmation of direct U.S. talks with Hamas.
On Sunday, envoy Adam Boehler told Israeli broadcaster Kan that Hamas has suggested a truce of five to 10 years while it would disarm. The militant group has previously called disarming unacceptable.
A senior Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss contacts with the U.S., said that the group had expressed its longstanding position that it would lay down its arms in return for a “fair and just solution” that includes an independent Palestinian state.
Boehler also told CNN that “I think you could see something like a long-term truce, where we forgive prisoners, where Hamas lays down their arms, where they agree they’re not part of the political party going forward. I think that’s a reality. It’s real close.”
When asked if he would speak with the militant group again, Boehler replied, “You never know.”
He added: “I think something could come together within weeks,” and expressed hope for a deal that would see all hostages released, not only American ones. Boehler has said four of the five American hostages in Gaza are dead, with Edan Alexander alive.
Hamas on Sunday didn’t mention the talks, but reiterated its support for a proposal for the establishment of an independent committee of technocrats to run Gaza until Palestinians hold presidential and legislative elections.
Hamas’ attack in October 2023 killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, inside Israel and took 251 people hostage. Most have been released in ceasefire agreements or other arrangements.
Many Israelis are pressing for a deal to bring everyone home. “We are here to send a clear message to the Israeli government: stop stalling,” Zahiro Shahar Mor, nephew of slain hostage Avraham Munder, said in front of tents set up outside Israel’s defense ministry in one demonstration.
Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t say how many of the dead were militants.
With the cutoff of supplies to Gaza, Palestinians are reporting sharp price increases for dwindling items during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
“Since the ceasefire began, the situation has improved a little. But before that, the situation was very bad,” said Fares al-Qeisi in the southern city of Khan Younis.
Magdy reported from Cairo.
Follow developments at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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Hamas on Sunday condemned Israel's decision to cut off electricity supply to the strife-torn Gaza, accusing it of "cheap and unacceptable blackmail" over its move which, the militant group said was made in an effort to pressure them into releasing hostages.
Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas' political bureau said in a statement, "We strongly condemn the occupation's decision to cut off electricity to Gaza, after depriving it of food, medicine, and water." Al-Rishq further described Israel's move as a "desperate attempt to pressure our (Hamas) people and their resistance through cheap and unacceptable blackmail tactics".
Earlier, Israel ordered an immediate halt to Gaza's electricity supply, apparently in a bid to pressurise the Palestinian militant group into releasing hostages, even though it is preparing to hold fresh talks on the ceasefire negotiations.
Israel's move comes just a week after it blocked all the aid supplies to the war-torn territory, a move which brings back the earlier memories of Israel's "siege" announcement on Gaza.
The truce deal's initial phase concluded on March 1 and both sides have refrained from returning to an all-out war, even though violence including an air strike struck Sunday that Israel said targeted militants.
Meanwhile, Hamas has been repeatedly calling for an immediate resumption of the negotiation talks on the second phase of the ceasefire deal, which was mediated by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, aiming to end the war permanently.
Israel said that it prefers extending phase one until mid-April, and paused aid to Gaza over the impasse.
On Sunday, Energy minister Eli Cohen said in a video statement, "I have just signed the order to stop supplying electricity immediately to the Gaza Strip. We will use all the tools at our disposal to bring back the hostages and ensure that Hamas is no longer in Gaza the day after" the war.
Notably, Israel had cut electricity supply to Gaza days after a war broke out with Hamas after the October 7, 2023 attack. It had only restored the supply in mid-2024.
The sole power line between Israel and Gaza supplies the main desalination plant, and Gazans mainly rely now on solar panels and fuel-powered generators to produce electricity.
Now, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians live in tents across Gaza, with night-time temperatures now predicted to be around 12 degrees Celsius.
(with AFP inputs)
Israel is coming off the worst massacre in its history – men, women, and children slaughtered, and others taken hostage. It found itself forced to fight for its survival on seven different fronts. And it now has in the White House the most pro-Israel president in memory.Yet, despite all that, support for Israel in America is at its lowest level in a quarter century, at least according to the Gallup World Affairs survey, which has been asking the same question since 2001: “In the Middle East situation, are your sympathies more with the Israelis or with the Palestinians?” When 1,004 Americans were asked this question in telephone interviews between February 3-16, only 46% said Israel, while 33% said the Palestinians.Why “only”? Because less than half of Americans now express greater sympathy for Israel over the Palestinians. Because this is the lowest level of support recorded in this poll since 2001 – though in other Gallup polls, it dipped as low as 37% in 1988. In that particular poll, however, support for the Palestinians was just 15%, meaning that while sympathy for Israel was low, the gap between the two was still significant. Today, that gap has narrowed to just 13 points – the lowest since 1988. AdvertisementThis should set alarm bells ringing. A FAMILY displaced to the southern part of the Gaza Strip sets out to return home in January after a Hamas-Israel ceasefire was reached. Even amid Gaza’s destruction, Hamas celebrated the return of displaced civilians to northern Gaza as a nationalist victory, says the writer. (credit: Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters)This week, Jews around the world will mark the Purim holiday. One of the key figures in the story is King Ahasuerus of Persia, who granted Haman permission to carry out a genocide against the Jewish people – one that, miraculously, was averted. It is striking that Ahasuerus was the grandson of another Persian king, Cyrus, the great liberator of the Jewish people, the ruler who allowed them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Second Temple.In just two generations, the Jews went from living under a Persian king who freed them to one who authorized their destruction. Stay updated with the latest news! Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter Subscribe Now The lesson is clear: Never be complacent. Just because support for Israel was overwhelming a generation or two ago does not mean it will always remain so. This is not to suggest that America will turn on Israel as swiftly as Ahasuerus did on the Jews. Still, these numbers – indicating dwindling support – must be taken seriously and policy adjusted accordingly. AdvertisementHow can American support for Israel be lower – significantly lower – now than it was before the October 7 massacre?One might have expected that the massacre and the ongoing hostage crisis would have generated lasting sympathy among fair-minded Americans. And initially, it did. But only briefly.Wilting sympathy for Israel amidst troubling Gaza imageryTHE TELEVISION screens quickly filled with ghastly images of destruction in Gaza, and sympathy for Israel began to wilt. Hardcore Israel-haters didn’t wait for those images; they were already marching and demonstrating against Israel on October 8, well before Israel counterattacked. For others, the relentless flood of heartbreaking images from Gaza and negative stories about Israel had an effect. A recent study by Yale University professor Edieal Pinker found that The New York Times’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas War overwhelmingly generated sympathy for the Palestinian people while downplaying both Hamas’s responsibility for the conflict and Israel’s suffering. Pinker reached these conclusions after analyzing 1,561 Times articles about the conflict between October 7, 2023, and June 7, 2024.“It is common to go a week at a time without a single mention of IDF deaths even when such deaths were frequent,” he wrote. “The net result of these imbalances and others is to create a depiction of events that is imbalanced toward creating sympathy for the Palestinian side, places most of the agency in the hands of Israel, is often at odds with actual events, and fails to give readers an understanding of how Israelis are experiencing the war.”That kind of coverage has an impact.The Israeli media, for the most part, has not extensively covered the devastation and suffering in Gaza. The American media has, and over the last 16 months, the constant stream of images has undoubtedly shaped public perception of the conflict. This helps explain why support for Israel has dropped from 54% in 2023 (before October 7) to 46% today and why the gap between support for Israel and the Palestinians has shrunk from a high of 52 points in 2013 to just 13 points now.And then there is the Trump effect.Trump is unabashedly pro-Israel, and his policies reflect this sentiment. One might think that strong pro-Israel rhetoric from the White House would trickle down and boost public support. But this poll – conducted just weeks after he took office – suggests the opposite. In today’s deeply divided America, where the part of the population that hates Trump tends to oppose whatever he supports, the president’s vocal backing of Israel may have pushed many of his critics in the opposite direction.Indeed, Democratic support for Israel plummeted by a staggering 14 points in the past year from 35% to 21%, while support for the Palestinians jumped from 43% to 59%.Another concerning trend in the poll is that, while Republican support for Israel remains overwhelming – 54 points higher than among Democrats (75% vs. 21%) – it is at its lowest level since 2005, when it stood at 73%. Support among Republicans slipped from 80% last year to 75% this year, possibly reflecting the influence of isolationist voices within the party, such as Tucker Carlson.THERE IS a common misconception that massive Republican support for Israel is a recent phenomenon. However, Gallup polling dating back to 1988 shows that even then, more Republicans sympathized with Israel over the Palestinians – by a margin of 43% to 37%. Today, that margin stands at 75% to 21%.These poll results carry two clear policy implications for Israel.First, far more must be done to improve Israel’s image in the US and counteract the steady drumbeat of negative coverage.American Jewish organizations and NGOs spend millions of dollars annually trying to improve Israel’s image, yet this poll indicates that the current approach is not working. A new, more effective strategy is needed, and the Israeli government must engage on a much larger scale. This is becoming a strategic issue that demands government intervention at an unprecedented level. Even then, success is far from guaranteed.Second, Israel must continue an effort it began during the current war – as a result of the US slow-walking vital arms to Israel – to locally produce as much of its weaponry as possible.Under the 10-year Memorandum of Understanding signed with then-president Barack Obama, the US-Israel military aid agreement currently provides Israel with $3.8 billion annually in aid – a tremendous benefit.But the catch is that all of it now must be spent in the US, leading Israel to purchase not only fighter aircraft and helicopters in the US but also missiles, mortars, and basic munitions from American manufacturers because it ends up saving money. That makes sense. But the downside is that it creates a dangerous dependence.The Trump administration has approved billions in arms sales to Israel in recent weeks – a critical lifeline. But that type of support is not a given. It exists largely because of the perception that the vast majority of Americans back Israel.But what if they don’t? After all, in the 18-34 year-old demographic – according to the Gallup poll – 48% sympathize more with the Palestinians, and only 29% with the Israelis. What if US support continues to erode?Israel must prepare for that possibility, however distant it may seem. These polling trends are sobering and must not be ignored.
Yet, despite all that, support for Israel in America is at its lowest level in a quarter century, at least according to the Gallup World Affairs survey, which has been asking the same question since 2001: “In the Middle East situation, are your sympathies more with the Israelis or with the Palestinians?” When 1,004 Americans were asked this question in telephone interviews between February 3-16, only 46% said Israel, while 33% said the Palestinians.Why “only”? Because less than half of Americans now express greater sympathy for Israel over the Palestinians. Because this is the lowest level of support recorded in this poll since 2001 – though in other Gallup polls, it dipped as low as 37% in 1988. In that particular poll, however, support for the Palestinians was just 15%, meaning that while sympathy for Israel was low, the gap between the two was still significant. Today, that gap has narrowed to just 13 points – the lowest since 1988. AdvertisementThis should set alarm bells ringing. A FAMILY displaced to the southern part of the Gaza Strip sets out to return home in January after a Hamas-Israel ceasefire was reached. Even amid Gaza’s destruction, Hamas celebrated the return of displaced civilians to northern Gaza as a nationalist victory, says the writer. (credit: Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters)This week, Jews around the world will mark the Purim holiday. One of the key figures in the story is King Ahasuerus of Persia, who granted Haman permission to carry out a genocide against the Jewish people – one that, miraculously, was averted. It is striking that Ahasuerus was the grandson of another Persian king, Cyrus, the great liberator of the Jewish people, the ruler who allowed them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Second Temple.In just two generations, the Jews went from living under a Persian king who freed them to one who authorized their destruction. Stay updated with the latest news! Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter Subscribe Now The lesson is clear: Never be complacent. Just because support for Israel was overwhelming a generation or two ago does not mean it will always remain so. This is not to suggest that America will turn on Israel as swiftly as Ahasuerus did on the Jews. Still, these numbers – indicating dwindling support – must be taken seriously and policy adjusted accordingly. AdvertisementHow can American support for Israel be lower – significantly lower – now than it was before the October 7 massacre?One might have expected that the massacre and the ongoing hostage crisis would have generated lasting sympathy among fair-minded Americans. And initially, it did. But only briefly.Wilting sympathy for Israel amidst troubling Gaza imageryTHE TELEVISION screens quickly filled with ghastly images of destruction in Gaza, and sympathy for Israel began to wilt. Hardcore Israel-haters didn’t wait for those images; they were already marching and demonstrating against Israel on October 8, well before Israel counterattacked. For others, the relentless flood of heartbreaking images from Gaza and negative stories about Israel had an effect. A recent study by Yale University professor Edieal Pinker found that The New York Times’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas War overwhelmingly generated sympathy for the Palestinian people while downplaying both Hamas’s responsibility for the conflict and Israel’s suffering. Pinker reached these conclusions after analyzing 1,561 Times articles about the conflict between October 7, 2023, and June 7, 2024.“It is common to go a week at a time without a single mention of IDF deaths even when such deaths were frequent,” he wrote. “The net result of these imbalances and others is to create a depiction of events that is imbalanced toward creating sympathy for the Palestinian side, places most of the agency in the hands of Israel, is often at odds with actual events, and fails to give readers an understanding of how Israelis are experiencing the war.”That kind of coverage has an impact.The Israeli media, for the most part, has not extensively covered the devastation and suffering in Gaza. The American media has, and over the last 16 months, the constant stream of images has undoubtedly shaped public perception of the conflict. This helps explain why support for Israel has dropped from 54% in 2023 (before October 7) to 46% today and why the gap between support for Israel and the Palestinians has shrunk from a high of 52 points in 2013 to just 13 points now.And then there is the Trump effect.Trump is unabashedly pro-Israel, and his policies reflect this sentiment. One might think that strong pro-Israel rhetoric from the White House would trickle down and boost public support. But this poll – conducted just weeks after he took office – suggests the opposite. In today’s deeply divided America, where the part of the population that hates Trump tends to oppose whatever he supports, the president’s vocal backing of Israel may have pushed many of his critics in the opposite direction.Indeed, Democratic support for Israel plummeted by a staggering 14 points in the past year from 35% to 21%, while support for the Palestinians jumped from 43% to 59%.Another concerning trend in the poll is that, while Republican support for Israel remains overwhelming – 54 points higher than among Democrats (75% vs. 21%) – it is at its lowest level since 2005, when it stood at 73%. Support among Republicans slipped from 80% last year to 75% this year, possibly reflecting the influence of isolationist voices within the party, such as Tucker Carlson.THERE IS a common misconception that massive Republican support for Israel is a recent phenomenon. However, Gallup polling dating back to 1988 shows that even then, more Republicans sympathized with Israel over the Palestinians – by a margin of 43% to 37%. Today, that margin stands at 75% to 21%.These poll results carry two clear policy implications for Israel.First, far more must be done to improve Israel’s image in the US and counteract the steady drumbeat of negative coverage.American Jewish organizations and NGOs spend millions of dollars annually trying to improve Israel’s image, yet this poll indicates that the current approach is not working. A new, more effective strategy is needed, and the Israeli government must engage on a much larger scale. This is becoming a strategic issue that demands government intervention at an unprecedented level. Even then, success is far from guaranteed.Second, Israel must continue an effort it began during the current war – as a result of the US slow-walking vital arms to Israel – to locally produce as much of its weaponry as possible.Under the 10-year Memorandum of Understanding signed with then-president Barack Obama, the US-Israel military aid agreement currently provides Israel with $3.8 billion annually in aid – a tremendous benefit.But the catch is that all of it now must be spent in the US, leading Israel to purchase not only fighter aircraft and helicopters in the US but also missiles, mortars, and basic munitions from American manufacturers because it ends up saving money. That makes sense. But the downside is that it creates a dangerous dependence.The Trump administration has approved billions in arms sales to Israel in recent weeks – a critical lifeline. But that type of support is not a given. It exists largely because of the perception that the vast majority of Americans back Israel.But what if they don’t? After all, in the 18-34 year-old demographic – according to the Gallup poll – 48% sympathize more with the Palestinians, and only 29% with the Israelis. What if US support continues to erode?Israel must prepare for that possibility, however distant it may seem. These polling trends are sobering and must not be ignored.
When 1,004 Americans were asked this question in telephone interviews between February 3-16, only 46% said Israel, while 33% said the Palestinians.Why “only”? Because less than half of Americans now express greater sympathy for Israel over the Palestinians. Because this is the lowest level of support recorded in this poll since 2001 – though in other Gallup polls, it dipped as low as 37% in 1988. In that particular poll, however, support for the Palestinians was just 15%, meaning that while sympathy for Israel was low, the gap between the two was still significant. Today, that gap has narrowed to just 13 points – the lowest since 1988. AdvertisementThis should set alarm bells ringing. A FAMILY displaced to the southern part of the Gaza Strip sets out to return home in January after a Hamas-Israel ceasefire was reached. Even amid Gaza’s destruction, Hamas celebrated the return of displaced civilians to northern Gaza as a nationalist victory, says the writer. (credit: Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters)This week, Jews around the world will mark the Purim holiday. One of the key figures in the story is King Ahasuerus of Persia, who granted Haman permission to carry out a genocide against the Jewish people – one that, miraculously, was averted. It is striking that Ahasuerus was the grandson of another Persian king, Cyrus, the great liberator of the Jewish people, the ruler who allowed them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Second Temple.In just two generations, the Jews went from living under a Persian king who freed them to one who authorized their destruction. Stay updated with the latest news! Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter Subscribe Now The lesson is clear: Never be complacent. Just because support for Israel was overwhelming a generation or two ago does not mean it will always remain so. This is not to suggest that America will turn on Israel as swiftly as Ahasuerus did on the Jews. Still, these numbers – indicating dwindling support – must be taken seriously and policy adjusted accordingly. AdvertisementHow can American support for Israel be lower – significantly lower – now than it was before the October 7 massacre?One might have expected that the massacre and the ongoing hostage crisis would have generated lasting sympathy among fair-minded Americans. And initially, it did. But only briefly.Wilting sympathy for Israel amidst troubling Gaza imageryTHE TELEVISION screens quickly filled with ghastly images of destruction in Gaza, and sympathy for Israel began to wilt. Hardcore Israel-haters didn’t wait for those images; they were already marching and demonstrating against Israel on October 8, well before Israel counterattacked. For others, the relentless flood of heartbreaking images from Gaza and negative stories about Israel had an effect. A recent study by Yale University professor Edieal Pinker found that The New York Times’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas War overwhelmingly generated sympathy for the Palestinian people while downplaying both Hamas’s responsibility for the conflict and Israel’s suffering. Pinker reached these conclusions after analyzing 1,561 Times articles about the conflict between October 7, 2023, and June 7, 2024.“It is common to go a week at a time without a single mention of IDF deaths even when such deaths were frequent,” he wrote. “The net result of these imbalances and others is to create a depiction of events that is imbalanced toward creating sympathy for the Palestinian side, places most of the agency in the hands of Israel, is often at odds with actual events, and fails to give readers an understanding of how Israelis are experiencing the war.”That kind of coverage has an impact.The Israeli media, for the most part, has not extensively covered the devastation and suffering in Gaza. The American media has, and over the last 16 months, the constant stream of images has undoubtedly shaped public perception of the conflict. This helps explain why support for Israel has dropped from 54% in 2023 (before October 7) to 46% today and why the gap between support for Israel and the Palestinians has shrunk from a high of 52 points in 2013 to just 13 points now.And then there is the Trump effect.Trump is unabashedly pro-Israel, and his policies reflect this sentiment. One might think that strong pro-Israel rhetoric from the White House would trickle down and boost public support. But this poll – conducted just weeks after he took office – suggests the opposite. In today’s deeply divided America, where the part of the population that hates Trump tends to oppose whatever he supports, the president’s vocal backing of Israel may have pushed many of his critics in the opposite direction.Indeed, Democratic support for Israel plummeted by a staggering 14 points in the past year from 35% to 21%, while support for the Palestinians jumped from 43% to 59%.Another concerning trend in the poll is that, while Republican support for Israel remains overwhelming – 54 points higher than among Democrats (75% vs. 21%) – it is at its lowest level since 2005, when it stood at 73%. Support among Republicans slipped from 80% last year to 75% this year, possibly reflecting the influence of isolationist voices within the party, such as Tucker Carlson.THERE IS a common misconception that massive Republican support for Israel is a recent phenomenon. However, Gallup polling dating back to 1988 shows that even then, more Republicans sympathized with Israel over the Palestinians – by a margin of 43% to 37%. Today, that margin stands at 75% to 21%.These poll results carry two clear policy implications for Israel.First, far more must be done to improve Israel’s image in the US and counteract the steady drumbeat of negative coverage.American Jewish organizations and NGOs spend millions of dollars annually trying to improve Israel’s image, yet this poll indicates that the current approach is not working. A new, more effective strategy is needed, and the Israeli government must engage on a much larger scale. This is becoming a strategic issue that demands government intervention at an unprecedented level. Even then, success is far from guaranteed.Second, Israel must continue an effort it began during the current war – as a result of the US slow-walking vital arms to Israel – to locally produce as much of its weaponry as possible.Under the 10-year Memorandum of Understanding signed with then-president Barack Obama, the US-Israel military aid agreement currently provides Israel with $3.8 billion annually in aid – a tremendous benefit.But the catch is that all of it now must be spent in the US, leading Israel to purchase not only fighter aircraft and helicopters in the US but also missiles, mortars, and basic munitions from American manufacturers because it ends up saving money. That makes sense. But the downside is that it creates a dangerous dependence.The Trump administration has approved billions in arms sales to Israel in recent weeks – a critical lifeline. But that type of support is not a given. It exists largely because of the perception that the vast majority of Americans back Israel.But what if they don’t? After all, in the 18-34 year-old demographic – according to the Gallup poll – 48% sympathize more with the Palestinians, and only 29% with the Israelis. What if US support continues to erode?Israel must prepare for that possibility, however distant it may seem. These polling trends are sobering and must not be ignored.
Why “only”? Because less than half of Americans now express greater sympathy for Israel over the Palestinians. Because this is the lowest level of support recorded in this poll since 2001 – though in other Gallup polls, it dipped as low as 37% in 1988. In that particular poll, however, support for the Palestinians was just 15%, meaning that while sympathy for Israel was low, the gap between the two was still significant. Today, that gap has narrowed to just 13 points – the lowest since 1988. AdvertisementThis should set alarm bells ringing. A FAMILY displaced to the southern part of the Gaza Strip sets out to return home in January after a Hamas-Israel ceasefire was reached. Even amid Gaza’s destruction, Hamas celebrated the return of displaced civilians to northern Gaza as a nationalist victory, says the writer. (credit: Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters)This week, Jews around the world will mark the Purim holiday. One of the key figures in the story is King Ahasuerus of Persia, who granted Haman permission to carry out a genocide against the Jewish people – one that, miraculously, was averted. It is striking that Ahasuerus was the grandson of another Persian king, Cyrus, the great liberator of the Jewish people, the ruler who allowed them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Second Temple.In just two generations, the Jews went from living under a Persian king who freed them to one who authorized their destruction. Stay updated with the latest news! Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter Subscribe Now The lesson is clear: Never be complacent. Just because support for Israel was overwhelming a generation or two ago does not mean it will always remain so. This is not to suggest that America will turn on Israel as swiftly as Ahasuerus did on the Jews. Still, these numbers – indicating dwindling support – must be taken seriously and policy adjusted accordingly. AdvertisementHow can American support for Israel be lower – significantly lower – now than it was before the October 7 massacre?One might have expected that the massacre and the ongoing hostage crisis would have generated lasting sympathy among fair-minded Americans. And initially, it did. But only briefly.Wilting sympathy for Israel amidst troubling Gaza imageryTHE TELEVISION screens quickly filled with ghastly images of destruction in Gaza, and sympathy for Israel began to wilt. Hardcore Israel-haters didn’t wait for those images; they were already marching and demonstrating against Israel on October 8, well before Israel counterattacked. For others, the relentless flood of heartbreaking images from Gaza and negative stories about Israel had an effect. A recent study by Yale University professor Edieal Pinker found that The New York Times’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas War overwhelmingly generated sympathy for the Palestinian people while downplaying both Hamas’s responsibility for the conflict and Israel’s suffering. Pinker reached these conclusions after analyzing 1,561 Times articles about the conflict between October 7, 2023, and June 7, 2024.“It is common to go a week at a time without a single mention of IDF deaths even when such deaths were frequent,” he wrote. “The net result of these imbalances and others is to create a depiction of events that is imbalanced toward creating sympathy for the Palestinian side, places most of the agency in the hands of Israel, is often at odds with actual events, and fails to give readers an understanding of how Israelis are experiencing the war.”That kind of coverage has an impact.The Israeli media, for the most part, has not extensively covered the devastation and suffering in Gaza. The American media has, and over the last 16 months, the constant stream of images has undoubtedly shaped public perception of the conflict. This helps explain why support for Israel has dropped from 54% in 2023 (before October 7) to 46% today and why the gap between support for Israel and the Palestinians has shrunk from a high of 52 points in 2013 to just 13 points now.And then there is the Trump effect.Trump is unabashedly pro-Israel, and his policies reflect this sentiment. One might think that strong pro-Israel rhetoric from the White House would trickle down and boost public support. But this poll – conducted just weeks after he took office – suggests the opposite. In today’s deeply divided America, where the part of the population that hates Trump tends to oppose whatever he supports, the president’s vocal backing of Israel may have pushed many of his critics in the opposite direction.Indeed, Democratic support for Israel plummeted by a staggering 14 points in the past year from 35% to 21%, while support for the Palestinians jumped from 43% to 59%.Another concerning trend in the poll is that, while Republican support for Israel remains overwhelming – 54 points higher than among Democrats (75% vs. 21%) – it is at its lowest level since 2005, when it stood at 73%. Support among Republicans slipped from 80% last year to 75% this year, possibly reflecting the influence of isolationist voices within the party, such as Tucker Carlson.THERE IS a common misconception that massive Republican support for Israel is a recent phenomenon. However, Gallup polling dating back to 1988 shows that even then, more Republicans sympathized with Israel over the Palestinians – by a margin of 43% to 37%. Today, that margin stands at 75% to 21%.These poll results carry two clear policy implications for Israel.First, far more must be done to improve Israel’s image in the US and counteract the steady drumbeat of negative coverage.American Jewish organizations and NGOs spend millions of dollars annually trying to improve Israel’s image, yet this poll indicates that the current approach is not working. A new, more effective strategy is needed, and the Israeli government must engage on a much larger scale. This is becoming a strategic issue that demands government intervention at an unprecedented level. Even then, success is far from guaranteed.Second, Israel must continue an effort it began during the current war – as a result of the US slow-walking vital arms to Israel – to locally produce as much of its weaponry as possible.Under the 10-year Memorandum of Understanding signed with then-president Barack Obama, the US-Israel military aid agreement currently provides Israel with $3.8 billion annually in aid – a tremendous benefit.But the catch is that all of it now must be spent in the US, leading Israel to purchase not only fighter aircraft and helicopters in the US but also missiles, mortars, and basic munitions from American manufacturers because it ends up saving money. That makes sense. But the downside is that it creates a dangerous dependence.The Trump administration has approved billions in arms sales to Israel in recent weeks – a critical lifeline. But that type of support is not a given. It exists largely because of the perception that the vast majority of Americans back Israel.But what if they don’t? After all, in the 18-34 year-old demographic – according to the Gallup poll – 48% sympathize more with the Palestinians, and only 29% with the Israelis. What if US support continues to erode?Israel must prepare for that possibility, however distant it may seem. These polling trends are sobering and must not be ignored.
This should set alarm bells ringing. A FAMILY displaced to the southern part of the Gaza Strip sets out to return home in January after a Hamas-Israel ceasefire was reached. Even amid Gaza’s destruction, Hamas celebrated the return of displaced civilians to northern Gaza as a nationalist victory, says the writer. (credit: Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters)This week, Jews around the world will mark the Purim holiday. One of the key figures in the story is King Ahasuerus of Persia, who granted Haman permission to carry out a genocide against the Jewish people – one that, miraculously, was averted. It is striking that Ahasuerus was the grandson of another Persian king, Cyrus, the great liberator of the Jewish people, the ruler who allowed them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Second Temple.In just two generations, the Jews went from living under a Persian king who freed them to one who authorized their destruction. Stay updated with the latest news! Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter Subscribe Now The lesson is clear: Never be complacent. Just because support for Israel was overwhelming a generation or two ago does not mean it will always remain so. This is not to suggest that America will turn on Israel as swiftly as Ahasuerus did on the Jews. Still, these numbers – indicating dwindling support – must be taken seriously and policy adjusted accordingly. AdvertisementHow can American support for Israel be lower – significantly lower – now than it was before the October 7 massacre?One might have expected that the massacre and the ongoing hostage crisis would have generated lasting sympathy among fair-minded Americans. And initially, it did. But only briefly.Wilting sympathy for Israel amidst troubling Gaza imageryTHE TELEVISION screens quickly filled with ghastly images of destruction in Gaza, and sympathy for Israel began to wilt. Hardcore Israel-haters didn’t wait for those images; they were already marching and demonstrating against Israel on October 8, well before Israel counterattacked. For others, the relentless flood of heartbreaking images from Gaza and negative stories about Israel had an effect. A recent study by Yale University professor Edieal Pinker found that The New York Times’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas War overwhelmingly generated sympathy for the Palestinian people while downplaying both Hamas’s responsibility for the conflict and Israel’s suffering. Pinker reached these conclusions after analyzing 1,561 Times articles about the conflict between October 7, 2023, and June 7, 2024.“It is common to go a week at a time without a single mention of IDF deaths even when such deaths were frequent,” he wrote. “The net result of these imbalances and others is to create a depiction of events that is imbalanced toward creating sympathy for the Palestinian side, places most of the agency in the hands of Israel, is often at odds with actual events, and fails to give readers an understanding of how Israelis are experiencing the war.”That kind of coverage has an impact.The Israeli media, for the most part, has not extensively covered the devastation and suffering in Gaza. The American media has, and over the last 16 months, the constant stream of images has undoubtedly shaped public perception of the conflict. This helps explain why support for Israel has dropped from 54% in 2023 (before October 7) to 46% today and why the gap between support for Israel and the Palestinians has shrunk from a high of 52 points in 2013 to just 13 points now.And then there is the Trump effect.Trump is unabashedly pro-Israel, and his policies reflect this sentiment. One might think that strong pro-Israel rhetoric from the White House would trickle down and boost public support. But this poll – conducted just weeks after he took office – suggests the opposite. In today’s deeply divided America, where the part of the population that hates Trump tends to oppose whatever he supports, the president’s vocal backing of Israel may have pushed many of his critics in the opposite direction.Indeed, Democratic support for Israel plummeted by a staggering 14 points in the past year from 35% to 21%, while support for the Palestinians jumped from 43% to 59%.Another concerning trend in the poll is that, while Republican support for Israel remains overwhelming – 54 points higher than among Democrats (75% vs. 21%) – it is at its lowest level since 2005, when it stood at 73%. Support among Republicans slipped from 80% last year to 75% this year, possibly reflecting the influence of isolationist voices within the party, such as Tucker Carlson.THERE IS a common misconception that massive Republican support for Israel is a recent phenomenon. However, Gallup polling dating back to 1988 shows that even then, more Republicans sympathized with Israel over the Palestinians – by a margin of 43% to 37%. Today, that margin stands at 75% to 21%.These poll results carry two clear policy implications for Israel.First, far more must be done to improve Israel’s image in the US and counteract the steady drumbeat of negative coverage.American Jewish organizations and NGOs spend millions of dollars annually trying to improve Israel’s image, yet this poll indicates that the current approach is not working. A new, more effective strategy is needed, and the Israeli government must engage on a much larger scale. This is becoming a strategic issue that demands government intervention at an unprecedented level. Even then, success is far from guaranteed.Second, Israel must continue an effort it began during the current war – as a result of the US slow-walking vital arms to Israel – to locally produce as much of its weaponry as possible.Under the 10-year Memorandum of Understanding signed with then-president Barack Obama, the US-Israel military aid agreement currently provides Israel with $3.8 billion annually in aid – a tremendous benefit.But the catch is that all of it now must be spent in the US, leading Israel to purchase not only fighter aircraft and helicopters in the US but also missiles, mortars, and basic munitions from American manufacturers because it ends up saving money. That makes sense. But the downside is that it creates a dangerous dependence.The Trump administration has approved billions in arms sales to Israel in recent weeks – a critical lifeline. But that type of support is not a given. It exists largely because of the perception that the vast majority of Americans back Israel.But what if they don’t? After all, in the 18-34 year-old demographic – according to the Gallup poll – 48% sympathize more with the Palestinians, and only 29% with the Israelis. What if US support continues to erode?Israel must prepare for that possibility, however distant it may seem. These polling trends are sobering and must not be ignored.
This week, Jews around the world will mark the Purim holiday. One of the key figures in the story is King Ahasuerus of Persia, who granted Haman permission to carry out a genocide against the Jewish people – one that, miraculously, was averted. It is striking that Ahasuerus was the grandson of another Persian king, Cyrus, the great liberator of the Jewish people, the ruler who allowed them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Second Temple.In just two generations, the Jews went from living under a Persian king who freed them to one who authorized their destruction. Stay updated with the latest news! Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter Subscribe Now The lesson is clear: Never be complacent. Just because support for Israel was overwhelming a generation or two ago does not mean it will always remain so. This is not to suggest that America will turn on Israel as swiftly as Ahasuerus did on the Jews. Still, these numbers – indicating dwindling support – must be taken seriously and policy adjusted accordingly. AdvertisementHow can American support for Israel be lower – significantly lower – now than it was before the October 7 massacre?One might have expected that the massacre and the ongoing hostage crisis would have generated lasting sympathy among fair-minded Americans. And initially, it did. But only briefly.Wilting sympathy for Israel amidst troubling Gaza imageryTHE TELEVISION screens quickly filled with ghastly images of destruction in Gaza, and sympathy for Israel began to wilt. Hardcore Israel-haters didn’t wait for those images; they were already marching and demonstrating against Israel on October 8, well before Israel counterattacked. For others, the relentless flood of heartbreaking images from Gaza and negative stories about Israel had an effect. A recent study by Yale University professor Edieal Pinker found that The New York Times’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas War overwhelmingly generated sympathy for the Palestinian people while downplaying both Hamas’s responsibility for the conflict and Israel’s suffering. Pinker reached these conclusions after analyzing 1,561 Times articles about the conflict between October 7, 2023, and June 7, 2024.“It is common to go a week at a time without a single mention of IDF deaths even when such deaths were frequent,” he wrote. “The net result of these imbalances and others is to create a depiction of events that is imbalanced toward creating sympathy for the Palestinian side, places most of the agency in the hands of Israel, is often at odds with actual events, and fails to give readers an understanding of how Israelis are experiencing the war.”That kind of coverage has an impact.The Israeli media, for the most part, has not extensively covered the devastation and suffering in Gaza. The American media has, and over the last 16 months, the constant stream of images has undoubtedly shaped public perception of the conflict. This helps explain why support for Israel has dropped from 54% in 2023 (before October 7) to 46% today and why the gap between support for Israel and the Palestinians has shrunk from a high of 52 points in 2013 to just 13 points now.And then there is the Trump effect.Trump is unabashedly pro-Israel, and his policies reflect this sentiment. One might think that strong pro-Israel rhetoric from the White House would trickle down and boost public support. But this poll – conducted just weeks after he took office – suggests the opposite. In today’s deeply divided America, where the part of the population that hates Trump tends to oppose whatever he supports, the president’s vocal backing of Israel may have pushed many of his critics in the opposite direction.Indeed, Democratic support for Israel plummeted by a staggering 14 points in the past year from 35% to 21%, while support for the Palestinians jumped from 43% to 59%.Another concerning trend in the poll is that, while Republican support for Israel remains overwhelming – 54 points higher than among Democrats (75% vs. 21%) – it is at its lowest level since 2005, when it stood at 73%. Support among Republicans slipped from 80% last year to 75% this year, possibly reflecting the influence of isolationist voices within the party, such as Tucker Carlson.THERE IS a common misconception that massive Republican support for Israel is a recent phenomenon. However, Gallup polling dating back to 1988 shows that even then, more Republicans sympathized with Israel over the Palestinians – by a margin of 43% to 37%. Today, that margin stands at 75% to 21%.These poll results carry two clear policy implications for Israel.First, far more must be done to improve Israel’s image in the US and counteract the steady drumbeat of negative coverage.American Jewish organizations and NGOs spend millions of dollars annually trying to improve Israel’s image, yet this poll indicates that the current approach is not working. A new, more effective strategy is needed, and the Israeli government must engage on a much larger scale. This is becoming a strategic issue that demands government intervention at an unprecedented level. Even then, success is far from guaranteed.Second, Israel must continue an effort it began during the current war – as a result of the US slow-walking vital arms to Israel – to locally produce as much of its weaponry as possible.Under the 10-year Memorandum of Understanding signed with then-president Barack Obama, the US-Israel military aid agreement currently provides Israel with $3.8 billion annually in aid – a tremendous benefit.But the catch is that all of it now must be spent in the US, leading Israel to purchase not only fighter aircraft and helicopters in the US but also missiles, mortars, and basic munitions from American manufacturers because it ends up saving money. That makes sense. But the downside is that it creates a dangerous dependence.The Trump administration has approved billions in arms sales to Israel in recent weeks – a critical lifeline. But that type of support is not a given. It exists largely because of the perception that the vast majority of Americans back Israel.But what if they don’t? After all, in the 18-34 year-old demographic – according to the Gallup poll – 48% sympathize more with the Palestinians, and only 29% with the Israelis. What if US support continues to erode?Israel must prepare for that possibility, however distant it may seem. These polling trends are sobering and must not be ignored.
It is striking that Ahasuerus was the grandson of another Persian king, Cyrus, the great liberator of the Jewish people, the ruler who allowed them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Second Temple.In just two generations, the Jews went from living under a Persian king who freed them to one who authorized their destruction. Stay updated with the latest news! Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter Subscribe Now The lesson is clear: Never be complacent. Just because support for Israel was overwhelming a generation or two ago does not mean it will always remain so. This is not to suggest that America will turn on Israel as swiftly as Ahasuerus did on the Jews. Still, these numbers – indicating dwindling support – must be taken seriously and policy adjusted accordingly. AdvertisementHow can American support for Israel be lower – significantly lower – now than it was before the October 7 massacre?One might have expected that the massacre and the ongoing hostage crisis would have generated lasting sympathy among fair-minded Americans. And initially, it did. But only briefly.Wilting sympathy for Israel amidst troubling Gaza imageryTHE TELEVISION screens quickly filled with ghastly images of destruction in Gaza, and sympathy for Israel began to wilt. Hardcore Israel-haters didn’t wait for those images; they were already marching and demonstrating against Israel on October 8, well before Israel counterattacked. For others, the relentless flood of heartbreaking images from Gaza and negative stories about Israel had an effect. A recent study by Yale University professor Edieal Pinker found that The New York Times’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas War overwhelmingly generated sympathy for the Palestinian people while downplaying both Hamas’s responsibility for the conflict and Israel’s suffering. Pinker reached these conclusions after analyzing 1,561 Times articles about the conflict between October 7, 2023, and June 7, 2024.“It is common to go a week at a time without a single mention of IDF deaths even when such deaths were frequent,” he wrote. “The net result of these imbalances and others is to create a depiction of events that is imbalanced toward creating sympathy for the Palestinian side, places most of the agency in the hands of Israel, is often at odds with actual events, and fails to give readers an understanding of how Israelis are experiencing the war.”That kind of coverage has an impact.The Israeli media, for the most part, has not extensively covered the devastation and suffering in Gaza. The American media has, and over the last 16 months, the constant stream of images has undoubtedly shaped public perception of the conflict. This helps explain why support for Israel has dropped from 54% in 2023 (before October 7) to 46% today and why the gap between support for Israel and the Palestinians has shrunk from a high of 52 points in 2013 to just 13 points now.And then there is the Trump effect.Trump is unabashedly pro-Israel, and his policies reflect this sentiment. One might think that strong pro-Israel rhetoric from the White House would trickle down and boost public support. But this poll – conducted just weeks after he took office – suggests the opposite. In today’s deeply divided America, where the part of the population that hates Trump tends to oppose whatever he supports, the president’s vocal backing of Israel may have pushed many of his critics in the opposite direction.Indeed, Democratic support for Israel plummeted by a staggering 14 points in the past year from 35% to 21%, while support for the Palestinians jumped from 43% to 59%.Another concerning trend in the poll is that, while Republican support for Israel remains overwhelming – 54 points higher than among Democrats (75% vs. 21%) – it is at its lowest level since 2005, when it stood at 73%. Support among Republicans slipped from 80% last year to 75% this year, possibly reflecting the influence of isolationist voices within the party, such as Tucker Carlson.THERE IS a common misconception that massive Republican support for Israel is a recent phenomenon. However, Gallup polling dating back to 1988 shows that even then, more Republicans sympathized with Israel over the Palestinians – by a margin of 43% to 37%. Today, that margin stands at 75% to 21%.These poll results carry two clear policy implications for Israel.First, far more must be done to improve Israel’s image in the US and counteract the steady drumbeat of negative coverage.American Jewish organizations and NGOs spend millions of dollars annually trying to improve Israel’s image, yet this poll indicates that the current approach is not working. A new, more effective strategy is needed, and the Israeli government must engage on a much larger scale. This is becoming a strategic issue that demands government intervention at an unprecedented level. Even then, success is far from guaranteed.Second, Israel must continue an effort it began during the current war – as a result of the US slow-walking vital arms to Israel – to locally produce as much of its weaponry as possible.Under the 10-year Memorandum of Understanding signed with then-president Barack Obama, the US-Israel military aid agreement currently provides Israel with $3.8 billion annually in aid – a tremendous benefit.But the catch is that all of it now must be spent in the US, leading Israel to purchase not only fighter aircraft and helicopters in the US but also missiles, mortars, and basic munitions from American manufacturers because it ends up saving money. That makes sense. But the downside is that it creates a dangerous dependence.The Trump administration has approved billions in arms sales to Israel in recent weeks – a critical lifeline. But that type of support is not a given. It exists largely because of the perception that the vast majority of Americans back Israel.But what if they don’t? After all, in the 18-34 year-old demographic – according to the Gallup poll – 48% sympathize more with the Palestinians, and only 29% with the Israelis. What if US support continues to erode?Israel must prepare for that possibility, however distant it may seem. These polling trends are sobering and must not be ignored.
In just two generations, the Jews went from living under a Persian king who freed them to one who authorized their destruction. Stay updated with the latest news! Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter Subscribe Now The lesson is clear: Never be complacent. Just because support for Israel was overwhelming a generation or two ago does not mean it will always remain so. This is not to suggest that America will turn on Israel as swiftly as Ahasuerus did on the Jews. Still, these numbers – indicating dwindling support – must be taken seriously and policy adjusted accordingly. AdvertisementHow can American support for Israel be lower – significantly lower – now than it was before the October 7 massacre?One might have expected that the massacre and the ongoing hostage crisis would have generated lasting sympathy among fair-minded Americans. And initially, it did. But only briefly.Wilting sympathy for Israel amidst troubling Gaza imageryTHE TELEVISION screens quickly filled with ghastly images of destruction in Gaza, and sympathy for Israel began to wilt. Hardcore Israel-haters didn’t wait for those images; they were already marching and demonstrating against Israel on October 8, well before Israel counterattacked. For others, the relentless flood of heartbreaking images from Gaza and negative stories about Israel had an effect. A recent study by Yale University professor Edieal Pinker found that The New York Times’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas War overwhelmingly generated sympathy for the Palestinian people while downplaying both Hamas’s responsibility for the conflict and Israel’s suffering. Pinker reached these conclusions after analyzing 1,561 Times articles about the conflict between October 7, 2023, and June 7, 2024.“It is common to go a week at a time without a single mention of IDF deaths even when such deaths were frequent,” he wrote. “The net result of these imbalances and others is to create a depiction of events that is imbalanced toward creating sympathy for the Palestinian side, places most of the agency in the hands of Israel, is often at odds with actual events, and fails to give readers an understanding of how Israelis are experiencing the war.”That kind of coverage has an impact.The Israeli media, for the most part, has not extensively covered the devastation and suffering in Gaza. The American media has, and over the last 16 months, the constant stream of images has undoubtedly shaped public perception of the conflict. This helps explain why support for Israel has dropped from 54% in 2023 (before October 7) to 46% today and why the gap between support for Israel and the Palestinians has shrunk from a high of 52 points in 2013 to just 13 points now.And then there is the Trump effect.Trump is unabashedly pro-Israel, and his policies reflect this sentiment. One might think that strong pro-Israel rhetoric from the White House would trickle down and boost public support. But this poll – conducted just weeks after he took office – suggests the opposite. In today’s deeply divided America, where the part of the population that hates Trump tends to oppose whatever he supports, the president’s vocal backing of Israel may have pushed many of his critics in the opposite direction.Indeed, Democratic support for Israel plummeted by a staggering 14 points in the past year from 35% to 21%, while support for the Palestinians jumped from 43% to 59%.Another concerning trend in the poll is that, while Republican support for Israel remains overwhelming – 54 points higher than among Democrats (75% vs. 21%) – it is at its lowest level since 2005, when it stood at 73%. Support among Republicans slipped from 80% last year to 75% this year, possibly reflecting the influence of isolationist voices within the party, such as Tucker Carlson.THERE IS a common misconception that massive Republican support for Israel is a recent phenomenon. However, Gallup polling dating back to 1988 shows that even then, more Republicans sympathized with Israel over the Palestinians – by a margin of 43% to 37%. Today, that margin stands at 75% to 21%.These poll results carry two clear policy implications for Israel.First, far more must be done to improve Israel’s image in the US and counteract the steady drumbeat of negative coverage.American Jewish organizations and NGOs spend millions of dollars annually trying to improve Israel’s image, yet this poll indicates that the current approach is not working. A new, more effective strategy is needed, and the Israeli government must engage on a much larger scale. This is becoming a strategic issue that demands government intervention at an unprecedented level. Even then, success is far from guaranteed.Second, Israel must continue an effort it began during the current war – as a result of the US slow-walking vital arms to Israel – to locally produce as much of its weaponry as possible.Under the 10-year Memorandum of Understanding signed with then-president Barack Obama, the US-Israel military aid agreement currently provides Israel with $3.8 billion annually in aid – a tremendous benefit.But the catch is that all of it now must be spent in the US, leading Israel to purchase not only fighter aircraft and helicopters in the US but also missiles, mortars, and basic munitions from American manufacturers because it ends up saving money. That makes sense. But the downside is that it creates a dangerous dependence.The Trump administration has approved billions in arms sales to Israel in recent weeks – a critical lifeline. But that type of support is not a given. It exists largely because of the perception that the vast majority of Americans back Israel.But what if they don’t? After all, in the 18-34 year-old demographic – according to the Gallup poll – 48% sympathize more with the Palestinians, and only 29% with the Israelis. What if US support continues to erode?Israel must prepare for that possibility, however distant it may seem. These polling trends are sobering and must not be ignored.
Stay updated with the latest news!
Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter
How can American support for Israel be lower – significantly lower – now than it was before the October 7 massacre?One might have expected that the massacre and the ongoing hostage crisis would have generated lasting sympathy among fair-minded Americans. And initially, it did. But only briefly.Wilting sympathy for Israel amidst troubling Gaza imageryTHE TELEVISION screens quickly filled with ghastly images of destruction in Gaza, and sympathy for Israel began to wilt. Hardcore Israel-haters didn’t wait for those images; they were already marching and demonstrating against Israel on October 8, well before Israel counterattacked. For others, the relentless flood of heartbreaking images from Gaza and negative stories about Israel had an effect. A recent study by Yale University professor Edieal Pinker found that The New York Times’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas War overwhelmingly generated sympathy for the Palestinian people while downplaying both Hamas’s responsibility for the conflict and Israel’s suffering. Pinker reached these conclusions after analyzing 1,561 Times articles about the conflict between October 7, 2023, and June 7, 2024.“It is common to go a week at a time without a single mention of IDF deaths even when such deaths were frequent,” he wrote. “The net result of these imbalances and others is to create a depiction of events that is imbalanced toward creating sympathy for the Palestinian side, places most of the agency in the hands of Israel, is often at odds with actual events, and fails to give readers an understanding of how Israelis are experiencing the war.”That kind of coverage has an impact.The Israeli media, for the most part, has not extensively covered the devastation and suffering in Gaza. The American media has, and over the last 16 months, the constant stream of images has undoubtedly shaped public perception of the conflict. This helps explain why support for Israel has dropped from 54% in 2023 (before October 7) to 46% today and why the gap between support for Israel and the Palestinians has shrunk from a high of 52 points in 2013 to just 13 points now.And then there is the Trump effect.Trump is unabashedly pro-Israel, and his policies reflect this sentiment. One might think that strong pro-Israel rhetoric from the White House would trickle down and boost public support. But this poll – conducted just weeks after he took office – suggests the opposite. In today’s deeply divided America, where the part of the population that hates Trump tends to oppose whatever he supports, the president’s vocal backing of Israel may have pushed many of his critics in the opposite direction.Indeed, Democratic support for Israel plummeted by a staggering 14 points in the past year from 35% to 21%, while support for the Palestinians jumped from 43% to 59%.Another concerning trend in the poll is that, while Republican support for Israel remains overwhelming – 54 points higher than among Democrats (75% vs. 21%) – it is at its lowest level since 2005, when it stood at 73%. Support among Republicans slipped from 80% last year to 75% this year, possibly reflecting the influence of isolationist voices within the party, such as Tucker Carlson.THERE IS a common misconception that massive Republican support for Israel is a recent phenomenon. However, Gallup polling dating back to 1988 shows that even then, more Republicans sympathized with Israel over the Palestinians – by a margin of 43% to 37%. Today, that margin stands at 75% to 21%.These poll results carry two clear policy implications for Israel.First, far more must be done to improve Israel’s image in the US and counteract the steady drumbeat of negative coverage.American Jewish organizations and NGOs spend millions of dollars annually trying to improve Israel’s image, yet this poll indicates that the current approach is not working. A new, more effective strategy is needed, and the Israeli government must engage on a much larger scale. This is becoming a strategic issue that demands government intervention at an unprecedented level. Even then, success is far from guaranteed.Second, Israel must continue an effort it began during the current war – as a result of the US slow-walking vital arms to Israel – to locally produce as much of its weaponry as possible.Under the 10-year Memorandum of Understanding signed with then-president Barack Obama, the US-Israel military aid agreement currently provides Israel with $3.8 billion annually in aid – a tremendous benefit.But the catch is that all of it now must be spent in the US, leading Israel to purchase not only fighter aircraft and helicopters in the US but also missiles, mortars, and basic munitions from American manufacturers because it ends up saving money. That makes sense. But the downside is that it creates a dangerous dependence.The Trump administration has approved billions in arms sales to Israel in recent weeks – a critical lifeline. But that type of support is not a given. It exists largely because of the perception that the vast majority of Americans back Israel.But what if they don’t? After all, in the 18-34 year-old demographic – according to the Gallup poll – 48% sympathize more with the Palestinians, and only 29% with the Israelis. What if US support continues to erode?Israel must prepare for that possibility, however distant it may seem. These polling trends are sobering and must not be ignored.
THE TELEVISION screens quickly filled with ghastly images of destruction in Gaza, and sympathy for Israel began to wilt. Hardcore Israel-haters didn’t wait for those images; they were already marching and demonstrating against Israel on October 8, well before Israel counterattacked. For others, the relentless flood of heartbreaking images from Gaza and negative stories about Israel had an effect. A recent study by Yale University professor Edieal Pinker found that The New York Times’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas War overwhelmingly generated sympathy for the Palestinian people while downplaying both Hamas’s responsibility for the conflict and Israel’s suffering. Pinker reached these conclusions after analyzing 1,561 Times articles about the conflict between October 7, 2023, and June 7, 2024.“It is common to go a week at a time without a single mention of IDF deaths even when such deaths were frequent,” he wrote. “The net result of these imbalances and others is to create a depiction of events that is imbalanced toward creating sympathy for the Palestinian side, places most of the agency in the hands of Israel, is often at odds with actual events, and fails to give readers an understanding of how Israelis are experiencing the war.”That kind of coverage has an impact.The Israeli media, for the most part, has not extensively covered the devastation and suffering in Gaza. The American media has, and over the last 16 months, the constant stream of images has undoubtedly shaped public perception of the conflict. This helps explain why support for Israel has dropped from 54% in 2023 (before October 7) to 46% today and why the gap between support for Israel and the Palestinians has shrunk from a high of 52 points in 2013 to just 13 points now.And then there is the Trump effect.Trump is unabashedly pro-Israel, and his policies reflect this sentiment. One might think that strong pro-Israel rhetoric from the White House would trickle down and boost public support. But this poll – conducted just weeks after he took office – suggests the opposite. In today’s deeply divided America, where the part of the population that hates Trump tends to oppose whatever he supports, the president’s vocal backing of Israel may have pushed many of his critics in the opposite direction.Indeed, Democratic support for Israel plummeted by a staggering 14 points in the past year from 35% to 21%, while support for the Palestinians jumped from 43% to 59%.Another concerning trend in the poll is that, while Republican support for Israel remains overwhelming – 54 points higher than among Democrats (75% vs. 21%) – it is at its lowest level since 2005, when it stood at 73%. Support among Republicans slipped from 80% last year to 75% this year, possibly reflecting the influence of isolationist voices within the party, such as Tucker Carlson.THERE IS a common misconception that massive Republican support for Israel is a recent phenomenon. However, Gallup polling dating back to 1988 shows that even then, more Republicans sympathized with Israel over the Palestinians – by a margin of 43% to 37%. Today, that margin stands at 75% to 21%.These poll results carry two clear policy implications for Israel.First, far more must be done to improve Israel’s image in the US and counteract the steady drumbeat of negative coverage.American Jewish organizations and NGOs spend millions of dollars annually trying to improve Israel’s image, yet this poll indicates that the current approach is not working. A new, more effective strategy is needed, and the Israeli government must engage on a much larger scale. This is becoming a strategic issue that demands government intervention at an unprecedented level. Even then, success is far from guaranteed.Second, Israel must continue an effort it began during the current war – as a result of the US slow-walking vital arms to Israel – to locally produce as much of its weaponry as possible.Under the 10-year Memorandum of Understanding signed with then-president Barack Obama, the US-Israel military aid agreement currently provides Israel with $3.8 billion annually in aid – a tremendous benefit.But the catch is that all of it now must be spent in the US, leading Israel to purchase not only fighter aircraft and helicopters in the US but also missiles, mortars, and basic munitions from American manufacturers because it ends up saving money. That makes sense. But the downside is that it creates a dangerous dependence.The Trump administration has approved billions in arms sales to Israel in recent weeks – a critical lifeline. But that type of support is not a given. It exists largely because of the perception that the vast majority of Americans back Israel.But what if they don’t? After all, in the 18-34 year-old demographic – according to the Gallup poll – 48% sympathize more with the Palestinians, and only 29% with the Israelis. What if US support continues to erode?Israel must prepare for that possibility, however distant it may seem. These polling trends are sobering and must not be ignored.
“It is common to go a week at a time without a single mention of IDF deaths even when such deaths were frequent,” he wrote. “The net result of these imbalances and others is to create a depiction of events that is imbalanced toward creating sympathy for the Palestinian side, places most of the agency in the hands of Israel, is often at odds with actual events, and fails to give readers an understanding of how Israelis are experiencing the war.”That kind of coverage has an impact.The Israeli media, for the most part, has not extensively covered the devastation and suffering in Gaza. The American media has, and over the last 16 months, the constant stream of images has undoubtedly shaped public perception of the conflict. This helps explain why support for Israel has dropped from 54% in 2023 (before October 7) to 46% today and why the gap between support for Israel and the Palestinians has shrunk from a high of 52 points in 2013 to just 13 points now.And then there is the Trump effect.Trump is unabashedly pro-Israel, and his policies reflect this sentiment. One might think that strong pro-Israel rhetoric from the White House would trickle down and boost public support. But this poll – conducted just weeks after he took office – suggests the opposite. In today’s deeply divided America, where the part of the population that hates Trump tends to oppose whatever he supports, the president’s vocal backing of Israel may have pushed many of his critics in the opposite direction.Indeed, Democratic support for Israel plummeted by a staggering 14 points in the past year from 35% to 21%, while support for the Palestinians jumped from 43% to 59%.Another concerning trend in the poll is that, while Republican support for Israel remains overwhelming – 54 points higher than among Democrats (75% vs. 21%) – it is at its lowest level since 2005, when it stood at 73%. Support among Republicans slipped from 80% last year to 75% this year, possibly reflecting the influence of isolationist voices within the party, such as Tucker Carlson.THERE IS a common misconception that massive Republican support for Israel is a recent phenomenon. However, Gallup polling dating back to 1988 shows that even then, more Republicans sympathized with Israel over the Palestinians – by a margin of 43% to 37%. Today, that margin stands at 75% to 21%.These poll results carry two clear policy implications for Israel.First, far more must be done to improve Israel’s image in the US and counteract the steady drumbeat of negative coverage.American Jewish organizations and NGOs spend millions of dollars annually trying to improve Israel’s image, yet this poll indicates that the current approach is not working. A new, more effective strategy is needed, and the Israeli government must engage on a much larger scale. This is becoming a strategic issue that demands government intervention at an unprecedented level. Even then, success is far from guaranteed.Second, Israel must continue an effort it began during the current war – as a result of the US slow-walking vital arms to Israel – to locally produce as much of its weaponry as possible.Under the 10-year Memorandum of Understanding signed with then-president Barack Obama, the US-Israel military aid agreement currently provides Israel with $3.8 billion annually in aid – a tremendous benefit.But the catch is that all of it now must be spent in the US, leading Israel to purchase not only fighter aircraft and helicopters in the US but also missiles, mortars, and basic munitions from American manufacturers because it ends up saving money. That makes sense. But the downside is that it creates a dangerous dependence.The Trump administration has approved billions in arms sales to Israel in recent weeks – a critical lifeline. But that type of support is not a given. It exists largely because of the perception that the vast majority of Americans back Israel.But what if they don’t? After all, in the 18-34 year-old demographic – according to the Gallup poll – 48% sympathize more with the Palestinians, and only 29% with the Israelis. What if US support continues to erode?Israel must prepare for that possibility, however distant it may seem. These polling trends are sobering and must not be ignored.
THERE IS a common misconception that massive Republican support for Israel is a recent phenomenon. However, Gallup polling dating back to 1988 shows that even then, more Republicans sympathized with Israel over the Palestinians – by a margin of 43% to 37%. Today, that margin stands at 75% to 21%.These poll results carry two clear policy implications for Israel.First, far more must be done to improve Israel’s image in the US and counteract the steady drumbeat of negative coverage.American Jewish organizations and NGOs spend millions of dollars annually trying to improve Israel’s image, yet this poll indicates that the current approach is not working. A new, more effective strategy is needed, and the Israeli government must engage on a much larger scale. This is becoming a strategic issue that demands government intervention at an unprecedented level. Even then, success is far from guaranteed.Second, Israel must continue an effort it began during the current war – as a result of the US slow-walking vital arms to Israel – to locally produce as much of its weaponry as possible.Under the 10-year Memorandum of Understanding signed with then-president Barack Obama, the US-Israel military aid agreement currently provides Israel with $3.8 billion annually in aid – a tremendous benefit.But the catch is that all of it now must be spent in the US, leading Israel to purchase not only fighter aircraft and helicopters in the US but also missiles, mortars, and basic munitions from American manufacturers because it ends up saving money. That makes sense. But the downside is that it creates a dangerous dependence.The Trump administration has approved billions in arms sales to Israel in recent weeks – a critical lifeline. But that type of support is not a given. It exists largely because of the perception that the vast majority of Americans back Israel.But what if they don’t? After all, in the 18-34 year-old demographic – according to the Gallup poll – 48% sympathize more with the Palestinians, and only 29% with the Israelis. What if US support continues to erode?Israel must prepare for that possibility, however distant it may seem. These polling trends are sobering and must not be ignored.
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Armed men loyal to the Syrian government carried out field executions and spoke of purifying the country, according to eyewitnesses and video, providing a gruesome picture of a crackdown against remnants of the former Assad regime that spiraled into communal killings.
Syria has seen the worst outbreak of violence since the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad late last year, after armed men descended on Alawite heartlands on Thursday in what Syrian authorities said was an attempt to put down an insurgency by rebels still loyal to the former government.
A UK-based independent monitoring group, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), said that at least 642 people have died in the violence, including scores of civilians who were killed after government forces committed “widespread field executions” of young men and adults.
Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, on Sunday blamed the violence on the remnants of Assad’s forces and said his government would hold accountable anyone involved in the deaths of civilians.
“We will not tolerate the remnants of Assad’s forces,” he said. “They have only one option: to surrender themselves to the law immediately.”
He also called for national unity, describing the clashes as “expected challenges.” His office has ordered the formation of committees to investigate and engage with people in affected areas. CNN has approached the Syrian government for comment.
“Armed men were moving from house to house attacking people as a form of entertainment… They declared jihad on us from all over Syria,” said one resident of the city of Latakia, who chose to remain anonymous through concern for the safety of their family still in the city.
The resident, who fled the city Saturday after 30 years of living there, told CNN they started seeing dead bodies on the streets as early as Tuesday.
“People were fleeing, those who couldn’t were killed,” Bashir, another resident of Latakia, told CNN. “My 70-year-old uncle, a history professor, and his 60-year-old wife were killed in cold blood at home,” he said. Both were Alawites residing in the city of Baniyas in the western Tartous province.
“I fear for my life and the lives of my two children,” Bashir said.
Armed men started heading en masse to Latakia and Tartous on Thursday night after reports of attacks by Assad loyalists against Syria’s new government forces stationed in the Alawite cities.
Rasha Sadeq, a 35-year-old Alawite mother of three living in Homs, told CNN that she received a phone call over the weekend from her brother’s business partner, telling her that her mother and two brothers had been killed by armed groups loyal to the new government in Baniyas.
“I was constantly in touch with my family; they told me there are gunfire sounds,” she said, adding that her family had said they also heard religious chants. Her family were civilians and not pro-Assad, she said.
The Assad family, members of the minority Alawite sect, ruled Syria for over half a century until Bashar was ousted in December by Sunni Islamist militants who sought to reshape the country’s political and sectarian order. The group, led by former al Qaeda militant Ahmad al-Sharaa, promised political equality and representation to the various sects of Syria’s diverse ethnic and religious populations.
Related article
Hundreds reported killed in Syria clashes in worst violence since ouster of Assad regime
Security remains a major challenge for the new administration. Syria’s Alawites – some 10% of the population – were prominent in the Assad regime, and while many Alawites have surrendered their weapons since December, many others have not.
The attacks started this week after reports emerged that Assad loyalists had ambushed and killed members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – the rebel group that spearheaded the rebellion that ousted the former Syrian leader.
“The Assad loyalists won’t be in the villages they attacked, these (armed men) were killing regular people in those villages,” Bashir told CNN.
A Syrian government source told state media that “individual violations” had been perpetrated after “large, unorganized crowds” traveled to the area.
The Syrian government told CNN on Saturday that at least 150 of its security forces had been killed since Thursday and 300 had been captured in clashes with Assad loyalists.
CNN cannot independently confirm casualty numbers.
Several videos appeared on social media showing convoys of armed men in vehicles heading to the cities of Latakia and Tartous in the run-up to the violence.
“It was the battle for liberation. Now it’s a battle for purification (of Syria),” a narrator accompanying the armed convoys says. It’s unclear when exactly the video was filmed.
“To the Alawites, we’re coming to slaughter you and your fathers,” a man in military fatigues said in what sounded like an Egyptian accent in one of the videos filmed at night.
“Everyone is going out with guns, we will show you the (strength) of the Sunnis.” CNN has not been able to geolocate the video, which appears to show a large number of vehicles.
Reports of horrific acts of violence soon started emerging. Videos geolocated by CNN showed dozens of dead bodies lying on the ground in the village of Al Mukhtareyah as people mourned.
“These are the Alawite pigs,” a voice is heard saying before shooting an apparently lifeless body on open ground in another video. It was unclear where or when the shooting took place.
Another video circulating on Syrian social media showed a man dressed in military fatigues pull up to a house on a motorcycle, and tell its resident to look at the camera before shooting him.
“I caught you, cheeky,” the attacker says laughing. “Are you still not dead? You’re still not dead,” he says before shooting him again.
In another, a man wearing military fatigues asks a captive to step outside a building, then tells him to bark like a dog before fatally shooting him.
CNN could not verify either of these two videos, but they’re among several that emerged in recent days apparently showing killings on camera.
The attacks raise major questions over the new Syrian administration which has made efforts to distance itself from its jihadist past.
“What happened from three months ago until today, equals what the Assads did to us in five decades. The Assads were criminals, and these (new rulers) are also criminals,” Bashir said.
Nadeen Ebrahim, Allegra Goodwin and Frankie Vetch contributed to this story.Previous reporting from Eyad Kourdi and Mohammed Tawfeeq
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Far-right supporters of the candidate claim decision is undemocratic and Elon Musk describes his ban as ‘crazy’
Romania’s central election authority has barred far-right pro-Russia candidate Călin Georgescu from running in May’s presidential election re-run.
The rejection of his candidacy, which was announced on Sunday evening and was condemned by far-right party leaders as undemocratic, can be challenged at the constitutional court.
Dozens of supporters of the populist Georgescu gathered outside the election bureau shouting “Freedom” and briefly tried to force their way through the security cordon.
Georgescu submitted his candidacy for the May ballot re-run on Friday amid doubts that he would be allowed to run.
Romania’s highest court annulled the ballot two days before the second round of voting in December, citing allegations of Russian interference in Georgescu’s favour, which Moscow has denied.
Members of US President Donald Trump’s administration called Romania’s cancelled election an example of European governments suppressing freedom of speech and political opponents.
Tech billionaire and Trump adviser Elon Musk called the election authority’s decision “crazy” on his social media platform X.
Georgescu is under criminal investigation on six counts, including membership of a fascist organisation and communicating false information about campaign financing. He has denied all wrongdoing.
Homeland security secretary pledges lie detector tests for employees she suspects are passing information to press
Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem on Sunday announced new leadership at the agency tasked with immigration enforcement as she also pledged to step up lie detector tests on employees to identify those who may be leaking information about operations to the media.
Noem confirmed, in addition, that the government will expand immigration detention operations further into the military sphere, following reports of the intention to use the huge Fort Bliss army base close to the US-Mexico border in Texas for that purpose.
“There is, yes, a plan to use the facility at Fort Bliss for detention,” she said.
The secretary also warned that her department has “just weeks” before running out of money for its mass deportation mission unless Congress ups funding.
“The authorities that I have under the Department of Homeland Security are broad and extensive, and I plan to use every single one of them to make sure that we’re following the law, that we are following the procedures in place to keep people safe and that we’re making sure we’re following through on what President Trump has promised,” Noem told Face the Nation on CBS.
While these polygraph exams are typically not admissible in court, they are frequently used by federal law enforcement agencies and for national security clearances.
White House officials have previously expressed frustration with the pace of deportations, blaming it in part on recent leaks revealing cities where authorities planned raids.
This despite the department’s publicity blitz about raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), invitations to journalists to accompany agents and also witness deportation flights and questions about the facts Ice is issuing and the justifications they are using for arresting, detaining and deporting some of those affected.
Todd Lyons, the former assistant director of field operations for the agency’s enforcement arm, will serve as acting Ice director. Madison Sheahan, secretary of the Louisiana department of wildlife and fisheries and Noem’s former aide when she was governor of South Dakota, has been tapped to be the agency’s deputy director.
The leadership changes come after Ice’s acting director Caleb Vitello was reassigned on February 21 for failing to meet anti-immigration expectations, Reuters reported. Two other top immigration enforcement officials were reassigned February 11.
The Trump administration deported 37,660 people during the president’s first month back in office, DHS data first reported by Reuters last month show, far less than the monthly average of 57,000 people removed from the US in the last full year of Joe Biden’s administration.
Arrest rates were higher than usual in the first few weeks of the Trump administration, a Guardian analysis showed, but arrests and detentions do not always translate into removals and, at the same time, the numbers of people crossing the US-Mexico border without authorization has dropped dramatically since last summer, first under new Biden restrictions and now further under Trump.
Noem said on Friday that the agency planned to prosecute two “leakers of information”.
On Sunday, she said these two people “were leaking our enforcement operations that we had planned and were going to conduct in several cities and exposed vulnerabilities”. She said they could face up to 10 years in federal prison. A DHS spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed reporting
President downplays recent stock market volatility that followed his ducking and weaving over tariff policy
Donald Trump on Sunday refused to rule out the possibility that the US economy will head into recession this year and that inflation will rise, as his chaotic trade tariffs policy cause uncertainty and market turbulence.
The US president predicted that his economic goals would take time and a period of transition to bear fruit. But when asked in an interview with the Fox News show Sunday Morning Futures “are you expecting a recession this year?” he demurred.
“I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition, because what we’re doing is very big. We’re bringing wealth back to America. That’s a big thing. And there are always periods of, it takes a little time. It takes a little time, but I think it should be great for us,” Trump said.
When asked whether he thought his tariffs on US imports would fuel inflation, he said: “You may get it. In the meantime, guess what? Interest rates are down.”
He downplayed recent stock market volatility that followed his ducking and weaving over tariff policy on exports from Canada, Mexico and China and similar threats to other countries, despite his usual fixation with market performance in relation to the politics of the day and an appetite to claim credit when stocks rise on his watch.
“You have to do what’s right,” he said.
Last week the Atlanta Federal Reserve suggested that the US economy is on course to contract in the first quarter, triggering fears a recession could hit the world’s largest economy if weakness persisted and fueling stock market jitters.
In 2018 Trump posted on Twitter, now X, that “trade wars are good, and easy to win”, a view that is not widely shared by financial and economic experts.
On Sunday, however, he was cautious overall after boasting throughout his election campaign of the swift gains his policies would bring for the US economy and ordinary Americans’ finances.
Fox News Sunday Morning Futures anchor Maria Bartiromo introduced the topic of recession by telling Trump “look, I know you inherited a mess”, even though most experts agree that predecessor Joe Biden, a Democrat, left the Republican president a stable economy where inflation, although painfully high for a long time, was continuing to come down and international trading conditions for the US were steady.
Meanwhile, also on Sunday morning, NBC’s Meet the Press TV politics show was interviewing US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick.
He pushed back on concerns that the prospect of Trump’s global tariffs would cause a recession in the US. “Absolutely not,” he said. “There’s going to be no recession in America.”
Lutnick added: “Anybody who bets against Donald Trump, it’s like the same people who thought Donald Trump wasn’t going to win a year ago … you are going to see over the next two years the greatest set of growth coming from America … I would never bet on recession, no chance.”
Reuters contributed reporting
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The United States Secret Service critically injured a man in Washington, D.C., near the White House on Sunday morning following an “armed confrontation.”
The individual, later identified as, Andrew Dawson, a 27-year-old Indiana resident, had already been on the radar of local law enforcement before the shootout.
Dawson was carrying both a knife and a firearm when he was confronted by Secret Service agents just after midnight, just one block away from the West Wing, per New York Post.
ALSO READ| What do we know about the armed ‘adult male’ who got shot just outside the White House?
Dawson, a resident of North Manchester, Indiana—located approximately 100 miles north of Indianapolis—was described as being “suicidal” before travelling to the Washington, D.C., area, based on intelligence provided by Indiana authorities. Cops suspect that his intention was to commit “suicide by cop.”
The shooting took place near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building after agents, responding to an alert, confronted him. “As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm, and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel,” Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said.
“As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm, and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel.”
Dawson was transported to a hospital in Washington, D.C. Guglielmi later also confirmed, “There were no reported injuries to Secret Service personnel.”
ALSO READ| Secret Service shoots armed man near White House; Donald Trump wasn't home
Indiana court records, Dawson had a prior arrest in 2018 for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia but had no other criminal history.
Notably, the Secret Service confirmed that President Donald Trump was at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and was not present at the White House, per Reuters.
For now, “The incident is under investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department Internal Affairs Division’s Force Investigations Team,” the Secret Service said.
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Ankara has pledged to fully apply a law to remove millions of stray dogs from the streets after the death of a toddler. However, opponents believe this could lead to further widespread neglect of pets.
Turkey’s interior minister has pledged to fully apply a law to remove millions of stray dogs from the streets in the wake of the death of a toddler earlier this week.
“Either they will do this job or I will use whatever authority the law gives me to the fullest,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a video message posted on social media.
The two-year-old Rana El Selci died after being attacked by a pack of stray dogs in the central Turkish city of Konya on Friday, sparking fresh outcry about the 4 million stray dogs that the government estimates roam Turkey’s streets and rural areas.
A criminal investigation was launched following her death as municipal workers began rounding up dogs in the city. On Saturday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the government was “taking determined steps to ensure the implementation of the law.”
The legislation – labelled the “massacre law” by animal welfare groups – was passed by parliament last summer but has been only partially implemented by municipal authorities.
It requires municipalities to collect stray dogs and house them in shelters to be vaccinated, neutered or spayed before making them available for adoption. Dogs that are in pain, terminally ill, or pose a health risk to humans will be euthanised.
A report released by the Safe Streets and Defence of the Right to Life Association, an organisation campaigning for the removal of all stray dogs from the streets, says that 65 people have died in street dog attacks since 2022, not including Rana El Selci.
Animal lovers fear the legislation will lead to dogs being killed or ending up in neglected, overcrowded shelters. When the law was passed, the main opposition party pledged that its municipalities would not implement the round-up of strays.
The issue has proven to be divisive in Turkish society, with at least one former government minister having professed his admiration for "man's best friend".
During the COVID-19 pandemic five years ago, the former Minister of Justice Adbulhamit Gul posted a photo of himself on X petting a dog, saying: ''We should not abandon our animal friends during these tough days.''
The post came as the government was publicly promoting feeding stray animals whilst COVID-19 restrictions were in force.
Meanwhile, demonstrations in cities across Turkey have seen thousands call for the law to be scrapped. There have also been protests across Europe, as people warned the legislation could dissuade tourists from visiting Turkey.
Some critics have blamed the growth in the stray canine population on the failure to implement previous regulations, which required stray dogs to be caught, neutered, or spayed and returned to their original location.
Turkey’s Animal Rights Federation, HAYTAP, posted a video on X showing stray dogs and cats peacefully coexisting with people in the street, in shops, and even on the metro network.
The organisation recalled a previous attempt to get rid of stray dogs in 1910 in a statement on its website: "In an effort to 'Westernise' Istanbul just before the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Sultan ordered tens of thousands stray dogs from Istanbul to be sent to a nearby island."
"The island did not have food or water for the dogs, so this ended horribly with cannibalisation, starvation, and many dogs drowning trying to swim back. Records show reports of people on the mainland being haunted by hearing the howls of the starving dogs on the island," HAYTAP said.
Animal rights activists are concerned that some municipalities might kill dogs on the pretext that they are ill rather than allocate resources to shelter them.
Videos showing dead cats and dogs buried in ditches have been circulating on social media. Animal rights activists say the animals were indiscriminately killed after the passage of the law.
Elon Musk says the "entire frontline" in Ukraine would collapse if he chose to turn off his Starlink internet system. Elsewhere, Russian special forces reportedly crept through a gas pipeline to launch a surprise attack on Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk. Listen to Trump 100 as you scroll.
Sunday 9 March 2025 18:50, UK
Donald Trump has said Volodymyr Zelenskyy took money from the US under the Biden administration like "candy from a baby".
In an interview with Fox News, the US president reiterated that he thought his Ukrainian counterpart was not "grateful" but did go on to describe him as "smart" and "tough".
Trump repeated his claim that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 "would never have happened" if he was president.
He was also asked about critics who claimed Trump was easing political pressure on Russia, to which he responded by saying "nobody has been tougher on Russia than Donald Trump", adding "remember, I'm the one that stopped the pipeline - Nord Stream 2".
Trump's comments come as US officials are set to meet with their Ukrainian counterparts this coming week in Saudi Arabia.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will take part in talks on the American side, as he did with Russian officials in Riyadh last month.
Russia's defence ministry has said its forces have recaptured three more settlements in the western Kursk region.
A ministry statement on Telegram said Russian troops were now in control of Malaya Lokhnya, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye and Kositsa.
It comes after open source maps showed this week that Ukraine's positions in Kursk have deteriorated sharply, with reports yesterday suggesting Ukrainians were nearly surrounded by Russians (see our 9.53am post).
Footage has also emerged showing Russian soldiers creeping through a disused gas pipeline to launch a surprise attack - see our 3.57pm post to watch the video.
This morning, Russia's defence ministry said its forces had retaken another village in Kursk and even seized a Ukrainian village across the border in the Sumy region.
For context: Thousands of Ukrainian troops stormed into Russia's Kursk region last August, partly as a way of diverting parts of Moscow's army away from the frontline in eastern Ukraine.
Analysts believed Kyiv had been hoping to use its presence in Kursk as leverage over Russia in any peace talks.
It's just gone 6pm in the UK, 8pm in Kyiv and 9pm in Moscow.
If you're just joining us, here's everything you need to know:
The UK is committed to "leading from the front" to bring together European allies to ensure security, Defence Secretary John Healey has said.
Writing in The Telegraph, Healey said: "As global threats increase, our national security and our economic security are both at stake.
"From deepening our US-UK relationship to striving for peace in Europe and ensuring the benefits of increasing defence investment are felt here at home, Britain is committed to leading from the front to secure our future."
Healey described the "unique relationship" between the US and UK as being "as strong as ever" and said the two countries will continue to collaborate closely on military operations, intelligence gathering and the development of advanced technologies.
On the decision to boost UK defence spending, Healey said: "This isn't just a crucial move for our national security in the face of increasing global threats, it means defence will be an engine to drive economic growth across the UK."
We've brought you comments from Elon Musk this afternoon, who said the "entire frontline" in Ukraine would collapse if he chose to turn off his Starlink internet system (see our 2pm post).
It comes after US negotiators pressing Kyiv for access to Ukraine's critical minerals raised the possibility of cutting the country's access to the service, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters in February.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has now weighed in, stating "no one has made any threats about cutting Ukraine off from Starlink" in a post on X.
He was responding to a post from Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski, and urged him to "say thank you because without Starlink Ukraine would have lost this war long ago".
"Russians would be on the border with Poland right now," he added.
Poland, which pays for Ukraine's Starlink internet services, said it may seek an alternative if Musk's company proves to be "unreliable".
Senior Western and Ukrainian officials have indicated that the pause on US intelligence to Ukraine has already helped Russian forces advance in the battlefield.
An "unspecified" officer has also told Time that the US pause on military aid has left Ukrainian forces unable to use "some of their best weapons systems".
Meanwhile, a source in the Ukrainian government is reported to have stated that Ukrainian operations in Kursk have been impacted the most, and that Ukrainian forces have lost the ability to detect Russian aircraft approaching Ukraine.
The Institute for the Study of War said - while it cannot independently verify the statements on the ground - it continues to assess that the complete suspension of US intelligence sharing would damage Ukraine's ability to defend against Russia's offensive operations.
Pro-Russian military bloggers have said Russian special forces recently walked miles along the inside of a major gas pipeline before surprising Ukrainian forces near Sudzha (see our 9.53am post).
Footage circulating on Telegram appears to show the soldiers creeping through a disused gas pipeline for several miles to launch the surprise attack.
Watch the video below...
Earlier, we told you Latvia's president has urged European countries to "absolutely" introduce conscription, as he conceded the continent was "quite weak" militarily (see our 8.50am post).
But senior cabinet minister Pat McFadden has told Sky News the UK is not considering conscription.
"We're not considering conscription, but of course, we've announced a major increase in defence expenditure a couple of weeks ago - and we do have to recognise that the world has changed here," he said on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips.
Asked if the UK's military will increase in size, McFadden said it's best to wait for the strategic defence review before nailing down where the spending increase will go.
But he notes that "you would not spend that money today on the same things as you would 10 years ago".
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia has carried out "hundreds of attacks" against Ukrainians this week.
Posting on X, Ukraine's president said "around 1,200 guided aerial bombs, nearly 870 attack drones, and over 80 missiles" had been used by Moscow.
He said: "Every day, we work with our partners to ensure that decisions are made to provide life-saving support: air defence systems, investments in our defence production, and the strengthening of sanctions against Russia.
"We continue our efforts to bring a just peace closer and ensure reliable security guarantees."
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said last Friday was one of 2025's deadliest attacks for Ukrainian civilians, with at least 22 people killed in various Russian attacks.
By Deborah Haynes, security and defence editor, and Azad Safarov, Ukraine producer
It "cuts my heart" and is a "betrayal".
This was the response of a Ukrainian soldier in a frontline combat regiment directly affected by Donald Trump's decision to pause US military support to Ukraine.
Serhii, 45, maintains a unit of US-supplied Bradley infantry fighting vehicles that are defending an area of eastern Ukraine from attacking Russian forces.
The halt to American military aid - if sustained - means there will be no new ammunition and no ability to repair any of the vehicles when they are damaged - a constant risk.
On a recent mission by the 425th Storming Regiment "Skala", three Bradleys went into battle towards the direction of the city of Pokrovsk, an area of heavy clashes.
Only two returned after the other was hit by the Russian side.
"It's going to be very hard," Serhii said, standing next to a large Bradley, covered by a camouflage net and tucked under a line of trees in the Donetsk region.
"These vehicles are really good. You can fight back with them. And not just defend, you can even advance. It's a shame we didn't have this equipment two or three years ago."
President Trump suggested that Ukraine might not be able to survive against Russia even if the US forged ahead with full-blown support for its fight.
Trump’s remarks came while defending his decision to draw down support to Ukraine in the face of Polish President Andrzej Duda’s and others’ concerns that Europe lacks the might to prop up Kyiv without the US.
“Well, it may not survive anyway,” Trump told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” in an interview that aired Sunday.
“We have some weaknesses with Russia,” Trump added. “It takes two. Look, it was not going to happen — that war and it happened. So now we’re stuck with this mess.”
Last week, CIA director John Ratcliffe confirmed that most intelligence sharing with Ukraine has been paused.
The Trump administration has also halted aid to Ukraine. Ukraine peace envoy Keith Kellogg has publicly said that the US could resume intelligence sharing and military aid to Ukraine if Kyiv finalizes a mineral agreement.
Ukrainian and American officials are set to meet in Saudi Arabia this week.
Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky got into a blow-up during a meeting inside the Oval Office that was captured on camera late last month. Following that spat, the White House booted Zelensky, and the mineral deal that was set to be finalized during that visit was left unsigned.
“You don’t have the cards right now,” Trump sternly told Zelensky during their heated clash.
Zelensky, 47, later penned a note to Trump, conveying gratitude for US aid to Ukraine and expressing a desire to end the bloody conflict.
“The letter reads: Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians,” Trump recounted during an address to a joint session of Congress last week.
In a break from the Biden administration’s policies, Trump has tried to position himself toward the center of the Russia-Ukraine war, whereas previous US policy had been steadfastly behind Kyiv.
The president has prioritized his objective of brokering peace between the two warring countries and believes that a less hostile stance toward Russia will make that possible.
Much of his focus has been on putting pressure on Ukraine — at least in the public eye. But last week, Trump also threatened sanctions and other penalties against Russia as Moscow continued bombarding Ukraine amid the president’s efforts to pursue peace.
Russia is already facing some of the fiercest sanctions the US has ever dished out due to its unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
Despite his recent warning against Russia, Trump clarified that he finds it “more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine” than Russia, as Kyiv scrambles to defend its lands from foreign invaders.
At home, Trump has faced pro-Ukraine protests outside the White House and around Washington, DC, from demonstrators who bemoan his departure from prior US policy of steadfastly backing Kyiv.
Ukraine had widely been expected to quickly fold under pressure from the Russian military since its invasion began. Nearly three years later, Kyiv’s government is still intact, and the two warring nations have found themselves ensnared in protracted warfare.
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France will use the interest accrued on Russia’s frozen central bank assets to procure weapons for the Ukrainian military, the country’s defense minister, Sebastien Lecornu, has announced. Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin criticized the decision, stating it contravenes international law.
Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Western states froze an estimated $300 billion worth of Russian sovereign funds, of which approximately $213 billion is held by the Brussels-based clearing house Euroclear. The assets have already generated billions in interest, of which Euroclear already transferred €1.55 billion ($1.63 billion) directly to Ukraine last July.
In an interview to France’s La Tribune Dimanche on Saturday, Lecornu said that “thanks to interest from frozen Russian assets, we will also tap new funds worth 195 million euros.” He revealed that Paris would use the money to finance the delivery to Kiev of 155-mm artillery shells and glide bombs compatible with the Mirage 2000 fighter jets that France has handed over to Ukraine.
The official added that France also plans to supply an unspecified number of armored fighting vehicles, including the AMX-10 RC.
Volodin, the chairman of the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, denounced the scheme as contravening international law.
“What is obviously hysteria born of impotence has finally gotten the better of reason,” the MP said on Sunday.
Responding to a similar move by the UK on Friday, Volodin warned that London “will have to give back to Russia what they are now so generously giving away,” adding that Moscow has “every reason to respond in kind.”
The remarks came shortly after Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal confirmed that Kiev had received a first tranche worth about $1 billion from London, secured by the proceeds from the Russian assets.
Late last year, the US also transferred the first $1 billion installment of a $20 billion US loan backed by interest earned from the immobilized Russian assets.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at the time that “this money was stolen from us. Our assets have been frozen absolutely illegally, against all norms and rules.” He added that Russia would exhaust all legal avenues to protect its property and rights.
While Kiev has long been pressing its Western backers to outright expropriate the frozen Russian assets to finance its military and reconstruction efforts, a number of EU member states, most notably Germany, France, and Italy, have been reluctant to do so, citing legal concerns. The International Monetary Fund has also warned that appropriating the funds without a clear legal basis could undermine global confidence in Western financial institutions.
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Authorities in the Dominican Republic are searching for a 20-year-old Indian-origin student who went missing while on her spring break trip with classmates. According to the New York Post, Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student, was reported missing on Thursday, while travelling with a group in the resort town of Punta Cana. Authorities in the Dominican Republic said Ms Konanki went missing while "walking the beach" and has not been seen or heard from since.
"Our office was contacted on Thursday evening about a missing female from Loudoun County who was with a group of other people traveling in the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana specifically," a Loudoun County Sheriff's Office spokesperson said Saturday, per the Post.
The 20-year-old is said to have vanished while walking on the beach wearing a bikini, local officials said. A missing person's poster describes her as 5 feet 3 inches, with black hair and brown eyes. At the time she went missing, she was wearing a brown bikini, big round earrings, a metal designer anklet on her right leg, yellow and steel bracelets on her right hand and a multicolored beaded bracelet on her left hand, the poster detailed.
In a statement, the University of Pittsburgh officials said they were working with Ms Konanki's family and local authorities in Virginia. "University officials are in contact with Sudiksha Konanki's family as well as authorities in Loudoun County, Virginia, and we have offered our full support in their efforts to find her and bring her home safely," university spokesperson Jared Stonesifer said, according to the outlet.
Also Read | Billiard Ball Forced Into Her Mouth, Florida Teen Killed By Man She Met Online, His Partner
Defensa Civil, a search and rescue team based in the Dominican Republic, set out to look for her Saturday evening, but around 8pm the crew called off the search for the day. Defensa Civil said the search for Konanki would continue on Sunday.
Sudiksha Konanki is expected to graduate from the university in 2026, according to her LinkedIn profile. It is unclear what her major is. Prior to college, she attended Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia.
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Turkey’s interior minister has pledged to fully apply a law to remove millions of stray dogs from the streets after the death a two-year-old girl.
Turkey’s interior minister has pledged to fully apply a law to remove millions of stray dogs from the streets in the wake of the death of a two-year-old girl.
The legislation – labelled the “massacre law” by animal welfare groups – was passed by parliament last summer but has been only partially implemented, if at all, by municipal authorities.
It requires municipalities to collect stray dogs and house them in shelters to be vaccinated, neutered or spayed before making them available for adoption. Dogs that are in pain, terminally ill, or pose a health risk to humans will be euthanised.
“Either they will do this job or I will use whatever authority the law gives me to the fullest,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a video message posted on social media.
Rana El Selci died after being attacked by a pack of stray dogs in Konya, central Turkey, on Friday. Her death sparked fresh outcry about the four million stray dogs that the government estimates roam Turkey’s streets and rural areas.
A criminal investigation was launched following her death as municipal workers began rounding up dogs in Konya. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that the government was “taking determined steps to ensure the implementation of the law.”
A report released by the Safe Streets and Defence of the Right to Life Association, an organisation campaigning for the removal of all stray dogs from the streets, says that 65 people have died in street dog attacks since 2022, not including Rana El Selci.
Animal lovers fear the legislation will lead to dogs being killed or ending up in neglected, overcrowded shelters. When the law was passed, the main opposition party pledged that its municipalities would not implement the round-up of strays.
The issue divides Turks at all levels of society, with at least one former government minister having professed his admiration for "man's best friend".
During the COVID-19 pandemic five years ago the former Minister of Justice Adbulhamit Gul posted a photo of himself on X stroking a dog, saying: ''we should not abandon our animal friends during these tough days.''
The post came as the government was publicly promoting feeding stray animals whilst Covid restrictions were in force.
Demonstrations in cities across Turkey, meanwhile, have seen thousands call for the law to be scrapped. There have also been protests across Europe, as people warned the law could dissuade tourists from visiting Turkey.
Some critics have blamed the growth in the stray canine population on a failure to implement previous regulations, which required stray dogs to be caught, neutered or spayed and returned to where they were found.
Turkey’s Animal Rights Federation, HAYTAP, posted a video on X showing stray dogs - and stray cats - peacefully coexisting with people in the street, in shops and even on the metro network.
On HAYTAP's website the organisation recalls a previous attempt to get rid of stray dogs in 1910:
"In an effort to "westernise" Istanbul just before the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Sultan ordered tens of thousands stray dogs from Istanbul to be sent to a nearby island.
– The island did not have food or water for the dogs, so this ended horribly with cannibalisation, starvation, and many dogs drowning trying to swim back. Records show reports of people on the mainland being haunted by hearing the howls of the starving dogs on the island."
Animal rights activists are concerned that some municipalities might kill dogs on the pretext that they are ill rather than allocate resources to shelter them.
Videos showing dead cats and dogs buried in ditches have been circulating on social media. Animal rights activists say the animals were indiscriminately killed after the passage of the law.
White House(Photo: Reuters)
An armed man believed to be travelling from Indiana was shot by US Secret Service agents near the White House after a confrontation early Sunday, according to authorities.
No one else was injured in the shooting that happened around midnight about a block from the White House, according to a Secret Service statement. President Donald Trump was in Florida at the time of the shooting.
The Secret Service received information from local police about an alleged suicidal individual who was travelling from Indiana and found the man's car and a person matching his description nearby.
As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel, the Secret Service said in a statement.
The man was hospitalised. The Secret Service said his condition was unknown.
The Metropolitan Police Department will investigate because the shooting involved law enforcement officers. A message left Sunday for the police department wasn't immediately returned.
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First Published: Mar 09 2025 | 6:50 PM IST
Thousands of protesters marched through Paris on Saturday to oppose what they see as French President Emmanuel Macron’s militaristic approach to foreign policy and his lack of interest in achieving peace in the Ukraine conflict.
The demonstration was organized by Florian Philippot and his party, The Patriots. Chanting slogans and carrying signs such as “We don’t want to die for Ukraine,” and “Macron, we don’t want your war,” the crowd moved from the Place du Palais Royal to the Place Pierre Laroque.
Macron on Wednesday proposed expanding France’s nuclear deterrent to protect EU nations and urged European members of NATO to take more responsibility for their own defense. He cited uncertainty over Washington’s commitment to Ukraine, especially as relations between Kiev and US President Donald Trump’s administration experienced a setback after Vladimir Zelensky rejected calls to negotiate peace with Russia.
Macron has argued that continued aid to Ukraine was crucial, warning that if Russian President Vladimir Putin succeeded in Ukraine, he wouldn’t stop there – a claim that Moscow has repeatedly dismissed as nonsense. Russia has identified NATO’s expansion toward its borders and the US-led bloc’s promise of eventual membership for Ukraine as being among the key reasons for the conflict.
Many demonstrators at the Paris rally criticized Macron for prioritizing military matters over domestic issues. “When you declare war, it’s to erase all the other failures,” one protester said. Another accused Macron of pursuing conflict while leaders such as Trump and Putin are talking about peace.
Addressing the crowd, Philippot condemned Macron’s approach, declaring that the president “absolutely does not want peace.” Philippot, formerly a member of the National Front, has been a vocal critic of Macron’s administration and EU’s policies. His party opposes what it perceives as unnecessary military interventions and advocates for a more independent French foreign policy.
Macron’s push for increased defense spending faces hurdles as France grapples with a budget deficit and pressure to rein in spending. Approval of the 2025 budget has been delayed due to a divided parliament. In January, Budget Minister Amelie de Montchalin announced plans to cut €32 billion ($34.6 billion) in public spending while raising taxes by €21 billion.
Critics argue that these measures would burden middle-class families, small business owners, and retirees already struggling with rising costs. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has rejected calls for public consultation on major defense policies, insisting such decisions are the government’s responsibility. When asked on Friday whether the French people should have a say in increased military spending and a shift toward a “war economy,” Bayrou was firm: “The government’s responsibility is to say, no, we can’t let the country be disarmed. It’s vital.”
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Mother of injured Hamas hostage directs plea to 'every mother in this world' to help secure son's release amid uncertain negotiations.
The mother of Alon Ohel, a hostage taken from the Nova Music Festival Oct. 7, 2023, who remains in Hamas captivity, is pleading for her son’s release after the first phase of the ceasefire concluded last week, but no new deal for a second phase has yet been reached.
"I think every mother in this world, if they just stopped for a second, would [they] even be able to breathe, knowing that their son or daughter have eaten dinner, are not getting any food – they're being starved, chained and in bad condition," Idit Ohel told Fox News Digital.
"Would they be able to just do anything? It's unbearable. It's just unbearable."
AFTER TRUMP THREAT, HAMAS REFUSES TO RELEASE MORE HOSTAGES WITHOUT PHASE 2 CEASEFIRE DEAL
A poster of Alon Ohel, who was taken hostage at the Nova music festival. (Syndi Pilar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Alon and 58 others, including one individual taken separately from the Oct. 7 attacks, remains a hostage after 518 days since the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.
During the attack, Alon hid in a bomb shelter outside the Nova music festival and was injured when shrapnel hit his right eye.
Footage shared with Fox News Digital showed the harrowing state he and others were in during the attack and their subsequent abduction.
TRUMP STICKING TO GAZA RELOCATION PLAN, AS WHITE HOUSE SEEMS TO DISMISS EGYPTIAN PROPOSAL
According to Israelis who were held hostage with Alon, his injury was never properly treated, and he is now at risk of going blind in both eyes, Idit explained.
Alon was confirmed last month to still be alive after the release of three hostages who were held with him. He is now believed to be held on his own.
"I have no idea where Allen is right now, but I do know as a mother that I'm frightened for him, and I know that he needs to be back as soon as possible. It's urgent," Idit explained to Fox News Digital.
Idit Ohel, the mother of Israeli Serbian citizen Alon Ohel, who is being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas, holds a portrait of her son during a news conference at the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade Sept. 11, 2024. (Oliver Bunic/AFP via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump this week met with hostages released from Gaza who told the president they believed he had "been sent by God" to secure their release.
Idit, who is Israeli, has not heard from either the Trump administration or from Netanyahu’s office.
But she believes Trump will help to return her son.
"I know that Trump can bring my son home. I know this because he has the power to do it. And when he wants something, he does it," Idit said. "I'm rooting for him.
"I came all the way from Israel to D.C. to make sure that I’m heard, that Alon is heard," she added. "I'm advocating for him. Alon is being held. He can't speak."
News this week revealed the Trump administration was directly communicating with Hamas to secure the release of five American hostages still held in Gaza, including the only surviving American, Edan Alexander.
Reports also noted that the administration was directly negotiating with the terrorist organization, an unprecedented move that has reportedly frustrated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to try to secure a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of 10 hostages.
But there are 25 hostages still believed to be alive, including Ohel.
The family of Alon Ohel, who was taken hostage by Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, continues to fight for his release. (Idit Ohel)
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In a direct message to her son, Idit said, "We pray for you, and I am doing everything in my power to make sure that you are not forgotten.
"You are not forgotten," she added. "People here think about you every day, and they want to save you and want to bring you back home.
"Your father and I, and your sister and your brother, are with you all the time."
Caitlin McFall is a Reporter at Fox News Digital covering Politics, U.S. and World news.
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BEIJING — As President Donald Trump gave a fiery and divisive speech to a joint session of Congress last week, a much more staid political event was underway on the other side of the world.
The annual gathering of the National People’s Congress, China’s parliament is tightly choreographed, with all decisions made in advance by the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Security is even tighter than usual around central Beijing and armies of volunteers wearing red armbands are stationed on street corners and at subway stations.
Though there are few surprises and no debate, the weeklong National People’s Congress does offer clues to China’s priorities at home and how it plans to approach the world.
Even as it faces a slowing economy, China appears to be making a strategic decision to present itself as a global stalwart amid a world in turmoil as Trump upends international trade and long-standing alliances, eroding U.S. prestige and creating an opportunity for China to fill the void.
As if to underscore China’s relative steadfastness, Foreign Minister Wang Yi rarely gestured or moved his hands at his annual news conference on Friday. He used the word “stability” at least 14 times during 90 minutes in front of reporters, according to Chinese transcripts.
Some of his sharpest language was directed at the Trump administration, which last week doubled tariffs on Chinese imports to 20% and said there could be more to come.
“No country should expect to suppress and contain China on one hand while developing good relations with China on the other,” Wang said, slamming what he called a “two-faced approach.”
China has long complained about U.S. tariffs, which in the first Trump administration set off a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies. But at least outwardly, China doesn’t appear overly concerned about the impact of the new tariffs or in a rush to placate Trump to stave off more.
“Nobody worries about it,” tech executive Yao Lijun told NBC News on Wednesday as he walked out of the Great Hall of the People, an ornate building next to Tiananmen Square in Beijing where some 3,000 Chinese leaders and lawmakers were gathered for the NPC.
“We only focus on ourselves, how we can do much better,” he said. “We don’t worry about others.”
China responded to the new tariff on Tuesday by announcing targeted tariffs of up to 15% on some U.S. goods, mostly agricultural products, in a measured move similar to the levies it imposed when the first 10% tariff took effect last month.
“Appearing alarmed or alarmist is not something Beijing wants to communicate, because that’s precisely what Trump is trying to elicit,” said Josef Gregory Mahoney, a professor of politics and international relations at East China Normal University in Shanghai.
Though Wang avoided saying anything too provocative on Friday, earlier in the week Beijing called back to its more aggressive “wolf warrior” diplomacy of the past, with the Foreign Ministry saying, “If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end.”
It was the harshest rhetoric from Beijing since Trump returned to office in January.
The message from those comments is clear, said Wang Dong, a professor at the School of International Studies at Peking University in Beijing. China will resolutely defend its national interests, and any U.S. attempt to force it into submission “will backfire and fail,” he said.
“China will use a ‘tit for tat’ strategy, meaning if the U.S. shifts to conflict, China will follow suit and retaliate,” he said. “When the U.S. reverts back to cooperation, China will do the same.”
Cooperation did not appear to be on Trump’s mind on Tuesday as he told Congress he would impose reciprocal tariffs on “friend and foe” starting April 2.
His “America First” speech sent the message that “the U.S. only cares about its own interests and will pursue them in a relentless and ruthless manner, without caring about international rules or norms,” Wang, the professor, said in written comments.
He noted that Trump had withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization, both of which he touted in his address to Congress. Such moves signal the U.S. is no longer interested in upholding the liberal values and rules-based international order it has championed since the end of World War II, Prof. Wang said.
“By contrast, China’s message is it is willing to work with other stakeholders and the international community to tackle common global challenges such as climate change,” he said.
In keeping with the stability theme, Chinese officials announced the same target for economic growth as last year: 5%. Likewise, China’s 2025 increase in defense spending is staying the same as last year at 7.2%.
Delivering a government work report at the opening session on Wednesday, Premier Li Qiang, China’s No. 2 official, did not mention Trump but noted rising unilateralism and protectionism around the world and indicated China would pursue the opposite.
“China is ready to work with other members of the international community to promote an equal and orderly multipolar world,” he said.
Li acknowledged China’s significant economic challenges, which include a persistent property crisis, high youth unemployment and sluggish consumer spending. And in a nod to U.S. tariffs and other measures, he said, “An increasingly complex and severe external environment may exert a greater impact on China in areas such as trade, science and technology.”
“Regardless of changes in the external environment, we should remain steadfast in our commitment to opening up,” Li said. “We will continue to expand our globally oriented network of high-standard free trade areas.”
China is counting on its trade relationships with other countries to help its export-dependent economy withstand Trump’s tariffs, the cost of which U.S. and other experts say will be almost entirely passed on to American consumers and importers.
“To be frank, with this kind of tariff war, both countries suffer,” said Zhang Weiwei, a professor of international relations at Fudan University in Shanghai and the director of its China Institute.
“But the U.S. will suffer more.”
Janis Mackey Frayer reported from Beijing, and Jennifer Jett and Peter Guo reported from Hong Kong.
Janis Mackey Frayer is a Beijing-based correspondent for NBC News.
Jennifer Jett is the Asia Digital Editor for NBC News, based in Hong Kong.
Peter Guo is a fellow on NBC’s Asia Desk, based in Hong Kong.
© 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Howard Lutnick took his five-year-old son to school for his first day of kindergarten, causing the Wall Street CEO to be a little late getting to work at his World Trade Center office in New York City.
That delay ended up saving the life of Lutnick, who is now the U.S. commerce secretary and has become a leading figure in the current trade war with Canada.
But on 9/11, every one of his 658 employees at the investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald who were at the office that morning, including Lutnick's younger brother Gary, were killed when 1 WTC, the North Tower, was deliberately struck by hijacked American Airlines Flight 11. At the time, the firm had 960 employees based in New York.
Two days later, a grief-stricken and weeping Lutnick appeared on television, interviewed by then-ABC News journalist Connie Chung. Breaking down several times during the interview, Lutnick described how he went from hospital to hospital, searching for employees still unaccounted for.
"I don't go to a hospital or get anyone to go to any hospital and say, 'Find Gary Lutnick for me,'" he said. "I go with employee lists and say, 'Here' my list, here's everybody I got, find somebody on this list. I don't care who they are.'"
Following the broadcast, Lutnick made other media appearances, most notably on CNN with Larry King, and became somewhat of a national figure, representing just one of those who had suffered both personal and professional losses.
His image then certainly contrasts with the one Canadians see now — the confident pitchman for U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs against Canadian exports to the United States.
Since the Feb. 1 announcement by Trump of 25 per cent tariffs on all goods from Canada and Mexico going to the U.S., Lutnick — whose responsibilities as commerce secretary include imposing trade restrictions — has been making the rounds of U.S. media networks, blasting Canada for not doing enough to stop the flow of fentanyl, singing the praises of tariffs but also hinting there could be some potential exemptions or compromises.
(On Thursday, Trump announced he was pausing tariffs on some Canadian goods until April 2.)
But even before Lutnick became commerce secretary, he had been an outspoken supporter of Trump's tariff plan, and as part of Trump's inner circle, co-chair of his transition team.
When he was appointed commerce secretary, Lutnick stepped down as CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, where, according to its website, he led the firm for four decades and rebuilt it after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
At that time, the firm had offices among the top five floors of the 110-storey North Tower. When the plane flew into floors 93 to 99 of the tower at 8:46 a.m., it trapped those people who worked above.
Lutnick's company lost more employees than any other firm in 9/11 — more than two-thirds of its workforce and more than a third of the total killed at the North Tower.
"We lost every person in our office ... all the brokers, all the traders, all the salespeople at work. We lost them all," he said days later during an interview with CNN's Larry King.
Lutnick said that when he was at his son's school that morning, his phone kept ringing and disconnecting.
"I later learned it was my brother Gary trying to call to say goodbye," he said in a social media post last Sept 11, commemorating the attacks.
He also discovered that his brother had called their sister and told her "he wasn't going to make it and the smoke was coming in and things were bad," he recounted to King, sobbing.
"And he called and said goodbye and that he loved her and for her to tell me that he, that he loved me."
Happy birthday to Gary, my spectacular brother. I lost you on 9/11, but you will be missed and loved forever. pic.twitter.com/jcRIC0QMCG
Lutnick said when he eventually arrived at the building, he watched people fleeing and would "grab and shake them," asking what floor they were on, hoping to find someone from floors 101 to 105, where Cantor Fitzgerald's offices were located, he told Chung.
"I knew if I got one employee, if one person came down from that floor, that I know that there had to be others," he said.
Lutnick made contact with someone fleeing the building from the 91st floor, but nothing higher. He was then forced to run as the second World Trade Center tower began to collapse after being struck by another plane.
He said he tried to get ahead of the giant plume of smoke but was knocked down underneath a truck. He was completely covered in dust and just walked for hours, eventually calling his wife, he said.
That emotional and compelling interview with Chung engendered widespread sympathy, as it was jarring for the public to see the CEO of a Wall Street firm break down.
Yet that sympathy was short-lived. Lutnick soon faced immense scorn when it was learned that just days after the attacks, he had cut off the paycheques of those employees who at the time were missing and presumed dead.
That backlash included criticism from some of the widows of those employees. Chung did a followup story, this time interviewing some of the widows who were angry with Lutnick's salary termination.
"Don't expect these women to cry for Lutnick," Chung reported. "Days after the tragedy, he did something they can neither forgive nor forget."
Lutnick at the time acknowledged he was getting inquires from widows asking about the salary for their husbands.
"They call me and they say, 'How come you can't pay my salary? Why can't you pay my husband's salary? Other companies pay their [dead and missing employees'] salary, why can't you,'" he told CNN's King.
"But, you see, I lost everybody in the company, so I can't pay their salary. They think we're doing something wrong. I can't pay their salaries," Lutnick said, again weeping.
Yet he defended that decision to cut off the paycheques and insisted he had no choice.
"I needed my bankers to know that I was in control," Lutnick told the New York Times in a 2011 interview. "That I wasn't sentimental and that I was no less motivated or driven to make my business survive."
He made good on his pledge to provide the families with 25 per cent of the firm's profits over the next five years — totalling $180 million US —and pay for their health care for the next 10 years.
U.S. commerce secretary hints at more tariff talks with Canada
Meanwhile, some of the family members who had been critical of Lutnick reversed their opinion and offered praise for his efforts.
Lutnick was able to rebuild and grow Cantor Fitzgerald and become a billionaire in the process. But the Sept. 11 attacks, and those lost at his firm, still remain close to the surface.
Just recently at his confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate's commerce committee, Lutnick choked up as he recalled the events of that day and those killed.
"I still can't say it without getting emotional, sorry," he said.
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Mark Gollom is a Toronto-based reporter with CBC News. He covers Canadian and U.S. politics and current affairs.
With files from The Associated Press
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MEXICO CITY, - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told supporters in a massive rally on Sunday that dialogue and respect had prevailed in achieving a pause on U.S. tariffs and that the sovereignty of Mexico would always come first.
Sheinbaum, speaking to thousands of people who gathered in Mexico City's iconic Zocalo square for an event aimed at bolstering national pride, highlighted the economic contributions that Mexico and its people makes to the U.S. economy.
"We cannot give up our sovereignty, nor can our people be affected by decisions made by foreign governments or hegemonies. In that case, we will always act immediately," Sheinbaum said, addressing the plaza packed with thousands of people waving flags and holding signs promoting Mexican pride and independence.
"The common history of our countries is marked by numerous episodes of hostility but also by numerous episodes of cooperation and understanding," she added.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who said Mexico and Canada had failed to do enough to stem the flow of the deadly fentanyl opioid and its precursor chemicals into the United States, slapped goods from both countries with 25% tariffs on March 4.
In a cool-headed approach, Sheinbaum said she would wait to announce counter-measures against the United States, including retaliatory tariffs, until Sunday's event.
Two days later, however, Trump said that Mexico would not be required to pay tariffs on any goods that fall under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement trade deal until April 2 out of "respect" for Sheinbaum following a phone call between the two leaders.
Sheinbaum then said Sunday's rally would be a "festival."
"So far it has yielded results and I think it will continue to do so," Sheinbaum said of the "respectful dialogue" with the United States.
"However, we must be aware and informed in case it is necessary for us to again gather in this public square. Do you agree?" she asked the crowd.
"Yes!" her supporters enthusiastically shouted in response.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
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Most of the 80,000 federal workers responsible for researching diseases, inspecting food and administering Medicare and Medicaid under the auspices of the Health and Human Services Department were emailed an offer to leave their job for as much as a $25,000 payment as part of President Donald Trump's government cuts.
Workers cannot start opting in until Monday and have until 5 p.m. on Friday to submit a response for the so-called voluntary separation offer. The email was sent to staff across the department, which includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and the National Institutes of Health as well as the Food and Drug Administration, both in Maryland.
RELATED STORY | Trump administration rescinds some CDC layoffs, urges workforce to return
The mass email went out to a “broad population of HHS employees," landing in their inboxes days before agency heads are due to offer plans for shrinking their workforces. HHS is one of the government's costliest federal agencies, with an annual budget of about $1.7 trillion that is mostly spent on health care coverage for millions of people enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid.
The agency oversees health insurance for roughly half the country through Medicare for older adults and Medicaid for disabled and poor Americans.
There was no immediate comment Sunday from HHS.
RELATED STORY | Trump's widespread federal layoffs could be felt across the country
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's health secretary, has hinted at plans at deep cuts to the staff. Last year, he promised to immediately clear out 600 employees at the NIH, the nation's biomedical research arm. He has not gone that far, but in an interview last month shortly after being sworn in last month, Kennedy said he wanted to remove some workers from the public health agencies.
“I have a list in my head,” Kennedy said of potential firings at the agency. He said some workers “made really bad decisions” on nutrition guidelines.
The Trump administration, with the help of billionaire Elon Musk, has been trying to push out federal workers in an effort to cut costs. In January, most federal employees received a deferred resignation offer that came with eight months of pay. Thousands of probationary employees, too, have been fired across federal agencies, including at HHS.
RELATED STORY | Who is Amy Gleason, the woman who actually heads DOGE?
The latest move to reduce the number of federal health workers comes as the the CDC is assisting with a deadly measles outbreak in West Texas and New Mexico and as lawmakers are debating deep cuts to Medicaid in the federal budget.
HHS workers are directed in the email to reach out to their local human resources office to submit for the voluntary separation.
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The Department of Homeland Security has begun performing polygraph tests on employees to determine who might be leaking information to the media about immigration operations, according to four sources familiar with the practice.
The department’s plans to perform these tests was first reported by Bloomberg Government.
After the publication of this article, DHS said in a statement: “The Department of Homeland Security is a national security agency. We can, should, and will polygraph personnel.”
Border czar Tom Homan and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have blamed lower-than-expected ICE arrest numbers on recent leaks revealing the cities where it planned to conduct operations.
In a video posted on X Friday, Noem said, “We have identified two leakers of information here at the Department of Homeland Security who have been telling individuals about our operations and putting law enforcement lives in jeopardy. We plan to prosecute these two individuals and hold them accountable for what they’ve done.”
It was not clear if those two employees Noem referred to had been identified through a polygraph test. It’s also not clear how many employees have been polygraphed or may face polygraph tests, but sources said the employees asked to take the tests so far have been in different agencies across DHS.
Polygraphs at the department are not new and have been used in the past, such as when Customs and Border Protection is screening new hires. But according to the sources familiar with the current use of polygraphs, the so-called lie detector machines are now being used to ask employees across the agency specific questions about leaking classified documents or sensitive law enforcement information on ICE operations.
Julia Ainsley is the homeland security correspondent for NBC News and covers the Department of Homeland Security for the NBC News Investigative Unit.
Jonathan Allen is a senior national politics reporter for NBC News.
© 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC
Luke Garrett
President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
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President Trump defended his administration's economic policy after he imposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada last week and then rolled some of those levies back, causing what critics say is uncertainty for businesses and the broader economy.
During an interview with Fox News Channel's Sunday Morning Futures, Trump dismissed concerns over his back-and-forth tariffs and said they "could go up."
Fox News' Maria Bartiromo asked Trump whether he expects a recession during his first year in office. The president couldn't say.
"I hate to predict things like that," Trump said. "There is a period of transition, because what we're doing is very big. We're bringing wealth back to America. That's a big thing. And there are always periods of it takes a little time."
There are some signs that the economy may be headed toward a recession, but Howard Lutnick, the Commerce secretary, told NBC's Meet the Press there was "no chance" of one.
Last week, the Trump administration said it would place a 25% tariff on cars and auto parts from Mexico and Canada. Soon after, the White House announced a one-month delay on the measure after carmakers Ford, Stellantis and General Motors called the president. During his interview with Bartiromo, Trump explained the move.
"This is short term and I felt for the good of the American carmakers," Trump said. "I thought it would be a fair thing to do. And so I gave them a little bit of a break for this short period of time."
Criticism from automakers notwithstanding, Sean Fain, the head of the United Auto Workers, called the tariffs an "attempt to stop the bleeding" in the American economy.
Tariffs "aren't the end solution," he told ABC's This Week, "but they are a huge factor in fixing this problem."
Meanwhile, the stock market had it's worst week in 6 months with the S&P 500 dropping 3.1% and Nasdaq down 3.45%. Fox News' Bartiromo asked the president whether the uncertainty over tariffs — which many economist say is causing stocks to slump — will continue or if there will be clarity for businesses.
"Well I think so," Trump said. "But you know the tariffs could go up as time goes by and they may go up."
Trump also said he still plans to put in place next month "reciprocal" tariffs against all trading partners that have tariffs on U.S. goods.
"April 2nd, it becomes all reciprocal," he said. "What they charge us, we charge them."
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U.S. Secret Service personnel were reportedly involved in a shooting overnight following an armed encounter with a person of interest near the White House.
Authorities said the incident occurred after they were informed about a "suicidal individual" who was possibly traveling from Indiana to Washington D.C.
RELATED STORY | Task force probing attempts to kill Trump recommends changes to Secret Service
"Around midnight, members of the Secret Service encountered the individual's parked vehicle near 17th and F Streets, NW," the Secret Service said in a statement. "They also saw an individual on foot matching the description nearby. As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel. The suspect was transported to an area hospital and his condition is unknown."
RELATED STORY | Secret Service adds robotic dogs to their arsenal of protection
Officials said no injuries were reported by responding Secret Service personnel. President Donald Trump was reportedly in Florida at the time of the incident.
The Secret Service said the Metropolitan Police Department's Internal Affairs Division’s Force Investigations Team is conducting an investigation into the incident, as is standard procedure for all officer-involved shootings in Washington D.C.
By
Luke Garrett
,
Robbie Griffiths
Police tape at the scene where Secret Service officers say shot a man near the White House. Washington D.C., 17th and F St NW, Mar. 9 2025.
Luke Garrett/NPR
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A man who was brandishing a firearm in Washington, D.C., was shot by Secret Service officers near the White House on Sunday morning, the Secret Service said.
The man, who is thought to have travelled from Indiana, had been flagged to the Secret Service by local police as a potential suicide risk, according to the agency. Officials came across the man's car, and found him nearby with a firearm, when an armed confrontation ensued, the Secret Service said.
The man was transported to a nearby hospital, and his condition is so far unknown. No Secret Service personnel are thought to have been harmed.
President Donald Trump was at his home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, at the time of the shooting, which occurred just one block away from the White House.
The incident is now under investigation by Washington's Metropolitan Police, which investigates all law-enforcement shootings in the District of Columbia.
The White House in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 18,2008.
Ron Edmonds/AP
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The full statement by the Secret Service is below:
"On Sunday March 9th, an adult male was shot by U.S. Secret Service personnel following an armed confrontation with law enforcement in Washington DC.
Earlier on Saturday, local police shared information about a suicidal individual who may be traveling to Washington DC from Indiana. Around midnight, members of the Secret Service encountered the individual's parked vehicle near 17th and F Streets, NW. They also saw an individual on foot matching the description nearby.
As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel.
The suspect was transported to an area hospital and his condition is unknown. There were no reported injuries to Secret Service personnel.
The incident is under investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department Internal Affairs Division's Force Investigations Team, which investigates all law enforcement officer involved shootings in the District of Columbia."
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WASHINGTON — As U.S. and Ukrainian officials prepare to meet in Saudi Arabia this week, President Donald Trump has privately made clear to aides that a signed minerals deal between Washington and Kyiv won’t be enough to restart aid and intelligence sharing with the war-torn country, according an administration official and another U.S. official.
Trump wants the deal, which would give the U.S. a stake in Ukraine’s mineral resources, signed. But he also wants to see a change in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s attitude toward peace talks, the officials said, including a willingness to make concessions such as giving up territory to Russia. Trump also wants Zelenskyy to make some movement toward elections in Ukraine and possibly toward stepping down as his country’s leader, the officials said.
Elections in Ukraine have been paused under the country’s constitutional provision for martial law, which has been in effect since Russia invaded in 2022.
“As President Trump demonstrated by reading President Zelenskyy’s message at the joint session, the Ukrainians have made positive movement. With meetings in Saudi this coming week, we look forward to hearing more positive movement that will hopefully ultimately end this brutal war and bloodshed,” White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said when asked about Trump’s requirements.
Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine in the aftermath of the U.S. pause in equipment and intelligence sharing this week, making Friday one of the deadliest days for civilians this year, according to the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. Most of the casualties occurred in the Donetsk region, in territory controlled by Ukraine. Casualty numbers have been higher so far in 2025 than in 2024, the monitoring agency said.
The U.S. does not have any indication that the pause in intelligence sharing had a direct impact on the Russian attacks, according to the U.S. official and the administration official. They said these large attacks were likely planned before the intelligence and aid stopped.
Congressional Republicans are applying pressure on the White House to restart both aid and intelligence, and the two officials said they are optimistic the flow of weapons and equipment and sharing of intelligence could be restored as early as next week, especially after Zelenskyy pronounced that Ukraine is “ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible.” The Ukrainian president also said he and his team “stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.”
The officials said the U.S. is still sharing defensive intelligence with Ukraine — that is, information that helps Ukraine’s self-defense against attacks — explaining that they still have a duty to warn. But they are not providing targeting information against Russian targets. That means the U.S. can warn Ukraine when intelligence shows that Russians are preparing an attack, but they can no longer provide the targeting coordinates for Ukraine to strike first.
The U.S. has provided Ukraine with targeting information, satellite imagery and signals intelligence for most of the past three years. European allies are now working to bridge some of the gaps, but the lack of U.S. intelligence is already having an impact on Ukraine every day, according to a Western official.
“Every day hurts Ukraine, and every day gives Russia a more favorable position,” the official said.
Courtney Kube is a correspondent covering national security and the military for the NBC News Investigative Unit.
Kristen Welker is the moderator of "Meet the Press."
Carol E. Lee is the Washington managing editor.
© 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC
MOAB, Utah ‒ In a normal year, the streets of this picturesque desert town would be filled with SUVs loaded with camping gear, tall-tired Jeeps, mountain bikes ‒ and Canadians.
This is not a normal year.
"I know lots of people who come fairly regularly. And they're not coming this year," said Stephen Krause, 51, a Canadian tourist from Alberta after parking his Lexus SUV at the grocery store.
All along Main Street, the story is the same: Businesses are reporting a significant drop in Canadian tourists angered by President Donald Trump's on-again, off-again tariff plans and his talk of making Canada the 51st state. And potential American visitors are also canceling or worrying about the impact of federal job cuts on nearby Arches and Canyonlands national parks, which draw 3.6 million visitors annually.
Trump's initial layoffs, with the promise of dramatically more to come, have shaken some members of this outdoorsy community, where about 6,300 federal employees are spread across the 3rd Congressional District. Advocates worry about damage to National Parks, dirty restrooms and traffic jams around popular attractions, including trails like Hell's Revenge, the Whole Enchilada or Metal Masher.
"There's been a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth," said Lorenzo McGregor, 45, the co-owner of Tex's Riverways, which boats canoers and backpackers down the Colorado River into otherwise inaccessible parts of Canyonlands.
McGregor said he's been getting a steady stream of cancellations from Canadian visitors citing Trump's cuts or threatened tariffs, estimating about $10,000 in losses already. He hopes the impact on tourism will be short-lived but is making plans to adapt operations if necessary.
But others are heartened by the cuts, which they hope will lighten the federal government's sometimes-heavy local footprint.
They want the job cuts to be the first step in rolling back some federal oversight of public lands, private development and energy development, especially when it comes to where people can drive their off-road vehicles, a longtime sore spot.
Moab got its big start during the uranium boom following World War II, when hundreds of Geiger-counter-wielding prospectors built roads and dug mines to extract the element U92, which by law they could sell only to the federal government. Many of those roads are now off-road trails.
Where some public lands advocates cheer when Democratic presidents have named new national monuments and assigned federal workers to manage them, some Utah conservatives remain angry at those moves, hearkening back to the Sagebrush Rebellion invoked by President Ronald Reagan, among others.
Like many business owners who deal with federal officials in the area, McGregor said he'd love to see the government reduce what he considers to be unnecessary paperwork and oversight. He's just not sure Trump's cuts are the most effective approach.
As an example, he said his newly signed Park Service concessionaire permit requires him to log onto a government website to buy a $6 permit every time he launches a boat to ferry people into Canyonlands ‒ even though the overall permit already governs how often he can launch boats.
"I 100% understand the perspective that the government needs to be more responsive," McGregor said. "I just don't know if a Roman salute and a sledgehammer is the right way to go about it."
As in many western states, Utah has long chafed under the thumb of the federal government, which owns about 68% of the state's land. State lawmakers have periodically floated proposals to force the federal government to turn some of that land over to them or sell it off for development.
Portions of that include internationally known parks like Arches, Zion and Bryce Canyon, but also vast tracts of U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land, where development and oil extraction are largely banned. The Biden administration sought to further limit development on those lands, angering many locals who believe their economy would be better if they could diversify.
Although the 10,000 residents of Moab's Grand County supported Kamala Harris over Trump in the presidential election, Trump won Utah as whole with nearly 60% of the vote, and many elected officials support his efforts to shrink the federal bureaucracy.
Congresswoman Celeste Maloy, a Republican who represents the western half of Utah, said that while people often complain about the federal government having to do more work with fewer people, "I'd like to see agencies do less with less."
The Blue Ribbon Coalition, a group of outdoor-oriented businesses and advocates, has long battled with the federal government over access to public lands. The coalition has repeatedly sued to force agencies like the BLM over management plans that restrict vehicular access in favor of preserving wilderness.
Executive director Ben Burr said he's got lots of friends working for federal agencies, and doesn't want to see people lose their jobs. But the coalition also wants a dramatic shift in land managers' "culture of no," Burr said.
"The bottom line is we want these agencies run by great people taking care of the resources we all like to go out and enjoy," he said. "Too often, they see their job prioritizing dirt over everything else. And so you're prioritizing dirt over the American people. They have a big course correction they need to make."
About 40,000 federal workers are stationed in Utah, and Trump's cuts have trimmed about 10,000 of those jobs so far, according to some estimates. Before the cuts, there were about 150 permanent and seasonal employees at Arches and Canyonlands, along with regional supervisors for the Park Service, Forest Service and BLM.
The average federal employee's salary is about $106,000, according to the Office of Personnel Management and they represent a consistent inflow of income to a county heavily reliant on seasonal tourism.
"It's a big story in our town because we're so dependent on federal lands," said Ashley Korenblat, the president of the Moab Chamber of Commerce.
Korenblat is also a recreation consultant who co-owns Western Spirit Cycling Adventures. She said the company has already lost at least one $10,000 booking from longtime Canadian customers angry about Trump's tariffs and threats, and she worries more cancellations are coming. And she said the permit coordinator the company works with in Yellowstone National Park got fired or laid off in one of Trump's recent cuts.
For outfitters, restaurateurs and hoteliers still climbing out of the COVID-19 pandemic's impacts, the cuts have generated significant uncertainty. It's not just that their friends and neighbors have lost jobs but that tourists who are now making summer vacation plans might not come if they think the parks won't be well run.
"I think you're going to see the parks without enough services. It's not going to be good," said Kursat Gokalp, 43, who has owned the Nuclear Bean Coffee Co. food truck since 2018. "If there's no enforcement, no rangers, places might get trashed … (and) if it's trashed, people won't come."
After announcing the fulltime Park Service staffing cuts, Trump said he wants to hire about 7,700 seasonal workers this summer, significantly more than the normal number of about 6,300 seasonals hired to help clean toilets, manage campgrounds, direct traffic and collect entrance fees. Despite that promise, the uncertainty lingers.
"We were really hoping things would turn around this year," said Steven Allred, 38, the co-owner of 4x4 rental service Moab Tour Company. "People might assume the national parks will be shut down. That's my biggest concern: By far the majority of people who come to this town do something that’s connected to the national parks."
Allred said in the summer, it would be common to hear French, German and Spanish being spoken inside one of the town's two grocery stores, but those international tourists have been dropping for the past several years, a combination of pandemic travel restrictions and a change of advertising focus by town leaders. He worries what the rest of 2025 will look like for his business.
"I'm very hopeful that people won’t let this short-term affect them," he said. "There needs to be a little more foresight before you blanket fire people."
Inside Arches, which is about five times the size of Manhattan island, there's little obvious sign of Trump's cuts. Later this year the park will shift to a Disneyland-style timed entry system, but for now there's just a single ranger staffing the entrance gate and the visitor center opens at 9 a.m daily. Some of the toilets are closed off with orange cones or other barriers, but there's no sign explaining why.
During two days of driving and hiking around the park, a USA TODAY reporter never saw a uniformed ranger or law enforcement officer on patrol, although workers cleaned the toilets each morning and graded a dirt road. The 51-spot Devil's Garden campground is essentially fully booked for the season already, managed by contractors who live on site.
Each day, even during the current slow season, hundreds of visitors entered the park to marvel at the eroded sandstone features that include Balanced Rock, the Windows and the most iconic site, the 46-foot high Delicate Arch, reached via a 1.5-mile hike across bare rock and sand.
Phoenix tourists Jeannine Acantilado, 62, and Dr. Steven Wolinsky, 61, stopped at the park with their son on a drive back from Colorado. The couple say they have visited many national parks, and while they generally support the idea of trimming the size of government, they worry about park safety and maintenance due to cuts.
Wolinsky, making his first visit to Arches, said he's consistently impressed with how well run the National Park system is, given how little it costs, and fondly remembers a recent visit to Zion National Park, further west in Utah.
"I thought as a taxpaying American I could get into the park for $35 and get shuttled around – that’s a great value," said Wolinsky, a cardiologist. "I felt like my tax dollars were well spent."
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BEIJING — As President Donald Trump gave a fiery and divisive speech to a joint session of Congress last week, a much more staid political event was underway on the other side of the world.
The annual gathering of the National People’s Congress, China’s parliament is tightly choreographed, with all decisions made in advance by the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Security is even tighter than usual around central Beijing and armies of volunteers wearing red armbands are stationed on street corners and at subway stations.
Though there are few surprises and no debate, the weeklong National People’s Congress does offer clues to China’s priorities at home and how it plans to approach the world.
Even as it faces a slowing economy, China appears to be making a strategic decision to present itself as a global stalwart amid a world in turmoil as Trump upends international trade and long-standing alliances, eroding U.S. prestige and creating an opportunity for China to fill the void.
As if to underscore China’s relative steadfastness, Foreign Minister Wang Yi rarely gestured or moved his hands at his annual news conference on Friday. He used the word “stability” at least 14 times during 90 minutes in front of reporters, according to Chinese transcripts.
Some of his sharpest language was directed at the Trump administration, which last week doubled tariffs on Chinese imports to 20% and said there could be more to come.
“No country should expect to suppress and contain China on one hand while developing good relations with China on the other,” Wang said, slamming what he called a “two-faced approach.”
China has long complained about U.S. tariffs, which in the first Trump administration set off a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies. But at least outwardly, China doesn’t appear overly concerned about the impact of the new tariffs or in a rush to placate Trump to stave off more.
“Nobody worries about it,” tech executive Yao Lijun told NBC News on Wednesday as he walked out of the Great Hall of the People, an ornate building next to Tiananmen Square in Beijing where some 3,000 Chinese leaders and lawmakers were gathered for the NPC.
“We only focus on ourselves, how we can do much better,” he said. “We don’t worry about others.”
China responded to the new tariff on Tuesday by announcing targeted tariffs of up to 15% on some U.S. goods, mostly agricultural products, in a measured move similar to the levies it imposed when the first 10% tariff took effect last month.
“Appearing alarmed or alarmist is not something Beijing wants to communicate, because that’s precisely what Trump is trying to elicit,” said Josef Gregory Mahoney, a professor of politics and international relations at East China Normal University in Shanghai.
Though Wang avoided saying anything too provocative on Friday, earlier in the week Beijing called back to its more aggressive “wolf warrior” diplomacy of the past, with the Foreign Ministry saying, “If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end.”
It was the harshest rhetoric from Beijing since Trump returned to office in January.
The message from those comments is clear, said Wang Dong, a professor at the School of International Studies at Peking University in Beijing. China will resolutely defend its national interests, and any U.S. attempt to force it into submission “will backfire and fail,” he said.
“China will use a ‘tit for tat’ strategy, meaning if the U.S. shifts to conflict, China will follow suit and retaliate,” he said. “When the U.S. reverts back to cooperation, China will do the same.”
Cooperation did not appear to be on Trump’s mind on Tuesday as he told Congress he would impose reciprocal tariffs on “friend and foe” starting April 2.
His “America First” speech sent the message that “the U.S. only cares about its own interests and will pursue them in a relentless and ruthless manner, without caring about international rules or norms,” Wang, the professor, said in written comments.
He noted that Trump had withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization, both of which he touted in his address to Congress. Such moves signal the U.S. is no longer interested in upholding the liberal values and rules-based international order it has championed since the end of World War II, Prof. Wang said.
“By contrast, China’s message is it is willing to work with other stakeholders and the international community to tackle common global challenges such as climate change,” he said.
In keeping with the stability theme, Chinese officials announced the same target for economic growth as last year: 5%. Likewise, China’s 2025 increase in defense spending is staying the same as last year at 7.2%.
Delivering a government work report at the opening session on Wednesday, Premier Li Qiang, China’s No. 2 official, did not mention Trump but noted rising unilateralism and protectionism around the world and indicated China would pursue the opposite.
“China is ready to work with other members of the international community to promote an equal and orderly multipolar world,” he said.
Li acknowledged China’s significant economic challenges, which include a persistent property crisis, high youth unemployment and sluggish consumer spending. And in a nod to U.S. tariffs and other measures, he said, “An increasingly complex and severe external environment may exert a greater impact on China in areas such as trade, science and technology.”
“Regardless of changes in the external environment, we should remain steadfast in our commitment to opening up,” Li said. “We will continue to expand our globally oriented network of high-standard free trade areas.”
China is counting on its trade relationships with other countries to help its export-dependent economy withstand Trump’s tariffs, the cost of which U.S. and other experts say will be almost entirely passed on to American consumers and importers.
“To be frank, with this kind of tariff war, both countries suffer,” said Zhang Weiwei, a professor of international relations at Fudan University in Shanghai and the director of its China Institute.
“But the U.S. will suffer more.”
Janis Mackey Frayer reported from Beijing, and Jennifer Jett and Peter Guo reported from Hong Kong.
Janis Mackey Frayer is a Beijing-based correspondent for NBC News.
Jennifer Jett is the Asia Digital Editor for NBC News, based in Hong Kong.
Peter Guo is a fellow on NBC’s Asia Desk, based in Hong Kong.
© 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Howard Lutnick took his five-year-old son to school for his first day of kindergarten, causing the Wall Street CEO to be a little late getting to work at his World Trade Center office in New York City.
That delay ended up saving the life of Lutnick, who is now the U.S. commerce secretary and has become a leading figure in the current trade war with Canada.
But on 9/11, every one of his 658 employees at the investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald who were at the office that morning, including Lutnick's younger brother Gary, were killed when 1 WTC, the North Tower, was deliberately struck by hijacked American Airlines Flight 11. At the time, the firm had 960 employees based in New York.
Two days later, a grief-stricken and weeping Lutnick appeared on television, interviewed by then-ABC News journalist Connie Chung. Breaking down several times during the interview, Lutnick described how he went from hospital to hospital, searching for employees still unaccounted for.
"I don't go to a hospital or get anyone to go to any hospital and say, 'Find Gary Lutnick for me,'" he said. "I go with employee lists and say, 'Here' my list, here's everybody I got, find somebody on this list. I don't care who they are.'"
Following the broadcast, Lutnick made other media appearances, most notably on CNN with Larry King, and became somewhat of a national figure, representing just one of those who had suffered both personal and professional losses.
His image then certainly contrasts with the one Canadians see now — the confident pitchman for U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs against Canadian exports to the United States.
Since the Feb. 1 announcement by Trump of 25 per cent tariffs on all goods from Canada and Mexico going to the U.S., Lutnick — whose responsibilities as commerce secretary include imposing trade restrictions — has been making the rounds of U.S. media networks, blasting Canada for not doing enough to stop the flow of fentanyl, singing the praises of tariffs but also hinting there could be some potential exemptions or compromises.
(On Thursday, Trump announced he was pausing tariffs on some Canadian goods until April 2.)
But even before Lutnick became commerce secretary, he had been an outspoken supporter of Trump's tariff plan, and as part of Trump's inner circle, co-chair of his transition team.
When he was appointed commerce secretary, Lutnick stepped down as CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, where, according to its website, he led the firm for four decades and rebuilt it after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
At that time, the firm had offices among the top five floors of the 110-storey North Tower. When the plane flew into floors 93 to 99 of the tower at 8:46 a.m., it trapped those people who worked above.
Lutnick's company lost more employees than any other firm in 9/11 — more than two-thirds of its workforce and more than a third of the total killed at the North Tower.
"We lost every person in our office ... all the brokers, all the traders, all the salespeople at work. We lost them all," he said days later during an interview with CNN's Larry King.
Lutnick said that when he was at his son's school that morning, his phone kept ringing and disconnecting.
"I later learned it was my brother Gary trying to call to say goodbye," he said in a social media post last Sept 11, commemorating the attacks.
He also discovered that his brother had called their sister and told her "he wasn't going to make it and the smoke was coming in and things were bad," he recounted to King, sobbing.
"And he called and said goodbye and that he loved her and for her to tell me that he, that he loved me."
Happy birthday to Gary, my spectacular brother. I lost you on 9/11, but you will be missed and loved forever. pic.twitter.com/jcRIC0QMCG
Lutnick said when he eventually arrived at the building, he watched people fleeing and would "grab and shake them," asking what floor they were on, hoping to find someone from floors 101 to 105, where Cantor Fitzgerald's offices were located, he told Chung.
"I knew if I got one employee, if one person came down from that floor, that I know that there had to be others," he said.
Lutnick made contact with someone fleeing the building from the 91st floor, but nothing higher. He was then forced to run as the second World Trade Center tower began to collapse after being struck by another plane.
He said he tried to get ahead of the giant plume of smoke but was knocked down underneath a truck. He was completely covered in dust and just walked for hours, eventually calling his wife, he said.
That emotional and compelling interview with Chung engendered widespread sympathy, as it was jarring for the public to see the CEO of a Wall Street firm break down.
Yet that sympathy was short-lived. Lutnick soon faced immense scorn when it was learned that just days after the attacks, he had cut off the paycheques of those employees who at the time were missing and presumed dead.
That backlash included criticism from some of the widows of those employees. Chung did a followup story, this time interviewing some of the widows who were angry with Lutnick's salary termination.
"Don't expect these women to cry for Lutnick," Chung reported. "Days after the tragedy, he did something they can neither forgive nor forget."
Lutnick at the time acknowledged he was getting inquires from widows asking about the salary for their husbands.
"They call me and they say, 'How come you can't pay my salary? Why can't you pay my husband's salary? Other companies pay their [dead and missing employees'] salary, why can't you,'" he told CNN's King.
"But, you see, I lost everybody in the company, so I can't pay their salary. They think we're doing something wrong. I can't pay their salaries," Lutnick said, again weeping.
Yet he defended that decision to cut off the paycheques and insisted he had no choice.
"I needed my bankers to know that I was in control," Lutnick told the New York Times in a 2011 interview. "That I wasn't sentimental and that I was no less motivated or driven to make my business survive."
He made good on his pledge to provide the families with 25 per cent of the firm's profits over the next five years — totalling $180 million US —and pay for their health care for the next 10 years.
U.S. commerce secretary hints at more tariff talks with Canada
Meanwhile, some of the family members who had been critical of Lutnick reversed their opinion and offered praise for his efforts.
Lutnick was able to rebuild and grow Cantor Fitzgerald and become a billionaire in the process. But the Sept. 11 attacks, and those lost at his firm, still remain close to the surface.
Just recently at his confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate's commerce committee, Lutnick choked up as he recalled the events of that day and those killed.
"I still can't say it without getting emotional, sorry," he said.
Senior Reporter
Mark Gollom is a Toronto-based reporter with CBC News. He covers Canadian and U.S. politics and current affairs.
With files from The Associated Press
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A well-respected Great Barrier Reef Traditional Owner with a strong background in natural resource management and government relations will join the Board of Australia’s lead management agency for the Great Barrier Reef.
Mr Tibau Stanley (Stan) Lui’s five-year appointment as the new First Nations’ member to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Board follows a merit-based process.
Mr Lui is a Torres Strait Islander from Erub (Darnley Island) with academic qualifications in science and an extensive track record advising on policies for the sustainable use and safeguarding of marine ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef.
Reef Authority Board Chairperson Dr Ian Poiner welcomed Mr Lui’s appointment.
Stan Lui
“Traditional Owners have a close and enduring connection to the Reef and are important partners for the Reef Authority,” he said.
“I am looking forward to working with Mr Lui and the valuable perspectives he brings as our First Nations Board member.”
Mr Lui said he was passionate and committed to working for the future of the Great Barrier Reef and delighted to be appointed to the Board.
“This appointment allows me to draw on my knowledge and understanding of the environment and First Nations matters and make a positive contribution to helping protect and manage this global icon,” he said.
Mr Lui is the Director of an Indigenous environmental consultancy that covers all elements of natural resource management. He holds a Bachelor Science in Marine Biology and Aquaculture from James Cook University.
He was previously on the Boards for Reef and Rainforest Research Centre Ltd. and the Wet Tropics Biodiversity Foundation and has also held positions on several Commonwealth Government advisory committees.
Mr Lui was appointed as a part-time member of the Authority Board for five years from 23 January 2025.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 outlines the role, functions, and membership for the Board.
The Board comprises a chairperson and five members, including a First Nations member with significant knowledge or experience of Indigenous matters relating to the Reef.
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As earnings season begins, filings to the SEC point to uncertainty from the current administration as potential trouble for business.
Elon Musk’s sweeping makeover of the federal government in recent weeks is reverberating across the private sector, where companies have started expressing fear and uncertainty about disruptions these changes might inflict on their businesses.
As the year’s first earnings season kicks off, dozens of companies in health care, technology, real estate and defense — industries that might have expected rising profits from President Donald Trump’s business-friendly campaign posture — are warning investors in their quarterly reports and conference calls that the effects of rapid change in Washington are unpredictable and could hurt their bottom lines.
“I hope over time that DOGE can potentially become a tailwind for companies like us who are focusing on the federal government,” Carl Eschenbach, CEO of human-resources software maker Workday, said at an investor conference Tuesday. “But right now, there is a lot of uncertainty, and I don’t know when that’s going to tip.”
The concerns come as Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service, which stands for the Department of Government Efficiency, cuts a chaotic path through the government to reduce spending. Large numbers of federal workers have been fired and reinstated, contracts have been canceled then restored and lawsuits challenging DOGE’s actions have put some initiatives on hold and allowed others to go through.
Federal government contractors say they are still unclear which parts of their businesses may be on the chopping block. The administration is seeking to cut nonessential contracts from every department, according to an email the acting GSA administrator sent to all agency heads last month, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post.
The uncertainty has spread even to some companies that don’t directly rely on government contracts. For example, some drugmakers warned that cuts to the Food and Drug Administration could slow drug approvals. And two real estate businesses with large footprints in Washington, D.C., said that mass firings of federal workers could decrease demand for their properties.
Investors are paying attention. Since November, the stock prices of a group of companies with the most potential exposure to DOGE underperformed the S&P 500 index by 20 percent, according to an analysis last month by the investment bank Barclays.
“What do you do right now? Do you invest? Probably you want to wait a little bit to see exactly what happens at the end of the day,” Dominique Toublan, head of U.S. credit strategy at Barclays, said in an interview. “Even on its own, we know uncertainty, risk, ambiguity, can feed on itself and create a slowdown in the economy because people have a hard time deciding how they want to spend, how they want to invest.”
Businesses have mostly stayed quiet about DOGE until recently, when warnings started appearing under legally mandated sections of their quarterly investor reports. The Securities and Exchange Commission requires all publicly traded companies to list significant risks to their businesses. These so-called “risk factors” include shifts in competition, regulation and consumer tastes.
Trump campaigned on a business-friendly agenda, including plans to pare environmental regulations and further slash the corporate tax rate, which he cut during his first term from 35 percent to 21 percent. Weeks into his second term, business groups have applauded his steps toward expanding oil and gas production and lifting SEC rules they saw as onerous.
But a review of SEC filings and earnings transcripts shows the corporate view of the administration is mixed. In addition to the warnings about DOGE, business groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have urged Trump to back off his plan for tariffs, saying they raise the costs of doing business.
Harrison Fields, a White House spokesman, said in a statement that Trump has worked to help businesses by lowering taxes, rolling back regulations and driving “historic investments” in the country.
A spokesman for DOGE did not respond to requests for comment.
Some executives have struck an optimistic tone in public remarks, emphasizing that the products and services they provide government agencies are essential and likely to be spared from cuts. In SEC filings, though, a number expressed worries.
“DOGE is a huge win for us,” Eric DeMarco, CEO of military drone-maker Kratos, said during a call with analysts Feb. 26. But in a Feb. 5 filing with the SEC, the company said: “The potential impact of DOGE and the President’s potential intentions on the Defense and National Security industry, and the Company, if any, is unknown at this time.” Kratos, which reported $762 million in sales from U.S. government customers last year, did not respond to a request for comment.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered subordinates to submit plans for a potential 8 percent budget cut in each of the next five years, with limited exemptions.
John Heller, CEO of technology and engineering firm Amentum, told analysts on Feb. 5, “We still have to deliver services to 330 million citizens, and doing that in a more efficient way should create opportunities for companies that have the ability to deliver more efficient methods and processes and technology.” But in a filing the same day the Chantilly, Virginia-based company warned that a decline in defense spending “could have an adverse impact on our business.”
Amentum derived more than $5 billion in revenue from U.S. defense and intelligence contracts last fiscal year, according to company filings, but DOGE said it canceled contracts for Amentum and its subsidiaries worth $35.3 million in recent weeks.
Chanel Mann, a spokeswoman for Amentum, acknowledged losing almost 1 percent of the company’s revenue “as a result of the new administration initiatives,” but declined to discuss other specifics around DOGE.
Marc Steinberg, a law professor at Southern Methodist University and former enforcement attorney at the SEC, said in an interview that it’s not uncommon for executives to present a more rosy picture in earnings calls, where they are more free to use “puffery” than in required SEC disclosures, which protect companies from investor lawsuits.
“What happens with some frequency is in these earnings calls, there is an upbeat tone of optimism, irrespective of some of the surrounding circumstances,” Steinberg said. “In the SEC filings, more precise disclosure is called for.”
Still, not all companies are reporting risks from the new administration, even within the same industry.
Drugmakers ImmunityBio, PMV Pharmaceuticals, Rezolute and Ventyx Biosciences said in filings that cuts in federal staffing could hurt their business plans, which hinge on getting the FDA to approve their new products within a predictable time frame. The Trump administration fired hundreds of FDA probationary employees — though some were rehired — and the agency faces the prospect of further cuts.
“Disruptions in how the FDA operates due to these policies may materially adversely affect our business,” read a public filing last month by Rezolute, which makes drugs for people with hypoglycemia.
But Eli Lilly, the most valuable U.S. health-care firm, and some other larger pharmaceutical companies have said they are not overly worried. In an interview with The Post on Feb. 26, Dave Ricks, Eli Lilly’s CEO, said the FDA is insulated from deep staffing cuts because half of its $7.2 billion budget comes from “user fees” from companies seeking approval for their prescription drugs and medical devices.
“Almost all of the innovative drug personnel are funded through user fees, not taxpayer dollars,” Ricks said. “So it’s not like the government saves money if they eliminate the people.”
Marty Makary, Trump’s nominee to lead the FDA, said during his confirmation hearing Thursday that he would conduct his “own independent assessment of personnel.”
Encompass Health, one of the nation’s largest operators of rehabilitation hospitals, disclosed in its annual securities filing Feb. 28 that it “cannot predict” whether DOGE and other regulatory changes could result in cuts to Medicare spending, which makes up a large portion of the company’s revenue.
Trump has insisted he won’t cut benefits to Medicare, the federal program providing health insurance to seniors, and Medicaid, which provides health coverage to Americans with low incomes and disabilities. But the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday that the only way to meet a directive in the proposed House GOP budget, passed Feb. 25, to cut at least $880 billion from health care spending over 10 years would be to cut Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
“We are in a period of great uncertainty with headwinds in the health care provider space,” Mark Ordan, CEO of Pediatrix Medical Group, a national physician network, told financial analysts Feb. 20.
An analyst on the call responded with a quip: “All of us are checking Twitter on a daily basis for sort of nebulous headwinds.”
The technology industry, with close ties to Musk, is one of the few sectors sounding widely upbeat about DOGE. Tech executives have effused that the efficiencies Musk says he hopes to achieve at federal agencies will only be possible with their products.
At a Morgan Stanley conference this month, Brian Robins, finance chief for San Francisco-based software maker GitLab, said GitLab is aligned with the goals of DOGE, because the company’s software tools aim to help people do more with less.
“What the Department of Government Efficiency is trying to do is what GitLab does,” Robins said.
At the same conference, Mark Lynch, the chief financial officer at Appian, a McLean, Virginia, developer of software tools, expressed some optimism that his company will keep its federal agency customers, which include the Commerce, Defense, Education and Energy departments.
“There's a hurricane going on in the federal government right now, and we're in the basement,” Lynch said, “So we're kind of protected, but, you know, we're still not immune to it.”
Hannah Natanson contributed to this report.
Apple Health, KanCare, ARHOME, Med-QUEST, and Medi-Cal: What do these have in common?
They're all Medicaid programs.
States, which administer Medicaid after receiving federal funds, often change the name of the program, sometimes even branding it to reflect state pride, such as Husky Health in Connecticut or SoonerCare in Oklahoma. They also change the name of the federally funded CHIP healthcare program for children, at times with cutesy names like PeachCare for Kids in Georgia and CubCare in Maine.
Some Medicaid programs even have a private insurer's name attached to it because many states farm out contracts to managed care organizations, or MCOs, to administer the programs.
Those changes, though, can cause confusion. A pair of recent studies noted that state-specific names and MCO plan designs can prevent people from realizing they are receiving a public benefit.
That disconnect adds to the larger confusion over Medicaid itself, who it covers, and why. It simply isn't a poor people's program, a stigma that motivates states to change the name in the first place. It covers our children, grandparents, and Americans with disabilities.
As cuts to government healthcare programs become a real possibility, experts say it's crucial for Americans to understand the scope and necessity of the Medicaid program.
"It's one of those situations where our best intentions can backfire," said Jessica Calarco, a sociologist and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"When we change the way these programs operate, when we refuse to use words like welfare, it makes it more difficult for people to understand who is and who isn't benefiting from these programs and to see the benefits that they themselves are getting as well."
While Medicaid is a joint federal-state program, "states administer Medicaid programs fairly independently," Melissa Hafner, a health policy researcher at the American Institutes for Research, told Yahoo Finance.
Certain groups must be eligible for the program, and specific core benefits must be included under Title XIX of the Social Security Act, which established Medicaid.
"But beyond that, states have a lot of flexibility in the scope of their Medicaid program," she said.
That includes who's eligible, what services enrollees can receive, what states will pay for Medicaid services, and how states pay — either directly to healthcare providers or through MCOs, which are often private health insurers.
The federal government provides a portion of the funding to a state’s Medicaid program. States with higher rates of poverty receive a higher federal match.
Nationally, 1 in 5 people are on Medicaid, according to KFF. That includes nearly 2 in 5 children, 1 in 6 adults, over 1 in 4 adults with disabilities, almost 1 in 2 children with special healthcare needs, and 5 in 8 nursing home residents.
In fact, Medicaid is the only federal program that offers Americans long-term care insurance. Medicare does not, and the need for this type of care is only becoming more acute as the baby boomers age and can no longer care for themselves.
Medicaid also covers 41% of all births in the US, 29% of non-elderly adults with mental illness, and 40% of non-elderly adults with HIV. One in 5 people on Medicare also receive extra coverage from Medicaid.
And yes, it covers our most financially vulnerable Americans — over 8 in 10 children in poverty, and almost half of adults in poverty are on Medicaid.
"This is likely something that helps someone you know or love actually make ends meet," said Lauren Rivera, a sociology professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University who started a discussion over Medicaid names on social media. "I would say that every person in this country — if they're not already receiving Medicaid — is one step away from needing it."
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Most experts I spoke to think the reason many states drop the "Medicaid" from their program names is to reduce a stigma and encourage more people who are eligible for the assistance to sign up. While surveys show high support for Medicaid funding overall, enrolling in the program itself on a personal level can bring up mixed feelings.
Consider this account from Calarco, who interviewed 250 women from pregnancy through their first couple of years postpartum for her recent book "Holding it Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net."
One mother, Erin, and her husband were struggling to afford childcare, both working split shifts to watch their children. Exhausted by that arrangement, Erin dropped out of the workforce to stay at home with their kids, but the couple was going broke trying to afford health insurance at the same time. When Medicaid was expanded in her state, Erin was reluctant to sign up.
"She felt like 'it's not for people like us,'" Calarco recounted, saying that they weren't poor enough to need it.
There's also an othering factor around Medicaid, said Rivera. It's a program for this group or that group, one "that is different from me. Attempts to rename the programs try to make them more friendly, more appealing, more palatable."
Signing up for TennCare or Healthy Connections in South Carolina may not sting as much, and that's exactly the point. The drawback, according to a 2024 study, is the effort "may muddle understanding of the program as a government-provided benefit."
"The inner workings of how programs like Medicaid are funded is far too complex for the average person to understand," Calarco said. "It's hard for people to parse out that when we talk about your state Medicaid program, that's connected to and deeply dependent on federal Medicaid funding."
There's a similar concern for the 75% of Medicaid enrollees who sign up for a plan managed by an MCO.
For example in Georgia, those eligible for Medicaid register for the Georgia Families program, which then provides members a choice of three health plans managed by an MCO for adults. The three health plans are provided by Amerigroup Community Care, CareSource, or Peach State Health Plan. Absent from these plan names? Medicaid.
Another study published in 2018 found that Medicaid recipients are less likely to self-report that they are on the program when MCO plans are designed to obscure government involvement. Enrollees are less able to recognize how they personally benefit from Medicaid, the study found, making it more difficult for them "to engage in the civic sphere as informed advocates for their self-interest."
And that there is the rub.
Senate lawmakers are set later this month to vote on which parts of the government should be slashed to reach the $880 billion in spending reductions the House GOP advanced in its budget resolution last week.
The resolution itself didn't state those cuts must come from Medicaid, but the reductions must come from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees the program and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
"When it comes to mobilizing for this much-needed part of our social safety net, it complicates things if people don't necessarily know that they're on it," Rivera said. “It is really important for people to have a clear understanding that programs like Medicaid are essential for a functioning society."
No matter what it's called.
Janna Herron is a Senior Columnist at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on X @JannaHerron.
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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump is dismissing business concerns over the uncertainty caused by his planned tariffs on a range of American trading partners and the prospect of higher prices, and isn't ruling out the possibility of a recession this year.
After imposing and then quickly pausing 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada that sent markets tumbling over concerns of a trade war, Trump said his plans for broader "reciprocal" tariffs will go into effect April 2, raising them to match what other countries assess.
“April 2nd, it becomes all reciprocal,” he said in a taped interview with Fox News Channel's “Sunday Morning Futures.” “What they charge us, we charge them.”
Asked about the Atlanta Fed's warning of an economic contraction in the first quarter of the year, Trump seemingly acknowledged that his plans could affect U.S. growth. Still, he claimed, it would ultimately be "great for us.”
When questioned whether he was expecting a recession in 2025, Trump responded: “I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition because what we’re doing is very big. We're bringing wealth back to America. That's a big thing.” He then added, “It takes a little time. It takes a little time."
On Wall Street, it was a tough week with wild swings dominated by worries about the economy and uncertainty about what Trump's tariffs.
Trump brushed aside concerns from businesses seeking stability as they make investment decisions. He said that “for years the globalists, the big globalists have been ripping off the United States" and that now, "all we’re doing is getting some of it back, and we’re going to treat our country fairly."
“You know, the tariffs could go up as time goes by, and they may go up and, you know, I don’t know if it’s predictability,” the Republican president said.
Trump last week lifted the Mexico and Canada tariffs on American car manufacturers, and then virtually all imports to the U.S., but kept them on goods from China.
More tariffs are coming this week, with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick telling NBC's “Meet the Press” that 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports will take effect Wednesday. Lutnick said Trump's threatened tariffs on Canadian dairy and lumber though would wait until April.
“Will there be distortions? Of course,” Lutnick said. “Foreign goods may get a little more expensive. But American goods are going to get cheaper, and you’re going to be helping Americans by buying American.”
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Thursday was Crossover Day in the Georgia General Assembly, one of the busiest days of the year at the Capitol where legislators voted on dozens of bills.
The landlord of Kandi Burruss’ restaurant Blaze Steak & Seafood has sued the Xscape songstress and former “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star and her restaurant groups.
The popular Atlanta concert venue will have a new name as Georgia-based Synovus Bank enters a new naming rights partnership with Live Nation.
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Chick-fil-A has built its first-ever elevated drive-thru restaurant in McDonough, Georgia. It officially opens Aug. 22. (Credit: Chick-fil-A)
Sauce and smoke return to Chick-fil-A sandwiches next week, and some new, fruity beverages can help customers wash them down.
Starting March 17, the Smokehouse BBQ Bacon Sandwich will come back to locations nationwide. This time, diners have their choice of original, spicy or grilled chicken fillets. Assorted Pineapple Dragonfruit beverages will also join the lineup for what is being described as a "perfectly sweet pairing," but both are for a limited time, Chick-fil-A said in a press release.
The Smokehouse BBQ Bacon Sandwich pairs chicken with "crispy bacon hand-tossed in a brown sugar and black pepper blend, topped with Colby Jack cheese, green leaf lettuce and a smoky BBQ sauce, served on a toasted, buttery, sweet yeast bun."
The sandwich will be available at participating restaurants through June 7, while supplies last, Chick-fil-A said. It has not been offered since 2022, according to Food & Wine magazine.
CHICK-FIL-A BRINGS BACK LONG-AWAITED MENU ITEM AND FAN FAVORITE: 'OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE FEEDBACK'
Chick-fil-A's Smokehouse BBQ Bacon Sandwich returns to menus on March 17. Customers have their choice of three different chicken filets in the sandwich. (Chick-fil-A / Fox News)
The available Pineapple Dragonfruit beverages are frosted lemonade, lemonade, iced tea and Sunjoy, which is a combination of Chick-fil-A's lemonade and sweetened iced tea.
"As warmer weather approaches, our guests are craving flavors that are reminiscent of longer, brighter days and time spent outside with family and friends," Allison Duncan, director of menu and packaging at Chick-fil-A, said in a statement.
THE HISTORY OF CHICK-FIL-A: HOW A SOUTHERN RESTAURANT CHAIN BECAME A CULINARY ICON
Chick-fil-A's Pineapple Dragonfruit beverages come in four different varieties. (Chick-fil-A / Fox News)
"We’re thrilled to bring back the Smokehouse BBQ Bacon Sandwich, with an expanded lineup of options for our Guests, alongside our new Pineapple Dragonfruit beverages which offer a deliciously sweet and refreshing balance to the smoky BBQ flavors," she said.
Five new Chick-fil-A locations opened on March 6 in California, New York, Georgia and Oklahoma.
People enjoy the outdoor patio in Shoreview, Minnesota. (Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via / Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS
Chick-fil-A employs more than 200,000 workers in more than 3,000 restaurants across the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada. The fast-food giant opened its first location in the United Kingdom this year, and the first Singapore restaurant is "set to open in late 2025," the company announced.
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It's been a brutal start to March as markets reverse their Trump-driven euphoria following the president's recent tariff war escalation and fears over slower economic growth in the face of stubborn inflation.
Both the benchmark S&P 500 (^GSPC) and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) have each erased their post-election gains, with the latter entering correction territory on Thursday after falling 10% from its record closing high of 20,173.89 on Dec. 16.
February's jobs report, released Friday, offered some relief with the US economy adding 151,000 jobs, but it was still a brutal week for stocks. The S&P 500 capped off its worst week since September.
"It's an uncertain time," John Stoltzfus, chief investment strategist at Oppenheimer, told Yahoo Finance in an interview on Wednesday. "But gosh, we had the great financial crisis, we had COVID-19, we had the supply chain disruptions [coming out of that], and we did remarkably well."
In other words, the stock market has remained resilient in the face of significant disruptions. And despite recent sell-off action, most strategists believe it will stay that way: Stoltzfus expects the S&P 500 to finish the year at 7,100, which implies about 25% upside based on current trading levels.
"Chaos creates opportunities," added Dan Ives, global head of technology research at Wedbush. "[Buying the dip] has been our playbook for decades. The macro scares you and then you look back and say, 'Why don't I own the winners? Why don't I own the dip?'"
But the dip has escalated quickly.
The S&P (^GSPC) has swung 2% over the past seven consecutive sessions after hitting a record high on Feb. 19. According to data compiled by Yahoo Finance, this was the longest such stretch in intraday moves for the benchmark index since August 2024 — the last time economists warned of a growth scare.
Prior to August, volatility swings of that level also showed up in March 2023, around the time of Silicon Valley Bank's collapse.
Given these moves, some Wall Street watchers have said now is the time to take advantage of lower valuations, with the resiliency picture largely still intact.
"[Tariffs] add uncertainty," Wedbush's Ives said. "But in my opinion it doesn't change the demand cycle. In other words, this is not going to end the tech bull market. It's a scare. But I believe it's more opportunities than the time to head for the hills."
Read more: What Trump's tariffs mean for the economy and your wallet
Evercore ISI's Julian Emanuel, who has a year-end S&P 500 price target of 6,800, added in a note to clients on Tuesday that "stocks suffer bear markets when complacency sets in."
"The geopolitical headlines and the urgent selling of the past week in response to fears around tariffs, Ukraine/Russia and DOGE are the opposite of complacent and at odds with earnings that project 8.2% year-over-year growth with a Fed likely to cut twice to preserve the 'soft landing,'" he said, adding market dips "are buying opportunities in 2025’s volatile environment."
And although growth fears are rising, Ed Yardeni from Yardeni Research believes the economy will "turn out to be remarkably resilient," citing expectations of increased consumer and capital spending, along with a potential deescalation of tariff concerns.
For now, though, "there's a lot of bargains to be had here with this very sharp sell-off in a very short period of time." And with Trump's track record of monitoring his popularity with stock market gains, Yardeni said it's only a matter of time before the administration steps in, regardless of what the president may say.
In recent weeks, surveys and sentiment indicators — often referred to as "soft" economic data — have been the root cause of investor panic, marking the return of "bad news for the economy is bad news for stocks."
ISM's manufacturing prices paid came in at their highest since June 2022, while new orders fell into contraction, suggesting a "stagflationary" environment in which growth slows but price increases remain elevated. That data arrived on top of bleak survey results for the month of February, with declining consumer confidence and sentiment results weighing on markets.
Read more: From $5 eggs to insurance premiums, here's where prices are rising
Here's the concern: Rising inflation would squeeze consumers' purchasing power and weigh on demand at a time when the consumer is already feeling the pinch of higher prices. Less demand for goods means lower sales for companies, which would pressure profit margins and eventually force businesses to cut jobs and lay off employees.
If that happens, the Federal Reserve has already indicated it would step in to stop the bleeding, hence the market's latest recalibration of future rate cuts. Following Friday's jobs report, markets continued to price in three rate cuts this year.
Alexandra Canal is a Senior Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on X @allie_canal, LinkedIn, and email her at alexandra.canal@yahoofinance.com.
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UK appears to be out of US eyeline for now but it would not be immune to slowdown triggered by rising tariffs
Forget the “Trump put”, as financial analysts called the bet that the US president’s policies would unleash a winning era for the nation’s stock markets. By Friday, the chat was of the “Merz spurt”.
The decision by Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor-in-waiting, to cut a deal on ditching Germany’s debt brake – still to be confirmed by the outgoing parliament – marked a seismic shift.
The EU country most associated with strict fiscal discipline is now contemplating what could in principle be unlimited borrowing to fund Europe’s defence.
Lifting the brake, widely regarded by experts as an unnecessarily tight constraint on public spending in an economy sorely in need of stimulus, cheered European markets.
Bond yields rose, as investors contemplated the extra borrowing Germany is now expected to undertake; but so did the euro and European stocks, on the assumption the move would be positive for growth.
Merz’s abrupt about-turn, after arguing for spending restraint during the recent election campaign, is part of a dramatic EU-wide push to “ReArm Europe” – a slogan it was depressing and disorientating to see on official communications last week, in the EU’s trademark blue and yellow branding.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, suggested as much as €800bn (£671bn) could ultimately be mobilised to create a bulwark against Russia, as the US withdraws.
In other words, Donald Trump’s isolationist turn has had a dramatic galvanising effect on the EU, smashing through its cumbersome decision-making structures.
The German decision is the right one – although Merz’s insistence on trying to pass it in the outgoing parliament is hardly democratic best-practice.
As US markets turned sour last week against the backdrop of Trump’s chaotic trade policy, it may have been tempting for the Europeans to feel a touch of schadenfreude – an appropriately German word.
Yet while EU countries have rapidly drawn up plans to deal with the new, less cooperative US in the security sphere, they must also brace themselves for the impact of Trump’s other great project – smashing up the global trading system and rebuilding it in the US’s favour.
The barely credible fact that Trump had slapped 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, countries with which he negotiated a free trade agreement in his first term, almost got lost in the maelstrom of history-making news last week.
As Canadian liquor stores stripped their shelves of American bourbon, and US carmakers warned that prices could rocket, the president offered a temporary carve-out, and then a broader reprieve.
But the administration remains strongly wedded to the idea of tariffs. Trump even argued on Saturday that the prospect of a trade war with Canada and Mexico would spice up next year’s football World Cup, which the the two countries are jointly hosting with the US. “Tension is a good thing … It makes it much more exciting,” he said.
It is usually a mistake to try to read too much logic into Trump’s approach, which owes as much to personal gripes and grudges as to theory. But he and his henchmen do seem determined to ditch the rules-based world trading system, in favour of something much more Hobbesian.
Just as the administration is using the language of liberty and free speech to clothe its attacks on many aspects of US public life, the aim of the tariffs policy is apparently to enforce “fairness”.
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As the US Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, put it on Friday: “What we are trying to do is make free trade fair trade, because the trading systems have become incredibly imbalanced. You see it with these gigantic trade deficits that we run.”
The next wave of import taxes is due to be imposed on steel, aluminium and derivative products – everything from vehicle parts to kitchen sinks – this Wednesday, and analysts at Global Trade Alert estimate that more than $20bn (£15.5bn) of EU exports will be affected.
When it comes to the “reciprocal” tariffs Trump has threatened to impose on 2 April, with higher rates for countries the US deems to be trading unfairly, the EU appears to be firmly in his sights.
Trump described the bloc in a typically bellicose statement on Friday as a “terrible abuser” of the current system.
Recent analysis by Aslak Berg at the Centre for European Reform, suggested a 20% tariff on all EU exports would lead to a decline in exports to the US of $200bn a year. “Given the weakness of the European economy, this would certainly cause a recession,” he said.
The EU has a toolkit of retaliatory instruments ready to go, including the ability to slap tariffs on US products, as it did in response to steel tariffs in Trump’s first term. These are understandably aimed at bringing Trump to the negotiating table, but in the interim they will just add to the chaos.
The UK appears to be out of the US president’s eyeline for the moment, after Keir Starmer’s trip to Washington, and Britain does not have the trade surplus in goods that Trump tends to read as a sign of some underlying inequity.
But the US may still zero in on other UK policies, such as the digital services tax, expected to raise £800m this year from tech companies – and as the Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, has made clear, Britain would not be immune to a global slowdown triggered by rising tariffs.
The most important news this last week was that Trump 2.0 has made Europe a much more dangerous place, but it would be a mistake to lose sight of the wrecking ball he continues to wield over the global trading system. The next few weeks and months look likely to be, as some headlines had it last week, “tariffying”.
A series of comments from Trump officials in recent days raised concerns that the administration may try to look differently at a key economic measure of America's economic health: the quarterly reading of the gross domestic product (GDP).
It's an idea under consideration, but its exact form is unclear. Elon Musk is the idea's most vocal proponent, saying that a "more accurate measure of GDP would exclude government spending."
At issue is that the government already publishes precisely such a figure known as the Value Added by Private Industries (VAPI). But the fact that Musk is pushing it amid his DOGE work — another Trump official has gone further by suggesting that it might be possible to pick and choose government spending — has raised questions about whether this is primarily an attempt to minimize some of the negative effects from Musk's efforts.
"It seems like a strange place to start to say, hey, we're going to have the greatest economy in the history of the globe, but we're going to have to measure it differently because you can't see it," Doug Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum, said in a recent episode of Yahoo Finance's Capitol Gains podcast.
"That's not a great sales job," he added.
The push is also curious as, overall, in spite of widespread concerns about runaway government spending, the government's piece of America's gross domestic product has actually declined somewhat as private sector increases have outpaced government growth.
The quarterly GDP and VAPI are both gathered and released by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), an agency of the Department of Commerce. The GDP reading for the first quarter of 2025 — the first release that will include Trump's time in office — is due next month.
Concerns about a slowing GDP have also been on the rise after the start of the Trump presidency saw a variety of actions — from tariffs to DOGE to an immigration crackdown — that could provide a drag on economic output.
JPMorgan Chase recently revised its first quarter GDP prediction from 1.5% to 1% in part because of the trade tensions. Goldman Sachs is lowering its GDP projection as well, reducing its forecast for growth at the end of 2025 to 1.7% from 2.2% previously.
Musk's push for the idea is based on his oft-argued point that government spending can push GDP "artificially high" without helping the economy.
But it comes as Musk-led downsizing of federal agencies is beginning to be felt in government data with federal government employment falling by 10,000 in February.
Further firings of federal workers and an abrupt cutoff of government spending could impact the economy in a variety of negative ways.
Trump added to the private sector focused commentary when he spoke to reporters in the Oval Office Friday following the recent jobs report and said government jobs are "not the jobs you want."
"We're trying to shrink government and grow the private sector," he added.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick oversees the BEA and recently promised to separate out the data, but he also seemed to go further and said he wanted some government data to be counted and others excluded.
"It goes like this," he told Fox News, "if the government buys a tank, that's GDP, but paying 1,000 people to think about buying a tank is not GDP. That's wasted money."
Other Trump officials, like Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this week, have touted an overall Trump administration effort to "reprivatize the economy" but without weighing in on the data one way or another.
Officials at the BEA didn't respond to questions from Yahoo Finance on exactly what Lutnick meant and how such a partial measure might be calculated, but the comments have been widely noted in economic circles.
Trump's long and fraught relationship with economic data is also a factor. Trump aides held frequent discussions in his first term about calculating annual GDP growth, looking at the potentially more flattering measure of change between the fourth quarter of one year and the fourth quarter of the following year.
At other times Trump went further and simply called economic data he didn't like fake. Then-press secretary Sean Spicer somewhat infamously said in 2017, soon after Trump's first win, that jobs numbers "may have been phony in the past, but it's very real now."
Read more: Do you pay taxes on unemployment? What to expect when you file your return.
Left-leaning economic observers have also been outspoken in their criticisms in recent days. Lindsay Owens, director of the Groundwork Collaborative, told Yahoo Finance this week that this idea was indicative of "the phase of the Trump administration where they start cooking the books," pointing out Trump's history with economic data and saying the underlying concern in her mind is a Trump administration "worrying about recession risk."
Plenty of economists Yahoo Finance spoke with this week also underlined that it's absolutely fine for different administrations to highlight different slices of economic data — an example from the Biden years was a heavy focus from his aides on the Black unemployment rate — if that's the path Trump chooses.
"If you want to make the case to measure things differently, sure, that makes sense," noted Holtz-Eakin, "but I see no reason to take anything out or somehow not collect data we are currently collecting. That's a valuable thing that the BEA does and should not be tinkered with."
Ben Werschkul is Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance.
Every Friday, Yahoo Finance's Rick Newman and Ben Werschkul bring you a unique look at how U.S. policy and government affects your bottom line on Capitol Gains. Watch or listen to Capitol Gains on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
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Christine McVie's former London penthouse is now up for grabs.
The late Fleetwood Mac singer and keyboardist's former home in the Belgravia neighborhood of London is on the market for $8.9 million, in partnership with Beauchamp Estates, which holds the listing.
"With a private roof garden, this penthouse has all the layout advantages of a house with entertaining on the lower level and the private bedrooms on the upper floor," Jeremy Gee, managing director of Beauchamp Estates, said in a statement. "Bright and airy with a superb specification and tastefully decorated, this wonderful penthouse offers contemporary living in Belgravia at its very best."
McVie purchased the penthouse in 2015, after which she refurbished it with the help of a developer, making changes to the flooring and completely customizing the kitchen to her liking.
FLEETWOOD MAC’S CHRISTINE MCVIE MOURNED BY STEVIE NICKS, MICK FLEETWOOD: ‘SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE, MY LOVE’
Christine McVie's former London penthouse is on the market for $8.9 million. (Beauchamp Estates/Tony Murray Photography | Kevin Mazur/WireImage / Fox News)
Following her death in 2022, much of her personal property, including her artwork, was auctioned off, with the proceeds going towards various music-related charities, including MusiCares.
The 2,674-square-foot penthouse takes up the top two floors of the building, with the common rooms all spread out throughout the lower level and the three bedrooms occupying the upper level.
The penthouse is located in the Belgravia neighborhood in London. (Beauchamp Estates/Tony Murray Photography / Fox News)
"Offering elevated living on Eaton Place, the London penthouse of the late Christine McVie of legendary British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac provides privacy and security, and we anticipate the proposed sale will attract global interest from discerning buyers from around the world," Gary Hersham, founding director of Beauchamp Estates, said in a statement.
Upon entry, guests will find a grand double reception room, which features two separate seating areas, with oak parquet flooring throughout. One side features a white marble wood-burning fireplace, with artwork of kimono hanging above it and a full-length mirror on either side.
The reception room features a white marble fireplace with two mirrors placed on either side. (Beauchamp Estates/Tony Murray Photography / Fox News)
The other half of the reception room features another seating area with a large painting on the wall. (Beauchamp Estates/Tony Murray Photography / Fox News)
A gray couch sits in front of one of the many windows in the room and is accented by two black and white armchairs sitting across from it.
On the other side of the double reception room is a large sectional sofa, perfect for hosting a large party, which sits under a large painting. Both sides of the room feature a white carpet with various designs.
Custom floor-to-ceiling built-in shelves separate the reception room from the dining room. (Beauchamp Estates/Tony Murray Photography / Fox News)
Separating the reception room from the dining room are wooden double doors with custom floor-to-ceiling built-in shelving, which currently hold vases and other various decorative knickknacks, but can be used to house a small library.
On the other side of the shelves is the spacious dining room, which has enough space for a table large enough to seat 10 guests.
The dining room is big enough for a table fit for 10 diners, as well as built-in shelving. (Beauchamp Estates/Tony Murray Photography / Fox News)
The room also features built-in cabinetry which can be used as storage for fine china and other utensils, as well as a wood-burning fireplace and a large window, bringing in natural light and providing views of the street surrounding the home.
MICK FLEETWOOD SAYS FLEETWOOD MAC MIGHT BE 'DONE' PERFORMING TOGETHER AFTER CHRISTINE MCVIE'S DEATH
Through another door in the dining room, guests will have access to the home's kitchen. The cozy shaker kitchen was fully customized by McVie when she bought the home in 2015, as she added oak worktops, timber-paneled units and cupboards, warm yellow ceramic wall tiles and a breakfast bar.
The kitchen has oak countertops, paneled cabinets, yellow-tiled walls and a breakfast bar. (Beauchamp Estates/Tony Murray Photography / Fox News)
In addition, the kitchen boasts white tiled flooring, a small flat-screen TV mounted on the wall and a window looking out onto the street. During the remodel, McVie also added in many top-of-the-line appliances, including a sub-zero refrigerator.
Rounding out the lower level is the Bohemian living room, featuring multiple pieces of artwork on the walls, including tapestries and paintings, as well as many pieces of wooden furniture with intricate designs engraved onto them.
The home features a Bohemian living room with multiple pieces of artwork hanging on the walls. (Beauchamp Estates/Tony Murray Photography / Fox News)
Aside from the bedrooms, the upper level also contains the family room, which not only boasts a window looking out to the street, but also a skylight, which brings in additional natural light.
In addition, the room also features a large blue entertainment center, which houses a flat-screen TV and can be used to store video games, board games and other fun activities. The TV sits across from a leather couch and two white armchairs, providing plenty of space for the whole family to gather together.
The upper level also features the family room, which includes a blue entertainment center. (Beauchamp Estates/Tony Murray Photography / Fox News)
The primary bedroom features high vaulted ceilings and a seating area. (Beauchamp Estates/Tony Murray Photography / Fox News)
Elsewhere, on the upper floor is the sizable primary bedroom. The primary bedroom features high vaulted ceilings and carpet flooring, with enough space in the room to fit additional seating.
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Connected to the primary bedroom is a walk-in closet and an ensuite bathroom. The walk-in closet also acts as a dressing area, and is equipped with a vanity with a mirror and extra lighting, perfect for getting ready in the morning.
The primary bedroom is connected to a walk-in closet and dressing area. (Beauchamp Estates/Tony Murray Photography / Fox News)
The luxurious ensuite bathroom features blue tile, a standing shower and a soaking tub. (Beauchamp Estates/Tony Murray Photography / Fox News)
Another highlight of the home is the luxurious ensuite bathroom, which features blue tiles on the floor and the walls, with some of the walls and cabinets painted blue as well. The room features a large white marble sink, as well as a soaking tub and a stand-up shower.
The exterior of the home is just as enviable as the inside, as it features a private terrace with an outdoor dining area and a small dipping pool.
The penthouse also includes a rooftop terrace with an outdoor seating area and a small dipping pool. (Beauchamp Estates/Tony Murray Photography / Fox News)
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ByGene Marks
ByGene Marks
, Contributor.
Here are five things in business tech news that happened this week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
Meta has launched a pilot program introducing AI-powered customer service agents to assist businesses on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. These agents can interact with customers in real-time, handling tasks such as managing returns, providing product recommendations, and processing purchases. Utilizing data from a business's Meta footprint – including previous posts and customer service messages – agents can answer customer inquiries directly on ad pages or through direct messages. Agentic AI is enhancing CRM platforms like Salesforce which recently introduced AgentExchange – a new marketplace for AI agents in enterprise software. Launching with over 200 partners – including Google Cloud, DocuSign, Box, and Workday – pre-packaged agent solutions are being developed for businesses that can implement them without extensive technical expertise. Unlike traditional AI tools focused on text generation, these specialized AI agents are designed to perform complex tasks autonomously within business systems, effectively increasing labor capacity. (Source: Fast Company; VentureBeat)
2025 is the year of the agent. I’ve written about this before and will be revisiting this topic for another Forbes column soon. The takeaway is that finally – finally – generative AI will evolve this year to only provide information but also perform tasks to help us run our businesses more productively. The focus is on customer service. My advice is to lean in heavily and perhaps use some of these tools to build your own solutions.
The latest PayPal scam alert involves Docusign's Application Programming Interface (API). Scammers are exploiting the software to enhance the credibility of their phishing emails targeting PayPal users. By setting up Docusign accounts, these fraudsters utilize available templates to send legitimate-looking PayPal invoices. Recipients are notified of unauthorized transactions and prompted to contact a provided phone number to secure their account and process a refund. Since these emails originate from Docusign, they can bypass many security filters. Red flags include the use of Gmail addresses for PayPal customer support and the absence of documents requiring signatures – which is unusual for Docusign communications. Docusign has stated that it investigates and shuts down suspicious accounts within 24 hours of detection or reporting. (Source: Finextra)
I’ve been getting a ton o PayPal scam emails recently, requesting payment or asking me to confirm a payment made to my company. This is a new twist and using Docusign is a pretty savvy way to dupe businesses and individuals into giving away confidential information. Make sure your employees are aware of this, be extra vigilant, get training for your company and report anything you see to both PayPal and Docusign.
Lucas Mearian of Computerworld highlighted a significant increase in electronic employee monitoring as reported in a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The study found 80 percent of companies are monitoring remote or hybrid workers with 74 percent using software to log web browsing and 62 percent tracking screen activity. This surge in surveillance is linked to heightened worker stress, reduced job satisfaction, and potential declines in productivity. The proliferation of monitoring tools – such as RFID badges and biometric scanners – has raised ethical concerns regarding privacy and the potential for discriminatory practices. Experts caution that while these tools aim to boost productivity, they may inadvertently harm employee well-being and trust in the workplace. (Source: Computerworld)
I’m an opponent of employee monitoring. I realize that in some situations – cases where there’s valuable inventory, a higher risk of theft or even instances of potential harmful employee behavior – where monitoring can help a business. But for the most part I see my clients spending too much monitoring the minutia of an employee’s day – even when working from home – rather than running their business. You hire adults. Give them the respect of being adults. Stop spending so much time on something that likely has much lower risk to the overall profitability of your business and instead focus on growing your business and making your employees better.
Reddit is becoming an optimal platform for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to enhance their search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, engage with local communities, and build brand trust. Reddit content often appears prominently in Google search results, with users actively seeking out Reddit discussions for authentic reviews and insights. Example – when searching for services like a personal trainer in Brooklyn – users might include "Reddit" in their queries to find genuine community feedback. Unlike other social media platforms that frequently change their algorithms, Reddit maintains a consistent forum-style structure, allowing businesses to connect directly with niche audiences through specific communities known as subreddits. This direct engagement can lead to increased visibility and credibility. (Source: Search Engine Land)
I’m active on the r/CRM subreddit and have even received a few leads from it. But here’s the secret: don’t use Reddit as a leadgen tool. I like to go on the CRM subreddit to learn more about the industry, engage with users and even offer advice. I often get great advice there. Yes, I sometimes pitch our solutions, but usually it’s just an education and helpful engage which builds credibility and relationships. I never even considered the fact that this activity might showing up in online searches but that’s just a plus. I strongly recommend business owners pick a subreddit in their industry or expertise and engage with that community on a regular basis.
Alaina Yee of PCWorld reminded readers of why maintaining robust security for your PC is crucial in today's digital landscape. (Source: PCWorld)
Essential practices include Activating Built-in Antivirus Protection and Utilizing Third-Party Security Suites. For example, Avast One expands upon the company's free security suite, offering upgraded defenses against online threats and additional features. Yee also suggests Implementing Comprehensive Security Measures. Beyond the standard antivirus software, incorporating additional safeguards such as firewalls, browser extensions, password managers, and VPNs, will enhance your system's security. Keep Software Updated. Regularly update your operating system and all installed applications to patch vulnerabilities that cybercriminals might exploit.
Every week I round up five business tech news stories that will impact your business and give a few thoughts why.
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A week ago on Sunday, US President Trump made a mess of the crypto market but tweeting about a crypto reserve including Solana, Ripple and Cardano.
Shortly afterwards he added Ethereum and Bitcoin to the list. Throughout the week, everyone was looking for clarity but the White House later said that he just named the five largest-volume cryptos and that a plan was in the works. That led to a week of announcements that culminated in a long-rumored plan to hold cryptos that were already seized by the government rather than selling them.
Late on Friday, Trump signed the executive order and it's been a 'sell-the-fact' trade since, with bitcoin down about $3000 in the aftermath and carving out fresh lows at the moment.
The order kept open the possibility of the government buying bitcoin in future but that may be difficult because it would likely require money from Congress.
The US Commerce and Treasury secretaries "are authorized to develop
budget-neutral strategies for acquiring additional bitcoin, provided
that those strategies impose no incremental costs on American
taxpayers," a factsheet on the White House website said.
Similarly, cardano has given back nearly all its post-tweet gains and has just fallen below the retracement low on March 4. Solana is at the lowest since late February and XRP is below pre-tweet levels. Ethereum had given back Trump-pump gains the day after the announcement and is threatening the lowest levels since 2023.
The lesson here: The government is exit liquidity not entry liquidity.
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Bitcoin and crypto prices—including ethereum, Ripple’s XRP, solana’s SOL and cardano’s ADA—have flat-lined over the last week after Donald Trump revealed the cryptocurrencies that the U.S. was betting on, sparking market mayhem.
Front-run Donald Trump, the White House and Wall Street by subscribing now to Forbes’ CryptoAsset & Blockchain Advisor where you can "uncover blockchain blockbusters poised for 1,000% plus gains!"
The bitcoin price has fallen back to around $85,000 per bitcoin, exactly where it was at the beginning of March (despite China quietly priming the bitcoin price for a major earthquake).
Now, as Elon Musk issues a surprise crypto price warning, Donald Trump’s crypto czar has said the U.S. Treasury will be working to “maximize the value” of the bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies held by the U.S. in its reserve and crypto stockpile.
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“We’re going to move the [cryptocurrency owned by the U.S. government] to the digital stockpile,” David Sacks, a technology investor and entrepreneur who has joined the Trump administration as artificial intelligence and crypto czar, said on the All In Podcast he cohosted before taking the job.
“The purpose of the stockpile is responsible stewardship, it’s a place for safekeeping, it’s a centralized account under the direction of the secretary of the Treasury and the secretary of the Treasury will figure out how to maximize the value of these holdings.”
This week, after Trump’s surprise announcement that Ripple’s XRP, solana and cardano would form the basis of a U.S. crypto reserve, the White House has shuffled its plans to create a bitcoin-only strategic reserve alongside a crypto stockpile made up of smaller cryptocurrencies including ethereum, Ripple’s XRP, cardano and solana.
"The crypto stockpile should be subject to good portfolio management and fortunately we have a secretary of the Treasury who is an extremely successful former hedge
fund manager so he’s going to figure out the best way to manage these assets and
we give him the flexibility to do portfolio management," Sacks said.
Speaking at the much-hyped White House crypto summit this week, alongside Sacks and Treasury secretary Scott Bessent, Trump confirmed his commitment to bitcoin—placing it in a unique position above other cryptocurrencies in a reserve described as a “digital Fort Knox” in a reference to the U.S. gold reserve.
“I promised to make America the bitcoin superpower of the world and the crypto capital of the planet,” Trump said, it was reported by the New York Times. “We’re taking historic action to deliver on that promise.”
In July, then Republican candidate Donald Trump promised to create a "strategic national bitcoin reserve" and predicted bitcoin could eclipse gold’s near-$20 trillion market capitalization during an appearance at the Bitcoin 2024 conference.
During Friday’s White House summit, Trump also called it "foolish" of the government to have previously sold so much of its seized bitcoin, while Sacks, speaking on the podcast, claimed the U.S. might have lost as much as $16 billion by selling off its bitcoin.
"At one point in time, we had about 400,000 bitcoin on the federal balance sheet. We sold roughly half of that for something like $360 million total," Sacks said during the podcast. "If we had held all of that, just that the portion we sold would be worth over $17 billion."
Ahead of the summit, Trump signed an executive order calling for the creation of the bitcoin reserve and crypto stockpile using existing government holdings, disappointing traders with a lack of commitment to new bitcoin and crypto purchases though leaving the door open to acquiring more bitcoin though “budget neutral” methods that “do not impose incremental costs on United States taxpayers."
Sacks added during a press conference that the Treasury and Commerce department, led by bitcoin price bull Howard Lutnick, are only “allowed to buy more if it doesn't add to the deficit or the debt.”
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“The subpar strategic bitcoin reserve move triggered the uncertainty in the crypto market,” Agne Linge, head of growth at crypto platform WeFi, said in emailed comments.
“With the executive order directing agencies to consolidate seized bitcoin to form the reserve, crypto investors see the move as a trick, as no new bitcoin purchase was announced. Despite the knee-jerk reaction from investors, the fact is that the bitcoin reserve mandate authorizes the acquisition of bitcoin through means that will not cost taxpayers’ money. The available options in this regard include bitcoin bonds and the sales of its gold reserve to fund more purchases. In the long term, the bitcoin reserve shift might benefit the coin. This thesis hinges on a possible race it has triggered that may see other sovereign nations make similar moves.”
Some have speculated that China is weighing the creation of its own bitcoin reserve to rival the U.S. after Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund revealed last month it’s betting on bitcoin, kicking off a global adoption “race."
“The U.S. bitcoin reserve raises the likelihood of other nations adopting similar reserves and accelerates their consideration of such initiatives,” analysts with Tagus Capital wrote in an emailed note.
“With the U.S. planning to adopt bitcoin reserves, this is likely to drive broader global adoption, with more nations integrating bitcoin into their reserves—potentially shifting from gold to digital assets, much like how some economies have embraced the U.S. dollar alongside or instead of their own currencies.”
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Michael Saylor took his Bitcoin evangelism to the White House on Friday, presenting his roadmap to an $81 trillion digital asset strategy at the administration’s first-ever crypto summit.
His plan calls for the US to embrace Bitcoin as a strategic national asset, which he claims will help bolster the dollar, reduce national debt, and establish economic dominance.
Saylor’s proposal aligns with President Donald Trump’s executive order signed Thursday, which converts $17 billion in seized Bitcoin holdings into a strategic reserve and bans federal agencies from selling these Bitcoins.
“From this day on, America will follow the rule that every Bitcoiner knows very well: never sell your Bitcoin,” Trump said.
Saylor argues that Bitcoin should be the foundation of a revamped US financial system that integrates digital tokens, securities, and currencies.
He sees Bitcoin’s role as a digital commodity, attracting global capital flows and establishing the US as the financial epicenter of the 21st century.
His vision includes programmatic government Bitcoin purchases, potentially securing up to 25% of the network by 2035.
To reach his $81 trillion projection, Bitcoin would need to surpass $15 million per coin, a valuation exponentially higher than today’s prices.
In December, Saylor predicted that in this scenario, the digital asset market would expand to $280 trillion — around 100 times its current size — but provided no specifics on how he arrived at these figures.
Despite growing support, some investors expected more aggressive policy changes from the summit.
Still, Saylor remains steadfast in saying that the United States has a chance to “dominate cyberspace and own the future.”
Kyle Baird is DL News’ Weekend Editor. Got a tip? Email at kbaird@dlnews.com.
"The Voyagers have been deep space rock stars since launch, and we want to keep it that way as long as possible!"
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NASA engineers are turning off two instruments to ensure that the twin spacecraft, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, can continue exploring space beyond the limits of the solar system.
To save energy for further interstellar exploration, mission engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) deactivated Voyager 1's cosmic ray subsystem experiment on Feb. 25. On March 24, they will shut down the low-energy charged particle instrument onboard Voyager 2.
Launched in 1977 and carrying the same suite of ten instruments, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 reached interstellar space in 2012 and 2018, respectively. It is little wonder that Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are operating on dwindling power supplies. After all, the two spacecraft have traveled a combined 29 billion miles to become the farthest human-built objects from Earth.
"The Voyagers have been deep space rock stars since launch, and we want to keep it that way as long as possible," Voyager project manager at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Suzanne Dodd said in a statement. "But electrical power is running low. If we don’t turn off an instrument on each Voyager now, they would probably have only a few more months!"
Related: NASA's Voyager 1 probe swaps thrusters in tricky fix as it flies through interstellar space
Both Voyager spacecraft have a power system based on generating electricity from the heat emitted by the decay of a radioactive isotope of plutonium.
This radioisotopic power system loses around 4 watts of power from Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 each year. In the 1980s, several instruments aboard both spacecraft were turned off. This was because the Voyager twins had both completed their investigation of the solar system's giant planets, which boosted the longevity of both probes.
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To conserve this power, NASA operators turned off Voyager 2's plasma science experiment in October 2024. The experiment aimed to measure how much plasma flows past it and in what direction. The Voyager 2 instrument had been collecting limited data in the years before its shutdown due to its orientation of Voyager 2 in relation to the flow of plasma beyond the solar system.
Voyager 1's own plasma science instrument stopped working correctly in 1980 and was turned off in 2007 to preserve power.
Most recently, NASA shut off Voyager 1's cosmic ray subsystem at the end of February. The data from the suite of three telescopes designed to study cosmic rays was integral in the Voyager science team's determination that Voyager 1 had exited the heliosphere, the sun's sphere of influence at the edge of the solar system.
Shutting down at the end of March is Voyager 2’s low-energy charged particle instrument, the role of which is to measure the various ions, electrons, and cosmic rays originating from the solar system and our galaxy.
"The Voyager spacecraft have far surpassed their original mission to study the outer planets," Voyager program scientist Patrick Koehn said. "Every bit of additional data we have gathered since then is not only valuable bonus science for heliophysics, but also a testament to the exemplary engineering that has gone into the Voyagers — starting nearly 50 years ago and continuing to this day."
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The fact that the Voyager spacecraft are the only two human-made objects to make it to interstellar space means that the data they collect is unique. Thus, the decision to switch off any instruments on either Voyager 1 or Voyager 2 isn't taken lightly. Shutting down these two instruments should grant both spacecraft another year of exploration before more instruments have to be turned off.
Both spacecraft have three operational instruments, dropping to two in 2026. It is hoped that Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 will carry one operational instrument into the 2030s. Unforeseen circumstances could arise and change these plans, though.
"Every minute of every day, the Voyagers explore a region where no spacecraft has gone before," Voyager project scientist at JPL Linda Spilker said. "That also means every day could be our last. But that day could also bring another interstellar revelation. "So, we’re pulling out all the stops, doing what we can to make sure Voyagers 1 and 2 continue their trailblazing for the maximum time possible."
Originally posted on Space.com.
Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. who specializes in science, space, physics, astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, quantum mechanics and technology. Rob's articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.’s Open University
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(Bloomberg) -- First came a dry spell that parched the land, then a spark, followed by some wind. Suddenly, swaths of South Carolina were consumed by voracious flames.
More than 100 fires ignited in the state last weekend — an unusually high total even in the heart of fire season. It was the perfect combination of arid air, dry fuels and gusting winds that combined to spread the flames, said Doug Wood, a spokesman for the state’s Forestry Commission.
The South Carolina disaster is the latest high-profile example of compound weather, or two or more concurrent events that collectively yield a result worse than if each had occurred on its own. It’s a global phenomenon — and its prevalence in a warming world portends the risks ahead.
Malaysia recently struggled with devastating floods that killed at least five people, sent thousands fleeing their homes, crimped palm oil production and caused mudslides throughout the region. In January, a cascading series of weather disasters led to historic Los Angeles wildfires that killed 29.
Texas — the US epicenter of extreme weather — has been hit by a string of compound events in recent years. The great freeze in 2021 that killed at least 200 people has been tied back to a series of compound events, as has last year’s record Smokehouse Creek Fire that had its roots in a massive 2023 drought that hit the Great Plains.
As the planet heats up and weather whiplash spreads, compound weather events are poised to wreak even greater havoc: A study published last year in Nature projected climate damages could cost the global economy $38 trillion (in 2005 dollars) per year by mid-century.
Deborah Brosnan, a climate risk scientist who heads up Deborah Brosnan & Associates, said the Los Angeles fires sharply illustrate the danger of multiple weather events leading to a larger disaster. The Palisades, Eaton and other blazes hit after the state saw two winters in a row of plentiful rains that allowed abundant vegetation growth. Last year was one of California’s warmest on record, which dried out that vegetation and ushered in a flash drought across the state’s southern half. The drought spread from roughly 17% of the state in late December to nearly 32% in early January when the fires started.
“LA experienced normal fires, but compounded by prolonged drought and high temperatures — both of which are associated with climate change — the outcome was worse,” Brosnan said. (Research found climate change made Los Angeles 35% more primed to burn.)
Coming up with direct costs for cascading events can be difficult because damage is often tallied by individual storms or fires. California’s fires unleashed damage that’s projected to reach $164 billion. In comparison, the financial toll of the drought that preceded them has yet to show up in any US government assessments. The compound event didn’t end once the fires were put out, either: The region has seen heavy rains falling on burn-scarred land, resulting in mudslides.
“It’s a good example of how all these things can play together to exacerbate the hazards that we’re all facing,” said Lou Gritzo, chief science officer at industrial insurer FM. “And that was just the alignment of those kind of weather events. You can argue that had any one of those not been in place, the consequences would have been significantly reduced.”
A similar situation occurred in Australia, where drought from 2017 to 2019 was followed by the 2019-2020 Black Summer Fires that tallied insurance claims of up to $1.5 billion.
Compound events have outsized impacts and they are relatively rare, making it difficult to research them, said Doug Richardson, a weather and climate research scientist at the University of New South Wales.
“We need to develop our models to better account for these sorts of interactions between different climate hazards at a spatial resolution that allows us to consider how these hazards might interact,” and to build a larger sample to assess the frequency of potential compound events, he added.
Not all cascading weather ends in flames, though. Flooding can occur when rain saturates soil and loosens vegetation, setting the stage for subsequent showers to have a greater impact. This was part of the mechanics around the Malaysian floods, which also got an assist from extreme tides.
The states of Sabah and Sarawak saw more than 27 inches (70 centimeters) of rain in January, which left soils saturated. Yet another storm hit just as tides reached their highest levels due to the alignment of the sun, Earth and moon, said Nursalleh bin Kasim, principal assistant director of the research and technical development region at the Malaysian Meteorological Department.
One extreme event can also beget another. Drought, for example, saps the soil of moisture. With no excess water to evaporate, the sun’s energy is instead redirected to heating the air. The resulting hotter weather then makes the drought worse.
“There can be a feedback back to the atmosphere,” said Ronnie Abolafia-Rosenzweig, a project scientist at the US National Center for Atmospheric Research.
Larger climate impacts, such as sea-level rise, add to the perils as does building in exposed areas, Brosnan said. Notably, deforestation leads to greater risk of landslides while destroying mangroves and coral reefs worsens coastal flooding.
Events can also be “spatially compounding,” striking multiple regions at once, said Jakob Zscheischler, a compound event researcher at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Germany. He pointed to the fall 2024 floods that struck multiple parts of Europe as a prime example. The flooding, fueled by record rainfall from Storm Boris, killed at least 29 people and caused widespread destruction across countries from Italy to Poland to Romania. Munich Re estimated the compound event caused around $4.3 billion in damage, roughly half of which was insured.
“Climate change has already led to an increase in the amount of rain during such events and will continue to do so,” Zscheischler said, “which puts pressure on infrastructure and transnational flood management due to multiple countries being affected at the same time.”
Brosnan warned that siloed emergency management means “we deal poorly with complex events where impacts spread widely through a system.” There are precedents for non-weather disasters, though, that could prove useful if the world is to adapt to more compound events.
Bruce Chong, director of climate and sustainability at engineering firm Arup, said Japan's culture of earthquake preparedness is one model to turn to.
“They know there are earthquakes,” he said. “At the everyday level, they are already aware and prepared across multiple aspects, including how tasks are shared between local communities and the government. It's become something that everyone faces together.”
--With assistance from Brian Eckhouse.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
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The Omen 16 is a great gaming laptop with jaw-dropping graphics and a snappy Ryzen 7 processor. Its poor battery and excessive fan noise can be overlooked thanks to its reduced price.
Vivid screen with 165 Hz refresh rate
Bright, punchy keyboard
Powerful AMD Ryzen 7 processor
Weak battery capacity
Excessive fan noise
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CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS
RAM: 16 GB DDR5
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060
Storage: 1 TB SSD
Display: 16.1 in (41 cm)
Weight: 5.22 lbs (2.37 kg)
Dimensions (in): 14.5 x 10.2 x 0.9 (W x H x D)
Dimensions (cm): 37 x 25.9 x 2,3 (W x H x D)
The HP Omen 16 is undeniably a gaming laptop. The design and quality of the display all target hardcore players, and its multicolor keyboard is also a dead giveaway. Here we have the 2023 version, with AMD’s Ryzen 7 processor and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4060 GPU – a configuration only available in Europe. U.S. customers will only have Intel variants for 16in models.
A newer Omen 16 was announced at CES 2025 recently — the Omen Max 16 — so the lofty price of the old Omen has now been reduced from $1,600 to a more palatable $1,170. Regardless of its price, though, we want to know if it’s any good.
There have now been a decade's worth of HP Omen laptops, with very little stylistic change across the last few iterations. The 16.1-inch ‘xd0001na’ model we have on review is virtually the same as the 2022 model, save for a new polished Omen logo on the lid instead of the classic VoodooPC diamond. There’s also a large, shiny "16" emblazoned on the bottom half.
Nevertheless, the design is neat and understated, all in black and with a matte finish. It could be more lithe, more petite in places, but then it would no doubt be even more expensive. The all-plastic build is not ideal, but also not that much of an issue — you will leave plenty of finger smears, but they’re easy enough to wipe away with a cloth. There is some slight flex in the lid, though.
The bottom portion of the device is neatly laid out, with 70% of the available real estate taken up by the keyboard. You get a stunning multicolor backlit keyboard, with transparent key covers for W, A, S, and D. In the corners, there’s lots of space for palm rests, though there is an awkward reach to use the trackpad.
Both sides of the device have a wide array of ports, with three USB-A types (one with HP sleep charge) and slots for HDMI 2.1, ethernet and a 35mm headphone jack. Sadly there’s only one USB-C port, which is odd for a modern laptop, but it has Thunderbolt 4 support and also HP sleep charger capabilities.
The Omen 16 has a pleasingly smooth and vivid 16.1 in IPS display with a 165Hz refresh rate and a full HD resolution of 1,920 x 1080. The panel is crisp and sharp, and thankfully bright enough for even the murkiest of game worlds.
While that is true to the naked eye, our benchmarks suggest that the Omen’s display isn’t especially great. With our colorimeter, we recorded a peak brightness of 281 candela per square meter (cd/m2), which is actually quite low. That would suggest you’ll find it harder to see certain parts of the screen if you have a strong source of light in your room, though we didn’t really notice any issues here.
Likewise, its gamut color coverage (a measure of how many colors it can display) was a meager 91.40% — which is lower than one would expect of a modern gaming laptop. The Adobe sRGB score of 70% is more in line with its rivals but we would not recommend this machine for tackling serious Photoshop workloads.
The colors, however, pop off the screen and the refresh rate keeps everything smooth and liquid. This is partly down to the AI optimization that comes from the Ryzen 7 chip and that beefy Nvidia RTX GPU. So on paper it looks middling, but our eyes suggest otherwise.
The Omen 16 has a multi-zone backlit keyboard that can be customized. The default is three different sections; from left to right you have a portion in red, a middle section in purple, and a final section in light or neon blue. The three transparent keys all turn a funky shade of orange when the lights are on, though. The whole thing looks dramatic in the dark and you can swap the colors around, have one specific color across the whole thing, or have it change shades as you play, which is frankly a little distracting.
Still, there’s a satisfying punch to the keys, which are all nicely sized and responsive. We were able to get up to a good typing speed while hammering out emails and documents. There was also a pleasing ease to the gaming controls, with the W, A, S, and D buttons singled out with transparent key caps — you barely need to look down as you move about in Fortnite.
The trackpad, however, takes some getting used to, especially if you come to it from a smaller touchpad, such as you would find on a MacBook. The number of accidental right clicks we made increased by about 100%. It does have a nice, firm click action, and lots of scope, but if you’re used to using your right hand to click, you really do need to reach right across — it’s quite awkward.
The Omen 16 is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS chip, which is paired with 16 GB of DDR5 RAM and 1 TB of storage. The Ryzen 7 has an up to 5.1 GHz max boost clock, 16 MB L3 cache, eight cores and 16 threads. It is a high-end 4nm processor and one of the best chips on the market for gaming.
The Omen notched up a CrystalDiskMark read score of 6,434.39, which places it as one of the more powerful HP laptops we’ve tested. Only the Spectre x360 14 and the AI-powered OmniBook Ultra 14 scored higher, and only by small margins.
However, while its performance is good, there’s only so much the Omen can take before its fans start to sound like the creaking air con in a cheap Vegas motel. Putting it through Geekbench 6 sounded like a form of laptop torture and its multi-core score of 9,239 isn’t especially good for this price range. Similarly priced HP models, such as the new OmniBook and EliteBook, will give you almost 50% more (14,153 and 14,035 respectively).
How much gaming you can do away from a power outlet is also debatable, due to the Omen’s weak battery. The 165Hz refresh rate, as wonderful as it is, is part of the problem here because you have a power-hungry display hogging what little juice the laptop can hold.
In our looped video test, with the laptop forced to repeatedly play the same 20 minutes of Spider-Man 2, it lasted a pitiful 4 hr, 53 mins. HP claims that it can last up to eight hours, which is true, but if you’re playing something quite big and graphically intense then it won’t get anywhere near that. A few rounds of Fortnite, maybe.
Thankfully, once depleted, the battery only takes an hour or so to reach full charge.
The ports are all neatly aligned, with two USB-A ports and slots for HDMI 2.1 and an ethernet connection in easy-to-reach places. It’s always good to have a 35mm headphone jack on a laptop, but that solo USB-C port does cause frustration. Thunderbolt 4 support is what people want — it makes everything easier to connect — so a second port here would be a real boon.
Feature-wise, you have the standard fare of Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.3, plus Windows 11 Home fresh out of the box. There’s a neat clip cover for the webcam. You also get crisp Bang & Olufsen DTS:X Ultra dual speakers, which have a nice hum to them, but these are hard to enjoy when those fans begin whirring.
You also get the Omen Gaming Hub pre-installed. One of the best features here is that you can monitor all your laptop's performance metrics, and it includes a clever booster tool. This looks like the rev counter on a car, but you can use it to max out the machine's performance.
✅ You're a hardcore gamer: Playing games is what this machine was designed to do — and what it's good at
✅ You're on a budget: This laptop looks like much better value for money after its asking price was recently slashed
❌ You like a quiet working environment: The noisy fans on the Omen 16 are a less than welcome distraction
❌ You're on the go a lot: Battery life isn't brilliant, which might rule out playing more graphics-intensive games for long periods
The answer to this has been made a lot simpler thanks to HP’s recent CES 2025 announcements and the more feature-rich Omen Max 16. With this better version coming out soon, HP has slashed the cost of the older model, from $1,600 to $1,170, making it more of a bargain than it was previously. This review would have been more scathing if it stayed at its original price.
For that cut price you get a snappy AMD Ryzen CPU, a powerful GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, a smooth display and an attractive keyboard. You also get poor battery life and loud fans that can be heard no matter what volume your music is playing. They keep the machine cool but their sound is impossible to ignore. Headphones are not included, but they darn well should be!
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The question is whether there is anything better in this new price range. The newer Omen Max is practically double the price so that’s not comparable here. The Omen Transend is also considerably more expensive — both the 14in and 16in models — so price-wise, the Omen 16 is currently HP’s best offer.
Dell’s Alienware x16 R2 machine is roughly comparable, though it has Intel processor options, not AMD, and costs at least $400 more. However, it does benefit from a wider selection of Nvidia RTX GPU configurations (4060, 4070, 4080, and 4090).
If it’s gaming on a budget you want, however, then the Omen 16 is hard to beat right now.
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In a groundbreaking experiment, researchers have successfully transformed light into a supersolid — an exotic state of matter that behaves both as a solid and a fluid. Published in Nature, the discovery by a team of physicists and nanotechnologists opens new possibilities for quantum mechanics, photonics, and advanced materials research.
A supersolid maintains a crystalline structure like a solid while also flowing without resistance, a property typical of superfluids. Until now, supersolids had only been observed in ultracold atomic gases near absolute zero. The ability to create a supersolid using light challenges traditional views on matter and energy.
The research, led by Dimitris Trypogeorgos and Daniele Sanvitto at the National Research Council (CNR) in Italy, involved firing a laser at a gallium arsenide structure with precisely engineered microscopic ridges. This interaction created polaritons — hybrid light-matter particles — that exhibited supersolid behavior.
This breakthrough could have significant implications for quantum computing, as supersolid-based photonic systems may provide a more stable platform for qubits, the fundamental units of quantum information. It could also lead to faster, more efficient optical circuits, revolutionizing photonic devices.
Beyond technology, the ability to generate supersolid light paves the way for exploring new states of matter, offering deeper insights into light-matter interactions under extreme quantum conditions.
The team plans to refine their approach to better control these supersolid light formations and explore their potential in next-generation quantum systems. Future research will focus on stabilizing and manipulating these structures, potentially transforming fields ranging from fundamental physics to cutting-edge computing and photonics.
This milestone reshapes our understanding of light, bridging the gap between classical and quantum materials — and setting the stage for future breakthroughs in physics and material science.
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Here are five things in business tech news that happened this week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
Meta has launched a pilot program introducing AI-powered customer service agents to assist businesses on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. These agents can interact with customers in real-time, handling tasks such as managing returns, providing product recommendations, and processing purchases. Utilizing data from a business's Meta footprint – including previous posts and customer service messages – agents can answer customer inquiries directly on ad pages or through direct messages. Agentic AI is enhancing CRM platforms like Salesforce which recently introduced AgentExchange – a new marketplace for AI agents in enterprise software. Launching with over 200 partners – including Google Cloud, DocuSign, Box, and Workday – pre-packaged agent solutions are being developed for businesses that can implement them without extensive technical expertise. Unlike traditional AI tools focused on text generation, these specialized AI agents are designed to perform complex tasks autonomously within business systems, effectively increasing labor capacity. (Source: Fast Company; VentureBeat)
2025 is the year of the agent. I’ve written about this before and will be revisiting this topic for another Forbes column soon. The takeaway is that finally – finally – generative AI will evolve this year to only provide information but also perform tasks to help us run our businesses more productively. The focus is on customer service. My advice is to lean in heavily and perhaps use some of these tools to build your own solutions.
The latest PayPal scam alert involves Docusign's Application Programming Interface (API). Scammers are exploiting the software to enhance the credibility of their phishing emails targeting PayPal users. By setting up Docusign accounts, these fraudsters utilize available templates to send legitimate-looking PayPal invoices. Recipients are notified of unauthorized transactions and prompted to contact a provided phone number to secure their account and process a refund. Since these emails originate from Docusign, they can bypass many security filters. Red flags include the use of Gmail addresses for PayPal customer support and the absence of documents requiring signatures – which is unusual for Docusign communications. Docusign has stated that it investigates and shuts down suspicious accounts within 24 hours of detection or reporting. (Source: Finextra)
I’ve been getting a ton o PayPal scam emails recently, requesting payment or asking me to confirm a payment made to my company. This is a new twist and using Docusign is a pretty savvy way to dupe businesses and individuals into giving away confidential information. Make sure your employees are aware of this, be extra vigilant, get training for your company and report anything you see to both PayPal and Docusign.
Lucas Mearian of Computerworld highlighted a significant increase in electronic employee monitoring as reported in a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The study found 80 percent of companies are monitoring remote or hybrid workers with 74 percent using software to log web browsing and 62 percent tracking screen activity. This surge in surveillance is linked to heightened worker stress, reduced job satisfaction, and potential declines in productivity. The proliferation of monitoring tools – such as RFID badges and biometric scanners – has raised ethical concerns regarding privacy and the potential for discriminatory practices. Experts caution that while these tools aim to boost productivity, they may inadvertently harm employee well-being and trust in the workplace. (Source: Computerworld)
I’m an opponent of employee monitoring. I realize that in some situations – cases where there’s valuable inventory, a higher risk of theft or even instances of potential harmful employee behavior – where monitoring can help a business. But for the most part I see my clients spending too much monitoring the minutia of an employee’s day – even when working from home – rather than running their business. You hire adults. Give them the respect of being adults. Stop spending so much time on something that likely has much lower risk to the overall profitability of your business and instead focus on growing your business and making your employees better.
Reddit is becoming an optimal platform for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to enhance their search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, engage with local communities, and build brand trust. Reddit content often appears prominently in Google search results, with users actively seeking out Reddit discussions for authentic reviews and insights. Example – when searching for services like a personal trainer in Brooklyn – users might include "Reddit" in their queries to find genuine community feedback. Unlike other social media platforms that frequently change their algorithms, Reddit maintains a consistent forum-style structure, allowing businesses to connect directly with niche audiences through specific communities known as subreddits. This direct engagement can lead to increased visibility and credibility. (Source: Search Engine Land)
I’m active on the r/CRM subreddit and have even received a few leads from it. But here’s the secret: don’t use Reddit as a leadgen tool. I like to go on the CRM subreddit to learn more about the industry, engage with users and even offer advice. I often get great advice there. Yes, I sometimes pitch our solutions, but usually it’s just an education and helpful engage which builds credibility and relationships. I never even considered the fact that this activity might showing up in online searches but that’s just a plus. I strongly recommend business owners pick a subreddit in their industry or expertise and engage with that community on a regular basis.
Alaina Yee of PCWorld reminded readers of why maintaining robust security for your PC is crucial in today's digital landscape. (Source: PCWorld)
Essential practices include Activating Built-in Antivirus Protection and Utilizing Third-Party Security Suites. For example, Avast One expands upon the company's free security suite, offering upgraded defenses against online threats and additional features. Yee also suggests Implementing Comprehensive Security Measures. Beyond the standard antivirus software, incorporating additional safeguards such as firewalls, browser extensions, password managers, and VPNs, will enhance your system's security. Keep Software Updated. Regularly update your operating system and all installed applications to patch vulnerabilities that cybercriminals might exploit.
Every week I round up five business tech news stories that will impact your business and give a few thoughts why.
Potential Medicaid cuts could devastate America’s teetering rural health-care system and jeopardize Republicans’ political power among rural voters.
HONDO, Tex. — Jaylee Williams needed to find somewhere to deliver her son.
The 19-year-old knew more about barrel racing on her horse Bet-n-pep than the complicated metrics of who takes what health insurance. But relief for Williams and her boyfriend, Xander Lopez, came when they realized Medina Regional Hospital — just 15 minutes from their home — accepted Medicaid, the federal-state program that covers medical costs for lower-income Americans. Provider groups an hour away in San Antonio had refused to take the insurance, she recalled while cradling little Ryker.
“You never know when something could happen,” Williams said, with Lopez adding, “I have no idea where we would have gone” without Medina Regional Hospital.
But the lifeline that the 25-bed critical-access hospital offered to Williams and Lopez could disappear in Hondo and other communities like it.
Rural hospitals across the United States fear that massive Medicaid cuts Republicans would have to consider under the current House budget proposal could decimate maternity services or shutter already struggling medical facilities in communities that overwhelmingly voted for Donald Trump.
Nearly half of all rural hospitals nationwide operate at a deficit, with Medicaid barely keeping them afloat. Already, almost 200 rural hospitals have closed in the past two decades, according to the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Rural hospital leaders in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas who spoke to The Washington Post warned that the enormous cuts congressional Republicans are weighing could further destroy limited health-care access in rural America. Proposals to slash up to $880 billion over 10 years — which is expected to be accomplished largely by scaling back on Medicaid — would also affect those who do not rely on the program but do rely on the medical facilities that are financially dependent on the program’s reimbursements.
While Republicans are reluctant to acknowledge potential entitlement cuts due to possible political backlash, the House-passed budget proposal would almost certainly require Medicaid cuts, health-care analysts say.
“Every nickel matters,” said Benjamin Anderson, chief executive of Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, which runs a rural hospital in Kansas. “It will cripple and close the health-care delivery systems that serve everyone.”
Heart attack and stroke victims may lose crucial time being ferried by ambulance to big-city hospitals, health-care experts say. Rural nursing homes may vanish, straining families in the poorest of regions. Those who are pregnant may have no choice but to drive long distances for prenatal checkups and to give birth.
Public perception often associates the health-care safety net used by more than 1 in 5 Americans with the urban poor. But rural children and non-elderly adults are more likely to rely on Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) than those in metro areas, according to the Center for Children and Families at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.
The possible cuts are an “existential issue” for rural hospitals, said Alan Morgan, chief executive of the National Rural Health Association.
“Medicaid cuts are going to result in rural hospital closures,” he said. “It’s just a question of how many.”
Medina Regional Hospital sits in an 8,000-person agricultural town roughly an hour west of San Antonio, the drive between the two dotted with taxidermy signs, John Deere tractors and cattle. Per capita income comes in under $20,000 annually, according to the economic development director for the town.
The facility’s chief executive, Billie Bell, had considered closing the unit serving expectant mothers a few years ago. It’s a service the hospital already loses money on, Bell said, as the vast majority of obstetrics patients are on Medicaid, which does not reimburse the facility dollar for dollar for care. She managed to keep the unit open because she feared adding to the maternity health-care deserts in a state that far outpaces the nation in rising rates of maternal deaths.
More than 35 percent of U.S. counties don’t have birthing facilities or obstetric clinicians, according to a March of Dimes report. In Texas, that figure is even worse: Nearly half of the state’s counties are considered maternity-care deserts. Bell warned that cuts to Medicaid could shutter her unit completely.
“We’d lose a big heart of our community,” Bell said. “We provide care from the time someone is born until they die.”
Even if rural facilities manage to stay open but are forced to cut Medicaid-heavy services such as nursing homes or obstetrics care, more rural Americans — and Republican voters — will be left to deal with the consequences.
Some Republicans, such as Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) and Trump ally Stephen K. Bannon, have warned against gutting Medicaid, pointing to the vast number of Trump supporters who qualify for the program amid the populist wave that has transformed the GOP. The president has repeatedly said he will not touch Medicaid.
But he has also endorsed the House’s plan to find ways to cut spending across federal programs, which are expected to come out of the Medicaid program if lawmakers avoid cutting Medicare or Social Security. All three programs make up more than 40 percent of the federal budget. The House and Senate will work to reconcile their visions for cutting the federal budget in coming weeks.
The Republican Party suffered large congressional losses in 2018, the last time it tried Medicaid cuts, said KFF’s executive vice president for health policy, Larry Levitt, whose nonpartisan health-care research group surveyed Trump voters on Medicaid. Similar political reprisals could happen again, he warned.
“Rural America is Trump country,” Levitt said. “When they voted for Trump, I don’t think they expected cuts to their health care.”
In rural Hondo, whose slogan is “This is God’s country,” that kind of reaction wouldn’t be a surprise, said Mayor John McAnelly.
Hondo is the county seat of Medina County, where almost three-quarters of the presidential vote went to Trump. But if Medicaid cuts hurt Medina Regional Hospital, the answer would be pretty clear, the mayor said.
“Regardless of which party is in power, anytime you start doing those cuts, there’s going to be backlash,” McAnelly said.
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), who represents Hondo, has spoken with Bell about the plight rural hospitals face.
When asked to comment, his office pointed to a letter he had sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) urging him to support a budget that tackles waste without harming critical programs that support Americans.
“Slashing Medicaid would have serious consequences, particularly in rural and predominantly Hispanic communities where hospitals and nursing homes are already struggling to keep their doors open,” Gonzales and other representatives wrote.
About three in four rural residents said Medicaid funding should increase or stay the same, KFF found in a poll released Friday.
With broad support for rural hospitals, there are likely to be carve-outs to protect them in a Republican reconciliation bill, said Brian Blase, an influential voice in the Medicaid debate. He served as a White House economic official in the first Trump administration and is now president of Paragon Health Institute, a right-leaning think tank, that is pushing for states to cover more Medicaid costs.
That support comes in part because when a rural hospital closes, communities don’t just lose their access to care — they often lose their economic lifeblood. Medina Regional Hospital is the largest employer in town and key to attracting businesses and young families essential to making Hondo thrive.
But items Republicans are proposing, such as work requirements, which often take people off Medicaid’s rolls, could impact its financial stability. During the coronavirus pandemic, states were required to keep people enrolled continuously in Medicaid to access enhanced federal funds. So when the public health emergency ended, millions were removed from Medicaid rolls, including many — particularly children — who probably remained eligible.
The Medicaid unwinding hit Medina Regional Hospital’s bottom line, said Kevin Frosch, the hospital’s chief financial officer. As people in his area came off the Medicaid rolls, they often got junk plans and were unable to pay for care, Frosch said.
Inside Medina Regional Hospital’s health clinic offices at the end of February, Chelsey Sullaway had her 37-week pregnancy checkup for her second baby, with her first daughter in tow.
Sullaway, who used to work at the hospital before becoming a stay-at-home mom, drives to Medina Regional Hospital for maternity care even though she lives in the San Antonio area. Sullaway isn’t on Medicaid, but she knows the hospital relies on its payments.
She voted red in the last election, but if the rural hospital she loved cut services, she would reconsider.
“It would impact votes for sure,” she said, as her daughter Vivian tried to climb on her.
As the sun set on a high school track meet in Hondo, two grandmothers watching their grandchildren race toward a chance at state glory laid out their opposing views on potential Medicaid cuts.
Leticia Garza said her mother told her never to talk about politics, because identifying herself as a Democrat wasn’t going to help her make any friends. Garza said she worries constantly about the cuts the Trump administration has made to federal services. She’s heard about women who are denied treatment for miscarriages and thinks about the future for her granddaughter.
When asked whether she thought this conservative small town would respond if Medicaid cuts impacted its health care, Garza said, “I’m hopeful that would change their votes.”
But her daughter, Nicole Garza, laughed, saying those voters have been “drinking the Kool-Aid too long.”
Across from the bleachers on the other side of the track, 66-year-old Sylvia Flores, an Air Force veteran who voted for Trump, said she trusted he would root out waste, fraud and abuse — rhetoric Republican leaders have often repeated when talking about potential Medicaid cuts.
Flores also noted that she had received quick care after a stroke at Medina Regional Hospital and hoped lawmakers “read before they sign” so cuts don’t affect “our little hospital.”
To Trump, she said, “Keep it up!”
Flores wasn’t alone in her concerns about waste, fraud and abuse — something the health-care community has experienced. Two administrators of the county’s local emergency medical service pleaded guilty in 2013 to fraudulently billing the government hundreds of thousands of dollars through Medicare and Medicaid for ambulance rides, including some that never happened.
However, health policy experts warn that even though there is waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid, it doesn’t reach $880 billion. So while it’s important to go after bad actors, McAnelly said, the bigger picture matters.
“Go after the fraud, don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater,” the mayor added. “Everybody gets hurt on that. The leaders get hurt on it, the followers get hurt on it. The politicians, if you will, get hurt on it. The country gets hurt on it.”
Michael Haynie, who heads the local EMS company following the fraud fallout and works weekend shifts with his wife to keep the ambulances running, said he wasn’t sure that voters would connect the dots between Medicaid cuts and a decrease in access to hospital services. Even if they did, he said, people who qualify for Medicaid often have more pressing problems.
“Your typical Medicaid enrollee is not interested in what the news is saying about Medicaid,” Haynie said. “They’ve got more important things to worry about, like eating.”
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The majority of official documents signed by President Joe Biden allegedly used the same autopen signature, reinvigorating concerns over the former president’s mental acuity and if he "actually ordered the signature of relevant legal documents," a report published by an arm of the Heritage Foundation found.
"WHOEVER CONTROLLED THE AUTOPEN CONTROLLED THE PRESIDENCY," the Oversight Project, which is an initiative within the conservative Heritage Foundation that investigates the government to bolster transparency, posted to X on Thursday.
"We gathered every document we could find with Biden's signature over the course of his presidency. All used the same autopen signature except for the announcement that the former President was dropping out of the race last year. Here is the autopen signature," the group claimed on X, accompanied by photo examples.
Autopen signatures are ones that are automatically produced by a machine, as opposed to an authentic, handwritten signature.
'Embarrassingly Wrong': Liberal Media Figures Admit Being In Denial About Biden's Mental Decline
The Oversight Project posted three examples showing Biden’s signature, including two executive orders and the president’s announcement he was bowing out of the 2024 presidential race. The signature on the two executive orders, one of which was signed in 2022 and the other in 2024, showed the same signature that included what appeared to be a line, followed by "R. Biden Jr."
Read On The Fox News App
Criticisms Mount That Biden Is A 'Shadow' Of Himself After Disastrous Debate: 'Not The Same Man' From Vp Era
Biden’s signature on the document announcing his departure from the 2024 race varied from the other two posted by the Oversight Project, showing a signature that wasn’t as clear as the one on the executive orders.
Fox News Digital, at random, examined more than 20 Biden-era executive orders documented on the Federal Register’s office between 2021 and 2024 and found each had the same signature.
Lies About Biden's Age, Health During His Presidency Is A 'Scandal Of Epic Proportions,' Scott Jennings Says
Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s office for comment on the Oversight Project’s findings on the autopen investigation, but did not immediately receive a reply on Sunday.
Fox News Digital also examined the signatures on President Donald Trump’s executive orders, which are often signed in public or in front of the media, during his first administration and second administration and found the signatures were also the same.
Biden and his administration, however, came under fierce concern and scrutiny over his mental acuity last year.
The year 2024 kicked off with Biden in the driver’s seat of the Democratic Party as he keyed up a re-election effort in what was shaping up to be a rematch against Trump. In February of that year, however, Biden’s 81 years of age and mental acuity fell under public scrutiny after years of conservatives questioning the commander in chief’s mental fitness.
Special counsel Robert Hur, who was investigating Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents as vice president, announced he would not recommend criminal charges against Biden for possessing classified materials after his vice presidency, calling Biden "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."
The report renewed scrutiny over Biden’s mental fitness, which rose to a fever pitch in June 2024 after the president’s first and only presidential debate against Trump.
Biden Insider Exposes How White House 'Gaslit' The Public About Former President's Decline
Biden faced backlash for a handful of gaffes and miscues in the days leading up to his ill-fated debate against Trump, including former President Barack Obama taking Biden’s wrist and appearing to lead him off a stage during a swank fundraiser, and also abroad when Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni guided Biden back to a group of world leaders when he appeared to wander off to give a thumbs-up to a parachutist during the G-7 summit.
When the big debate day arrived, Biden missed his marks repeatedly, tripping over his responses and appearing to lose his train of thought as he squared off against Trump. The disastrous debate performance led to an outpouring from both conservatives and traditional Democrat allies calling on the president to bow out of the race in favor of a younger generation.
Biden dropped out of the race in July, with the signature on that official document showing it was noticeably different from the signature on his EOs.
Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey sent a letter to the Department of Justice on Wednesday of last week demanding an investigation be opened into whether Biden’s "cognitive decline allowed unelected staff to push through radical policy without his knowing approval."
"There are profound reasons to suspect that Biden's staff and political allies exploited his mental decline to issue purported presidential orders without his knowing approval," the letter read.
"Speaker Johnson, for example, reported that staff and elected officials – including former Vice President Kamala Harris and former Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer – tried to prevent Johnson from meeting with Biden," it continued.
Biden Ripped For ‘Old’ Appearance, ‘Weak’ Voice During First Presidential Debate: ‘Deeply Alarming’
"Though presidents always have gatekeepers, in Biden's case, the walls around him were higher and the controls greater, according to Democratic lawmakers, donors and aides who worked for Biden and other administrations. Staff limited Biden's ability to speak with others and limited the sources of information he consumed."
The Oversight Project shared Bailey’s letter in its thread investigating Biden’s signature on official documents, in addition to an interview with Speaker Johnson, R-La., when he recounted that Biden didn’t remember signing an order freezing new liquid natural gas exports in 2024.
"I didn’t do that," the president said, Johnson recounted during an interview with the Free Press’ Bari Weiss in January.
"Sir, you paused it, I know. I have the export terminals in my state. I talked to those people in my state, I’ve talked to those people this morning, this is doing massive damage to our economy, national security," Johnson said he told the president at the time.
"I walked out of that meeting with fear and loathing because I thought, ‘We are in serious trouble – who is running the country?’" Johnson said of the 2024 meeting.
"Like, I don’t know who put the paper in front of him, but he didn’t know," he added.
The Oversight Project continued in its findings that investigators should determine "who controlled the autopen" during the Biden administration.
"For investigators to determine whether then-President Biden actually ordered the signature of relevant legal documents, or if he even had the mental capacity to, they must first determine who controlled the autopen and what checks there were in place. Given President Biden's decision to revoke Executive Privilege for individuals advising Trump during his first Presidency, this is a knowable fact that can be determined with the correct legal process?" the Oversight Project posted to X.
Biden Had No Idea He Signed Natural Gas Export Pause, Johnson Says
Concerns over Biden’s mental acuity when he was in office, combined with the Oversight Project’s findings, have sparked outrage among conservative social media users as they question if Biden personally signed the executive orders.
Click To Get The Fox News App
Original article source: Biden's 'autopen signature' appears on most official docs, raising concerns over who controlled the WH: report
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / March 9, 2025 / Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is investigating potential claims on behalf of purchasers of Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. ("Acadia Healthcare" or "the Company") (NASDAQ:ACHC). Investors who purchased Acadia Healthcare securities prior to February 28, 2020, and continue to hold to the present, are encouraged to obtain additional information and assist the investigation by visiting the firm's site: bgandg.com/ACHC.
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In 2024, I was disinvited from presenting a lecture on the health and human rights consequences of the Israeli assault on Gaza, by unnamed administrators at Harvard University, who (I was told) accused me of being an antisemite. At Geisel, the medical school affiliated with Dartmouth, I was also invited and then met with an “indefinite postponement” for a similar presentation. It is clear these have not been isolated events.
Two recent pieces provide an illustration of the current ideological battle taking place with in the U.S. healthcare community. First, a recent report on the suppression of speech at UCLA’s medical school shows the real-world harm antisemitism witch hunts are creating on medical campuses across the country. And then an error-riddled article from the Journal of Religion and Health provides a perfect illustration of how false charges of antisemitism are constructed and gives us a perfect case study in how to debunk the smears.
A January 2025 report prepared by the UCLA Task Force on Anti-Palestinian, Anti-Arab, and Anti-Muslim Racism offers a sobering picture of the growing suppression of speech and actions in medical schools and hospitals where there is support for Palestinian human rights and criticism of the genocidal assault on Gaza and the West Bank. The report reviews data from UCLA where over 24 medical students, residents, and faculty in the David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM) experienced intense targeting, gaslighting, harassment, doxxing, death threats, and job loss from both inside and outside the medical school in well-organized campaigns to suppress freedom of speech and to uphold the IHRA definition of antisemitism. The IHRA definition, which is highly contested in academic and progressive circles, defines antisemitism with the usual anti-Jewish tropes but then lists examples that are various forms of criticism of Israel and Israeli policies. These social media attacks quickly rose to the attention of high-level administrators, the media, and ultimately the U.S. Congress, threatening the targets’ mental and physical safety.
UCLA courses on Structural Racism and Health Equity (SRHE) and Global Health, as well as classes on race and health inequities, were all vulnerable to attacks, particularly if they focused on Palestinian human rights. This repression and retaliation extended to other academic inquiries on racial justice, health inequities, and DEI initiatives and often targeted women of color. People were confronted in response to social media posts as well as for curricula, protests, statements, and buttons, and lectures were illegally recorded and weaponized.
The administration from DGSOM and UCLA initially responded to the October 7 attack with a full-throated statement in support of Israel and subsequently refused to support academic freedom for students and faculty critical of Israeli policies. They also refused to condemn those who were making the attacks, reducing the ability of students to learn and understand health inequities and the social determinants of health, the impacts of race and class, etc. The repression often took the form of increased levels of surveillance and weaponized accusations of antisemitism, particularly when students described the assault on Gaza as a genocide.
This pattern of behavior pre-dated the events of October 7. In 2021, a vigilante group titled the Jewish Faculty Resilience Group (JFRG) targeted instructors working in the Structural Racism and Health Equity course (SRHE) with accusations of antisemitism. They were joined by a group called Do No Harm, a group self-described as “a national association of medical professionals combating the attack on our healthcare system from woke activists” and “protecting healthcare from the disastrous consequences of identity politics.” Much of this occurred under the pretense of preventing students from feeling “uncomfortable.”
The DGSOM administration repeatedly responded sympathetically to the antisemitism accusations while ignoring credible evidence of racism against Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, and people supportive of Palestinian rights, as well as the well-documented violations of international law, statements from the UN, International Criminal Court, and the International Court of Justice. The Task Force noted that this behavior violates the faculty codes of conduct for both institutions.
This is all particularly consequential because the repression and retaliation are not only designed to threaten and punish the targets immediately but also to impact their training and professional employment options in the future. This also creates a hostile learning environment that includes anti-Palestinian racism and hostility towards other races and social justice activities. As the Task Force stated: “UCLA DGSOM continues to maintain a toxic, discriminatory and psychologically unsafe work environment,” which creates an “inability for students to discuss their positionality when exploring racial justice…[and] leads to harassment and self censorship and loss of critical discussion.”
It was thus with particular curiosity that I read an opinion piece titled “Social Media, Survey, and Medical Literature Data Reveal Escalating Antisemitism Within the United States Healthcare Community,” in a somewhat obscure publication, Journal of Religion and Health. What I found was profoundly disturbing, but not unexpected. And provides a perfect illustration of the framing and definitions, of both antisemitism and Jewishness, that provide fodder for ideological battles and weaponization of the charge of antisemitism.
The authors in the Journal of Religion and Health reported that antisemitism has been rising for decades in the US and has dramatically increased in the medical community as well. “Most surveyed US medical students [19 responses] and healthcare professionals [138 plus 6 residents or fellows] experienced Jew-hatred and reported a marked increase following October 7, 2023…nearly 90% of Jewish healthcare professionals and students reported exposure to antisemitism within their work or school environment after October 7, 2023. Similar results were seen in independent surveys of Jewish high school students, 71% of whom reported experiencing antisemitism.”
The investigators reviewed quantitated publications about antisemitism, social media posts, and disseminated a survey to members of Jewish medical organizations to which they received 170 responses. They found a two to more than five-fold increase in antisemitic postings and tropes. 75.4 % of Jewish-identifying students and professionals reported exposure to antisemitism, up from 49.3% pre-October 7, 2023. Jewish students and faculty reported feeling frightened, threatened, and silenced at work
Antisemitism is a serious form of bigotry that has repeatedly been found to be rising in this country, mostly in the context of the explosion of rightwing fascism and hatred of Jews, women, LGBTQI folks, and people of color. Nonetheless, there are several serious flaws in this paper.
Who did they survey? The authors surveyed Jewish-identified health care providers, and in particular, named three groups: JPN, (Jewish Physicians Network), JOWMA, (Jewish Orthodox Women’s Medical Association), and Orthodocs, (Orthodox/Shomer Shabbos Jewish physicians and medical students). Half of these people reported experiencing antisemitic incidents in their lives pre-October 2023, which seems unusually high for the general Jewish population, in my personal experience working in a variety of health care environments. While these folks represent a segment of Jews in the US, (approximately 10% of the Jewish population are Orthodox), it cannot be assumed that they represent all Jews. It seems the authors deliberately omitted Reconstructionist, Reform, and Conservative Jews, cultural Jews, unaffiliated Jews, and politically progressive, left-of-center Jews, such as members of Jewish Voice for Peace and If Not Now. By failing to include less religiously inclined Jews who are still strongly identified with their Jewish heritage and prophetic traditions, Israeli Jews studying in the US, and anti-Zionist Jews, the authors have not reflected the diverse, complex, and sometimes contradictory Jewish community in the US and their perceptions of antisemitism.
What definition of antisemitism did they use? The authors used the IHRA definition of antisemitism. This definition fails to situate antisemitism in right wing fascist ideology where it is currently exploding.
The consequence of this is that anyone who criticizes the genocidal behaviors of the Israeli government and military since October 7, who places the Hamas attacks within the context of decades of severe Israeli oppression, occupation, and siege, who calls out the Israeli destruction of Gazan hospitals, universities, housing, water and sanitation infrastructure, the imprisonment and torture of Gazan health care providers, the weaponization of food aid and rising levels of starvation, the enormous numbers of injured and dead, 2/3 women and children, the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world… all of these folks are, by the IHRA definition, antisemites.
What experts did they quote? The authors used the FBI and ADL who in turn use the IHRA definition of antisemitism. As an example, they stated: “ADL Based on FBI crime statistics, the Anti-Defamation League has reported a more than 300% increase in antisemitic incidents between October–December 2023.” None of this has validity because the initial definition is deeply flawed. The ADL has also repeatedly been found to be an apologist for Israel masquerading as an anti-hate, civil rights organization.
What assumptions did they make? The authors stated there has been a “Dramatic increase in campus antisemitism since the Hamas assault,” echoing the analysis from pro-Israel groups, Israeli hasbara organizations, and folks from Jewish organizations to college presidents to congresspeople who are all using the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
Once again, the college students living in tent encampments calling attention to extremely disturbing Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity reaching the level of genocide as defined by international human rights law and organizations, and the International Criminal Court, and International Court of Justice, were not engaged in antisemitic speech. They were exercising their first amendment rights condemning a horrific bombing and killing campaign in Gaza with US-made planes, drones, weapons, and surveillance equipment. They were criticizing the politics and behavior of a country, not a people with a particular religious affiliation or attachment. Their calls for boycott, divestment, and sanction of Israel or US war-related industries were also not reflective of Jew hatred, but a desire to put pressure on Israel to stop destroying Palestinian lives and livelihood with total impunity, supported militarily and politically by the US government and our taxes. To dismiss voices of protest as “Hamas supporters” is highly inaccurate and misleading.
Who was left out of this analysis? This focus on rising levels of supposed Jew hatred and Jewish fear is particularly concerning in the face of all the not-so-Jewish folks who were left out, who suffered verbal and physical assaults, doxxing, school expulsion, job suspension and loss, including medical students and faculty. The Institute for the Understanding of anti-Palestinian Racism has also documented high levels of racism against Palestinians, people perceived to be Palestinian, other Arabs, and allies who support Palestinian human rights and self-determination. This racism is layered onto the pervasive Islamophobia that is part of the US psyche and inflamed by the rhetoric of the current government.
There will obviously be real antisemitic incidents, mostly from the extreme right as well as MAGA Republicans, less often from the left, as antisemitism persists in the brew of bigotries that flourish in the US. But the distrust, discrimination, and hatred of Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims is a far greater issue for our society. Accurately identifying these kinds of hatreds and separating antisemitism from principled criticism of Israel, will produce a more knowledgeable and tolerant society that will make lives for Palestinians as well as Jews safer in the future.
What finally destroys this paper? The authors include this extraordinary sentence:
“Between 2014 and 2023, conflicts between Israel and Hamas have sparked false claims including accusations that Israeli and/or Jewish health professionals practice organ harvesting, withhold medical care from Palestinian Arabs, and deliberately target Palestinian healthcare workers and/or ambulances.”
Newsweek, NBC, and other mainstream outlets reported that the Israeli military admitted to harvesting Palestinian organs from dead Palestinians without consent in the 1990s. The withholding of medical care from Palestinians and the deliberate targeting of Palestinian health workers and ambulances has been widely documented for years by many international and local human rights and health care organizations and became a defining characteristic of the latest attacks on Gaza and the West Bank. If the authors question these established, factually well-documented pieces of information, then the credibility of the entire opinion piece is seriously called into question as anything beyond a piece of right wing Jewish and Israeli propaganda.
Ultimately, I am inspired that despite the severe repression that folks in the healthcare world are facing from those using the accusation of antisemitism to silence critics of Israeli policy, health workers are still speaking up. They are using their experience and credibility to reject those accusations and to speak out against the blatant and internationally recognized violations of human rights that Israel is imposing on the Palestinian people. They are protesting in their white coats, advising and protecting students, challenging academic pushback, and living up to their obligation to heal not only patients but also the societies in which they live.
Critiquing Israeli policies that have been condemned internationally, and the naming of war crimes and genocide where it exists, is part of our work and obligation as healers. It is also grounded in the teachings of prophetic Judaism and the work to create a more just world for everyone. Jewish exceptionalism is not a Jewish value. It bears repeating that never again means never again for everyone.
Alice Rothchild
Alice Rothchild is a physician, author, and filmmaker who has focused her interest in human rights and social justice on the Israel/Palestine conflict since 1997. She practiced ob-gyn for almost 40 years. Until her retirement she served as Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Harvard Medical School. She writes and lectures widely, is the author of Broken Promises, Broken Dreams: Stories of Jewish and Palestinian Trauma and Resilience, On the Brink: Israel and Palestine on the Eve of the 2014 Gaza Invasion, and Condition Critical: Life and Death in Israel/Palestine. She directed a documentary film, Voices Across the Divide and is active in Jewish Voice for Peace. Follow her at @alicerothchild
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As part of the US President Donald Trumpʼs government cutbacks, most of the 80 000 federal workers responsible for disease research, food inspection, and the administration of Medicare and Medicaid received a letter offering to resign in exchange for $25 000.
This is reported by the Associated Press news agency.
Workers must respond to the so-called voluntary redundancy offer by the evening of March 14. The email was sent to employees of the department, which includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration in Maryland.
The mass mailing comes days before agency leaders at the US Department of Health and Human Services are set to propose plans for workforce cuts. The department is one of the most expensive federal agencies, with an annual budget of about $1.7 trillion, most of which goes to providing health care to millions of people enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr. has hinted at plans for major staff cuts and last year promised to immediately lay off all 600 employees at the National Biomedical Research Office. But he has yet to do so.
“I have a list in my head,” Kennedy said of potential layoffs, adding that some employees “made very poor decisions” regarding food policies.
The Trump administration, with the support of billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is trying to reduce the number of civil servants in order to reduce costs. In January, most civil servants were offered resignations with eight months of salary. Thousands of employees who were on probation were fired from various institutions. The other day, the NYT newspaper wrote that the US Central Intelligence Agency began to lay off recently hired employees.
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Providing affordable point-of-care diagnostic tools can be instrumental in quickly and efficiently assessing the well-being of all people, especially pregnant mothers. This can empower healthcare providers to be better diagnosticians and improve overall patient care, particularly for those at risk.
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For two years, an ambitious initiative in sub-Saharan Africa has demonstrated how pocket-sized ultrasound technology can help bridge the gap in maternal care access. The implementation of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) across hundreds of healthcare facilities offers new insights into how the innovative deployment of technology, combined with comprehensive training, can transform maternal health outcomes in resource-limited settings. This initiative has resulted in over 1,000 healthcare workers trained, and over one million pregnancy scans and counting.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends an ultrasound scan before 24 weeks gestation for all pregnancies, yet the stark reality of access to high-quality global maternal healthcare presents an immense challenge. Nearly 95% of maternal deaths occur in low and lower-middle-income countries (LMIC). And in low-resource settings like parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, the high cost of equipment and the need for trained sonographers means that very few women have access to ultrasound. UNICEF’s 2021 report on child mortality trends and the WHO’s 2024 report on maternal mortality show that, in sub-Saharan Africa alone, approximately 202,000 mothers and 27 of every 1,000 infants die due to childbirth complications annually. While multiple factors contribute to these statistics, one significant barrier has been limited access to antenatal diagnostic imaging – a critical tool for identifying life-threatening complications during pregnancy.
Many regions of the world, especially LMICs, are essentially diagnostic deserts. The lack of equitable, accessible primary healthcare for women, combined with higher disease burdens entering pregnancy, creates a perfect storm of risk factors that demands innovative solutions.
Mayo Clinic has developed a new tool that could speed up the time it takes for digital health companies to validate their tech to hospitals.
Breaking new ground in Kenya
The project began in Kenya in late 2022 and has resulted in deployment of 500 single-probe, whole-body portable ultrasound devices across 224 healthcare facilities in Kenya. This was combined with ultrasound training by Global Ultrasound Institute (GUSI) to over 500 frontline healthcare workers who provide care in counties in Kenya with disproportionately high rates of maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity. Recruitment of the participants and evaluation of the implementation was conducted by Kenyatta University.
Initial results from the evaluation conducted by Kenyatta University suggests that 90% of healthcare workers reported identifying high-risk conditions such as placenta previa or multiple gestations using their devices within one month of training.
The findings from the research represent the largest impact study in Africa on point-of-care ultrasound to date and show that:
This on-demand webinar will offer insights and share tips on helping practices run more efficiently.
The training program, developed in partnership with GUSI, takes a comprehensive approach. It begins with creating a foundation of local expertise by training over 50 Kenyan clinicians and sonographers in International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG)-standard techniques, who become trainers. The curriculum covers operation, image acquisition and medical decision-making, with a specific focus on identifying high-risk conditions during pregnancy.
Phase Two of the Kenya program included a curriculum from GUSI, which included pre-tests and required participants to log at least 20 of five different types of scans over the course of the week. On the final day of the program, a post-test and final Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) were administered. Participants who passed all training and tests were given a certificate at a closing ceremony.
As of December 2024, research outcomes from Phase Two were significant. Over the 24-month period from the start of training, Kenyan clinicians have performed over 496,000 scans, with more than 95% of the equipment continuing to function as a vital part of the care workflow for midwives in these facilities. These data demonstrate the sustainability of POCUS when the approach pairs easy-to-use equipment with focused training for midwives.
Expanding impact: South Africa implementation
Building on the success in Kenya, the program has expanded to South Africa, where maternal mortality rates and stillbirth rates remain disproportionately high, particularly in rural areas. The initiative rolled out across multiple provinces, starting in the Eastern Cape province in April 2024. In this phase of the training, learners received additional instruction in fetal biometry – an ultrasound test that provides rich detail on the health and growth of the fetus, in addition to confirming gestational age and an estimated due date for the pregnancy. Implementation and evaluation of this phase was led by the Clinton Health Access Initiative and University of Pretoria.
While formal evaluation results are forthcoming, preliminary results are extremely promising. South African learners have performed more than 573,000 scans and completed over 41,000 instances of fetal biometry. Taken together, these scans represent thousands of opportunities for mothers to be educated on the status of their pregnancies, as well as for providers to make informed decisions about additional testing or referral if complications were suspected.
Healthcare users need easier access to antenatal imaging, and clinicians need better capabilities for screening high-risk conditions that lead to disproportionately worse pregnancy outcomes, particularly in rural areas. When ultrasound becomes more accessible, high-risk conditions may be identified earlier, leading to improved outcomes.
The technology and training equation
What sets this initiative apart is its comprehensive approach to implementation. The program provides valuable insights into how to scale medical technology deployment in resource-limited settings effectively. But rather than simply distributing services, the program emphasizes sustainable integration into existing healthcare systems. This includes:
Looking ahead: implications for global health
The collaboration among multiple stakeholders — including the Clinton Health Access Initiative, GUSI, Kenyatta University and local healthcare institutions – offers a model for future health technology implementations. It demonstrates how public-private partnerships can work together to address complex healthcare challenges while ensuring sustainability and local ownership.
As the program continues to expand, (Kenyatta University’s College of Nursing in Kenya, CHAI and University of Pretoria in South Africa) researchers are evaluating its impact on broader health system metrics, including referral patterns and population-level maternal health outcomes. This data will be necessary for understanding how POCUS technology can be most effectively deployed to improve maternal health outcomes in similar settings around the world.
The initiative extends beyond technology. It represents a comprehensive approach to addressing maternal health disparities through innovation, education and systematic support. We must advocate for earlier, better maternal and primary care for all, especially for mothers who reside in resource-limited settings as they enter pregnancy. We also need to address racial and socioeconomic disparities in healthcare access and improve the quality of healthcare across the entire continuum — and ultrasound plays a role in that every step of the way. Providing affordable point-of-care diagnostic tools can be instrumental in quickly and efficiently assessing the well-being of all people, especially pregnant mothers. This can empower healthcare providers to be better diagnosticians and improve overall patient care, particularly for those at risk.
As global health leaders continue to seek solutions for reducing maternal mortality, this program offers valuable lessons on how to effectively bridge the healthcare access gap in resource-limited settings.
The initiative described above was supported by a $5 million grant to Butterfly Network.
Photo: Ridofranz, Getty Images
Sachita Shah, MD is the Vice President of Global Health at Butterfly Network and a Professor of Emergency Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Global Health at University of Washington School of Medicine. She is the Director of Ultrasound Education for a global non-profit organization called Partners in Health, past Chair of the American College of Emergency Physicians international ultrasound subcommittee and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine global health community. She balances her time between academic emergency medicine in the US, and teaching point of care ultrasound for PIH in low-income countries. Her academic research and clinical service has been focused on the impact of point-of-care ultrasound in limited resource settings, with attention to how POCUS paired with training strengthens health systems and impacts maternal and emergency care patient outcomes.
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LAS VEGAS, March 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- C-suite leaders from Houston Methodist and Health Data Analytics Institute (HDAI) will be speaking at HumanX, discussing how AI can play a pivotal role in addressing the looming hospital capacity crisis and out of control healthcare expenses, while also improving quality and reducing epidemic levels of clinician burnout.
The panel titled, "Delivering on the promise of AI to improve health outcomes," occurs on Wednesday, March 12 at 11:45am Pacific Time. Roberta Schwartz, EVP and Chief Innovation Officer at Houston Methodist, an organization committed to the responsible use of AI to improve the health of patients, will join with Nassib Chamoun, Founder and CEO of HDAI. Mr. Chamoun will discuss the tangible benefits of identifying high risk patients before, during, after hospitalization, and in the community and the use of AI-generated summaries that replace clinician time spent searching the EHR with time spent caring for the patient. Health systems and value-based care organizations, like Houston Methodist and Buena Vida y Salud, are driving down unplanned admissions, post-discharge mortality, and reducing adverse events. The HDAI platform enables precise care planning, optimizing scarce healthcare resources to have the greatest impact on patients with the most pressing needs.
"It is striking that in the US, 6% of patients account for almost 40% of adverse events, but also excess length of stay, readmissions, mortalities, and costs. By stratifying populations by risk and identifying those patients proactively, HDAI is helping clinicians to prevent unnecessary admissions with timely, personalized care plans to help patients stay healthy at home, where possible," adds Nassib Chamoun of HDAI. "And, at the patient level, our LLM-powered HDAIAssist tools, sift and summarize the mountains of data in these highly complex patients' charts, saving time while improving care."
Other speakers on the panel include Dina Katabi, Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Lynda Chin, Founder & CEO - Apricity Health and the panel moderator, Ian Krietzberg, Editor-in-Chief, The Deep View.
HumanX is being launched by seasoned entrepreneurs, Stefan Weitz and Jonathan Weiner, veterans of Fortune 5 enterprises like Google and Microsoft. HumanX is focusing on actionable insights and real-world applications of AI solutions. The agenda covers nine diverse industry tracks, features over 300 expert speakers, and includes innovative immersive experiences for attendees.
"This conference is about making meaningful connections in AI," HumanX founder, Stefan Weitz adds. "HumanX speakers are set to inspire and enlighten; from innovators introducing breakthrough technologies to ethicists and policymakers framing the conversation around responsible AI use."
Delivering on the promise of AI to improve health outcomes Wednesday, March 12, 11:45am PT, Stage 1, Fontainebleau, HumanX conference
AI holds the potential to revolutionize healthcare, but is it living up to the promise? This session explores real-world applications of AI in improving health outcomes and examines what's next for innovation in the field.
About Health Data Analytics Institute (HDAI) HDAI, a HealthTech company, has created the first Intelligent Health Management System, HealthVision™. Powered by predictive analytics and generative AI, HealthVision allows clinicians to work smarter, not harder, helping to fight clinician burnout, improve care coordination, and lower overall costs. For more information, please visit: www.hda-institute.com and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/hdai.
Company contact: Carola Endicott, [email protected], 617-699-0725
SOURCE Health Data Analytics Institute
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A giant wave of undulating gas and dust appears, per new research, to have engulfed our Solar System millions of years ago.
As New Scientist reports, astrophysicists have discovered that the Radcliffe wave — a 9,000 light-year-long structure full of stars and the gas and dust needed to form new ones — seems to have swept over our entire Solar System around 14 million years ago.
Previous research into this fantastic galactic wave suggested that Earth passed through it some 13 million years ago, plunging our planet into "a festival of supernovae going off," as Harvard astrophysicist Catherine Zucker told the Washington Post last year.
Now, University of Vienna doctoral student Efrem Maconi thinks that our whole Solar System may have passed through this incredible structure.
Using data from the European Space Agency's Gaia telescope, Maconi and his team identified recently-formed stars and the gases surrounding them within the Radcliffe wave to see how the structure itself appears to be moving.
Comparing that data to estimates about our Solar System's trajectory, the Vienna researchers found that the Sun and the Radcliffe wave were near each other between 12 and 15 million years ago. Ultimately, the scientists estimated that we moved through the wave roughly 14 million years ago. On a geological and even evolutionary scale, that's incredibly recent; the dinosaurs are believed to have gone exstinct around 66 million years ago.
Along with the finding, Maconi also told New Scientist that the sky would have looked very different to anyone looking out from Earth when our Solar System passed through the Radcliffe wave.
"If we are in a denser region of the interstellar medium, that would mean that the light coming from the stars to you would be dimmed," he explained. "It’s like being in a foggy day."
Extrapolating this finding even further, the scientists behind this discovery also think there's a chance that the Radcliffe wave played a role in the climate cooling that occurred in the Middle Miocene epoch, when temperatures plunged and permanent ice sheets were established. According to Ralph Schoenrich, an associate climate and physics professor at University College London, that may be a stretch.
"A rule of thumb is that geology trumps any cosmic influence," Schoenrich, who was not involved in the research, told New Scientist. "If you shift continents or interrupt ocean currents, you get climate shifts from that, so I’m very skeptical you need anything in addition."
More on star stuff: James Webb Spots Mysterious Object Crossing Space Between Stars
Daniil Medvedev's match against Alex Michelsen was cut drastically short when the American retired after going 0-2 down. There was a bizarre start to the tie when, just six minutes in, play was paused as Medvedev started having a nosebleed. Both players headed to their benches while the No. 5 seed saw the physio.
However, it was Michelsen who was looking ropey during the delay. Play resumed but, just minutes later, the 31st seed approached the net and decided to call it quits. Medvedev later relayed that his opponent was likely suffering from food poisoning.
Medvedev was serving at 1-0 15-0 when he suddenly started marching to his bench, alerting the umpire that his nose was bleeding. The 29-year-old said he needed "three, four, five minutes" and asked for a napkin to stuff up his nose before the physio was called to the court.
"Medvedev gets immediate attention from Pierre, the very experienced tour physio, as he has a nosebleed," commentator Jonathan Overend said on Sky Sports, branding it the "most peculiar" start to the match.
Miles Maclagan added: "Not much you can do about that. For some people it’s just the dry air, isn’t it? I think I remember this happening to Medvedev before. He’ll just take a couple of minutes. He didn’t seem completely surprised by it."
Play resumed a few minutes later and, when cameras cut back to the action, the commentators noticed Michelsen looked under-the-weather during the break.
Just in British lucky loser checked out of hotel before biggest win in Indian Wells
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"What was quite interesting there, during the treatment for Medvedev, you spotted Miles, the camera cutting to Michelsen who was slumped forward in his chair," Overend remarked.
"That might be a suggestion that he is not feeling well. That might explain the way he played the first game."
Maclagan, who is one of Andy Murray's old coaches, replied: "It just might, and it was just his body language as well, we sort of half-joked, the big sigh after five points which is not exactly positive."
Medvedev held serve, clearly unbothered by his nosebleed, and Michelsen played one more point, hitting a double fault before giving up.
"I think he's giving up, I think this is an early reitrement from Alex Michelsen. And that is not going to go down well with the crowd," Overend exclaimed.
"But it was the most bizarre couple of games from the talented young American, who has clearly got nothing to offer here and clearly not feeling well, not well enough to continue the match beyond two games and one point. The irony of it is, it's Medvedev who has received the visit from the tour trainer in the middle of that! I mean, poor guy."
It's a disappointing early end to Michelsen's run in Indian Wells. The American was seeded at a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time and would have enjoyed the chance to test himself against two-time finalist Medvedev.
After the abrupt end, Medvedev addressed the crowd and admitted he was also excited to face the 31st seed. "I played a very good first round so I was looking forward to playing Alex. I like the way he plays. I think it could be an interesting match," the former world No. 1 said.
"Unfortunate for him to get food poisoning or something like this. In team sports you get another guy replacing you. In individual sports, if you don’t feel good that day, there’s nothing to do. Hope he feels better soon. Looking forward to my next match."
Medvedev will now face another American, 10th seed Tommy Paul, in a mouthwatering round of 16 clash.
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ORLANDO - Led by a dominating front-three performance in singles, the No. 23 UCF women’s tennis team took care of business against No. 40 TCU at the USTA National Campus on Sunday afternoon.
Dawning the Citronaut Blue for the second match this season, the ‘Nauts took flight early and never looked back, moving to a perfect 4-0 in Big 12 play with wins over a trio of top-40 teams.
Mission: Accomplished 🚀We remain undefeated in Big 12 play‼️ pic.twitter.com/wYXZC2L9nt
A key feature of the Knights’ vibrant start to conference play has been through some incredible doubles displays, with today’s performance no different. While TCU garnered the first point in each of their first three Big 12 matches, the Knights never let the Horned Frogs gain any momentum with early breaks throughout.
Sophia Biolay and Aya El Aouni set the tone with their fourth-consecutive win on court two, defeating Helena Narmont and Yu-Chin comfortably, 6-1. Minutes later, Olivia Lincer and Hannah Rylatt tallied their second-straight top-25 win on court one, defeating No. 23 Jade Otway and Isabel Pascual, 6-1.
Ranked in the first preseason poll, the tandem look primed to return to the field, with their wins leading the Knights’ display highlighting a 10th doubles point of the season.
A pair of 6-1 triumphs on courts one and two secure us the early advantage‼️⚔️ 1-0 🐸 pic.twitter.com/mVpy63pwfN
In singles, each first set reached the 10-game mark as the team’s split favors. Unsurprisingly, the Knights jumped out to lead on the front three, a common hallmark of the squad’s 27-2 record on courts one through three entering this afternoon’s contest.
Not to leave Orlando empty-handed, TCU leveled the match with a win on court five, as Olivia Bergler couldn’t find her footing against Tomi Main. The shift in momentum was short-lived and insufficient, though, nixed by Olivia Lincer’s seventh win of the season, besting TCU’s Raquel Caballero-Chica, 7-5, 6-4.
After claiming the program’s first Big 12 Player of the Week honor after a dominating weekend on the road, El Aouni had to bounce back for the first time in her collegiate career. After being handed her first loss of the season against No. 15 Baylor, the Moroccan was emphatic in her triumph over Jade Otway today, taking the duel in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
The front-three sweep and clinch came from Biolay as the senior dropped just four games en route to her 6-3, 6-1 victory over TCU’s Isabel Pascual.
On six, Rylatt responded after a first-set defeat to push her bout to a third, while Jade Psonka was up 5-4, looking to do the same.
UP NEXT
The Knights will conclude their four-match homestand as it welcomes No. 59 Iowa State on Friday, March 14, before facing No. 49 Kansas on Sunday.
Singles Results
Doubles Results
© UCF Athletics. All rights reserved.
UF freshman tennis player Talia Neilson-Gatenby talks about her childhood.
Games moved indoors at the last second, the lights going out in the indoor courts and only singles matches being played, are all unusual events for a typical dual match. But, in Sunday’s meet against No. 3 Texas A&M, all of the above occurred.
Florida women’s tennis’ match against the Aggies was scheduled for noon but began an hour earlier due to inclement weather. However, the delay proved not enough. At around 10:50 a.m. it began to rain during warmups, forcing all activities to shift into the Penny Indoor Facility in Gainesville, which only has three courts, compared to the six outside.
Since only three singles matches could occur at once, the umpires decided to have the teams compete in singles first and then use doubles as a tiebreaker, if needed. While things seemed to settle down, the lights on courts two and three went out, causing a five-minute delay for all three matches.
Sunday’s chaos-filled match was ultimately controlled by the Aggies, who took care of the Gators in Gainesville, sweeping UF 4-0. Florida has now lost six of its last eight contests, which includes a 1-4 run against SEC opponents.
The Aggies have continued their success from last season, where they won the 2024 NCAA Team National Championship. Texas A&M came into Sunday with an overall record of 14-1 and a perfect 4-0 in conference play. The No. 3 ranked team took down No. 6 Auburn 4-3 on the road, despite trailing 3-1 at one point.
In Florida’s last outing on Friday, it unexpectedly took down No. 9 Texas at home. With the scores tied at three points a piece, freshman Nikola Daubnerova won her singles match in three sets to secure Florida’s first SEC victory of the season. The victory was much needed for Florida as it looked to improve on its early season form and continue its fiery momentum against No. 3 Texas A&M.
Florida showed great struggles in singles. Two of the four matches were decided in straight sets, with the Aggies winning nine of the 11 completed sets. Of the nine lost for UF, two were decided by two or fewer games.
Still dealing with back and wrist pain, junior Rahcel Gailis took on A&M’s No. 3 senior Mary Stoiana. Gailis was troubled by her injury all match, as she was forced to serve underhand, which she did against Texas as well.
That Florida junior showed some fight in the first set while tying things at three, but would lose 6-3. Stoiana then secured the second set comfortably 6-1 to earn a straight-sets victory. For Gailis, the loss was her first in singles since Feb. 4 against No. 7 Michigan.
On court three, freshman Talia Neilson-Gatenby faced No. 51 junior Mia Kupres. Despite losing the first set 6-1, Neilson-Gatenby fought back to take the second set 6-3. However, Kupress took control in the third set, defeating the UF freshman 6-1.
The Aggies grabbed their third point on court two where Floria’s senior Alicia Dudeney competed in a three-set thriller against A&M’s No. 15 junior Nicole Khirin.
Despite falling behind 4-1, Dudeney forced a tiebreaker in the opening set. Still, Khirin would go on to win. Dudeney bounced back, fighting off Khirin to take the second set 7-5. However, Dudeney was out of gas by the third set, as she lost to the top-15 opponent 6-0.
To finish the dual match, A&M’s No. 57 sophomore Luciana Perez took down Daubnerova in straight sets. After losing the first set 6-1, Daubnerova showed fight by taking a 3-1 lead in the second set. Perez finished the job, claiming the second set 6-4 to secure the contest victory for the Aggies.
With this result, the Aggies maintain a perfect 5-0 record against SEC opponents, while the Gators are now 1-5 in SEC play.
Florida is 4-6 on the year and will head back on the road starting Friday to take on No. 22? Mississippi State.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the Spring 2025 women's tennis beat reporter and a first-year journalism sports & media major. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams.
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Georgia Southern men's tennis senior Laurent Julia Calac has been named the Sun Belt Conference Men's Tennis Player of the Week, announced earlier this week by league officials.
Calac was unbeaten in singles and doubles as the Eagles had a perfect weekend in Birmingham. He teamed with Aaron James Williams to defeat Samford's No. 1 doubles team, 6-3, for the duo's ninth consecutive win, then collected a straight-set win over Sebastian Harrison in Georgia Southern's 5-2 victory over the Bulldogs.
The Reutlingen, Germany, native then collected another straight-set singles win on Sunday, beating UAB's Hoan Mouret in the Eagles' 6-1 victory over the Blazers. It was his third straight singles win.
Calac is the third Georgia Southern men's tennis player to earn a Sun Belt Player of the Week accolade this season, joining Aaron James Williams (January 22) and Pierre Mouesca (February 19). It is the first career honor for the senior.
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A surprising confession followed a puzzling performance by the five-time champion.BySteve TignorPublished Mar 09, 2025 copy_link
Published Mar 09, 2025
What was the biggest stunner of Novak Djokovic’s Saturday in Indian Wells?There was, first and foremost, his three-set loss to 85th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp. That may sound like a shocking result to the casual fan, but anyone who follows the sport week to week knew it was a possibility.Djokovic was playing just his second match since the Australian Open. At his last event, in Doha, he lost his opening match to Matteo Berrettini. And van de Zandschulp is a quality player who, with wins over Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal last year, has earned a reputation as a giant slayer. He’s deceptively quick for someone 6-foot-3, he plays a somewhat similar game to Djokovic’s, and he’s eight years younger.It was hardly surprising that Djokovic was rusty. That he started slowly. That he missed the skill shots—half-volleys, lobs, drops—that don’t always come back right away. That his timing wasn’t sharp on his return. That the wind, the sun, and the transition from the practice court to the stadium court, affected him more than they normally would. That he may have had physical issues that remained unnamed.
There was, first and foremost, his three-set loss to 85th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp. That may sound like a shocking result to the casual fan, but anyone who follows the sport week to week knew it was a possibility.Djokovic was playing just his second match since the Australian Open. At his last event, in Doha, he lost his opening match to Matteo Berrettini. And van de Zandschulp is a quality player who, with wins over Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal last year, has earned a reputation as a giant slayer. He’s deceptively quick for someone 6-foot-3, he plays a somewhat similar game to Djokovic’s, and he’s eight years younger.It was hardly surprising that Djokovic was rusty. That he started slowly. That he missed the skill shots—half-volleys, lobs, drops—that don’t always come back right away. That his timing wasn’t sharp on his return. That the wind, the sun, and the transition from the practice court to the stadium court, affected him more than they normally would. That he may have had physical issues that remained unnamed.
Djokovic was playing just his second match since the Australian Open. At his last event, in Doha, he lost his opening match to Matteo Berrettini. And van de Zandschulp is a quality player who, with wins over Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal last year, has earned a reputation as a giant slayer. He’s deceptively quick for someone 6-foot-3, he plays a somewhat similar game to Djokovic’s, and he’s eight years younger.It was hardly surprising that Djokovic was rusty. That he started slowly. That he missed the skill shots—half-volleys, lobs, drops—that don’t always come back right away. That his timing wasn’t sharp on his return. That the wind, the sun, and the transition from the practice court to the stadium court, affected him more than they normally would. That he may have had physical issues that remained unnamed.
It was hardly surprising that Djokovic was rusty. That he started slowly. That he missed the skill shots—half-volleys, lobs, drops—that don’t always come back right away. That his timing wasn’t sharp on his return. That the wind, the sun, and the transition from the practice court to the stadium court, affected him more than they normally would. That he may have had physical issues that remained unnamed.
A post shared by Tennis (@tennischannel)
Even the fact that he was breathing hard after a rally in the third set was somewhat understandable, despite his legendary level of fitness. And, of course, the animated discussions with his team about what to drink on the sidelines are all part of the Djokovic Theater that we’ve been attending for two decades now. (Though I will say that the sight of Djokovic with his baseball cap pulled sideways—to block the sun—was new to me.)
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“I regret the level of tennis, considering how I practice these days,” Djokovic said. “To be honest, the difference between the center court and the other courts is immense. Ball is bouncing on the center courts higher than some of the highest clay courts.“Yeah, just struggled a lot with that. Couldn't find the rhythm.”But there were individual moments and aspects of the match that were more surprising, and concerning.
“Yeah, just struggled a lot with that. Couldn't find the rhythm.”But there were individual moments and aspects of the match that were more surprising, and concerning.
But there were individual moments and aspects of the match that were more surprising, and concerning.
"I have a couple of good tournaments, but mostly, it’s really a challenge. It’s a struggle for me,” Djokovic confessed post-defeat.© 2025 Getty Images
© 2025 Getty Images
There was the fact that he turned the match around in the second set, gave the crowd one of his traditional war-cry first pumps ... and then squandered the momentum right away in a puzzling sequence at the start of the third.On one crucial point at that stage, Djokovic tried a floating cross-court drop shot from behind the baseline, while backing away. It landed well into the alley, and he walked to the changeover hanging his head. In the next game, van de Zandschulp hoisted up a topspin lob that landed five feet inside the baseline, but Djokovic simply turned around and watched it, without making a move. By then, even his fury was muted; after slamming a ball too close to a ball boy in the second set, he mostly opted for wry smiles of frustration in the third.Djokovic hit 15 winners, made 37 unforced errors, and won just seven of those 24 points on his second serve. Van de Zandschulp had his way in the neutral rallies. Does any of this have to do with a new, possibly more conservative approach that his coach, Andy Murray, has recommended? We’ll need to see more from them before making that judgment.
On one crucial point at that stage, Djokovic tried a floating cross-court drop shot from behind the baseline, while backing away. It landed well into the alley, and he walked to the changeover hanging his head. In the next game, van de Zandschulp hoisted up a topspin lob that landed five feet inside the baseline, but Djokovic simply turned around and watched it, without making a move. By then, even his fury was muted; after slamming a ball too close to a ball boy in the second set, he mostly opted for wry smiles of frustration in the third.Djokovic hit 15 winners, made 37 unforced errors, and won just seven of those 24 points on his second serve. Van de Zandschulp had his way in the neutral rallies. Does any of this have to do with a new, possibly more conservative approach that his coach, Andy Murray, has recommended? We’ll need to see more from them before making that judgment.
Djokovic hit 15 winners, made 37 unforced errors, and won just seven of those 24 points on his second serve. Van de Zandschulp had his way in the neutral rallies. Does any of this have to do with a new, possibly more conservative approach that his coach, Andy Murray, has recommended? We’ll need to see more from them before making that judgment.
I regret the level of tennis, considering how I practice these days. Novak Djokovic
While none of what happened on court is standard for Djokovic, the bigger surprise to me was how he sounded in the interview room afterward. This is a man who has always said that he “puts no limits” on himself. This time, positivity and big-picture perspective were hard to come by. Asked whether he could find consolation in his past achievements on a day like this, he said:“Things are different, obviously, for me the last couple of years. I’ve been struggling to play on the desired level. Every now and then, I have a couple of good tournaments, but, you know, mostly it’s really a challenge. It’s a struggle for me.”
“Things are different, obviously, for me the last couple of years. I’ve been struggling to play on the desired level. Every now and then, I have a couple of good tournaments, but, you know, mostly it’s really a challenge. It’s a struggle for me.”
There was a big shock last night when van de Zandschulp defeated Djokovic. 🫨🤯We discuss our takeaways for Novak ⤵️#TCLive pic.twitter.com/YvzOgIOlnL
There was an unvarnished truth-telling to this comment that was different from his heyday. There was a little more resignation about the affects of aging and injury than I’ve heard from him in the past.Of course, it’s only natural that he would feel this way after going more than a year without an ATP title. If he said anything else, we’d think he was in denial about the state of his career.But if it was a surprise to see Djokovic play like a mortal, it was a shock, even at 37, to hear him sound like one.
Of course, it’s only natural that he would feel this way after going more than a year without an ATP title. If he said anything else, we’d think he was in denial about the state of his career.But if it was a surprise to see Djokovic play like a mortal, it was a shock, even at 37, to hear him sound like one.
But if it was a surprise to see Djokovic play like a mortal, it was a shock, even at 37, to hear him sound like one.
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INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Marta Kostyuk, the top-ranked Ukrainian tennis player in the world, drew home-crowd favorite Robin Montgomery for her first match at the BNP Paribas Open Friday.
Listening to the crowd at Stadium 4, the match could have been in Kyiv, not California: they were there for Kostyuk, the world No. 24, from the first ball to the last as she beat Montgomery 6-1, 6-3.
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That was no small thing for a Ukrainian player enduring one of the more tumultuous weeks in her country’s war against Russia, since Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion in early 2022.
Last Friday, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine endured a withering attack from U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice-President J.D. Vance in the Oval Office. With television cameras rolling, they criticized Zelensky for not being sufficiently “thankful” for American aid and ridiculed him for trying to use leverage that they said he did not possess.
“You don’t have the cards. You’re either going to make a deal, or we’re out,” Trump told Zelensky.
He then announced a pause in U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
Sudden cutbacks at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) had already affected the flow of humanitarian aid, after Trump directed Elon Musk, an unelected “special government employee”, and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is named for an internet meme featuring a dog, to shut that agency down.
After that White House confrontation, Kostyuk said her phone was flooded by American friends and acquaintances — some in tennis, many outside it — expressing empathy.
“A lot of messages and a lot of apologies, which is amazing,” she said in her news conference after beating Montgomery. “It’s incredible to see this, that people still support us.”
Three years into the war back home, Ukraine’s tennis players have felt just about every emotion they could possibly feel.
The concern is never far from them. In the late afternoon Friday at Indian Wells, after she had upset three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur 6-3, 6-1, Dayana Yastremska opened her phone to demonstrate how she keeps up with developments.
She thumbed through a series of apps including the messaging service Telegram, which keeps her up to date on the latest missile attacks, and the alarms that warn the citizens of her home city, Odesa, to head for the bomb shelters. Her sister, father and grandparents still live there, so Yastremska checks the alerts as soon as she wakes each day before she calls home. She repeats the process once her matches are over.
The news has been especially bad the past week, as the growing split between the Trump administration and Zelensky has emboldened Russia’s forces.
GO DEEPER
Trump and Zelensky's confrontation sends Ukrainian tennis players to Sunshine Double under a cloud
“After what happened on this day, the attack on Ukraine got higher than it was before, and on my city it is the same,” she says. “It’s very intense. So many days, we don’t have light and water.”
Yastremska was in Ukraine just a few weeks ago. She travelled there following the WTA tournament in Linz, Austria, to celebrate her younger sister Ivanna’s 18th birthday. Ivanna used to be a professional tennis player too but is now at university studying journalism while also pursuing a singing career.
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Dayana had to fly from Austria to Chișinău, capital of Moldova, before driving about five hours across the border to reach Odesa. If Odesa were easier to get to, she would move home in a heartbeat, she says, war or no war.
“I love my city,” she stresses.
Last Friday was an especially trying one for Yastremska, who landed in San Francisco from Europe to the news of the disastrous Trump/Zelensky meeting. Then, immigration officials told her that someone had reported her passport to Interpol as stolen. That invalidated her 10-year visa to enter the U.S., and she was nearly sent back to Europe during four hours of wrangling to sort through the issue.
Ultimately, she received a six-month visa to tide her over; she will need to extend that if she wants to return to the States to play the U.S. Open in August.
“Crazy, crazy day. I thought I would explode,” she says.
She didn’t, of course. And a week later she was beating a three-time major finalist in straight sets, to set up a match Sunday against five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, who has won two out of the past three BNP Paribas Opens.
She, Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina, who also won here Friday, have had three years of learning to cope with these kinds of hazards.
“We are Ukrainians, we have this kind of character that we are able to get through difficult situations,” Yastremska says. Or at the very least manage them, and even sometimes find a silver lining.
Kostyuk was heartbroken when that meeting of the presidents went so poorly. But she has since come to embrace the idea that so many people in the U.S. wanted to help early on after Russia’s attack, and still do. “It’s important to remember that that was not one person deciding to help Ukraine and to be an ally of Ukraine, but a lot of people,” she said. “And I’m very thankful for all these people.”
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There’s a saying Kostyuk keeps coming back to, on and off the court. “Everything will be fine, and if it’s not fine, it means it’s not the end,” she said.
She also does not forget that everyone in tennis has their own problems and has to figure out how to leave those on the side of the court and approach their jobs professionally. Chances are, she said, your opponent is spending very little time worrying about your mental state, or the traumas of your life.
“Everyone is going through something in their lives,” she says. “Whether it’s war or some of their relatives are not feeling well or dying or some problems in the family. It’s very important to kind of put everything that’s outside of the court aside and just go out there and do the job that you are doing.”
With that, Kostyuk was off to prepare for another day at the office — Sunday’s round-of-32 date with another American opponent, Caroline Dolehide.
There’s a good chance she will get plenty of support in that one, too.
(Top photo of Marta Kostyuk: Robert Prange / Getty Images)
Matthew Futterman is an award-winning veteran sports journalist and the author of two books, “Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed” and “Players: How Sports Became a Business.”Before coming to The Athletic in 2023, he worked for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Star-Ledger of New Jersey and The Philadelphia Inquirer. He is currently writing a book about tennis, "The Cruelest Game: Agony, Ecstasy and Near Death Experiences on the Pro Tennis Tour," to be published by Doubleday in 2026. Follow Matthew on Twitter @mattfutterman
The App State tennis team faced its first conference setback of the season, falling to Old Dominion 5-2.
The Mountaineers (6-4, 0-1 SBC) struggled to gain momentum from the start, as ODU claimed the doubles point. While Naledi Manyube and Olwyn Ryan-Bovey posted a win in doubles, losses from the pairs of Savannah Dada-Mascoll/Ruby Broadbent and Alexi Cleveland/Riley Collins left App State trailing by one heading into singles play.
Dada-Mascoll, who had been undefeated this season, took her first loss to Sofia Johnson, the 2024 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Tennis Player of the Year, falling in straight sets.
With additional singles losses from Broadbent, Collins, and Dada-Mascoll, the Monarchs (6-3, 1-0 SBC) clinched the win, pushing the Mountaineers to an 0-1 record in SBC play.
Despite the results, the Mountaineers fought on. Manyube and Ryan-Bovey each secured impressive singles victories, bringing App State’s tally to two for the day.
{Information provided by Appalachian State Athletics}
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Sal Carricato tied the program record with his 36th career home run as Lenoir-Rhyne defeated…
After taking a lead into halftime in Pensacola on Friday, the App State Men's Basketball…
18:50 CET - Play is set to get underway in Tennis Paradise in around 10 minutes' time, with Iga Swiatek, Tommy Paul, Marta Kostyuk and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard taking to court first.
17:15 CET - Good evening and welcome to our coverage of today's tennis at Indian Wells!
Both tournaments move into the third round today as plenty of big names continue their campaigns, including Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Daniil Medvedev.
There are also a couple of really intriguing matches to look out for, with Mirra Andreeva taking on Clara Tauson in a repeat of last month's Dubai final while the in-form Stefanos Tsitsipas faces the challenge of Matteo Berrettini.
Check out the full men's schedule here and the women's schedule here.
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Despite numerous errors, Coco Gauff secures a hard-fought victory against Moyuka Uchijima.
Coco Gauff recently faced a tough match at the Indian Wells tournament, overcoming Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4). Throughout the match, Gauff struggled with consistency, committing 21 double faults and 74 unforced errors. She candidly assessed her performance as “D tennis,” acknowledging the need for improvement.
Earlier in the year, Gauff participated in the United Cup, where the United States team clinched the title against Poland. In the final, Gauff delivered a standout performance by defeating world number 2 Iga Świątek in straight sets, contributing significantly to the team’s success. She lost to Marta Kostyuk in the Round of 32 at the Qatar Open and then lost to McCartney Kessler the next week in the same round at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Looking ahead, Gauff is set to face Maria Sakkari in the next round at Indian Wells. This upcoming match is particularly significant, as Sakkari defeated Gauff in the semifinals of the same tournament last year. Gauff aims to avenge that loss and advance further in the competition.
Coco Gauff has the opportunity to break a 24-year-old record held by Serena Williams. The record is for the longest streak of consecutive wins by an American woman at the Indian Wells tournament. Serena Williams won the title in 1999 and 2001, and Coco Gauff has the chance to surpass her by winning the title in 2025. If Gauff wins, it will mark her first Indian Wells title and she could become the youngest American to achieve such a feat since Serena Williams.
Inside the Baseline…
Coco Gauff’s journey this year has been a rollercoaster, with both impressive highs and frustrating lows. While she has shown incredible wins, her recent losses to players like McCartney Kessler and Marta Kostyuk highlight that even the best have their off days. Tennis is a game of fine margins, and sometimes, the smallest details can make the difference. These early losses may sting, but they could also be the catalyst for her to come back even stronger, refining her game and mental resilience. It is impressive to see a player win with their “D” level tennis.
READ NEXT: How the desert heat and winds play a big role at Indian Wells
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Kelly Keller, Tennishead Writer, is not only a journalism graduate with a Masters in Technical Writing from the University of Arkansas, she is also a professional tennis player on the WTA Tour, so to say she's qualified to write about tennis is somewhat of a understatement!
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Men's Tennis
March 09, 2025
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There was a time, not so long ago, when Novak Djokovic lost so rarely that it seemed the tennis world wobbled on its axis every time he did, shaking with the shock of it all.
But the 37-year-old’s surprise 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 loss on Saturday to Botic van de Zandschulp at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells marked his third consecutive defeat, the first time since 2018, and just second time since 2008, that he has suffered such a losing streak.
“You know, things are different obviously for me the last couple of years. I’ve been struggling to play on the desired level,” the 24-time grand slam winner told reporters after losing his second-round match.
“Every now and then, I have a couple good tournaments, but mostly it’s really a challenge. It’s a struggle for me. It is what it is, nothing can prepare you for that moment, you have to experience it and try to deal with it in the best possible way.”
Since his dominant 2023 season – when he came within a match of winning a calendar grand slam and set a new men’s record for the most grand slam titles – Djokovic has won just one title which came at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
And against Van de Zandschulp, who reached the main draw at Indian Wells as one of the “lucky losers” from the qualifying tournament, Djokovic produced an uncharacteristically error-strewn performance, hitting 37 unforced errors.
Van de Zandschulp broke Djokovic early in the first set when the Serbian clobbered an approach shot wide, and subsequently raced to a 5-1 lead, losing just two points on serve during that time. Another of Djokovic’s approach shots went awry on set point giving Van de Zandschulp the set.
Though the world No. 5 rediscovered his usual groove in the second, breaking Van de Zandschulp at the first opportunity and winning the set to level the match, he was unable to measure up to his Dutch opponent in the third.
“The first three games, four games of the third set were quite close. Had my chances. Was just some awful mistakes,” said Djokovic afterwards. “I thought I was on most of these points in the beginning of the third.”
During key points too, Van de Zandschulp produced some magical shots like a perfectly weighted lob that left Djokovic stranded at the net and secured him a crucial break point in the third set.
The Dutchman never relinquished that advantage and wrapped up the win in two hours and one minute to secure his eighth career victory over a top 10 opponent.
Elsewhere at Indian Wells, the USA’s Taylor Fritz defeated Matteo Gigante 6-3, 7-5 in his opening match of the tournament while his compatriot Coco Gauff won her first match since the Australian Open against Moyuka Uchijima.
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Coco Gauff admitted she was taking her opening Indian Wells win as a significant “positive” after overcoming serving woes in a scrappy contest.
World No 3 and third seed Gauff was pushed to the brink by world No 52 Moyuka Uchijima on Saturday, with the American ultimately sealing a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4) triumph.
Despite a solid first-serve percentage of 65%, Gauff hit a staggering 21 double faults – compared to just four aces – and hit 74 unforced errors, compared to 37 winners.
However, victory for Gauff came after back-to-back opening-match defeats in Doha and Dubai, and an Australian Open quarter-final exit.
Gauff is not playing anywhere close to the level that saw her claim the China Open and WTA Finals titles towards the end of 2024, and guide USA to the United Cup title back in January.
However, after three straight losses, the 20-year-old revealed it was merely a relief to get back to winning ways.
“I think if I just double-faulted less, it could have probably been a straight-set match,” said Gauff. “Off the ground, I felt like I was dictating more of the rallies.
“But, coming off a tough couple back-to-back losses, I guess it’s just taking it more as a positive maybe than if I had a couple good weeks [in my] last two tournaments.
“The unforced errors, I had to go bigger towards the end of the match, and even in the middle, because I felt like she would dictate. It’s kind of: ‘just take your chances.’ Then doubles [double faults], I’ve been in the practice of trying to fix things on my serve.
“It was just an up-and-down process – it’s tough out there. But, if I’m able to win matches playing D tennis, then it gives me confidence just when I’m able to mesh things together like I did earlier this season.”
Up next for Gauff is 29th seed Maria Sakkari, who defeated the world No 3 in the Indian Wells semi-finals a year ago.
Gauff will head in as a significant favourite following the Greek’s struggles after that run, though will likely need to raise her game.
The 2023 US Open champion conceded that her level had been “frustrating” – but that she was trying not to worry too much about her performance on the whole.
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She added: “I think today is just one of those days you just don’t feel great on the court. So it’s frustrating in that way, because I was having such great practices this week.
“I think sometimes in sports you want to just stay on the high and kind of ride that wave, but especially with this sport, a season as long as tennis, it’s kind of impossible to always be on that high wave.
“There’s going to be some low moments, I think. I’m just trying to stick through those tough moments and get better through them.
“I feel like I’m able to turn it around. It’s happened before. I think it just takes one match or two matches to kind of get that confidence back.”
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The Olympic champion suffered a shock elimination by the world number 85 in the second round at the 2025 Indian Wells Open.
Novak Djokovic has fallen at the first hurdle of the 2025 Indian Wells Open, suffering a shock defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp on Saturday (8 March).
The Olympic tennis gold medallist was beaten in three sets by world number 85 Van de Zandschulp, who secured a stunning 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory in their first men's singles meeting.
Djokovic, a five-time title winner at Indian Wells, committed 37 unforced errors in a subdued performance and was unable to take control of the second round match.
The Serbian star had been given a bye through the opening round. Djokovic is chasing his first title since claiming Olympic gold at Paris 2024, though has been hampered by injuries once again this year having withdrawn from the Australian Open semi-final in January.
Dutchman Van de Zandschulp had lost in the final round of qualifying for the event, before being given a lifeline as a lucky loser due to pre-tournament player withdrawals.
After losing in the qualifiers, lucky loser Van de Zandschulp is in to the third round at Indian Wells for the first time since 2022.
He defeated that year’s Wimbledon runner up Nick Kyrgios in the first round this time, to set up his maiden meeting with 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic on Saturday, earning his eighth career victory against a top 10 player.
Indeed, Van de Zandschulp is no stranger to significant scalps on the tour. Last year he shocked Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open, then defeated the retiring Rafael Nadal in his last professional tennis match at the Davis Cup Final 8.
Van de Zandschulp will meet 25th seed Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina in the third round at Indian Wells.
Novak Djokovic has revealed he'll sit down with Andy Murray to discuss the pair's coaching partnership following the Serb's early exit at Indian Wells. The all-time record Grand Slam winner lost his opening match of the tournament to qualifier Botic van de Zandschulp.
Despite coming up against one of the game's greats, the Dutch outsider looked at ease throughout most of the contest and ran out a 2-6, 6-3, 1-6 victor. It marks Djokovic's second consecutive opening match exit, having been beaten in straight sets by Matteo Berrettini at last month's Qatar Open.
Djokovic's dip in form has led to questions over the arrangement between himself and former player-turned-coach Murray. When quizzed on what his next step was, Djokovic replied: "Yeah. I mean, still haven't talked with Andy and the team, so going to do that and make a plan."
Prior to being dumped out of the tournament in Florida, Djokovic had suggested his partnership with Murray could continue well into the summer. He said: "I was very glad when he decided to keep going [after the Australian Open]. Indian Wells, Miami and most of the clay court season. We're going to speak after Miami but I think the plan is to go to the end of Roland-Garros, hopefully Wimbledon as well.
Read more... Novak Djokovic makes excuse for Indian Wells loss as he makes sad confession [LATEST]
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"I'm enjoying the relationship with Andy, I feel like we're going through the process of getting to know each other on the court in a different way than we have known each other for 25 years. It's obviously a new role for him, he's exploring it... I like the way I played [in Australia]. In terms of the game, I think I played maybe the best tennis I played since the Olympics. I definitely contribute that to the work I had with Andy."
Following his defeat to world No.86 Van de Zandschulp, Djokovic became the latest player, alongside Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz, to blast the Indian Wells organisers over the conditions of the tennis courts. Commenting on the bounce of the ball, the 37-year-old stated: "You know, I regret for the level of tennis, considering how I practice these days. To be honest, the difference between the centre court and the other courts is immense.
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"Ball is bouncing on the center courts higher than some of the highest clay courts, to be honest. I just struggled a lot with that, couldn't find the rhythm."
On his performance, he alarmingly added: “You know, things are different obviously for me the last couple of years. I've been struggling to play on the desired level. Every now and then, I have couple good tournaments, but mostly it's really a challenge. It's a struggle for me. I guess nothing can prepare you for that moment, in a sense. You have to experience it and try to deal with it in the best possible way."
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Coco Gauff picked up her first win since the Australian Open on Saturday, but she had to go down to the absolute wire to do so.
No. 3 seed Gauff of the United States outlasted Japan's Moyuka Uchijima 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4) in an incredibly tight second-round meeting at the WTA 1000 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Indian Wells: Draws | Scores | Order of play
After her first-round bye this week, Gauff snapped a three-match losing streak by overcoming Japanese No. 1 Uchijima in their first career meeting. The 2023 US Open champion had to battle through three extremely close sets before ousting 52nd-ranked Uchijima in a grueling 2 hours and 33 minutes.
"It was a tough match," Gauff said afterwards in press. "I didn't play as well as I would like to, but full credit to her. She stepped it up when she needed to. But, yeah, just happy to get through it."
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A 2024 semifinal rematch awaits: In the third round, Gauff will face another player who has been ranked inside the Top 3 of the PIF WTA Rankings: Maria Sakkari of Greece. No. 29 seed Sakkari defeated Viktoriya Tomova of Bulgaria 6-0, 6-3 earlier on Saturday.
Sakkari leads Gauff 5-3 in their head-to-head, including a win in their most recent meeting, which was in Indian Wells last year. Sakkari topped Gauff 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-2 in the 2024 semifinals to make her second BNP Paribas Open final in a three-year span.
"Last year, that was such a long kind of day," Gauff said, looking back on her last meeting with Sakkari. "It was rainy and we stopped and started so many times.
"I guess my keys will just be to focus on my end of the court and accept that she's going to hit some great shots. She's a great player. I think just trying to focus on my end and be ready and know that it's going to be a physical match."
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Reclaiming her winning ways: Gauff started the year with a 9-0 win-loss record, leading the United States to the United Cup title before her perfect run was ended by Paula Badosa in the Australian Open quarterfinals.
After that, though, Gauff went 0-2 in the Middle East swing, losing to Marta Kostyuk at Doha and her fellow American McCartney Kessler in Dubai. Thus, Gauff entered the Sunshine Double in the midst of her first three-match losing streak since the end of 2022.
Despite being pushed to the limit by Uchijima, Gauff finally got back into the winner's circle on Saturday. She is now the fourth American woman to register 10 or more wins at Indian Wells before turning 21, following Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams and Venus Williams.
"I think just today is just one of those days where I just did not feel great on the court and because of the last couple of weeks, I'm pretty hard on myself," Gauff said. "I just wanted to do better."
Back-and-forth battle: Gauff came back from an early break down to start Saturday’s match, pulling level at 2-2 and breaking Uchijima at 5-4 to seal the one-set lead.
However, double faults impeded Gauff’s game in the second set -- the American hit four in her first two service games to cede a quick double-break advantage to Uchijima. Unseeded Uchijima fired a bevy of forehand winners throughout the remainder of the set, including one on her second set point to level the match.
Gauff built a seemingly commanding 4-0 lead in the third set, but Uchijima chipped away throughout, saving one match point at 5-3 and another at 5-4. More double faults reared their heads for Gauff -- she finished the match with a total of 21 -- and Uchijima was able to fight back all the way into a decisive third-set tiebreak.
In the breaker, Gauff hit a stellar rally pass to take a 3-1 lead, and the American nudged that start all the way to 6-2 and four more match points. Uchijima saved two more, but Gauff finally booked a third-round spot by forcing an error with one last forehand on her fifth match point.
"Double [faults], I've been in the practice of trying to fix things on my serve," Gauff said. "It was just an up-and-down process. It's tough out there.
"But, I mean, if I'm able to win matches playing kind of like [Grade] D tennis, then it gives me confidence just when I'm able to mesh things together, like I did earlier this season."
Men's Tennis
March 08, 2025
Austin Williams, NAU Athletic Communications
03.07.25
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Leonardo DiCaprio was in awe of Luke Perry while filming Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
When the 50-year-old actor gave an interview for the recent documentary I Am Luke Perry, he opened up about collaborating with Luke during the 2019 film.
Keep reading to find out more...
"I was immediately struck by his kindness. There was an immediate sense of excitement in seeing Luke Perry on set. It was incredible," Leonardo said, per People.
Luke depicted real-life actor Wayne Maunder in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Leo also described what it was like the first interact with him on set.
"I remember being in my teens, and he was the manifestation of the new James Dean on television, and everyone was crazy about him. I was so struck by the kindness of his character. [He was] just an incredibly generous human being," he added.
Luke sadly passed away in March 2019 at the age of 52 due to a stroke, four months before Once Upon a Time in Hollywood premiered.
If you didn't see, Leonardo had a personal experience with another A-lister while filming a 2012 Quentin Tarantino movie.
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Pierce Brosnan has strong feelings about who should take on the role of 007 next.
The 71-year-old actor, who portrayed the iconic character of James Bond between 1995 and 2002, spoke out about who should take on the role next given the recent news about Amazon's creative control takeover of the franchise.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Pierce was asked about who should take on the role.
Keep reading to find out more...
Pierce said it's “a given” that that the next actor to take the role should be British.
An American actor has never played the role. Pierce, who is Irish, and George Lazenby, an Australian, have been the only non-British actors to play James Bond.
“In this world that is moving so fast now, at the speed of light, [the takeover] does come with a certain lament,” he said of Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson handing creative control to the giant company.
“I thought it was coming for some time I guess, but I think it was the right decision for Barbara and Michael,” he went on.
“It takes great courage for them to let go,” he said.
“I hope that [Amazon] handles the work and the character with dignity and imagination and respect," he continued, adding that “no one really knows” what 007 might look like under Amazon’s control.
“History has been passed on and I’m very proud to have been part of the history and the legacy of Bond and the movies I made with Barbara and Michael.”
“That we moved the needle, that we brought it back to life. It had been dormant [for] six years and GoldenEye was such a success that it continued and went from strength to strength…You know, everything changes, everything falls apart, and I wish them well," he added.
Find out who Pierce specifically named to take the role in 2024.
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Gisele Bündchen gets some time out in the sun shortly after welcoming her third child!
The 44-year-old model was spotted out at a beach in Miami, FL on Sunday (March 9), per TMZ. Accompanying her was her 37-year-old boyfriend, Joaquim Valente, and her 12-year-old daughter, Vivian.
Keep reading to find out more...
The outing comes a month after Gisele welcomed a baby boy with Joaquim. In the new photos, she wore a cheetah print swimsuit and relaxed on a boat.
Along with Vivian, Gisele also shares 15-year-old Benjamin with former NFL quarterback Tom Brady. Gisele and Tom were married from 2009-2022, and her relationship with Joaquim, who is a Jiu-Jitsu trainer, was confirmed in October 2024.
While the first name of Gisele and Joaquim's newborn has not yet been released, a source has recently disclosed the baby's middle name.
Kevin Hart Says He 'Almost Died' While Filming Day Drinking Segment With Seth Meyers
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'Avatar 3' Cast: 13 Stars Returning, 2 Joining & Run Time Details Revealed for 'Fire & Ash' Third Movie!
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Prince Frederik of Luxembourg, the son of Prince Robert of Luxembourg and Princess Julie of Nassau, has died at the age of 22.
Prince Robert shared the news in a statement on the website for the POLG Foundation, an organization started by Frederik to help with treatments and a cure for the illness.
Frederik was born with PolG mitochondrial disease, a rare genetic condition.
"It is with a very heavy heart that my wife and I would like to inform you of the passing of our son," Prince Robert wrote in the statement, sharing that Frederik had died on March 1.
MEGHAN MARKLE RECEIVES SUPPORT FROM PRINCESS TESSY OF LUXEMBOURG: ‘ONE SHOULD NEVER ASSUME’
Prince Frederik, son of Prince Robert of Luxembourg and Princess Julie of Nassau, died at age 22 earlier this month from a rare genetic condition. (Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg/POGL Foundation)
The day before on "Rare Disease Day," Prince Robert shared that Frederik spoke with his family, including his brother Alexander and sister Charlotte, as well as cousins and other extended family, "one last time."
"After gifting each of us with our farewells – some kind, some wise, some instructive – in true Frederik fashion, he left us collectively with a final long-standing family joke. Even in his last moments, his humor, and his boundless compassion, compelled him to leave us with one last laugh… to cheer us all up."
He also wrote that Frederik asked, "Papa, are you proud of me?"
"He had barely been able to speak for several days, so the clarity of these words was as surprising as the weight of the moment was profound. The answer was very easy, and he had heard it oh so many times, but at this time, he needed reassurance that he had contributed all that he possibly could in his short and beautiful existence and that he could now finally move on," his father wrote.
Prince Robert called his son his "superhero" in a statement announcing his death. (Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg/POGL Foundation)
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The statement continued, "Frederik knows that he is my Superhero, as he is to all of our family, and to so very many good friends and now in great part thanks to his POLG Foundation, to so very many people the world over. Part of his superpower was his ability to inspire and to lead by example."
Prince Robert explained that Frederik was born with PolG mitochondrial disease.
Frederik wasn’t diagnosed until he was 14, "when his symptoms were showing more clearly and when the progression of his disease had become more acute."
The disease causes "such a wide range of symptoms and affects so many different organ systems, it is very difficult to diagnose and has no treatments much less a cure. POLG disease is a genetic mitochondrial disorder that robs the body’s cells of energy, in turn causing progressive multiple organ (brain, nerves, liver, intestines, muscles, swallowing and ocular function, etc.) dysfunction and failure. One might compare it to having a faulty battery that never fully recharges, is in a constant state of depletion and eventually loses power."
Prince Robert shared that Frederik was born with PolG mitochondrial disease, but wasn't diagnosed until he was 14. (Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg/POGL Foundation)
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Prince Robert said Frederik "jumped" at the opportunity to create a foundation to find a cure.
"Though he always made it very clear that he did not want this dreadful disease to define him, he nonetheless immediately identified with and helped define the mission of The POLG Foundation."
According to his father’s statement, Frederik created the look for the charity in the United States, and launched a MITO clothing line, encouraged by Donna Karan.
He also "actively and literally gave of himself to develop multiple mouse models and cell lines in Switzerland, the United States, and Europe and to make these available to further facilitate research into POLG."
Prince Frederik helped found the POLG Foundation, working towards treatments and a cure for the disease. (Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg/POGL Foundation)
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Prince Robert concluded, "On behalf of Frederik, Julie, Charlotte, Alexander, Mansour and the entire global POLG community, we thank you for helping this worthy cause that will honor our son. We will be resolutely focused on alleviating suffering for the POLG community and other diseases and conditions far beyond, associated with mitochondrial diseases."
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9. Abby McEnany - $1.3 Million
Abby McEnany stars in the show as Velma Bruin. She has an estimated net worth of $1.3 million.
8. Fiona Rene - $1.4 Million
Fiona Rene stars on the show playing the attorney Rennie. Her estimated net worth is $1.4 million.
Kevin Hart Says He 'Almost Died' While Filming Day Drinking Segment With Seth Meyers
Tia Mowry Reveals Her Thoughts About a Future 'Sister, Sister' Revival
Kristin Davis Reveals Scrapped 'And Just Like That' Charlotte Plot (& It Involves Kyle MacLachlan's Trey!)
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Days of Our Lives has been a staple of daytime television for decades, with its intricate storylines and fan-favorite characters.
Beyond the drama, the show also boasts a roster of talented actors who have garnered attention not just for their performances, but also for their charisma and on-screen presence.
We've put together a list of some of the most captivating male actors currently gracing the streets of Salem, from seasoned veterans to fresh faces.
Cast your vote inside and let us know who you think deserves the title of the hottest actor on Days of Our Lives right now!
Vote as much as you'd like. The poll ends on Sunday, March 16 at 12 p.m. ET.
Keep reading to find out more...
See all of the actors...
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Carson Boatman (Johnny DiMera)
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Leo Howard (Tate Black)
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Robert Scott Wilson (Ben Weston, Alex Kiriakis)
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Billy Flynn (Chad DiMera)
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Lucas Adams (Tripp Johnson)
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Daniel Feuerriegel (EJ DiMera)
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Eric Martsolf (Brady Black)
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Paul Telfer (Xander Cook)
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Louis Tomeo (Aaron Greene)
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Galen Gering (Rafe Hernandez)
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Stephen Nichols (Steve Johnson)
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John-Paul Lavoisier (Philip Kiriakis)
Find out who is returning and who is leaving Days of Our Lives!
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Sadie Sink opens up about the intense emotions she experienced while filming the final season of Stranger Things.
The 22-year-old actress, who plays Max Mayfield in the hit Netflix series, discussed how she reacted to wrapping things up with season 5.
Keep reading to find out more…
“I haven’t seen anything from it yet, I’m very curious though. It’s going to be super emotional so I’m ready to cry with everyone,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in a new interview.
“I had cried so much that my eyes were so puffy — they had never been like that before and there are some pretty embarrassing photos of me just with these giant puffy eyes,” she added.
If you didn’t see, another teaser for season 5 of Stranger Things dropped in January, and showed new details about Millie Bobby Brown‘s character, Eleven.
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"Mean Girls" star Amanda Seyfried still thinks about the wardrobe malfunction she had in front of a "Top Gun: Maverick" star two years ago.
Seyfried told the story to People magazine in a recent interview, revealing that at the 2023 Critics Choice Awards, "My boobs fell out of my dress."
"I was wearing this amazing vintage dress. I made my stylist dress up in it before I went just for fun," she said.
'Mean Girls' Star's Move To Remote Farm 'Essential' For Mental Health
The 39-year-old was wearing a Dior Haute Couture gown to the ceremony for her nomination and eventual win for her role in "The Dropout."
She continued, "It was kind of sewn together and it started truly falling apart, literally falling off of me on the red carpet, and I think there were even interviews where I’m saying it’s breaking off."
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Inside during the ceremony, Seyfried said she was chatting with "Top: Gun Maverick" and "Twisters" star Glen Powell when disaster struck.
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"I was talking to Glen Powell in the corner near my table, and we were joking around about something and I lifted my arms up, and my boobs were just out. My dress fell apart."
"We both screamed, and like the gentleman he is, he covered me. He didn’t look… I think. None of us were expecting that, but that dress had truly just given up," Seyfried said.
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The actress later had to borrow a jacket to accept "The Dropout’s" award for best limited series with the cast and crew.
"I ended up wearing someone else's jacket on stage," Seyfried recalled. "Because, well, it would’ve just been my boobs."
Original article source: 'Mean Girls' star Amanda Seyfried reveals wardrobe malfunction in front of 'Top Gun: Maverick' star
Lady Gaga celebrates her recent Saturday Night Live episode with special companions!
The 38-year-old singer and actress stepped out with her fiancé, Michael Polansky, at an SNL after party on Saturday (March 8), after she was the host and the musical guest of that night's episode.
Keep reading to find out more...
There, the "Poker Face" singer was seen with a prop from one of the skits from the episode. She held a plastic mouse, which was from the sketch "Pip," where her character encouraged a mouse named Pip to join a high school weight lifting competition.
If you didn't see her SNL episode, she also made a joke about her role in the movie Joker: Folie a Deux during her opening monologue.
Browse through the gallery to see the photos of Lady Gaga, Michael Polansky, and Pip the mouse at the Saturday Night Live after party...
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Photo: Getty Images
Machine Gun Kelly paid tribute to his late friend, Luke "The Dingo" Trembath, in a heartwarming Instagram post commenting on the birth of his first child with ex Megan Fox.
The Tickets to My Downfall hitmaker remembered his late friend in the sweet tribute, shared on Saturday (March 8), referring to him as his "brother."
Kelly, born Colson Baker, also revealed that telling his 15-year-old daughter, Casie, whom he shares with ex Emma Cannon, about the death of his friend was one of the most difficult calls he's ever made as they were all very close.
The "Emo Girl" standout connected his loved one's passing to the birth of his first child with Fox, stating that he believes Trembath is in looking after the child in heaven.
"I feel like you're up there with my new child, dressed up in a hilarious costume making them laugh, getting ready to send them down. i couldn’t ask for a more bittersweet birth blessing."
According to Page Six, Fox, who announced that she was pregnant in November 2024, is due "any day now." The Jennifer's Body star and mgk called in quits later that month after Fox found content on his phone that she didn't like.
For more information on the former couple's split, read: The Real Reason Megan Fox Ended Relationship With Machine Gun Kelly: 'Done'.
See Kelly's touching tribute to Trembath below.
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Critics slammed Meghan Markle online shortly after the Duchess of Sussex shared a rare photo of her 3-year-old daughter, Princess Lilibet.
Markle, 43, posted a carousel of images Saturday to celebrate International Women's Day, and included a snap of her husband Prince Harry cradling their little girl in his arms in what appeared to be a boat with water surrounding the pair.
Social media users were not happy and blasted the royal couple for taking a lax approach to water safety while boating.
"Prince Harry & Meghan Markle are so good at showing the world how much they suck at being parents What f----ng moron doesn’t put their child in a safety vest while boating," one person said.
Meghan Markle Shares New Photo Of Rarely Seen Daughter Princess Lilibet As Controversial Show Is Renewed
Another user wrote, "Family has been in the boating industry for four generations; a very big no no! Things happen in a blink of an eye."
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Pamela Anderson's Producer Takes Credit For ‘Original’ Show After Critics Claim Meghan Markle Copied It
"How irresponsible. Even pet owners put life vests on their pets when riding in boats," one user wrote on X.
"It's common sense, my kids were total water babies, strong swimmers and fishermen from an early age, they always wore life vests," an X user wrote. "Even strong swimmers can be thrown from a boat or slip, injure themselves and end up under water."
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"Imagine not having a life jacket on your child that can't swim while out to sea on a dingy," one social media user quipped.
Representatives for Harry and Meghan's Archewell organization did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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Markle's "With Love, Meghan" lifestyle show recently picked up a second season on Netflix despite negative reviews.
Launched on March 4, the "Suits" actress is joined by a few of her famous friends and chefs as she shares her favorite recipes and hosting tips.
The show was widely criticized as "cringey" and inauthentic by royal experts and The Hollywood Reporter. British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital that the show "appears mundane and lacks wow factor."
"Meghan seems eager to play the altruistic, kind soul, but it is a tad smarmy," she claimed. "My toes are curling.… This is so cringey and not fun at all. It feels too staged, and the tips and tricks are far too basic… Meghan comes across as a modern Stepford Wife."
Fox News Digital's Lauryn Overhultz contributed to this report.
Original article source: Meghan Markle faces wrath of parenting police over photo of Lilibet on a boat without a safety vest
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Cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal was spotted enjoying the India vs New Zealand Champions Trophy 2025 final in Dubai, accompanied by RJ Mahvash. The duo's appearance together has piqued the interest of fans and onlookers amidst the buzz around Yuzvendra's divorce proceedings with choreographer Dhanashree Verma. Also read: Uorfi Javed hints that Dhanashree Verma reached out to her amid divorce from Yuzvendra Chahal
On Sunday, Yuzvendra was seen enjoying the high-stakes India vs New Zealand Champions Trophy 2025 final in Dubai. The duo was seen enthusiastically cheering for Team India from the stands, and several photographs of them together have surfaced on social media, quickly grabbing the attention of fans and followers.
In the images, RJ Mahvash is seen wearing a white t-shirt and black sunglasses, while Yuzvendra is wearing a black jacket over a matching t-shirt. The pair was caught on camera sitting together, completely absorbed in the excitement of the match. At one point, Yuzvendra was spotted leaning in close, whispering something in RJ Mahvash's ear. The images have led to speculation around their bond.
“Girl behind chahal is Rj mahvash,” one wrote, with another writing, “Chahal and RJ Mahvash watching Champions Trophy final in Dubai”.
“RJ Mahvash is much kuch cuter than Dhanashree,” one wrote, with another pointing out, “Rj Mahvash - 27 October 1996. Dhanashree Verma - 27 September 1996”.
One comment read, “My TL is filled with Yuzvendra Chahal and RJ Mahvash’s photo sitting together. Stop spamming and let them live”, with another reading, “New GF (RJ Mahvash)”.
“Chahal with his new GF?? RJ Mahvash #INDvsNZ,” one wondered.
Last year, RJ Mahvash broke her silence on the rumours around her dating Yuzvendra, which started when a photograph of her with the cricketer from a Christmas celebration went viral. She took to Instagram to react to the buzz.
Her note read, "Some articles and speculations have been circulating around the internet. It's literally funny to see how baseless these rumours are. If you get seen with a person of the opposite gender, does that mean you are dating them? I'm sorry, what year is this? And how many people are you all dating then?"
“I have been patient for 2-3 days now, but I won't let any PR teams drag my name into this to cover up other people's images. Let people live in peace with their friends and family during tough times,” RJ Mahvash added.
Buzz about Dhanashree and Yuzvendra's divorce began after the couple unfollowed each other on Instagram, which sparked widespread speculation. The two tied the knot in December 2020 in an intimate ceremony in Gurugram. They met during the Covid-19 pandemic when he approached her for lessons.
Last month, Chahal's lawyer, Nitin K Gupta, confirmed that the divorce had been filed. In an official statement to Hindustan Times, he said, "Mr. Chahal reached a settlement for obtaining Divorce by Mutual Consent with Mrs. Verma. A Petition for Divorce by mutual consent was presented before the Hon’ble Family Court, Bandra. The matter is currently sub-judice."
There were also rumours that Dhanashree was seeking ₹60 crore in alimony. However, Dhanashree’s family issued a statement to the press, dismissing the claims. The statement read, "We are deeply outraged by the baseless claims being circulated about the alimony figure. Let me be absolutely clear—no such amount has ever been asked, demanded, or even offered. There is no truth to these rumours whatsoever. It is deeply irresponsible to publish such unverified information, dragging not just the parties but also their families into unnecessary speculation. Reckless reporting like this only causes harm, and we urge the media to exercise restraint, fact-check before spreading misinformation, and be respectful of everyone’s privacy."
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Another Simple Favor director Paul Feig is debunking speculation about Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick’s joint appearance at SXSW.
A YouTuber claimed via X on Friday, March 7, that Lively, 37, and Kendrick, 39, were allegedly uncomfortable jointly attending the Austin, Texas premiere of Another Simple Favor.
“I just reported on Blake being terrified to walk the carpet as Anna is pissed and never wants to work with her again,” the social media user claimed on Friday.
Feig, 62, swiftly shut down the accusation, replying via X, “Um … you’re wrong.”
Lively and Kendrick costarred in Feig’s A Simple Favor, which came out in 2018. They recently filmed a sequel in Italy, debuting the first look during a Friday panel at SXSW.
Both actresses walked the red carpet solo before Lively told reporters that acting alongside Kendrick was “the best.” Kendrick, meanwhile, dodged answering similar questions about her costar.
After being asked what it was like to work with Lively, Kendrick coyly replied, “Oh, you know,” before trailing off and walking further down the carpet.
A source previously told Us Weekly that there was no bad blood between the women on the set of Another Simple Favor.
“There aren’t any issues between Blake and Anna right now,” the insider exclusively told Us in February, noting that both actresses “really love” the sequel and planned to “be doing press together.”
Per the source, Lively and Kendrick also “want fans to focus on the film and not any outside drama.”
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During the SXSW event, Lively further gushed about making both Simple Favor movies with Kendrick.
“It worked out, so I was like, ‘OK, no nerves. I know what I’m doing this time,’” Lively said on Friday of returning for the sequel. “Right before we started shooting, [Paul] said, ‘I have, like, a little bit of a curveball idea.’ I’m not going to say what it was because, you know, we don’t want to give away anything. But it definitely upped the ante. It was very uncomfortable to watch in this theater with you all. … But, yeah, it was fun. It’s always fun getting to work with Anna again, obviously, and this incredible group of people is amazing.”
Lively’s appearance at SXSW was her second major public outing since her lawsuit against It Ends With Us costar Justin Baldoni — following her attendance at the SNL 50 anniversary taping last month. News broke in December 2024 that Lively sued Baldoni, 41, for alleged sexual harassment and fostering a “hostile work environment” on the set of It Ends With Us, which he also directed. Baldoni denied the allegations, later naming Lively in a $400 million defamation suit. Lively denounced his accusations.
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The TOI Entertainment Desk is a dynamic and dedicated team of journalists, working tirelessly to bring the pulse of the entertainment world straight to the readers of The Times of India. No red carpet goes unrolled, no stage goes dark - our team spans the globe, bringing you the latest scoops and insider insights from Bollywood to Hollywood, and every entertainment hotspot in between. We don't just report; we tell tales of stardom and stories untold. Whether it's the rise of a new sensation or the seasoned journey of an industry veteran, the TOI Entertainment Desk is your front-row seat to the fascinating narratives that shape the entertainment landscape. Beyond the breaking news, we present a celebration of culture. We explore the intersections of entertainment with society, politics, and everyday life.Read More
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Melissa Peterman got emotional discussing her onscreen reunion with Reba costar Christopher Rich following his massive stroke.
“When he had a stroke, it was really scary — and I think a lot of people didn’t know,” Peterman, 53, exclusively told Us Weekly, noting that she might “tear up a little” as she talks about Rich. “I think fans just thought that, ‘Oh, maybe he retired and maybe he decided to take a break.’ That wasn’t the case. He had a massive stroke and it was scary.”
Peterman recalled the initial months after the health scare, saying, “He put in so much hard work to get back to [himself even though], he was always Chris. I saw him in the hospital right away and Chris was there. He was cracking jokes immediately.”
Despite Rich’s progress, he’s still experiencing some side effects.
“His left side is still affected. But we wanted him to come back and he was ready to come back,” Peterman told Us. “It was really wonderful because I remember when I was on Reba, I was such a baby. It was my first series regular role and Chris was essentially my acting partner during that entire series.”
Peterman and Rich, 71, became household names when Reba aired from 2001 to 2007. The hit show followed a single mom who had to start over after her husband, Brock (Rich), left her for his dental hygienist, Barbra Jean (Peterman). Reba (Reba McEntire) attempted to start fresh while raising her three kids — including her pregnant teen daughter (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) and her boyfriend (Steve Howey).
“It was me and him and he was so kind to me,” Peterman continued. “He taught me so many things. He would even whisper things in my ear so I didn’t feel dumb not knowing. And he’s one of the smartest men I know. He’s such a good actor.”
McEntire, 69, and Peterman reunited two decades later as costars on NBC’s Happy’s Place, which paved the way for them to reunite with Rich and Howey as well. Rich’s episode in February held extra significance after he stepped away from acting for several years following a massive stroke.
“It’s hard for all of us if your body betrays you and yet you’re still there and you want to do it. It’s scary. But our whole team felt familiar for him and he felt safe to play. By the way, he crushed it,” Peterman gushed. “He was so funny.”
Peterman praised Rich for being “so brave,” adding, “When we had talked about other iterations of what we could do — if there was a Reba reboot — we’d have to address it because he physically can’t hide it. He was always so open about being really honest about it and being vulnerable.”
During Rich’s return to acting, Happy’s Place had him playing a tattoo artist who immediately caught Gabby’s (Peterman) eye. The episode even included a line where Gabby asked Maverick (Rich) whether he had a wife she could steal him away from.
“I liked that they let me call [Reba’s character Bobbie] Red at one point. That’s what I called her on the show,” Rich exclusively told Us about Brock’s reference to Reba on the hit sitcom. “Frequently, those little things are magnificent. And Reba [the show] has such a wonderful following that people will comment about it online. It was just so wonderful to work with those two women. They took such good care of me and they were very, very protective.”
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While Reba fans await more cameo news, Peterman didn’t rule out more onscreen reunions.
“Scarlett [Pomers] as Kyra was just incredibly and comedically gifted. I know we would love to see JoAnna Garcia [Swisher] and I think she just saw Reba recently. So I hope Reba was like, ‘When you are available … ‘ It would be fun to have any and all Reba participants — whether they’re a cast member or a guest,” Peterman said. “It would be so much fun, and we would love to have all of them.”
Happy’s Place airs on NBC Fridays at 8 p.m. ET.
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FOX’s new reality competition series Extracted follows 12 amateur survivalists with no training who are abandoned in a remote forest where surveillance cameras film them 24-7. And miles away their families watch every move they make.
And if that’s not dramatic enough, the survivalists are only allowed to bring the clothes on their backs, while they’re forced to contend with the unpredictable conditions and scarcity of food, water and shelter. Back at headquarters, their loved ones have to work together to decide on the critical supplies they need to survive the wilderness.
And why are they risking it all? A $250,000 cash prize.
Executive produced by Rambo himself, Sylvester Stallone, the survivalists push themselves to the brink, while their family members have the power to pull them from the competition at any time – by pushing the extraction button.
Us Weekly talks to one of the show’s breakout stars, Blake Kaminer, below about what it really takes to survive in the wild and to navigate his newfound fame in the social media jungle.
Your father Woody is a retired law enforcement officer. He said in the beginning of the show that you’re actually more outdoorsy than he is, so did you want to be the survivalist?
Yes, I wanted to be the survivalist. I spent my teenage years in the outdoors hunting, fishing, making fires, forts and pretty much anything else outdoors. Being comfortable in that environment definitely gives you the upper hand in this type of competition.
You’re a boat captain and you revealed on the show you’ve trapped and hunted animals. Are you best suited in HQ? Or out in the wild?
My first thought is that I would be better in the wild, but now that the competition has begun, I realized I’m better off in HQ. Receiving the best supplies with less experience is better than great experience but no good supplies, which makes it cool to have [my dad’s] support.
So far, do you still think you’d do better than your dad?
I can’t say I would be doing any better than my dad. At the end of the day, I know he is giving his all which is exactly what I would do.
Alliances and strategy are crucial in survival games. How do you strategize alliances? How difficult was it to strategize on the spot with your cousin Collin?
With competitions like this, you always have to have your head on a swivel, watching who you can and can’t trust. But me and Collin have that type of relationship where we can work together and make crucial decisions in the heat of the moment.
Who will we see you ally with coming up? Who are you wary of and have your eye out for?
Each day is different in HQ, so you’ll have to watch and see. But I know I can always count on Cousin Collin.
What did you think of Anthony being the first one extracted? Surprised? What was it like watching how he was acting from HQ?
It was tough watching Anthony yell at his parents. Knowing they were doing all they could to get him some of the best supplies. Considering his setup, I was surprised he was extracted this early in the competition.
How about Davina as the second survivalist extracted. Did you see that coming?
I think Davina did an amazing job out in the wild, especially considering her outdoors experience. She definitely lasted longer than I expected, respectfully.
What’s the hardest part of watching your loved one from HQ? Did you ever want to trade places?
The hardest part of watching my dad while in HQ was watching him struggle and not being able to help him. I remember the moment my dad got the bow drill and all I wanted to do was reach through the screen and do it for him. So frustrating! I wanted to trade places every single day.
It’s a game of survival. From what you’ve seen and experienced so far, what are your tips for surviving the wild? What have you learned to do and not to do?
If I had any tips for surviving in the wild it would be to prioritize water, shelter and fire. Acquiring those three things could be the difference between surviving or not. One main thing to do is to keep your clothes as dry as possible, including shoes. Trench foot in the woods makes for a bad day.
What have you learned from other survival reality shows before starring in one yourself? Do you have any favorites?
The biggest thing I’ve learned from watching other survival reality shows is not to drink the lake water! My favorite show is Man vs Wild. I’ve always looked up to Bear Grylls.
You star on a real survival show, but did anyone prepare you for surviving social media fame? Has it been a fun ride?
So far, it’s been a blast to interact with everyone and answer questions about the show. I didn’t have any preparation coming into this, but I’m looking forward to what’s to come.
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Have there been any celebrity fans of the show you’ve been excited about or to hear from?
I’m super excited to know Stallone is involved with this production. He is a household name and is very well known which makes it cool to have his support.
Watch an all-new Extracted on FOX Monday, March 10, at 8 p.m. ET.
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Zac Efron, Penn Badgley, Evan Peters, Michael C. Hall — these actors aren’t just attractive men who have garnered sizable fanbases from high-profile projects. They’ve also all played serial killers.
“Do you have anything to say to the people out there who say they want to date Joe despite the minor flaw of murdering people?” Stephen Colbert once asked Badgley about the public’s overwhelming response to his fictional character on You, who kills over a dozen people on the Netflix series.
“I struggle greatly with the conflict of playing such a guy and him being partly so likable and people having such a, as we say, thirsty response to him,” he replied.
After its premiere on Lifetime in 2018, You quickly became a smashing success, moving to Netflix in 2019 where four more seasons were produced. The final season is set to premiere April 24 on the streaming service.
But don’t get it twisted: the presence of hot serial killers on TV isn’t a new phenomenon. Dexter premiered in 2006, and Efron portrayed the infamous Ted Bundy in a 2019 Netflix film. Yet America’s infatuation with true crime has given way to more and more stories about brutal killers, and audiences are eating it up.
Peters had viewers falling for him as one of the most reprehensible murderers of all time in 2022’s Dahmer; Patrick Gibson stars in last year’s prequel Dexter: Original Sin; Tom Bateman prompted new swaths of fans to swoon over him in Peacock’s meta true crime series Based on a True Story and Dennis Quaid portrays Keith Jespersen, who once claimed to have as many as 160 victims, in the upcoming Paramount+ series Happy Face.
In Bateman’s case, Liana Liberato’s character Tory falls in love with his character Matt — despite the fact that she is well aware of his status as the fictional serial killer the West Side Ripper.
“To be playing someone who does these terrible things is interesting because it does bring up a moral dilemma,” Bateman told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023 of Based on a True Story. “But I felt [that] it swung so big in such a comedic way that it kind of allowed for a lightness of touch and a sort of parody to it.”
We can all agree these characters’ actions are gruesome, deplorable and unethical, but fans are lusting over them nonetheless. (If you don’t believe Us, look up “Dexter Morgan edit” on TikTok — you’ll be scrolling for hours.)
“I call it the Bad Boy Syndrome,” criminologist Scott Bonn, PhD, who authored Why We Love Serial Killers: The Curious Appeal of the World’s Most Savage Murderers, told Us Weekly of the phenomenon, noting that murderers who are locked away in prison or fictional killers on screen provide a no-risk fantasy for viewers. “That attraction is not causing them the potential of physical harm because that individual is controlled. They’re behind bars or on TV. The fantasy in your mind is very different than Ted Bundy actually showing up at your door.”
Bonn, who noted that 75 to 80 percent of attendees at his national speaking tour on serial killers are women, warns viewers to take depictions of murderers with a grain of salt, calling them “popcorn entertainment.” He said the projects “[dilute] the real story by definition. It’s not reality, even though it’s based in truth, and it’s served up in a way as to provide mass appeal.”
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He continued: “To the extent that you are portraying the perpetrator as someone who has some sort of redeeming qualities and even sex appeal, then I think you are potentially doing a disservice to the victims.”
Like any production, it makes sense that a good-looking actor would be cast as the leading man, regardless of the character’s moral compass. And it’s no wonder their fans would flock to see their latest work. But, Bonn reminds Us, by giving true-crime stories the Hollywood treatment, “you’ve lost some of the integrity of the case itself.”
So while we may get a thrill watching our favorite stars break bad, let’s remember this is all just part of storytelling — and the reaction they’re hoping for!
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Meghan Markle on Saturday shared a never-before-shown photo of her rarely seen 3-year-old daughter, Princess Lilibet.
The toddler is shown from the back while being cradled by her father, Prince Harry, on a boat.
The Duchess of Sussex included the photo on her new Instagram page Saturday along with three others to celebrate International Women’s Day.
She also posted a recent photo of her with her mother, Doria Ragland, one with the duchess and Harry on a beach and a black and white one of her with her mother as a child.
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"Celebrating the strong women around us & the girls with dreams who will become women with vision," Markle wrote in the post. "Also thanking those who uplift us every day."
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The post was Markle’s first since it was announced the lifestyle show "With Love, Meghan" was renewed for a second season on Netflix.
"If you’re loving Season 1, just wait until you see the fun we cooked up on Season 2!" Markle wrote in a post on Friday. "Thanks for joining the party, and an endless thanks to the amazing team and crew who helped bring it all to life!"
The show has stirred controversy after its first season was dropped on the streaming platform Tuesday, with some saying it seems more than similar to Pamela Anderson's cooking show on Flavor Network.
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Some royal experts criticized the show after its release, and podcaster Kinsey Schofield told Fox News Digital the duchess is "tone deaf" and accused her of "hijacking all the oxygen in the room."
Royal expert Helena Chard told Fox News Digital Markle "lacks charisma" and missed an opportunity to be authentic on the gardening and cooking series.
By Saturday, the show had a dismal 25% rating on Rotten Tomatoes despite its renewal.
The 43-year-old brought up her children in one of the first season's episodes when she was creating a children’s tea party with comedian Mindy Kaling, who referred to her as "Markle."
"It’s so funny, too, that you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I’m Sussex now," the royal remarked, referring to her title.
"You have kids, and you go, ‘No, I share my name with my children.’ I didn’t know how meaningful that would be to me, but it just means so much to go, ‘This is our family name, our little family name.’"
Markle and Harry stepped back as senior royals in 2020, leaving England for Montecito, California.
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Their oldest child, Prince Archie, 6, was born in London in 2019. Lilibet was born in California in 2021 after their move.
Markle also shared a video of Lilibet last weekend playing a board game with "Auntie" tennis pro Serena Williams.
"When the aunties comes to celebrate … and to play! Love you @serenawilliams," Markle captioned the video.
Markle started her new Instagram page at the beginning of the year ahead of her show's premiere.
Original article source: Meghan Markle shares new photo of rarely seen daughter Princess Lilibet as controversial show is renewed
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Gene Hackman turned a painful childhood and years of rejection into a successful and legendary Hollywood career.
Gene – who died from heart disease with Alzheimer's as a significant contributing factor, about one week after his wife Betsy died from hantavirus – had always had a love and interest in movies, admiring James Cagney, Errol Flynn and Edward G. Robinson.
"I loved the idea that somebody could convince me that they were a sea captain without being phony. I’d grown up shy—not unusual for actors. They want to show they’re more than that—people of import, substance. I think because I was shy, I felt insecure, and acting seemed like a way of maybe getting around that. Getting to be somebody," he told Vanity Fair in 2004.
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Born on January 30, 1930, Gene was raised in Danville, Illinois, by his mother, Anna. When Gene was 13, his father left the family, an event that influenced his pursuit of acting.
"It was a real adios," he told Vanity Fair. "It was so precise. Maybe that’s why I became an actor. I doubt I would have become so sensitive to human behavior if that hadn’t happened to me as a child—if I hadn’t realized how much one small gesture can mean."
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During a 2001 appearance on "Inside the Actors Studio," Gene recounted the last time he saw his father, becoming emotional as he spoke.
"I was down the street playing with some guys, and he drove by and kind of waved . . . " Gene said before trailing off and looking visibly teary-eyed.
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After Lipton asked whether he had been close to his mother, Gene stayed quiet before clearing his throat and apologizing.
"It’s only been 65 years or so," he said with a laugh, breaking the tension, though still looking slightly uncomfortable.
Lipton noted, "It’s not something that goes away easily, is it?" to which Gene replied, "It probably makes you a better actor, I don't know."
"I don’t advocate that," he added, explaining, "You get in touch with your feelings, and that’s what we’re here for. I think the more that you can draw on that kind of thing . . . get something out of it."
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Gene did credit his mother as the individual who recognized something in him, encouraging him to pursue acting.
Speaking with GQ in 2011, the "Bonnie and Clyde" star confirmed a story that she once took him to the movie theater and told him she wanted to "see you do that someday."
"She did say that. I would have been 10. Things parents say to children are oftentimes not heard, but in some cases, you pick up on things that your parent would like to see you have done."
He added, "Unfortunately, my mom never saw me act, so I'm sorry for that, but that's the way it is."
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Gene’s mother died in a fire lit by a burning cigarette, according to a Los Angeles Times profile on the actor. He also said he had "buried the hatchet" before his father died.
In his GQ interview, he shared that he wished his mother could have seen his performance in "I Never Sang for My Father," a 1970 drama about a professor dealing with his aging father, which earned him his first Oscar nomination, in the best supporting actor category.
"I thought it was a sensitive picture about family and relationships, and I think she would have been proud and happy to see that," he said. "You're fortunate sometimes to be able to do something in life that defines who you are and who your parents may have wanted you to be."
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Prior to making it big, Gene had enrolled in the Pasadena Playhouse in California, where he befriended another aspiring actor, Dustin Hoffman.
"I met Gene in acting school, at the Pasadena Playhouse, when he was 27, and I was 19. We used to play congas together on the roof, trying to be like our hero Marlon Brando," Hoffman told Fox News Digital after Gene’s death. "And Gene was like Brando, in that he brought something unprecedented to our craft, something people didn't immediately understand as genius: He was expelled from our school after three months for ‘not having talent.’ It was the first time they ever did that. He was that good."
Hoffman continued, "Powerful, subtle, brilliant. A giant among actors. I miss him already."
Both actors were voted "least likely to succeed" at the playhouse.
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"I think the highest I ever got was a 1.4 [GPA]," Gene said in a 1984 interview with KCRA 3, noting he had nothing against the Pasadena Playhouse, just that it’s "tough to grade actors."
Gene and Hoffman eventually moved to New York, where they also hung out with Robert Duvall, and the trio spent years working jobs and looking for acting work.
Gene worked as a shoe salesman, a furniture mover, and a doorman, where he ran into one of his former Marine officers who muttered, "Hackman, you’re a sorry son of a bitch," as he recalled to Vanity Fair. Gene had joined the Marines at 16, lying about his age to enlist, and served just under five years before being discharged in 1951.
Speaking with Hoffman and Duvall in the interview, the "The Conversation" star described the grind of auditioning.
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"No one starts at the top in the theater, and the bottom is a very ugly place," he told the outlet.
"It was madness," Gene said of open calls. "A cattle call, they called it. A lot of people would get physical about where they were in line, and who had to go to work, so let me in front of you so I can get the hell out."
He once auditioned for Gene Kelly for a musical he was directing, which didn’t go well. After Gene sang, Kelly approached him and said, "Nice try. Musicals are hard."
The rejection and struggle fueled Gene’s desire to continue acting, if for no other reason than to prove doubters wrong.
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As he said to Vanity Fair, "it was more psychological warfare, because I wasn’t going to let those f--kers get me down. I insisted with myself that I would continue to do whatever it took to get a job. It was like me against them, and in some way, unfortunately, I still feel that way."
"But I think if you’re really interested in acting, there is a part of you that relishes the struggle. It’s a narcotic in the way that you are trained to do this work and nobody will let you do it, so you’re a little bit nuts. You lie to people, you cheat, you do whatever it takes to get an audition, get a job," he continued.
After years of work, Gene landed his breakout role as Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in "The French Connection," winning his first Oscar for best actor.
He went on to fill even more memorable roles, like the villainous Lex Luthor in "Superman" and basketball coach Norman Dale in "Hoosiers," and picked up a second Oscar as best supporting actor in Clint Eastwood’s "Unforgiven."
In 2004, after decades of work, Gene appeared in his final film, "Welcome to Mooseport," co-starring Ray Romano.
In a 2008 interview with Reuters, Gene later confirmed he was done acting.
"I haven’t held a press conference to announce retirement, but, yes, I’m not going to act any longer," he told the outlet. "I’ve been told not to say that over the last few years, in case some real wonderful part comes up, but I really don’t want to do it any longer."
Speaking to GQ about his legacy in 2011, Gene said he wanted to be remembered "as a decent actor. As someone who tried to portray what was given to them in an honest fashion. I don't know, beyond that."
Fox News Digital's Tracy Wright contributed to this story.
Original article source: Gene Hackman was abandoned by dad, kicked out of acting school before finding Hollywood success