New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has officially moved into the historic Gracie Mansion, and he’s already hoping to make changes. The mayor spoke to reporters on Jan. 12 and shared his ‘aspirational hope’ to have a few bidets installed in the mayor’s residence.

‘One thing that we will change is we will be installing a few bidets into Gracie Mansion,’ Mamdani said. ‘That’s an aspirational hope. We’ll see if we can get it done.’

A prominent New York City Democrat mocked the mayor’s idea, painting it as a rich man’s fantasy coming from someone who preaches socialism.

‘He’s been mayor for a minute and now the socialist thinks he’s flush with so much cash he can buy bidets,’ the prominent Democrat, who asked to remain anonymous, told Fox News Digital.

When speaking to Fox News Digital, the prominent Democrat pointed out the difference between the reaction to Mamdani’s ‘aspirational hope’ to add bidets versus President Donald Trump’s renovations to the White House’s Lincoln Bedroom bathroom.

Trump posted photos of the renovated bathroom on Truth Social in November celebrating the upgrade which included ‘highly-polished, statuary marble.’ While the president argued that the renovation was in line with the original vision for the space, historians disagreed and comedians mocked him. John Oliver, the host of ‘Last Week Tonight,’ called it ‘tone-deaf.’

The president’s renovations to the East Wing ballroom have also drawn criticism and mockery with Democrats taking aim at the president over the project. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said during an appearance on MSNBC that Trump ‘found time to demolish the East Wing of the White House so that he can build a ballroom where he can be celebrated as if he was a king.’

The East Wing renovation was mocked on ‘Saturday Night Live,’ which did a skit featuring James Austin Johnson as Trump and Miles Teller as Drew and Jonathan Scott from HGTV’s popular home makeover show ‘The Property Brothers.’ The mockery didn’t end there. During a ‘Weekend Update’ segment, Michael Che said he was glad the floor looked ‘slippery,’ according to the Architect’s Newspaper.

The Gracie Mansion Conservancy’s website notes that the residence was originally built by Archibald Gracie, a prosperous merchant, in 1799 and was originally a country house located five miles north of what was then known as New York City. Since then, the city has expanded and the mansion is currently located in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, which is known to be one of the wealthier parts of the city.

The conservancy also stated that Gracie Mansion is one of the oldest surviving wooden structures in Manhattan and has served as the official residence of New York City mayors since 1942.

‘Parks Commissioner Robert Moses convinced City authorities to designate the Gracie Mansion as the official residence of the Mayor in 1942 when Fiorello H. La Guardia and his family moved into the house,’ the conservancy’s website reads.

HomeAdvisor, a home-improvement cost and contractor marketplace owned by Angi, said in 2025 that the average cost to install a bidet was $640, with a typical range of $400 to $1,500. The site noted that costs can run as low as $40 or as high as $2,000. The bidet type, size and quality, as well as necessary plumbing modifications can impact the installation cost.

Meanwhile, HomeGuide, a home-improvement cost guide that compiles pricing data from contractors and project estimates, broke down bidet pricing by unit and installation. The site said a standalone bidet could cost between $700 and $2,600 including installation, while the unit and installation cost for a bidet attachment typically ranges from $100 to $300.

It is unclear how exactly the city would install bidets in Gracie Mansion.

New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection celebrated Mamdani’s announcement, saying that ‘more bidets = fewer wet wipes.’

As protests spread across Iran and security forces intensify their crackdown, former political prisoners are warning that what is visible on the streets represents only a fraction of the violence unfolding behind prison walls.

In interviews with Fox News Digital, three former detainees described a system designed not just to punish dissent, but to break it through solitary confinement, beatings, medical neglect and threats of execution. Their accounts span nearly two decades, from the 2009 uprising to the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement and the current wave of unrest, pointing to what they describe as a consistent and escalating pattern of abuse.

Maryam Shariatmadari, one of the faces of the ‘Girls of Revolution Street’ protests against Iran’s mandatory hijab laws, was sentenced to one year in prison in March 2018 for what authorities described as ‘encouraging corruption by removing her hijab.’

Speaking this week, Shariatmadari said the scale of the current protests has pushed the regime beyond its capacity to detain demonstrators.

‘According to the testimonies of eyewitnesses, the suppressive forces of the Islamic Republic … are delivering ‘final shots’ to wounded protesters, killing them on the spot,’ she said. ‘This has been unprecedented over the past 47 years and indicates that the number of detainees has become so large that the Islamic Republic no longer has the capacity to hold them and is killing them without any form of trial.’

She said that while detainees in earlier uprisings were transferred to prisons or unofficial ‘safe houses,’ authorities expanded detention during the 2022 ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ protests to schools, ambulances and food transport vehicles.

‘They used ambulances and food transport vehicles to detain protesters, something I believe to be unprecedented in human history,’ Shariatmadari said.

Inside detention facilities, she described systematic abuse.

‘These include beatings, transfers to prisons without separation based on the type of offense, and the deliberate incitement of other inmates to harass and abuse us,’ she said.

One of her most traumatic experiences occurred during interrogation.

‘I was ordered to remove my clothes and remain completely naked for a body search while cameras were present,’ Shariatmadari said. ‘I knew that men were watching me, and I could hear their voices.’

She also recalled being denied urgent medical care after an injury.

‘Only after approximately 24 hours was I taken to a hospital to undergo surgery,’ she said. ‘I believe this happened as a result of media pressure and public support.’

Eight hours a day, blindfolded

Shariatmadari’s husband, Mehdi Ghadimi, a freelance journalist who worked with reformist newspapers Etemad and Shargh, was arrested in January 2023 during protests and taken to an undisclosed location. He spent nearly his entire detention in solitary confinement.

‘I was interrogated twice daily, morning and afternoon, for eight hours with my eyes blindfolded,’ Ghadimi said.

In the final days of his detention, he was transferred to a shared cell, where he encountered detainees from across Iranian society.

‘I encountered students, workers, technical specialists and others who had been arrested during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement,’ he said.

According to Ghadimi, detainees accused of supporting the Pahlavi dynasty were beaten more severely.

‘Because their slogans and symbols supported the Pahlavi dynasty, they were beaten far more than the others,’ he said.

Based on his experience, he warned that current detainees are likely to face even harsher treatment.

‘I can only imagine that this time all detainees will face similarly brutal treatment,’ Ghadimi said, adding that Iran’s judiciary chief has publicly signaled a hard line.

Ghadimi, who fled the country in 2024, also cited figures circulating among activists claiming well over the 2,600 reported, likely dwarfing that number. He said the number of detainees is likely far higher than the 10,000 reported.

‘On the other side of those bars is hell’

Shabnam Madadzadeh, who was imprisoned during the 2009 uprising, said watching the current protests has revived memories of extreme brutality and raised fears of mass executions.

‘What immediately comes to my mind is the regime’s sheer brutality in torture and killing,’ Madadzadeh said.

She said detention facilities were already overflowing during the 2009 protests.

‘There was no space left for detainees. Even the solitary cells were overflowing with people,’ she said.

Madadzadeh recalled interrogators accusing nearly everyone arrested of links to the Mujahedin-e Khalq and described torture and beatings ‘to the point of killing.’

One threat made to her during interrogation still haunts her.

‘He told me: ‘If we are going to be overthrown, we will kill all of you. We will leave no one alive,’’ she said.

She warned that the current internet blackout has heightened the danger for detainees.

‘We truly do not know what level of brutality is currently taking place inside the prisons,’ Madadzadeh said, adding that information reaching her suggests the regime is seeking to carry out executions quickly.

Citing Iran’s past, she warned of the risk of mass killings similar to the 1988 executions of political prisoners.

‘Today, at a moment when the regime is on the brink of collapse, there is a real danger that such a massacre could be repeated,’ she said.

Madadzadeh said young detainees are likely facing forced confessions, mock executions and threats of sexual violence.

‘Whatever I do to you, no one will hear your voice,’ an interrogator once told her, she recalled.

She also emphasized the suffering of families searching for loved ones.

‘Families are moving between detention centers, prisons, morgues and cemeteries,’ she said. ‘This uncertainty itself is the greatest form of torture.’

As the protests continue, all three former prisoners said the outside world must not look away.

‘The first thing I expect the free world to understand is the true voice of the people inside Iran,’ Shariatmadari said. ‘The people of Iran are united in their demand for regime change and want to restore Iran to its former dignity, a dignity in which human rights and human worth were respected.’

Ghadimi echoed that warning.

‘Without a doubt, when the regime displays such open violence in the streets, even worse atrocities occur behind prison walls,’ he said. ‘I can only imagine that this time all detainees will face similarly brutal treatment.’

For Madadzadeh, the danger is immediate.

‘The world must respond decisively to this brutality,’ she said. ‘Every minute of delay costs lives.’

She called for concrete international action.

‘Force the regime to allow independent visits to prisons and to the secret detention centers run by the IRGC and the Ministry of Intelligence,’ Madadzadeh said. ‘Lives depend on it.’

Together, their testimonies paint a stark picture of Iran’s prisons as the hidden front line of repression and a warning that what remains unseen may be even more deadly than what is already visible in the streets.

President Donald Trump announced the United States would impose 10% tariffs on multiple European countries unless Denmark agrees to the ‘complete and total purchase of Greenland,’ warning that global security and U.S. national defense were at stake.

Trump made the announcement in a lengthy Truth Social post on Saturday, arguing that the U.S. has subsidized Denmark and other European Union nations for decades by failing to charge tariffs and providing what he described as ‘maximum protection.’

‘We have subsidized Denmark, and all of the Countries of the European Union, and others, for many years by not charging them Tariffs, or any other forms of remuneration,’ Trump wrote.

‘Now, after Centuries, it is time for Denmark to give back — World Peace is at stake!’

Trump wrote that both China and Russia want Greenland and he said there was ‘not a thing that Denmark can do about it.’

‘They currently have two dogsleds as protection, one added recently. Only the United States of America, under PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP, can play in this game, and very successfully, at that!’ Trump wrote. 

‘Nobody will touch this sacred piece of Land, especially since the National Security of the United States, and the World at large, is at stake.’

Trump said that Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland have ‘journeyed’ to Greenland, for ‘purposes unknown,’ posing a very dangerous situation for the safety, security and survival of our planet.

‘All of the above-mentioned Countries… will be charged a 10% Tariff on any and all goods sent to the United States of America,’ Trump wrote. 

On June 1, 2026, the tariff will be increased to 25%, he said. 

‘This Tariff will be due and payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.’

In recent weeks, Trump has zeroed in on Greenland, the world’s largest island at a strategic crossroads in the Arctic, and floated the idea of tariffs being imposed on Friday. 

A semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, Greenland is home to a crucial U.S. military base and has taken on growing strategic importance as melting ice opens new shipping lanes and access to a wealth of natural resources.

In his Saturday post, Trump said the United States has tried to purchase Greenland for more than 150 years but that Denmark has repeatedly refused. 

He tied the push to modern weapons systems and the ‘Golden Dome,’ saying hundreds of billions of dollars are being spent on related security programs and that the system can only work at maximum efficiency if Greenland is included. 

‘The United States of America is immediately open to negotiation with Denmark and/or any of these countries that have put so much at risk, despite all that we have done for them, including maximum protection, over so many decades,’ Trump wrote. ‘Thank you for your attention to this matter!’

Trump’s remarks come as his administration awaits a Supreme Court ruling on whether some of the tariffs he imposed in 2025 were legal.

Fox News’ Amanda Macias contributed to this report. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is calling for the end of the Iranian regime amid ongoing protests and as the country holds its breath to see if a 26-year-old protester will be executed, something President Donald Trump has said could trigger U.S. intervention.

‘I read with great sadness and heartache about the pending execution of Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old shopkeeper. He is facing death at the hands of the ayatollah simply for protesting in the street for a better life. His family is calling on the world to come to their son’s aid,’ Graham wrote in a post on X along with an article about Soltani.

‘I hope and pray that the execution does not go forward and this young man does not forfeit his life because he wants to live in freedom without fear,’ the senator added. ‘This regime must fall, and the Iranian people must have a better life.’

Graham said that he believes if the regime falls and the ‘murderous ayatollah running Iran’ is gone, the impact on the region ‘would be incredibly positive.’ He also warned, however, that if Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were to remain in power, it would be ‘a giant step backward into the darkness.’

Soltani’s story has spread in recent days as the unrest in Iran continues. The 26-year-old was arrested in Fardis and was sentenced to death after an expedited trial, according to ABC News, which cited Soltani’s second cousin, Somayeh.

‘As someone who is an activist myself and who has fought this regime for many years, I felt it was my right — and my duty — to be Erfan’s voice outside the country, despite all the pressure and sanctions that fall on families,’ Somayeh, who is based in Germany, told ABC News.

Iranians began protesting in late December amid worsening economic conditions. Earlier this month, the regime instituted a nationwide internet blackout, blocking demonstrators from contacting each other or the outside world amid international fears that protesters would be met with violence and death.

On Jan. 2, just days after the protests erupted, Trump said the U.S. was ‘locked and loaded’ and ready to take action if the regime used violence against demonstrators. One day after the threat was made, the U.S. captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, adding weight to Trump’s words, though no known action has been taken yet.

Trump claimed on Wednesday the administration was told ‘on good authority’ that the killing in Iran had stopped.

‘We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping, and it’s stopped and stopping, and there’s no plan for executions or an execution,’ Trump said in the Oval Office. ‘So, I’ve been told that on good authority. We’ll find out about it.’

On Friday, he seemed to double down on the idea that the regime had stopped using violence when he issued a Truth Social post saying that Iran had cancelled over 800 scheduled hangings.

‘I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The fate of Soltani remains unclear, as does the prospect of U.S. intervention in Iran.

A bipartisan, bicameral group of U.S. lawmakers set off to Denmark to reassure the NATO ally amid President Donald Trump’s push for a takeover of Greenland.

The group was mostly made of Democrats, but included two Republicans: Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Murkowski, Tillis, Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., and Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., were among those who traveled to Europe for meetings with Danish and Greenlandic officials. Some members of the delegation are expected to go to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, next week.

‘The trip will highlight bipartisan support for our allies in the Kingdom of Denmark and discuss how to deepen this partnership in line with our shared principles of sovereignty and self-determination, and in the face of growing challenges around the world, especially bolstering Arctic security and promoting stronger trade relations between the two countries,’ a statement Shaheen issued prior to the visit read.

Coons, who led the delegation, underscored the lawmakers’ desire to ‘reaffirm Congress’ commitment’ to Denmark, calling it one of the U.S.’s ‘oldest, strongest NATO allies.’

‘A great day leading our bipartisan delegation to Copenhagen meeting with Danish and Greenlandic officials to reaffirm Congress’ commitment to one of our oldest, strongest NATO allies. In an increasingly unstable world In which our adversaries are cooperating, our alliances are more important than ever,’ he wrote in a post on X.

The visit comes as Trump’s renewed push for the U.S. to takeover Greenland continues to draw criticism from both sides of the aisle and some of America’s allies.

‘That rhetoric doesn’t just undermine our bilateral relationship, it undermines the NATO alliance at a time when our adversaries seek to benefit from division,’ Shaheen said during a speech at the University of Copenhagen.

The trip began before Trump announced on Saturday planned tariffs for Denmark and several European nations in a bid to force a deal for the U.S. purchase of Greenland. 

While the lawmakers were visiting, Denmark saw massive protests of crowds voicing their opposition to the U.S. taking the semiautonomous Danish territory. Thousands gathered across the country to show their solidarity with Greenland. The crowds chanted ‘Greenland is not for sale’ and held banners with slogans such as ‘Hands off Greenland,’ according to Reuters.

‘I am very grateful for the huge support we as Greenlanders receive… we are also sending a message to the world that you all must wake up,’ Julie Rademacher, chair of Uagut, an organization for Greenlanders in Denmark, told Reuters.

‘Greenland and the Greenlanders have involuntarily become the front in the fight for democracy and human rights,’ she added.

Trump has insisted that the U.S. needs Greenland for purposes of national security, saying that Russia and China were eyeing the island. 

During her speech at the University of Copenhagen, Shaheen argued that Trump’s approach is unnecessary, saying the U.S. already has pathways to secure its interests in the Arctic.

‘Anything the president might want — whether it is U.S. bases to defend against Arctic threats or critical minerals deals — the leaders of Denmark and Greenland have made clear they are happy to partner with us. So, the threats are not only unnecessary, they are also counterproductive, and they risk undermining the broader NATO Alliance in the process,’ Shaheen added.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, U.S. ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker pushed back against growing European backlash over Washington’s focus on Greenland after France announced new military exercises with Denmark, saying Arctic security is a core American defense interest and that Europe ‘has a tendency to overreact.’

Americans appear divided on the idea, however, with 86% of voters nationwide saying they would oppose military action to take over Greenland, according to a Quinnipiac University poll. The survey found that voters opposed any U.S. effort to buy Greenland by a 55%–37% margin, suggesting the idea has yet to gain broad support among American voters.

Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter and Amanda Macias contributed to this report.

Iran’s supreme leader has publicly acknowledged for the first time that thousands of people were killed during recent anti-government protests, according to reporting from the BBC, as President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric and called for new leadership in Iran.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the remarks during a public address Saturday, blaming the U.S. for the unrest and violence and saying some protesters died ‘in an inhuman, savage manner,’ the BBC reported.

The protests, which began in late December over economic conditions, later expanded into calls for an end to Iran’s ruling system. 

U.S.-based Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency estimates that more than 3,000 people were killed over roughly three weeks of unrest, though Iranian authorities have not released an official death toll.

According to the BBC, nationwide internet shutdowns have made independent verification difficult, with connectivity dropping to roughly 2% of normal levels, citing data from cyber monitoring group NetBlocks.

Videos authenticated by BBC Persian and BBC Verify show Iranian security forces firing on demonstrators during the unrest.

Trump told Politico on Saturday that ‘it’s time to look for new leadership in Iran,’ after being read a series of hostile posts from Khamenei’s X account accusing the president of responsibility for the violence.

‘What he is guilty of, as the leader of a country, is the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at levels never seen before,’ Trump said, according to Politico. ‘Leadership is about respect, not fear and death.’

Trump went further in personal terms, telling Politico, ‘The man is a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people.’

‘His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership,’ Trump added.

Trump has previously urged Iranians to continue protesting and ‘take over institutions,’ saying that ‘help is on its way,’ according to Politico. The president later said he had been informed that the killings had stopped.

‘The best decision he ever made was not hanging more than 800 people two days ago,’ Trump told Politico, when asked about the scope of potential U.S. military action.

In a series of posts on X posts, Khamenei accused Trump of responsibility for the violence, writing, ‘We find the US President guilty due to the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted upon the Iranian nation.’

In another post, Khamenei claimed that ‘America’s goal is to devour Iran.’

Trump has said in recent days he was looking at ‘very strong options’ including possible military involvement.

The State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Vice President JD Vance will not attend the Munich Security Conference in 2026, Fox News Digital has learned. 

The move comes after Vance attended the conference in 2025 and issued some harsh words for European leaders — prompting some backlash from allies on the other side of the pond. 

A source familiar with Vance’s plans confirmed to Fox News Digital that Vance would not participate in the conference in 2026, but no reason was provided for his absence. Bloomberg first reported that Vance would not attend the conference. 

The 2026 conference will be held in February in Munich. 

Vance’s absence comes as he’s publicly been more focused on domestic issues like fraud cases in Minnesota recently, while President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio appear to be spearheading the administration’s foreign policy agenda. 

Meanwhile, Vance in 2025 cautioned that Russia and China don’t pose as great a threat to European nations as the ‘threat from within,’ in regard to issues like censorship and illegal immigration. Likewise, Vance claimed that European voters didn’t endorse opening the ‘floodgates to millions of unvetted immigrants.’

‘To many of us on the other side of the Atlantic, it looks more and more like old entrenched interests hiding behind ugly Soviet-era words like misinformation and disinformation, who simply don’t like the idea that somebody with an alternative viewpoint might express a different opinion or, God forbid, vote a different way, or even worse, win an election,’ Vance said at the 2025 conference, which was held in February. 

European leaders challenged the remarks, and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said shortly after Vance delivered the statement that he perceived the statements as a comparison to ‘conditions in parts of Europe with those in authoritarian regimes.’

‘That is unacceptable, and it is not the Europe and not the democracy in which I live and am currently campaigning,’ Pistorius said. 

Meanwhile, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre claimed that Vance was off base on his comments about immigration in Europe.

‘He speaks as though we are not focused on immigration in Europe,’ Gahr Støre said. ‘I mean, this is the big theme in every country, that we want to have control of our borders.’

Fox News Digital reached out to conference officials for comment on Vance’s absence and has not yet received a reply. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

UNRWA officials urged congressional staffers to oppose a potential Trump administration move to designate the U.N. agency as a foreign terrorist organization, and discussed UNRWA’s ongoing operations in Gaza and the West Bank, including cash-based assistance, during a Dec. 17 briefing, Fox News Digital has learned.

The video conference was organized by UNRWA USA, the American nonprofit that supports the agency through advocacy and fundraising. UNRWA USA Executive Director Mara Kronenfeld opened the briefing by saying the goal was to make clear that UNRWA ‘is still on the ground’ in Gaza and the West Bank despite what she described as ‘the Netanyahu government’s insidious efforts to systematically prevent UNRWA from continuing its life-saving humanitarian work.’

During the meeting, briefers also raised reports that the U.S. government was considering designating UNRWA as a foreign terrorist organization and discussed with congressional offices what steps could be taken to ‘help prevent that and support UNRWA in its critical work,’ according to meeting details reviewed by Fox News Digital.

Bill Deere, UNRWA’s director in Washington, said ‘press reports appear to be true’ that the administration was considering a foreign terrorist organization designation for the agency.

‘This would be unprecedented for a U.N. agency to consider this. It is certainly unwarranted,’ Deere said, asserting that ‘four separate independent investigations’ dispute Israel’s allegations regarding UNRWA’s workforce. 

Deere urged congressional offices to respond forcefully.

‘You can loudly express your displeasure,’ Deere said, arguing that the ramifications would extend beyond UNRWA and set a precedent affecting the broader U.N. system.

‘If they go ahead and do this, our recourse with regard to this is limited,’ he said, adding that one step that could be taken is that ‘Congress can override the designation.’

The meeting featured UNRWA field leadership describing conditions and operations in Gaza and the West Bank.

Sam Rose, director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, told participants that international staff were not entering Gaza because of the Israeli Knesset legislation, and that operations were being managed remotely.

Rose said that despite claims that UNRWA has been blocked, the agency’s services in Gaza haven’t stopped for a single day, pointing to primary healthcare, education, water and sanitation work, shelter operations and the use of UNRWA facilities as emergency shelters.

Rose also described the agency’s ability to operate programs that do not rely on immediate supply deliveries.

‘Cash assistance and job creation programs are also able to continue,’ he said and added, ‘we’re able to operate at scale.’

Roland Friedrich, introduced as director of UNRWA affairs in the West Bank, described UNRWA’s scale in the territory, including education, healthcare and assistance programs. He said UNRWA provides support to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees, including aid that ‘can be cash assistance,’ along with other forms such as food vouchers and social protection payments.

Friedrich also described ‘cash for rent’ assistance for displaced people, and argued that UNRWA’s presence plays a stabilizing role across multiple countries in the region.

The officials also discussed workarounds that allow UNRWA to keep operating under restrictions.

Rose said UNRWA was still able to receive fuel and that certain coordination occurred through third parties, describing indirect engagement involving U.N. channels. He said fuel could run power generators and water pumps and emphasized the importance of keeping basic services running.

On aid flows, Rose said Israel was reporting truck numbers that reached 600 per day, and he said he did not have reason to doubt the overall count. At the same time, he argued that the mix of goods entering had shifted, with commercial supplies playing a larger role while certain humanitarian items remained restricted for U.N. agencies. He described what he called a two-tier system, where some items blocked from U.N. use could enter through private channels.

Beyond the operational discussion, the briefing included explicit advocacy aimed at congressional offices.

Kronenfeld urged participants to support legislation described in the meeting as the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act of 2025, and she thanked offices already backing efforts to restore U.S. funding, describing the United States as historically UNRWA’s largest donor before the funding halt in 2024.

UNRWA USA did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Fox News Digital. UNRWA also did not respond.

William Deere, director of the UNRWA Representative Office in Washington, D.C., provided the following statement in response to a request for comment from Fox News Digital:

‘UNRWA participates in briefings hosted by the UNRWA USA National Committee and attended by bicameral groups of Republican and Democratic staff from Capitol Hill, as well as think tanks and nongovernmental organizations. Briefings like these are important opportunities for the Agency to respond to the government of Israel’s ongoing disinformation campaign suggesting that UNRWA is no longer actively working in Gaza. Quite the opposite is true. Every day, UNRWA staff are delivering critical services in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In fact, in a recent letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, UNRWA thanked President Trump for negotiating the ceasefire, which allows the world to turn to Gaza’s future.’

Deere added: ‘In Gaza, UNRWA medical personnel deliver 40 percent of primary healthcare and play a critical role in distributing water, promoting public health through immunization campaigns, pest control, nutrition screenings, and the disposal of solid waste. UNRWA is also leading the way in Gaza education, stepping up its ‘back to learning’ program, with almost 70,000 children now accessing the Agency’s in-person learning activities. The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is also a challenging area in which to work, especially given the various laws approved by the Israeli Knesset, and policymakers are always interested to hear the impacts of these laws firsthand from our experts.’

CIA Director John Ratcliffe was in Venezuela’s capital of Caracas Thursday to meet with acting President Delcy Rodríguez and other top officials, a U.S. official told Fox News Friday. 

The meeting unfolded about two weeks after the Trump administration carried out a military operation capturing Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. 

A U.S. official told Reuters Ratcliffe met with Rodriguez under the direction of President Donald Trump ‘to deliver the message that the United States looks forward to an improved working relationship.’ 

The two discussed intelligence sharing, economic stability and the need to guarantee that Venezuela is no longer a ‘safe haven for America’s adversaries, especially narco-traffickers,’ Reuters added.

On Wednesday, Trump said he had a call with Rodríguez and later described her as a ‘terrific’ person. 

‘This morning I had a very good call with the Interim President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez. We are making tremendous progress, as we help Venezuela stabilize and recover,’ Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. 

‘Many topics were discussed, including Oil, Minerals, Trade and, of course, National Security. This partnership between the United States of America and Venezuela will be a spectacular one FOR ALL. Venezuela will soon be great and prosperous again, perhaps more so than ever before!’ 

The same day, Rodríguez announced her government will continue to release prisoners detained under the rule of Maduro in an initiative she touted as a ‘new political moment,’ according to The Associated Press. 

Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancey and Bonny Chu contributed to this report. 

Exiled Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi unveiled Friday a 6-step plan to exert pressure on the regime, which he declared ‘will fall, not if, but when.’ 

‘My brave compatriots still holding the line with their broken bodies but unbreakable will, need your urgent help right now. Make no mistake, however, the Islamic Republic is close to collapse,’ Pahlavi declared.  

‘Ali Khamenei and his thugs know this. That’s why they are lashing out like a wounded animal, desperate to cling to power,’ he continued. ‘The people have not retreated. Their determination has made one thing clear. They are not merely rejecting this regime. They are demanding a credible new path forward. They have called for me to lead.’ 

Pahlavi said he has a comprehensive plan for an orderly transition and asked the international community to do six things, starting with protecting the Iranian people ‘by degrading the regime’s repressive capacity, including targeting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard leadership and its command-and-control infrastructure.’ 

‘Second, deliver and sustain maximum economic pressure on the regime, block their assets worldwide, target and dismantle their fleet of ghost [oil] tankers,’ he said. 

‘Third, break through the regime’s information blockade by enabling unrestricted internet access. Deploy Starlink and other secure communications tools widely across Iran and conduct cyber operations to disable the regime’s ability to shut down the internet. Fourth, hold the regime accountable by expelling its diplomats from your capitals and pursue legal enforcement actions against those responsible for crimes against humanity,’ Pahlavi continued. 

‘Fifth, demand the immediate release of all political prisoners. Six, prepare for a democratic transition in Iran by committing to recognize a legitimate transitional government when the moment comes,’ he concluded.

Pahlavi’s remarks came as President Donald Trump seemed to remain ambivalent about the possibility of Pahlavi taking over the country if the Islamic regime were to fall. 

‘He seems very nice, but I don’t know how he’d play within his own country,’ Trump told Reuters during an interview on Wednesday. ‘And we really aren’t up to that point yet. 

‘I don’t know whether or not his country would accept his leadership, and certainly if they would, that would be fine with me,’ he added. 

When Pahlavi was asked Friday by a reporter about how he plans to win Trump over, he said, ‘President Trump has said that it’s up to the Iranian people to decide, and I totally agree.’

‘I’ve always said it’s for the Iranian people to decide. And I think the Iranian people have already demonstrated in great numbers who it is that they want them to lead to this transition,’ he added. ‘So I’m confident that I have the support of my compatriot. And as for the international leaders to assess the fact on the ground and see who is capable of doing that. I believe I can, and I have the Iranian people’s support.’ 

Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.