As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrates what he sees as major victories against Hamas and Hezbollah this week, the mood in Tel Aviv is far from celebratory.
Often bustling with crowds on a weekend, the coastal city of more than 400,000 residents was quieter than usual, with some attributing the subdued mood to fears of an Iranian attack in retaliation to the assassinations carried out against Hamas and Hezbollah leaders in recent days.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was on “high alert,” and Israeli supermarkets are reporting a spike in shopping for basic goods as citizens stock up.
On Wednesday, Netanyahu said that his country “struck crushing blows” to the “the three H’s” – Hamas, the Houthis and Hezbollah, all Iranian-backed, all fierce Israeli foes. The prime minister was celebrating the assassination of Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, Hezbollah military commander Fu’ad Shukr and retaliatory strikes on the Houthis in Yemen last month.
Hamas also blamed Israel for the assassination of their political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed on Wednesday in Tehran. Israel has not commented on the killing.
Netanyahu’s tone stands at odds with the mood on the ground in Tel Aviv, including among families of the hostages still in Gaza.
Four of Yifat Zailer’s relatives are still held in Gaza by Hamas – Zailer’s cousin Shiri and her husband Yarden, along with their two sons, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, who spent his first birthday in captivity in January.
The Bibas boys remain the youngest of 111 hostages still held in Gaza since October 7, according to Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
“I feel they (the government) don’t hear it’s enough; I feel they don’t hear the people on the streets shouting, that our priority is getting the hostages back,” Zailer said.
Polls have repeatedly shown that most Israelis prioritize the release of hostages over continued war.
A recent survey conducted by independent research center the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) showed that 56% of Israelis support a deal to release all the hostages and end the war in Gaza. It also showed that most right-wing Israelis have a greater appetite for the war.
“A large majority of those on the left and in the center consider a deal for the release of hostages to be the highest priority,” the survey said, “while the majority on the right prioritize a military operation in Rafah.”
Zailer’s family was taken from Kibbutz Nir Or on October 7, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage, according to Israeli authorities. Israel retaliated by waging a war in Gaza, which Palestinian authorities say killed more than 39,000 people in the enclave, most of whom are women and children.
The war has also displaced almost all of Gaza’s population, flattened much of the strip and triggered a humanitarian crisis. But Netanyahu has said that the war will continue until Hamas is eliminated, a goal deemed unrealistic by his critics.
Hopes that a deal that would release Zailer’s family, along with the more than 100 other hostages, have ebbed and flowed throughout the past ten months of war. The spike in tensions last week only raised the worst of fears.
Zailer worries she will wake up one day to find that all the hostages had been killed, she said, “because they (Hamas) decided they have nothing to gain out of them.”
‘We’re waiting for an attack’
As families worry for their loved ones in Gaza, those in Israel are bracing for a possible Iranian retaliation, a move that could plunge the Middle East into an all-out war that drags in other regional players and potentially the United States.
On Tel Aviv’s main beach promenade, some Israelis are spending their Saturday swimming and surfing, knowing an Iranian attack could hit their city at any moment.
“The achievements (assassinations) are good, but let’s get this thing over with. Let’s get out. Let’s finish this thing. We’re tired, everyone is tired,” Oved said.
Alona Lelchuk, 31, said this war feels different, however, mainly because there are hostages still in captivity.
Netanyahu has been accused of losing focus of one of the main purposes of the war, which was to bring back those kidnapped. Without a ceasefire deal, they are unlikely to come home. But the Israeli leader has been under pressure from far-right ministers of his coalition to delay a ceasefire deal and press on with the war in Gaza, which today shows few signs of ending.
Even before the last escalation, the prime minister has been accused by critics of obstructing negotiations leading to a deal, and instead clinging to an extended war in efforts to ensure his political survival and that of his coalition.
Zailer is worried that as the war drags on and the death tolls rise in Gaza, her concerns for the hostages become less and less “legitimate” in the eyes of the world, especially as Israel increasingly loses international support for its military campaign in the Palestinian enclave.
She also worries for the children, Israeli and Palestinian, who will be forced to grow up with the wounds of this drawn-out war.
The youngest of five children, she was born in Afghanistan in 1999, just a month before her father, a fruit and vegetable seller, was killed by the Taliban.
So desperate was her mother to protect her children that she fled with the four youngest – all aged under five – first to Pakistan then to Australia, where they settled in Shepparton, a regional town in northern Victoria in 2013.
Australia offered the children opportunities their mother, Sakina Muhammad Jan, never had. They went to school, learned English, and made friends outside their Hazara community, an ethno-religious minority with a long history of persecution in Afghanistan.
But a decade on, Haidari is dead, and her mother has served the first week of a three-year sentence for forcing her to marry a man against her wishes to study and get a job.
Jan is the first person in Australia to be convicted of forced marriage since it was criminalized in 2013. The court heard there was no suggestion she knew her daughter’s husband would kill her just weeks after she moved in with him.
“You were the trusted and only living parent of the victim. It was your acts of coercion that caused her to enter the marriage,” Judge Fran Dalziel told Jan from the bench at Victoria County Court, in comments that had to be translated into Jan’s native language, Dari.
The crime carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison for victims over 18, but Jan was sentenced to three, to be released with restrictions after 12 months.
Since then, word has spread about what the sentence means, particularly for parents who feel compelled to push their children to marry due to their own beliefs or community pressure.
“It has caused a lot of fear, a lot of anxiety in our community,” said Helena Hassani, an expert on forced marriage in Australia with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and founder of Boland Parwaz, an organization that seeks to end child and forced marriage.
“That day when she was sentenced, we had a family gathering. A lot of middle-aged women who never talk about these things were asking me, what’s going to happen? Is she going to go to jail?”
“I was like, yes, she’s sentenced, and you’re going to have to be really careful, because forced marriage is illegal in Australia,” said Hassani. “And they’re really looking pale, because I know at least one of their daughters are being forced to get married in Australia.”
A life sentence
Forced marriage is considered a form of gender-based violence that predominantly affects young women, whose control over their lives is passed without consent from their parents to their partners. It can lead to decades of physical and psychological abuse, and in some cases suicide or murder.
In the past six years, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) has received 531 reports of forced marriages in Australia, most involving children under the age of 18.
Haidari’s was one of them.
She was introduced to her future husband, Mohammad Ali Halimi, on June 1, 2019, and the very next day began confiding her objections to her friends, her driving instructor, her teachers, then ultimately the police.
Officers spoke to her on August 19, but the next day a mullah was called to officiate a permanent Nikah ceremony, confirming the couple’s earlier engagement.
He paid her family a dowry of 15,000 Australian dollars ($9,700).
Halimi returned to his home in Perth in Western Australia, under the agreement that his wife would join him when she finished high school.
“In our community, in our culture, we have got this saying, which is girls should leave their parents’ home with a white dress, which is your wedding dress, and they should leave their husband’s home again with a white dress, which is your coffin,” said Hassani.
And that is exactly what happened to Haidari.
In January 2020, within weeks of a party to celebrate their marriage at a sports center in Shepparton attended by 500 guests, Halimi killed his young wife.
At home in Perth, he had been arguing with Haidari’s brother on the phone, and when the call ended, the unhappy newlyweds continued to fight.
According to court documents, Haidari told him to “f*** off,” and he grabbed a large kitchen knife and lunged at her with such force that he severed two of her arteries.
Halimi pleaded guilty, telling police he’d become increasingly frustrated after she repeatedly rebuffed his attempts at sexual intimacy. He also complained that she had failed to cook or keep the house clean, and often slept while he worked seven days a week to support them.
Halimi was sentenced to life in prison.
“She really did not want to get married,” Hassani, of UTS, said of Haidari.
“She came back from Perth, asking the family, please don’t let me go, please get my divorce, and mom was like, ‘No, go back.’”
“You’re supposed to leave your husband’s home with white coffin, which she did, poor lady.”
A civil response
Jennifer Burn, the founding director of Anti-Slavery Australia, says that women inside and outside the country seek help every day via My Blue Sky, a website that offers free and confidential advice to women stuck in or trying to avoid forced marriages.
“Australia is so multicultural, and we have reports across the board, all religions, all ethnicities,” said Burn, who has campaigned against modern slavery for more than two decades. Forced marriages have been reported within communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and India, among others.
Often, those at risk are young girls from socially conservative families, who are living at home and are reluctant to go to the police because they don’t want their parents to get into trouble.
The practice has been going on for decades, but in recent years the Australian government has made a point of targeting offenders, and on the day of Jan’s sentencing, the attorney general announced the start of consultations about what a stronger civil response could look like.
Changes could include allowing victims to apply for a court protection order against potential offenders or relaxing the rules so that adults can be added to airport watch lists, if there’s a fear they could be taken abroad to be married.
“This idea of building greater civil protection for people who are facing forced marriages is really, really important, and that can go hand in hand with the criminal response,” said Burn.
Some of the measures borrow from forced-marriage laws in Britain, where hundreds of people take out protection orders each year to thwart an impending forced marriage.
The United Kingdom also has the interagency Forced Marriage Unit, which works with the foreign and interior ministries as well as charities to try and stop British victims being compelled to marry both at home and abroad. The unit’s latest statistics show 69% of cases referred to them involve female victims, while 31% are male.
Other countries such as France, Canada and Germany also have specific laws against forced marriage.
Support is already given to women within Australia, but in late July rules were relaxed so that social welfare groups can also refer victims for crisis support and accommodation, alongside the AFP.
“You don’t need to talk to the police. You can be supported for up to 200 days, and potentially more,” said Burn. “You’d be provided with comprehensive 24/7 casework support, including accommodation. That is something that can be incredibly important in a crisis situation.”
A mother behind bars
Straight after Monday’s sentencing hearing, Jan was taken away to spend her first days inside a women’s prison on the outskirts of Melbourne.
Her barrister Andrew Buckland said that, as an illiterate, non-English speaker, it’s likely she doesn’t have a good understanding of what’s going on, though she has indicated she wants to appeal the sentence.
As a permanent resident and not an Australian citizen, Jan’s sentence will cost her far more than 12 months in prison. Under Australia’s Migration Act, her visa could be cancelled under rules that seek to remove non-citizens who commit serious crimes.
A month before Jan’s sentencing, the immigration minister circulated a directive specifically naming the crime of forced marriage as serious enough to warrant the removal of a visa. Without a visa, Jan would be subject to deportation to her home country of Afghanistan, although as signatory to the Refugee Convention, Australia is obligated to not send refugees back to potential harm.
Since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan in August 2021, the persecution of Hazaras has escalated alongside increasing deprivations for women who are now living under a system of “gender apartheid,” according to the United Nations.
Without a visa, after serving her sentence, Jan could be forced into immigration detention, or potentially released under a bridging visa with strict monitoring conditions including the use of an ankle bracelet.
During Jan’s sentencing hearing, Judge Dalziel cited a letter of support from the Goulburn Valley Afghanistan Association that described her as “a quiet, kind and helpful woman.”
However, Hassani says Jan has lost the respect of the community she tried so hard to please.
“It has really damaged her reputation, her respect, and she has literally no place in the community,” she said.
Like many perpetrators, Jan was also a victim of forced marriage, compelled to marry a man she didn’t know at age 12. Her first baby followed soon after.
Her parents would likely have believed they were acting in her best interests.
“The whole community believes that if you have got a husband, then you’re respected, you’re valued, the whole world is yours,” said Hassani. “To be a good woman, you have to be married, and you have to be a nice, obedient wife.”
To be divorced is to bring shame on the family. It can also be financially debilitating for whichever party has to pay back the dowry and cost of wedding celebrations.
“A lot of girls would rather suicide, than live with that shame and stigma,” she said.
Divorcees are labeled as “bewa,” which was the label attached to Haidari years earlier when her mother arranged for her to marry another man at age 15. That union ended in divorce.
The court heard that Jan thought that marrying off Ruqia would be in her best interests.
“Whilst you believed you were acting in her best interests, you were not in fact doing so,” said Judge Dalziel.
It’s not acceptable within the Hazara community to force a child to marry. But it does happen, and the value the community places on marriage makes it hard to break the cycle.
But Hassani believes change can happen – she’s already seeing younger generations pushing back against the pressure placed on them to marry.
“I’m really happy that a lot of children who have grown up here are standing up for themselves,” she said. “But it still needs a lot of time to resolve this clash between parents and the community’s expectations.”
Israeli airstrikes on two school buildings in the north of Gaza City killed 17 Palestinians, most of them children, and left at least 63 injured according to Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal on Saturday.
“The schools were targeted a second time with three missiles, resulting in 17 martyrs and dozens of injured individuals who were transported to the Baptist Hospital in the city,” Basal said.
According to Gaza Civil Defense, the schools were being used as shelters for people displaced by violence. Both Al-Huda School and Al-Hamama School, which are adjacent to each other and share the same playground, were targeted, Basal said.
After the initial strike, more than three missiles struck the area in a “double tap” attack, according to Basal.
“The first bombing was unexpected and resulted in a large number of martyrs and injured individuals. While the martyrs and injured were being retrieved, the occupation forces issued a warning that another strike was imminent,” Basal said.
The Civil Defense in Gaza published a list of the names of the killed individuals, showing that at least three of the dead were female.
Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza on October 7, after terror group Hamas attacked southern Israel. At least 1,200 people were killed, and more than 250 others abducted in the Hamas-led assault, according to Israeli authorities.
Israeli military action in the strip has since killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians and injured over 90,000, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. As of early July, nearly 2 million people had been displaced in Gaza – almost the entire population, according to figures from the United Nations.
Two people have been killed in a stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Holon, near Tel Aviv, medical officials have said.
The two killed were a 66-year-old woman and an “approximately 80-year-old man,” medical officials said. Two others were injured.
Police said the attacker was a West Bank resident and was “neutralized” at the scene. He was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.
A large police presence is at the scene conducting “extensive searches with a helicopter and other means,” a police spokesperson added.
Israel’s Minister for State Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited the site of the attack and repeated a call for Israelis to arm themselves.
“I share in the grief of the families and wish a full recovery to the wounded. Our war is not only against Iran, but here in the streets. This is exactly why we armed the people of Israel. More than 150,000 licenses for weapons in the last eight months,” he said, urging people to “carry a weapon, it saves lives.”
Palestinian militant groups celebrated the attack in Holon with the Popular Resistance Committees, an umbrella organisation of armed groups, and the Al-Qassam Brigades posting messages of support on their social media channels.
Ukraine’s military has claimed it sank a Russian submarine in a port in Crimea, in what would be another major setback for Moscow in the occupied peninsula.
The submarine Rostov-on-Don was hit in the port of Sevastopol on Friday, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said in a statement Saturday.
“The boat sank on the spot,” the General Staff said, without providing further evidence.
If confirmed, the sinking would be Ukraine’s latest blow to Russia’s navy, which Kyiv claims has already lost a third of its Black Sea Fleet.
The alleged loss of the Rostov-on-Don “proves once again that there is no safe place for the Russian fleet in Ukrainian territorial waters of the Black Sea,” the General Staff said.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry hailed the attack, saying in a post on social media that “a Russian submarine went to the bottom of the Black Sea” after it was attacked in Sevastopol’s port. “As a result of the attack, the submarine sank. Great work, warriors.”
Russia has occupied Crimea since its forces annexed the peninsula in 2014. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine more than two years ago, it has come under sporadic attack from Kyiv’s forces.
The Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said submarine defense exercises were taking place on Saturday, and “everything is calm in the city.”
On a post on Saturday, Russian military blogger Boris Rozhin said the ship repair plant in Sevastopol, where the submarine was docked, appears to have been hit.
Commissioned in 2014, the Rostov-on-Don is a 73.8-meter (242-foot) Kilo II-class submarine and carries a crew of 52. With a submerged displacement of 3,100 tons, the diesel-electric-powered vessel can carry Kalibr cruise missiles.
“Hitting this submarine is a big, big deal,” Leighton said.
Ukraine has targeted the Rostov-on-Don before.
The submarine was “severely damaged” in a Ukrainian missile attack in September 2023, according to Ukraine’s General Staff. After that attack, open-source intelligence photos, including ones cited by Britain’s defense ministry, showed what the ministry said was “catastrophic damage.”
But Ukraine’s General Staff said the Rostov-on-Don was repaired and recently tested in the waters of Sevastopol harbor.
Kyiv’s forces have enjoyed sustained successes targeting Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, with either missile strikes or sea drone attacks.
More than 20 Russian naval vessels have now been disabled or destroyed, a third of the entire fleet. Though Ukraine has virtually no navy of its own, technological innovation, audacity and Russian incompetence have given it the upper hand in much of the Black Sea.
Russia’s worst naval loss of the war was the sinking of the guided-missile cruiser Moskva in April 2022.
In October last year, satellite imagery indicated that Russia relocated some of its naval ships away from Sevastopol after a series of Ukrainian attacks.
In addition to striking the submarine, Ukrainian forces also severely damaged four S-400 anti-aircraft missile launchers on Friday, the Ukrainian General Staff said.
Leighton said destruction of the anti-aircraft batteries could help open up the skies over Crimea for Ukrainian warplanes to take on more Russian targets on the occupied peninsula.
In 1958, the National Election Study began surveying Americans’ trust in government, revealing that approximately 75% believed the federal government would do the right thing almost always or most of the time. However, according to Pew Research in 2023, this trust has plummeted to a seven-decade low of merely 16%.
Alarmingly, only 2% of Americans now believe that the government consistently acts correctly, and confidence in elected officials continues to erode. The primary reason for this decline is clear: our government leaders no longer take responsibility for their decisions.
In the upcoming 100 days leading up to the election, consider whether you hear either candidate admit to mistakes on the campaign trail. Statements such as ‘I made a mistake,’ ‘That was a bad decision,’ or ‘We shouldn’t have gone down that path’ have become rare.
True leadership is challenging and often solitary. It requires making tough decisions and, more importantly, acknowledging both successes and failures. Unfortunately, our politicians no longer engage in this level of honesty, contributing significantly to the diminishing trust in the federal government. People understand that no one can be right all the time… we are only human.
During this election season, you will also witness both sides of the political spectrum engaging in the blame game. Whether through television soundbites, newspaper columns or social media, it is common to see one side blaming the other for current issues, including the economy, immigration, crime, abortion or climate change.
When leaders resort to blaming others, it sets a precedent that if we cannot solve our problems, we are justified in blaming someone else for the difficulties or inaction.
True leaders do not solve problems by shifting blame. Instead, they strive to unite people around a shared vision and actionable solutions. When top elected officials indulge in blame games, it further erodes public trust in their ability to accomplish anything meaningful.
Restoring trust in government requires addressing the disconnect between what politicians say and what people perceive. For instance, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., once remarked, ‘Anyone who would think that they’re at some advantage because of Joe Biden’s age thinks that at their peril because he’s very sharp.’ Yet, a few months later, she questioned Biden’s capability to run for president and immediately endorsed Kamala Harris once he dropped his re-election campaign.
Similarly, Harris famously deflected when asked about her plans to visit the border by saying, ‘And I haven’t been to Europe yet.’ Despite her role in addressing illegal migration, she failed to acknowledge the incomplete efforts.
Even more starkly, in the years following the 2020 election, President Trump continually described the election as ‘rigged.’ True leaders accept defeat graciously and work toward a comeback, akin to athletes in sports who often achieve remarkable comebacks.
As we approach the upcoming election, it remains to be seen whether voters will prioritize personality over policies. Social media also plays a significant role in eroding trust, with many people relying on their smartphones for information. The rapid consumption of news through brief soundbites often prevents people from getting the full story, influencing their perceptions and actions significantly.
Americans yearn to restore their trust and faith in their leaders. Politicians need to understand that showing vulnerability and admitting to mistakes does not signify weakness but strength.
In any leadership role, be it in corporate America or a family-run business, making wrong choices is inevitable. However, confidence is instilled by leader.s who can persist in their vision despite setbacks.
It’s time for our leaders to rebuild our trust, starting with three simple words: ‘I was wrong.’
Venezuela’s current political upheaval following an allegedly fraudulent presidential election will not be resolved simply by putting the opposition candidates in power, though it is a strong first step, experts told Fox News Digital.
‘I certainly think that these are patriots,’ Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital during a digital press conference. ‘Maria Corina Machado is … one of the bravest people I’ve ever encountered and one of the greatest political figures in the world.’
‘She’s remained in the country steadfast,’ Rubio continued. ‘She put aside any personal ambitions she may have had in her hand and allowed her to be the candidate for the opposition, and didn’t let that get in the way.’
‘So these are extraordinary people, and the only reason you do that is because you love your country,’ he added.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro intervened in the November 2023 primaries to prevent the immensely popular Machado from standing against him, instead forcing her to stand aside and allow Edmundo Gonzalez to pick up the banner of the opposition.
Pre-election polling (which is illegal in the country) showed Gonzalez had double the support that Maduro and his United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) had, but the Maduro-controlled National Electoral Council handed to the incumbent with an alleged victory margin of 51%, compared to 44% support for the opposition.
Venezuelans took to the streets in peaceful protest following the decision, but Maduro sent out police to crack down on them and to clear the streets, leading to violent clashes and escalation.
Ultimately, the Biden administration on Thursday declared Gonzalez the rightful winner of the election, arguing, ‘Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González … won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election.’
Joseph Humire, the executive director of the Center for a Secure Free Society, stressed that ‘real change to Venezuela will not happen with one election, but it’s a starting point.’
‘After 25 years of autocratic, socialist rule, Venezuelans have lost most if not all of their freedoms,’ Humire told Fox News Digital.
‘They have little to no economic freedom, political freedom, and even severely limited freedom of speech,’ Humire explained. ‘The main reason Venezuelans voted in such high numbers for Edmundo Gonzalez in this election (and de facto for Machado as well even though she was barred from being on the ballot) is because they want their freedoms back.’
‘Venezuela is run by a criminal system that is embedded with most state institutions and has an equal power network outside the government through armed non-state actors,’ Humire continued. ‘Maduro losing and leaving is a necessary but insufficient condition for real change in Venezuela.’
‘But even if Maduro and his cohorts (regime leaders) leave Venezuela, the Chavista criminal system remains and will, no doubt, try to subvert and manipulate the transition process,’ he added, pointing to Bolivia as a nation where a leader resigned but returned because the country couldn’t dismantle the power structure he established.
Humire suggested that Machado and Gonzalez continue working to ‘delegitimize the Chavista regime,’ referring to Hugo Chavez and the government structure he established in Venezuela and Maduro inherited after taking office in 2013. He cautioned that the opposition may have ‘adaptive agents’ within it that remain sympathetic to Maduro’s party.
‘The opposition has always been filled with what the Venezuelans call ‘enchufados,’ which is a Spanish term for those who are ‘plugged into’ the regime,’ Humire said. ‘These are fake opposition members that have back-door business and political deals with the Maduro regime.’
‘My concern is that these ‘enchufados’ will either a) shift the narrative to one that legitimizes Maduro’s electoral fraud; and/or b) subvert the transition process in Venezuela even if Edmundo Gonalez is accepted as the president-elect,’ he warned.
Isaias Medina III, a former United Nations Security Council diplomat and Edward Mason Fellow at Harvard University, told Fox News Digital that the ‘massive marches’ in Venezuela this week ‘reflect a grassroots demand for change,’ but he also acknowledged the steep challenge that comes with ‘challenging a cruel regime willing to use force against its population.’
‘Venezuelan politics requires profound renovation,’ Medina said. ‘Regrettably, an exit strategy for Venezuela is necessary. However, is it truly Maduro’s decision to agree to any negotiation or amnesty proposal? Numerous dubious stakeholders manipulate Venezuela’s lost sovereignty, turning the situation into a transnational crisis threatening regional peace and security.’
‘Venezuela needs a new political approach free from ‘politiqueros’ who prioritize personal gain over national welfare and from governmental paternalistic policies: governments must serve its citizens not the other way around,’ he argued. ‘The focus must shift towards education, job opportunities, and a real representative congress to debate issues and find effective solutions.’
‘If Gonzalez and Machado cannot solve the ‘ousting’ of the puppet usurper in ‘Miraflores’ (the Venezuelan White House), they will struggle to rebuild the country,’ he insisted. ‘However, I hope they prove me wrong.’
‘Venezuela needs more than messianic ‘Presidents’; it requires a transitional government with a strong purpose to restore the rule of law, reverse distorted governance, and evict illegal pirate occupants,’ Medina added.
‘Real change requires integrating merit-based qualified individuals across sectors and transforming the state’s paternalistic socialist practices into self-development opportunities for a poverty-stricken nation with abundant resources,’ he stressed. ‘Venezuela needs a ‘New Way’ away from 21st-century socialism that effectively combines citizen-public-private policies with economic development incentives.’
I have spent several years now thinking about the idea of authenticity, because I believe it is the quality that American society most craves, but also one that is rare and incredibly hard to define.
We clearly see this in our presidential race, in which Donald Trump’s supporters view him as a straight shooter who always says what he means, while his detractors describe him as a snake-oil salesman who will say anything to get what he wants.
Similarly, Kamala Harris fans see a tried and true public servant with decades of experience under her belt, while Republicans see a chameleon changing political colors more often than the pride flag.
Are either of them authentic? Neither of them? What is authenticity?
My own search to define the elusive quality began at a little dive bar in Venice Beach called Hinano. I’d just driven from Brooklyn To L.A. and the final day’s drive had taken me through about six different Bob Ross paintings from hunter green forest to deathly beige desert, moonscapes and Indian trading posts in between.
With my burger and beer I felt what Jack Kerouac once described as ‘end of the land sadness,’ but the company was very pleasant and as I looked around I saw sawdust on the floor, a Beach Boys cover band was playing, but I wondered, was this authentic?
Now, Hinano has been there since 1962 and apparently Jim Morrison loved it, so it had that going for it, but on the other hand, it felt almost like we were all playacting in some other time and place, like a 60’s California Renaissance Fair. And I could easily hold both of those ideas in my mind.
I thought about Hinano on Wednesday when Donald Trump underwent an at times hilarious interview at the National Association of Black Journalists in which he basically said Harris only recently started calling herself back, and used to go by Indian. About 15 minutes of anger and scandal ensued, then mostly disappeared.
I asked the one woman I met who was furious about it if she thought it would change any votes. Without a beat she said, ‘no.’
It was immediately clear to me, and to the people I spoke with, Democrat and Republican alike, that this was just Trump being unflinchingly Trump. But at the same time, Trump is a very unique kind of character.
Donald Trump has been a celebrity for 50 years, a kind of stylish contrarian, the guy who goes the other way and never backs down or apologizes. Even though this has all been completely consistent, to those who dislike him it also feels put on, like Trump has been playing a character or a brand for half a century and cannot separate the mask from his face anymore.
With Harris, things are a bit different. Republican voters are apoplectic that she seems to be changing her positions on everything from fracking to health care with no pushback from the liberal media. To them, this is the dictionary definition of inauthentic. But that’s not how Democratic voters see it.
The ones I talk to see a person who spent her whole life in party politics, and who knows how to bend to the will of the collective, and frankly, as far as Democratic politicians go, that is awfully authentic. Let’s not forget it was Barack Obama himself who ‘evolved’ from opposing gay marriage owing to his deep Christian beliefs to supporting it once it was politically feasible.
What was important about Trump’s attack on Harris’ alleged racial code switching is that he was precisely dinging her for being inauthentic, for pretending to be different people for different audiences. This is where Harris still has something to prove to swayable voters; they don’t quite know who she really is.
Between now and the end of the Democratic National Convention, both sides will eagerly try to paint Harris in the minds-eye of persuadable voters, and for these voters commitment to the good of the party will not be enough for her. They need to see the real Kamala Harris stand up, and need to believe that it is the same Kamala Harris that would preside in the Oval Office next year.
In the end, after a few years, a few more trips and visits,I decided that Hinano is authentic, but the place had to earn it. So does the vice president, and she doesn’t have a lot of time to do that.
A new report shows that countries within the Five Eyes intelligence partnership – the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand – heavily rely on China for rare earth elements (REEs), a set of metallic elements that play a crucial role in the mineral supply chain market.
The Five Eyes alliance has become an integral part of global intelligence and security operations. The group collaborates on intelligence matters and shares sensitive information to ensure collective security and thwart global threats.
Rare earth elements are necessary to produce military equipment, and the report notes that Western military supply chains are also highly vulnerable to Chinese decisions to limit REEs exports.
The report titled ‘Decreasing Rare Earths Dependency: How the Five Eyes Alliance can Minimize Rare Earths Trading Risk with China’ argues that Five Eyes countries must diversify away from China for their supply of REEs.
The U.S. had once been a key player in the rare earth elements market. Now, the U.S. is very dependent on China, importing as much as 80% of its REEs from China, according to the report.
‘The Five Eyes countries are dangerously exposed to China when it comes to rare earth minerals, as they are all over reliant on China for this critical resource,’ Helena Ivanov, associate fellow at the Henry Jackson Society and author of the report, told Fox News Digital.
The report highlights that rare earth elements are used for defense technologies like fighter jets and that China can leverage its dominance of the industry for political purposes, using this advantage to project its influence on the global stage.
Speaking on background, a spokesperson for the House Select Committee on the CCP told Fox News Digital that ‘the CCP increasingly leverages its markets, technology, and control over critical minerals to pressure the United States and its allies and partners. To counter these predatory practices, the United States must enhance U.S. trade and technology collaboration with its allies and partners while decreasing dependence on the PRC in critical supply chains.’
China overwhelmingly dominates the industry’s supply chain, accounting for 60% of global production and almost 90% of processing in the market.
In addition to being a valuable resource for military technology, rare earth elements are also critical in manufacturing smartphones, digital cameras, computer hard drives, fluorescent and LED lights, flat-screen TVs, computer monitors and electronic displays.
‘If no alternatives are found, the report warns that North American producers of critical minerals estimate that should confrontation occur, China could cut short the supply of critical minerals to the U.S. in an event of war and exhaust the U.S. stock of minerals necessary for its defense apparatus in less than 90 days.’
Admiral John Aquilino, leader of the Indo-Pacific Command, testified before the House Armed Services Committee in 2023 that China will meet President Xi’s goal to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027. Given recent tensions over Taiwan, the group’s overreliance on an adversarial China is worrisome.
China is not shy about its willingness to exploit its market dominance by restricting exports when it suits its interests and has used its monopoly over the industry for political purposes in the past. In 2023, the report points out, China explored limiting the export of rare earth minerals that are critical to the manufacturing of the F-35 fighter jets and other weaponry.
The U.S. is keenly aware of its vulnerabilities to China’s dominance of the market and has taken some measures to reduce its dependence on Beijing. The Department of Defense and other agencies are building programs to strengthen the domestic supply chain of REEs. In April, the Department of Energy announced $17.5 million as part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for four projects to help lower the cost and reduce the environmental impacts of extracting REEs.
Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in a statement at the time that the investments announced ‘will increase our national security while helping rebuild America’s manufacturing sector and revitalize energy and mining communities across the country.’
The vulnerabilities highlighted in the report shows the importance for the Western alliance to reduce its dependency on China overall. Without such risk reduction, the report argues that democratic countries may face a situation similar to Europe’s past reliance on Russian gas prior to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The only way out of this situation, the report says, is collaboration within the Five Eyes Alliance, as countries like Canada, Australia and the U.S. can ramp up domestic production and decrease China’s influence in the market.
‘In the last few years, China has become a bad faith actor, and substantial issues and risks are involved with relying on China for REEs,’ the report said.
A new report shows that countries within the Five Eyes intelligence partnership – the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand – heavily rely on China for rare earth elements (REEs), a set of metallic elements that play a crucial role in the mineral supply chain market.
The Five Eyes alliance has become an integral part of global intelligence and security operations. The group collaborates on intelligence matters and shares sensitive information to ensure collective security and thwart global threats.
Rare earth elements are necessary to produce military equipment, and the report notes that Western military supply chains are also highly vulnerable to Chinese decisions to limit REEs exports.
The report titled ‘Decreasing Rare Earths Dependency: How the Five Eyes Alliance can Minimize Rare Earths Trading Risk with China’ argues that Five Eyes countries must diversify away from China for their supply of REEs.
The U.S. had once been a key player in the rare earth elements market. Now, the U.S. is very dependent on China, importing as much as 80% of its REEs from China, according to the report.
‘The Five Eyes countries are dangerously exposed to China when it comes to rare earth minerals, as they are all over reliant on China for this critical resource,’ Helena Ivanov, associate fellow at the Henry Jackson Society and author of the report, told Fox News Digital.
The report highlights that rare earth elements are used for defense technologies like fighter jets and that China can leverage its dominance of the industry for political purposes, using this advantage to project its influence on the global stage.
Speaking on background, a spokesperson for the House Select Committee on the CCP told Fox News Digital that ‘the CCP increasingly leverages its markets, technology, and control over critical minerals to pressure the United States and its allies and partners. To counter these predatory practices, the United States must enhance U.S. trade and technology collaboration with its allies and partners while decreasing dependence on the PRC in critical supply chains.’
China overwhelmingly dominates the industry’s supply chain, accounting for 60% of global production and almost 90% of processing in the market.
In addition to being a valuable resource for military technology, rare earth elements are also critical in manufacturing smartphones, digital cameras, computer hard drives, fluorescent and LED lights, flat-screen TVs, computer monitors and electronic displays.
‘If no alternatives are found, the report warns that North American producers of critical minerals estimate that should confrontation occur, China could cut short the supply of critical minerals to the U.S. in an event of war and exhaust the U.S. stock of minerals necessary for its defense apparatus in less than 90 days.’
Admiral John Aquilino, leader of the Indo-Pacific Command, testified before the House Armed Services Committee in 2023 that China will meet President Xi’s goal to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027. Given recent tensions over Taiwan, the group’s overreliance on an adversarial China is worrisome.
China is not shy about its willingness to exploit its market dominance by restricting exports when it suits its interests and has used its monopoly over the industry for political purposes in the past. In 2023, the report points out, China explored limiting the export of rare earth minerals that are critical to the manufacturing of the F-35 fighter jets and other weaponry.
The U.S. is keenly aware of its vulnerabilities to China’s dominance of the market and has taken some measures to reduce its dependence on Beijing. The Department of Defense and other agencies are building programs to strengthen the domestic supply chain of REEs. In April, the Department of Energy announced $17.5 million as part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for four projects to help lower the cost and reduce the environmental impacts of extracting REEs.
Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in a statement at the time that the investments announced ‘will increase our national security while helping rebuild America’s manufacturing sector and revitalize energy and mining communities across the country.’
The vulnerabilities highlighted in the report shows the importance for the Western alliance to reduce its dependency on China overall. Without such risk reduction, the report argues that democratic countries may face a situation similar to Europe’s past reliance on Russian gas prior to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The only way out of this situation, the report says, is collaboration within the Five Eyes Alliance, as countries like Canada, Australia and the U.S. can ramp up domestic production and decrease China’s influence in the market.
‘In the last few years, China has become a bad faith actor, and substantial issues and risks are involved with relying on China for REEs,’ the report said.
