FIRST ON FOX: The Department of the Interior is cutting 43 partnerships with outside groups it says no longer align with the Trump administration’s priorities, eliminating more than $4 million in planned funding for programs tied to DEI, environmental justice and support services for illegal immigrants.

Led by Secretary Doug Burgum, the department determined the agreements were «operating in direct opposition» to its mission, according to a press release obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital.

«Under Secretary Burgum, the Department of the Interior is ending partnerships with groups that no longer represent the priorities of the American people,» the department said. In response, DOI said it is terminating all agreements with the identified groups and removing references to them from its websites.

The terminated agreements supported internship programs, conservation initiatives, research projects and cooperative partnerships.

BURGUM SAYS INTERIOR DEPARTMENT ‘COMPLETELY EMBRACING THE DOGE EFFORT’

A department-wide review launched in March uncovered nearly 3,000 active agreements with about 2,000 outside groups, ranging from NGOs and nonprofits to private entities and educational institutions.

The review later found multiple groups «did not appear to provide a clear benefit» or «did not align with the department’s mission,» according to the department.

ICE SHUTS DOWN PROGRAMS OFFERING SERVICES TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, CITING ‘IMMENSE’ COSTS

Federal ICE police officers patrol a suburban street in Chicago. (Christopher Dilts/Getty Images)

Among the groups targeted were the Hispanic Access Foundation, which offers scholarships for illegal immigrant Latino students, and Latino Outdoors, which the department said provided instructions on avoiding detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Latino Outdoors has advocated against oil and gas development, while the Hispanic Access Foundation has worked with the National Park Service «to conduct a variety of educational and cultural support activities,» according to the department.

The department cited the American Alliance of Museums, which it said had a contract with the NPS to build DEI programs across national parks as part of the agency’s Community Engagement initiative. The department pointed to the group’s previous Facing Change initiative, which promoted DEI efforts at museums.

EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP HUD SECRETARY CANCELS $4M IN DEI CONTRACTS AFTER LAUNCHING DOGE TASK FORCE

Hundreds of demonstrators protest outside a rally held by President Donald Trump at Macomb County Community College in Warren, Mich., on April 29, 2025. (Getty Images/Dominic Gwinn)

Conservation International, an environmental group that the department said advocates for a «total phase out of fossil fuels,» was also flagged. The department noted the organization’s statements describing fossil fuels as the «leading culprit» of planet-warming carbon emissions, as well as its support for environmental justice and equity-focused climate policies.

Another group on the department’s list was The Cultural Landscape Foundation, which it said has a master cooperative agreement with the NPS «to conduct a variety of educational and cultural support activities.» The organization has opposed several administration initiatives, including suing over changes at the Kennedy Center, criticizing plans for a White House ballroom and highlighting cultural landscapes and historic sites it says are threatened by administration actions through its Landslide 2026: Erasing American History initiative.

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«Under President Trump and Secretary Burgum, the Department of the Interior is taking decisive action to ensure its partnerships and resources support the priorities of this administration and the interests of the American people,» Matthew Middleton, principal deputy communications director and director of research, told Fox News Digital.

«As part of that commitment, the Department is ending relationships with organizations whose advocacy for phasing out baseload energy, defunding law enforcement services, and promoting racially preferential programs directly conflicts with this administration’s priorities. Interior will continue to invest in partnerships that expand access to public lands, promote responsible stewardship, and deliver tangible benefits to the American people.»

Fox News Digital reached out to the Hispanic Access Foundation, Latino Outdoors, the American Alliance of Museums, Conservation International and the Cultural Landscape Foundation for comment.

Other groups the DOI is cutting ties with include: The Green Schools Alliance, Doris Duke Foundation, Hispanic Access Foundation, National Wildlife Federation, California Native Plant Society, American Alliance of Museums, Clean Ocean Action and the National Geographic Society.

The move is the latest in a series of administration actions, including efforts to roll back DEI initiatives, strengthen immigration enforcement and expand energy development. The department said it will ensure future partnerships align with the agency’s mission.

JERUSALEM: The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) convened an emergency summit this week amid growing concern over the global rise in antisemitism following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023.

The three-day conference in the Israeli capital comes at a time when social media influencers are consistently pushing antisemitic hate to their millions of followers.

«Attacking the Jews means attacking the very roots of one’s own faith. It means fighting against the people who gave us the Bible. Jesus was Jewish,» ICEJ President Dr. Jürgen Bühler told Fox News Digital.

CANADA’S CARNEY PLEDGES ACTION ON ANTISEMITISM AMID BACKLASH OVER NEW ANTI-HATE COUNCIL MEMBERS

«If you don’t fight antisemitism, you are sawing off the branch you sit on. For the church to survive, we need to connect to our roots, fighting antisemitism needs to be at the forefront of every pastor and every leader around the world,» he added.

One of the central themes of the conference is Replacement Theology, a doctrine that holds the Church has replaced the Jewish people in God’s plan.

«The Bible is full of God’s eternal plan which includes the Jewish people. Paul’s statement in Romans 11 that ‘the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable’ relates to Israel. This is a doctrine that goes contrary to what the New and Old Testament are teaching and that’s why we need to have this conference,» Bühler said.

«One cannot deny the Jewishness of the Bible. The most frequent word in the Bible is the name of God and the second most used name is Israel. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, he died in Jerusalem, resurrected in Jerusalem, rose to heaven from Jerusalem and he is coming back to Jerusalem. If you read the Bible it is so easy to see the connection to Israel,» he added.

HUCKABEE CONDEMNS EFFORTS TO ERASE JEWISH HISTORY TO THE HOLY LAND AS ‘ABSURD’

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee places a note in the Western Wall as Holy Week and Passover come to a close. (@USAmbIsrael/X)

Israel’s newly appointed Special Envoy to the Christian world, George Deek, addressed the meeting on Wednesday, while Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee are scheduled to attend the summit’s closing event on Thursday at the foreign ministry as keynote speakers.

In a recorded message broadcast at the summit, Israeli President Isaac Herzog thanked Christian leaders for mobilizing against antisemitism.

«We are witnessing a very disturbing surge of antisemitism all over the world. This is a major challenge for humanity. This is the age-old, perhaps the oldest plague in humanity, and we have to stand up together — thought leaders and religious leaders — and say, ‘No more,’ and teach people about the sources of this evil and how to counter antisemitism,» Herzog said.

«I believe that countering antisemitism requires a combination of three major elements: law enforcement, adjudication and education,» he said.

Vice President JD Vance, left, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog shake hands during a meeting at the presidential residence, in Jerusalem, on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (Leo Correa/AP)

«You, dear leaders, have a huge capability of fighting back, and I bless you. Truly, I bless you as the president of Israel for coming here and fighting back, for coming here and discussing how to fight back,» Herzog concluded.

Dr. Andrew J. Nolte, who launched Regent University’s Israel Institute in 2024, said students often repeat antisemitic claims, including the accusation that Jews killed Jesus.

«The answer from a Christian theological perspective is that we all killed Jesus, he died for our sins. There is a theological understanding of the guilt we bear for Jesus’s blood,» Nolte told Fox News Digital.

ISRAEL LOOKING FOR ‘SOLUTIONS’ TO OPEN CHRISTIAN SITES AFTER BARRING CHURCH LEADER ON PALM SUNDAY DUE TO WAR

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre dates back to the fourth century. (Archivio Università di Roma Sapienza)

While Israel has faced recent criticism over treatment of Christians – mostly at the hands of a few extremists – the country is seen as a beacon of freedom of religion in the Middle East.

As of December 2025, Israel’s Christian population stood at approximately 184,200 people, representing 1.9% of the country’s total population. The community grew by 0.7% over the previous year.

Arab Christians account for 78.7% of Israel’s Christian population and comprise 6.8% of the country’s overall Arab population.

Most Arab Christians reside in northern Israel. Among non-Arab Christians, 42% live in the Tel Aviv and Central districts, compared to 33.9% in the Northern and Haifa districts.

Christian pilgrims carrying wooden crosses walk through Jerusalem’s Old City towards the Holy Sepulcre church during the Orthodox Good Friday procession on May 3, 2024.  (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Nolte said that Christians in Israel hold prominent positions, noting that the provost of the University of Haifa is a Maronite Christian and that Christian communities in the country report relatively high income levels. He also said that, in most cases involving civil rights and religious freedom brought by Christians in Israel, the outcomes have been decided in their favor.

«If you are comparing Israel to any Muslim country in the Middle East, the status of Christians is much higher. As a Christian, you are better off here than anywhere else in the region,» he added.

CHRISTOPHER RUFO: THE POLITICAL RIGHT AND THE ANTISEMITIC INFLUENCER PROBLEM

Israeli Christians in Nazareth hold a Christmas  parade on Dec. 24, 2025. (Eitan Elhadez-Barak/TPS-IL)

Christopher Kuehl, founder of Present Witness and co-host of the One New Man podcast, emphasized that biblical illiteracy among younger generations is fueling confusion about Israel.

He opened his remarks at the conference by citing a recent U.S. study on Gen Z’s alignment with biblical teachings and how closely their worldview corresponds with scripture, noting that only about 5% demonstrated strong adherence.

«Israel gets thrown into that ignorance, that biblical ignorance. Social media is what teaches children and Gen Z; they spend eight hours a day on it and go to church once a week for 20 minutes. How does one create a message in 20 minutes that will overcome spending eight hours on social media every day?» Kuehl told Fox News Digital.

FAITH UNDER FIRE: NETANYAHU CALLS OUT EFFORTS TO DIVIDE CHRISTIANS AND ISRAEL IN US

One Israeli pastor says one of the biggest challenges facing Israel’s Christian community is a low birth rate. Jesus King Church in Nazareth, Israel.  (Photo: Pastor Saleem Shalash)

Pastor Matthew Earls joined the summit as part of Eagles’ Wings Ministries’ Israel Christian Nexus program, which focuses on young Christian leaders and gives them the opportunity to experience Israel early in their careers and build a well-rounded perspective.

«We want to teach biblical truth so that the church does not look completely different in the next generation,» Earls told Fox News Digital. «The greater mission is one of solidarity with the people of Israel, and of equipping people with talking points in the hope that dialogue can take place and lead to greater understanding, or at least mutual respect for one another’s positions,» he said.

Sacha Roytman, CEO of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, told Fox News Digital that Christians and Jews face many of the same challenges in defending their faith, history, and future, adding that those who reject Jews and Zionism also reject the Christian worldview because the two are aligned.

Orthodox Christians carry wooden crosses along the Via Dolorosa (Way of Suffering) in the Old City of Jerusalem during the Orthodox Good Friday procession before Holy Saturday. (Saeed Qaq/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

«I’m here to share this message with Christian leaders who go back to their communities empowered with more knowledge, more energy, and different tools to fight this battle,» Roytman said.

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As part of its research, CAM has examined how social media algorithms amplify antisemitic content and conspiracy theories. «We discovered that the algorithms are trained to deliver engaging content that upsets people and keeps them hooked. Often, it is anti-establishment content and conspiracy theories that fuel antisemitism,» Roytman said.

More than 200 theologians, pastors and ministry leaders from over 30 countries are attending in person, alongside approximately 3,000 online participants.

A 7.000 metros bajo la superficie del océano Índico, un equipo internacional de científicos identificó el mayor y más profundo cementerio de ballenas conocido hasta ahora, con restos que abarcan desde ejemplares actuales hasta fósiles de hace 5,3 millones de años.

El descubrimiento, publicado en la revista Nature, reveló una concentración de osamentas nunca antes registrada, con una extensión de 1.200 kilómetros y una posible acumulación de hasta 10 millones de cadáveres. Esta necrópolis marina, ubicada en la fractura de Diamantina frente a las costas de Australia, transforma la imagen del fondo abisal al mostrarlo como un enclave rico en biodiversidad y clave para entender la evolución de los cetáceos.

La investigación localizó el cementerio en la fractura de Diamantina, al sureste del océano Índico, a profundidades que llegan hasta 7.001 metros.

La necrópolis se extiende a lo largo de 1.200 kilómetros y la densidad de restos es tan alta que, como explicó Xiaotong Peng, investigador principal: “Alcanza los 759,5 individuos por kilómetro cuadrado”.

El lugar, cerca de la costa occidental de Australia, no solo destaca por su extensión y profundidad inéditas, sino también porque en él se han identificado fósiles de especies aún existentes y otras ya extintas. Entre los restos sobresale un cráneo fosilizado de la ballena picuda Pterocetus benguelae, fechado en 5,3 millones de años, y otro de una nueva especie, Pterocetus diamantinae, descrita por primera vez gracias a este hallazgo.

Cuando una ballena muere en alta mar, su cuerpo puede flotar durante un tiempo y luego descender hasta el lecho oceánico, donde se convierte en el foco de un fenómeno conocido como “caída de ballena”. En limpio, esto es cuando los restos de un cetáceo sirven de sustento para una gran cantidad de organismos marinos, creando un “oasis” de vida en un entorno normalmente desprovisto de alimento.

Los investigadores detallaron que en la zona de Diamantina todavía existen al menos cinco “caídas de ballena” activas, con comunidades dominadas por gusanos devoradores de huesos, bivalvos quimiosintéticos y ofiuras, parientes de las estrellas de mar. “Muchas de estas especies podrían ser nuevas para la ciencia”, apuntó Giovanni Bianucci, paleontólogo de la Universidad de Pisa.

La magnitud de los hallazgos va más allá del número de restos. Los sedimentos y huesos acumulados en el fondo marino constituyen un archivo fósil excepcional que permite reconstruir millones de años de historia evolutiva de los cetáceos.

Las condiciones extremas de la fosa, con una topografía en forma de “V” y bajas tasas de sedimentación, favorecen la conservación de los esqueletos. Además, las gruesas incrustaciones de hierro y manganeso actúan como una coraza natural que protege los fósiles.

Este entorno, que durante millones de años ha funcionado como una trampa natural, favorece la acumulación de restos de ballenas.

Los científicos sospechan que la zona no solo es un corredor migratorio para los cetáceos, sino también un punto donde los riesgos fisiológicos de las inmersiones extremas aumentan la mortalidad natural, sobre todo entre las ballenas picudas, conocidas como zifios.

La muerte de cada ballena genera un ciclo de vida que puede sostener comunidades biológicas durante décadas.

En las inmersiones, el equipo científico observó cómo los huesos de los cetáceos se convierten en refugio para criaturas especializadas. Los cadáveres de ballenas en descomposición albergaban una gran diversidad de vida, incluyendo crustáceos, moluscos, gusanos que se alimentan de huesos y ofiuras. En algunos casos, los organismos encontrados resultan completamente desconocidos para la ciencia.

Los expertos calculan que este “supercorredor comunitario de restos de ballenas” puede representar un gran sumidero de carbono. La acumulación de millones de toneladas de material biológico implica un impacto relevante en los ciclos biogeoquímicos del océano profundo.

“El hallazgo demuestra que todavía estamos lejos de comprender la verdadera biodiversidad de nuestro planeta”, subrayó Bianucci. El descubrimiento abre la posibilidad de que existan otros yacimientos similares en sectores poco explorados del océano, capaces de revelar aspectos desconocidos de la vida marina en escalas de tiempo geológico.

Fotos: Nature