INTERNACIONAL
Free ride: Allies, even Laura Loomer, turn on President Trump for accepting luxury jet from Qatar
Hell hath now frozen over.
President Donald Trump’s decision to accept a $400-million plane from Qatar, as a gift, has prompted stinging criticism from Laura Loomer.
She’s the hard-right activist who specializes in getting the president to fire top officials and withdraw nominees, or at least claims credit for doing so.
If you’ve lost Loomer, you’re losing the argument.
TRUMP DEFENDS QATAR JUMBO JET OFFER AS TROUBLED BOEING FAILS TO DELIVER NEW AIR FORCE ONE FLEET
President Trump’s decision to accept a $400 million plane from Qatar is raising serious eyebrows – even among his staunchest supporters. (Getty Images | iStock)
Not according to Donald Trump. He told reporters yesterday that this was a «great gesture» by Qatar, done because «we keep them safe,» referring to Qatar and the UAE, which he’ll be visiting after Saudi Arabia.
He said the maintenance costs on the 40-year-old Air Force One planes are astronomical, and noted that the Reagan Library has such a plane. The decommissioned Qatar aircraft will go to a future Trump Library.
But the Gipper’s plane didn’t come from Qatar.
«How are we supposed to ever see the US under the Trump admin designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization,» Loomer wrote, «if the US is now going to accept a $400 million jet from Qatar to fly the US President and his staff around on?»
Calling the episode a «stain» on his tenure, she added: «I love President Trump. I would take a bullet for him. But, I have to call a spade a spade. We cannot accept a $400 million ‘gift’ from jihadists in suits. The Qataris fund the same Iranian proxies in Hamas and Hezbollah who have murdered US Service Members. The same proxies that have worked with the Mexican cartels to get jihadists across our border.»
The media are in an uproar as well, and the story has only grown bigger since it was first reported by ABC News.
HOUSE DEMOCRAT CALLS FOR ‘IMMEDIATE’ ETHICS PROBE OF QATARI PLANE GIFT TO TRUMP
Of course, the luxury 747 will have to be upgraded with secure communications and military equipment. That would take at least till the end of the year.
But one Pentagon official told the New York Times «we’re talking years, not months.»
Trump consulted Elon Musk, the DOGE leader and head of SpaceX, who told him that the plane could be delivered in a year.
If Trump’s even managed to lose Laura Loomer on this issue, you’d think he’d come to realize he’s barking up the wrong tree. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
Two loyalists – Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Counsel David Warrington – approved the arrangement, according to the Times. Trump toured the 747 in February when it was parked at the Palm Beach airport.
There was a Plan B that got derailed. The Qataris offered to donate the plane immediately to the future Trump Library.
But administration lawyers said that would violate the Constitution’s emoluments clause – which as Beltway insiders know, bars any federal official from accepting personal gifts from a foreign nation without the approval of Congress.
The president’s «flood the zone» approach has ensured that this isn’t the only story out there.
He announced that after two days of talks, the U.S. and China reached a 90-day agreement that would reduce tariffs on Beijing from 145% to 30%, and Chinese tariffs would be cut to 10%.
It’s clear that Trump blinked. Having tanked the markets (which soared yesterday), he was under enormous pressure to undo the damage. So now we’re back to square one, roughly where we might have been without igniting a global crisis.
TRUMP SAYS ‘TOTAL RESET NEGOTIATED’ WITH CHINA DURING TARIFF TALKS IN GENEVA
But perhaps Xi Jinping blinked as well. His government was feeling the impact of the sky-high tariffs as well. The Chinese, with considerably less enthusiasm, said the «mistake» would only lead to further negotiations.
Trump also was able to announce a cease-fire in the escalating war between India and Pakistan, thanks to some weekend diplomacy by Marco Rubio and JD Vance.
Trump also was able to announce that Hamas was freeing the last living American hostage being held by the terrorist group.
Edan Alexander thanks President Trump in a handwritten message following his release from captivity in Gaza. (The White House)
Trump also sided with Vladimir Putin, who wants to meet for peace talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who first wants a 30-day cease-fire, so that Moscow doesn’t continue the killing and gain more territory while stalling on any pause in the fighting.
Trump also was able to unveil a plan that he says will lower the cost of prescription drugs by 30 to 80%.
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But circling back to the 747, the president chided ABC’s Rachel Scott when she tried to question him about the plane:
«You’re ABC fake news, right? Only ABC — well, a few of you would… Let me tell you, you should be embarrassed asking that question. They’re giving us a free jet. I could say, ‘No, no no, don’t give us. I want to pay you a billion, or 400 million, or whatever it is’ Or I could say, ‘thank you very much.’»
Scott tried again: «Respectfully, sir, as a businessman, some people may look at this and say, have you ever been given a gift worth millions of dollars and then not —»
«It’s not a gift to me, it’s a gift to the Department of Defense,» Trump said. «And you should know better, because you’ve been embarrassed enough, and so has your network. Your network is a disaster. ABC is a disaster.»
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Whether the president is right or wrong, it seems like these are legitimate questions. And the media are always a great foil for him. So I don’t see him backing down.
Media Buzz,Donald Trump,White House,Middle East,China
INTERNACIONAL
Education Secretary Linda McMahon touts Columbia University’s $200M settlement ‘template’
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Columbia University’s $200 million-plus discrimination settlement with the Trump administration is laying the groundwork for a culture of accountability, Education Secretary Linda McMahon shared in an interview with Fox News Digital.
President Donald Trump’s administration is celebrating what it considers a «historic settlement» with the university that has become the epicenter of protests rejecting the war in Gaza since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.
«I’m very pleased that we were able to bring those negotiations to a close and have an excellent working agreement now with Columbia. They knew they had an antisemitism problem,» McMahon said ahead of her remarks at the National Governors Association (NGA) Summer Meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The settlement not only combats antisemitism on college campuses, it takes measures to remove discriminatory hiring practices and enhance campus safety, the education secretary explained.
TRUMP SECURES $221M COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SETTLEMENT OVER ALLEGED CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visits «Fox & Friends» at the Fox News Channel Studios March 7, 2025, in New York City. (Noam Galai/Getty Images)
«This agreement is going to be an excellent template for other universities to be able to use as well,» McMahon said.
COLUMBIA PROFESSORS DEMAND ANSWERS AS WHITE HOUSE FINALIZES NEGOTIATIONS WITH IVY LEAGUE UNIVERSITY
Several Jewish leaders have spoken to Fox News Digital about the «existential threat» they say Jewish New Yorkers are facing since 33-year-old socialist Zohran Mamdani became the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City.
During the primary campaign, Mamdani’s refusal to condemn the phrase «Globalize the intifada» and recognize Israel as a Jewish state triggered accusations he was antisemitic.
He has since said he would discourage others from using the phrase and has continuously affirmed his commitment to condemning the rise of antisemitism in New York City.
Pro-Hamas slogans on sheets are hung inside Butler Library on the campus of Columbia University, where protesters occupied the building throughout the spring of 2025. (Sam Nahins)
Yuval David, a Jewish advocate and advisor, told Fox News Digital that Mamdani, as mayor, would «enable, and more importantly, empower antisemitic protesters.»
In light of the Columbia University settlement, Fox News Digital asked McMahon if the Trump administration was worried about a surge in antisemitism on New York City college campuses if Mamdani is elected in November.
«We didn’t discuss that as part of what we were doing. We weren’t looking at a specific incident that might occur in the future,» McMahon explained.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testifies at a House Committee on Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing on the Department of Education on Capitol Hill May 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
But the education secretary said what is most important in Columbia University’s settlement is that it will «lay the groundwork, so regardless of what incidents may or may not occur, you’re prepared for it.»
McMahon said Columbia now has a «great working relationship» with the New York Police Department (NYPD).
The settlement includes Columbia’s commitment to «enforcing strict rules against disruptive protests, prohibiting masked protests and maintaining trained security officers and ongoing cooperation with the New York Police Department.»
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«They won’t hesitate to bring them in to make arrests,» McMahon warned. «There will be consequences. People will be expelled. They’ll be suspended. If there’s criminal activity, they can go to jail.
«The accountability factor of this agreement is incredibly strong, and that’s the message we intend to send, that students on campus need to be in an environment for study.»
INTERNACIONAL
A un año de la cuestionada reelección de Nicolás Maduro, represión y elecciones municipales bajo sospecha
A un año de la cuestionada reelección de Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela celebra este domingo unas elecciones municipales marcadas por la amenaza de una fuerte abstención y una nueva ola represiva denunciada por la líder opositora María Corina Machado desde la clandestinidad.
El país elegirá a 335 alcaldes y 2471 concejales, en un nuevo proceso electoral sometido a una profunda desconfianza. La sociedad venezolana mantiene aún abiertas las heridas que dejaron los polémicos comicios del 28 de julio de 2024 que proclamaron la continuidad del modelo chavista entre persistentes denuncias de fraude.
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Estas nuevas elecciones amenazan abrazar la misma apatía que caracterizó a las últimas elecciones regionales de fines de mayo, cuando solo votó el 42% del padrón electoral, según cifras oficiales. Para Machado, la abstención fue del 85%. Entonces, el oficialismo reivindicó una victoria aplastante.
Hoy el gobierno chavista se encuentra más aislado que nunca, en especial en la región, a pesar de su alianza estratégica con Rusia, China e Irán. “Lo paradójico es que Maduro presenta un mayor nivel de interlocución con la administración Trump que con sus pares progresistas iberoamericanos”, dijo a TN el opositor Jesús «Chuo» Torrealba, exsecretario general de la Mesa de la Unidad Democrática (MUD), antecesora de la mayoritaria Plataforma Unitaria Democrática (PUD) que lidera Machado.
De hecho, Maduro logró un canje de prisioneros con la Casa Blanca, pero fue excluido de la reciente cumbre de mandatarios progresistas celebrada en Santiago y que contó con la presencia de los presidentes de Chile, Gabriel Boric; de Brasil, Luiz Lula da Silva; de Colombia, Gustavo Petro; y de Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi, así como del jefe de gobierno español, Pedro Sánchez.
Entre la apatía, una elevada inflación y denuncias de una nueva ola represiva
Las elecciones de este domingo se celebran en medio de una fuerte apatía, a pesar de los discursos optimistas del gobierno, en el poder dese hace más de 26 años.
Maduro anunció esta semana que la economía venezolana aumentó más del 6% en el segundo trimestre del año y dijo que el país lleva 17 trimestres continuos de crecimiento. “El año pasado crecimos nueve puntos, en 2023, 5,5; en 2022, que fue un cohete, crecimos 15. En el primer trimestre, nueve, y en este segundo trimestre por encima de seis”, dijo el gobernante.
Nicolás Maduro vota en las elecciones regionales de mayo (Foto de archivo: REUTERS/Leonardo Fernández Viloria)
Pero la dolarizada economía perdió casi el 80% de su tamaño entre 2013 y 2020 y hoy es considerada una de las más pequeñas de la región. La presunta recuperación, según alertan economistas consultados por TN, parte de un piso muy bajo. El país logró sortear el desabastecimiento, pero los precios de los hoy bien abastecidos mercados se miden en moneda dura.
Además, Venezuela lidera el ránking mundial de inflación con un índice interanual de 172% en junio. El bolívar, la moneda nacional, acumula este año una devaluación de 56%. El salario mínimo se mantiene en dos dólares, aunque llega a 130 mensuales con bonos que reciben los trabajadores estatales.
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En ese marco de dificultades y bajo una fuerte oleada migratoria que sacó del país a más de 7 millones de venezolanos, la oposición denunció una nueva ola represiva.
“Alerta mundial. El régimen de Maduro desata brutal ola de represión: más de 20 desaparecidos y presos en 72 horas”, escribió María Corina Machado el martes en su cuenta de X. La líder opositora se encuentra en la clandestinidad tras denunciar un fraude masivo en las elecciones del 28 de julio de 2024, de las que este lunes se cumplirá un año.
María Corina Machado se encuentra en la clandestinidad (Foto: REUTERS/Gaby Oraa)
Según denuncian activistas, aún hay cientos de detenidos políticos en las cárceles venezolanas tras la represión de las protestas seguidas a las cuestionadas elecciones presidenciales.
La ONG Comité por la Libertad de los Presos Políticos denunció también “nuevas detenciones arbitrarias” en el país tras la liberación de un grupo de detenidos bajo la mediación del expresidente español José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
“Nos preocupa profundamente que, mientras algunas excarcelaciones se concretan, continúen ocurriendo nuevas detenciones arbitrarias, generando una dinámica perversa de puerta giratoria. La represión no se ha detenido y la persecución política sigue afectando a más familias venezolanas”, afirmó en un posteo en X.
Según la entidad, “otros están a punto de cumplir un año en aislamiento absoluto, sin haber visto nunca a sus familias”. En esa situación está el gendarme catamarqueño Nahuel Gallo, detenido desde el 8 de diciembre pasado tras ingresar legalmente al país desde la frontera colombiana.
Qué está pasando con la oposición venezolana
En tanto, la oposición no logra ponerse de acuerdo en cómo enfrentar al chavismo.
La mayoritaria Plataforma Unitaria Democrática (PUD) de Machado decidió no participar en ninguna contienda electoral este año. No quiere avalar con su presencia el sistema electoral chavista, al que acusa de fraudulento y de robarle su triunfo en las presidenciales de 2024.
Pero otro sector opositor sí decidió participar en los comicios. Hubo decenas de dirigentes que presentaron candidaturas en las elecciones regionales de mayo y otros estarán en las boletas este domingo.
En esa lista sobresalen tres: Adrián Romero, que irá por la reelección en Maracaibo, capital del petrolero estado Zulia con la coalición Gran Alianza; Gustavo Duque, actual alcalde del rico municipio caraqueño de Chacao por Fuerza Vecinal, y Jorge Barragán, que buscará ganar con el Partido Lápiz la municipalidad de la comuna capitalina de Libertador.
“Nuestro principal rival no es el (gobernante Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela) PSUV propiamente, nuestro principal rival es la desesperanza. Es levantarnos todos los días pensando que las cosas no van a cambiar y que ellos (el chavismo) ya ganaron”, afirmó Barragán, de 27 años.
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En su diálogo con TN, Jesús “Chuo” Torrealba se mostró crítico con Machado.
“A un año de la amplísima victoria en las presidenciales, la situación de la oposición venezolana es hoy de una precariedad inmensa”, dijo.
Según afirmó, “el liderazgo de Machado fue muy golpeado por la represión y el hostigamiento del gobierno con la mayoría de sus activos en la clandestinidad, exiliados o presos. Este sector utiliza la abstención como recurso de protesta, pero sin ningún proyecto alternativo”, dijo.
Por otro lado, prosiguió Torrealba, “otro sector insiste en utilizar la organización de masas y la lucha electoral como instrumento para enfrentar al proyecto totalitario de Maduro. Es una situación de mucha confusión, sin un liderazgo claro y sin respuestas positivas de un electorado opositor que sigue sin responder ante la decepción que significó haber tenido una victoria electoral luego no reconocida”, profundizó.
“Eso ha generado mucha desconfianza en el voto como instrumento de cambio. El país mayoritariamente se opone al proyecto totalitario de Maduro, pero la dirección política opositora ha demostrado claramente ser insuficiente”, concluyó.
Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, María Corina Machado
INTERNACIONAL
Influential lawmaker demands ‘old guard must go,’ calls for ‘rebirth’ of Democratic Party
Rep. Ro Khanna calls for ‘new Democratic Party’
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told a young audience that his party «needs a rebirth» at the 2025 Voters of Tomorrow Summit in Washington, D.C., on Friday, July 25, 2025. (Credit: Leaders of Tomorrow)
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Rep. Ro Khanna sounded off on the Democratic Party establishment in his address to the Voters of Tomorrow Summit for young progressives in Washington, D.C.
«How can we trust government to do big things when government has been corrupted? My friends, for those who want a progressive future, for those who want a government that works to build security and opportunity for the working class, we must get rid of the big money in politics,» Khanna said in his address on Friday afternoon.
The California Democrat then mentioned the Jeffrey Epstein files, which have become a major point of debate in Washington as some demand more information about the case.
PELOSI CONFIDENT ABOUT DEMS’ CHANCES TO WIN HOUSE, PREDICTS JEFFRIES WILL BE SPEAKER
Rep. Ro Khanna. D-Calif., appears on «Meet the Press» in Washington D.C., Sunday, Sep. 1, 2024. (William B. Plowman/NBC via Getty Images)
«We must restore a government for the people, by the people, of the people. The release of the Epstein files is not a magic cure for trust, but it is a first step. It’s a first step to say we will have a new era of transparency,» he continued.
Khanna then bluntly called out his party’s establishment in his closing call to action.
«I’ll end with this clear point: The old guard needs to go. The old ways have not been working. This party needs a new rebirth. This party needs a rebirth to stand for human rights,» he said. «This party needs a rebirth to stand for the working class. This party needs a rebirth to stand for people over the donor class.»
Former Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to give virtual remarks at the summit on Friday, and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi was also a major speaker at the event.
«We have no doubt that we will win the election with the House of Representatives,» Pelosi said during her speech. «No doubt.»
I’M ONE OF THE VOTERS DEMOCRATS NEED TO WIN. 2028 IS THEIR ONLY CHANCE TO REGAIN OUR TRUST
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told the young audience at Friday’s Voters of Tomorrow Summit that she has «no doubt» that the Democratic Party will take back the House. (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)
«It’s important to be strong in the year in advance, because that’s when the troops line up. We have our messaging, we have our mobilization, we need the money to do it, but they go only next to a school to hold up the most important part: the candidate,» she continued.
Younger Democrats, like freshman Arizona Rep. Yassamin Ansari and Illinois congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, took part in panels at the summit.
Khanna’s address comes as the Democratic Party is striving to navigate the second Trump administration and adapt to the major shifts that occurred across voter demographics in the 2024 election, including among Generation Z. The 2026 election is being seen as an opportunity to get more information about Gen Z voters, as many voted for the first time in 2022 and 2024.
Some in the party have encouraged a more moderate direction, while others have echoed Khanna’s populist sentiment.
TRUMP SUPPORTERS FIND UNLIKELY COMMON GROUND WITH BLUE STATE CONGRESSMAN AT TOWN HALL: ‘I LOVE IT’
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., has frequently criticized the Trump administration. (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)
«This party needs a rebirth to find our courage in standing up for immigrant rights instead of running away when people talk about immigration. This party needs more people like you in Congress than the current people we have in Congress,» Khanna added.
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«I’m here to say that a new Democratic Party, a reborn Democratic Party, a populist Democratic Party, a multiracial Democratic Party, a Democratic Party that centers the working and middle class, a Democratic Party that looks like the future is a Democratic Party that can lead us back to victory and lead us to a better America. It’s time to take back our party and then to take back our country,» he continued.
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