INTERNACIONAL
Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro says Trump called him about arson attack: ‘Very gracious’
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said Tuesday that President Donald Trump called him over the weekend to discuss the arson attack on the governor’s mansion a week before.
Shapiro said Trump called him Saturday morning and that the president was «very gracious.»
The governor said he did not answer Trump’s call and let it go to voicemail because he did not recognize the number the president was calling from.
«I appreciated that the president called me,» Shapiro told reporters at the annual Easter Egg Hunt at the governor’s residence in Harrisburg. «I actually didn’t take his call because it came from his cellphone and I didn’t have that number in my phone, so I didn’t know who it was. As soon as I heard his message, I called him right back.»
SUSPECT’S 911 CALL RELEASED AFTER ARSON AT PA GOVERNOR’S MANSION THAT APPEARED TO BE FUELED BY WAR IN GAZA
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said President Donald Trump called him to discuss the arson attack on the governor’s mansion. (Commonwealth Media Services/Handout via REUTERS)
Shapiro said he spoke with Trump for about 15 minutes about various topics, including the arson attack and how his wife and children were doing following the fire incident.
«He was very gracious,» Shapiro said. «He asked how Lori and the kids were doing. [We] talked for a couple of minutes about what transpired at the residence, and then we talked for maybe the next 15 minutes or so about a whole host of other topics.»
«Obviously, I’m not going to get into our private conversation, but he’s attuned to the issues that are important to me,» the governor continued. «I, of course, know the issues that are important to him, and we agreed to stay in touch going forward.»
Shapiro told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview recorded late last week and aired Sunday that Trump had not called him after the April 13 attack on his residence. The governor said at the time that he had heard from Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel.
Trump said last week when asked if he knew of the attacker’s motive that he had not heard about one. He also said that the suspect «was not a fan of Trump.»
SUSPECTED PENNSYLVANIA ARSONIST MAY HAVE BEEN MOTIVATED BY WAR IN GAZA: POLICE
Extensive fire damage to the Pennsylvania Governor’s Mansion is seen on April 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images)
«He’s probably just a whack job. And certainly a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen,» Trump said at the time.
Cody Balmer, 38, is charged with attempted murder, aggravated arson, burglary, terrorism and related offenses for allegedly setting fire to Shapiro’s residence last week.
Balmer has reportedly admitted in multiple instances that he was motivated by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and what Shapiro, who is Jewish, «wants to do to the Palestinian people.»
«Governor Josh Shapiro needs to know that Cody Balmer will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,» Balmer allegedly told a dispatcher in a 911 call after the attack. «He needs to leave my family alone. He needs to get his eyes off of my daughters. And he needs to stop having my friends killed.»
«You all know where to find me. I’m not hiding, and I will confess to everything that I had done,» he added.
Cody Balmer, 38, is charged with attempted murder, aggravated arson, burglary, terrorism and related offenses. (WTXF)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
A warrant details Balmer’s interview with state troopers in which he allegedly admitted to «harboring hatred towards» Shapiro. Balmer also reportedly admitted to a trooper that he was responsible for the arson attack and said he planned to attack Shapiro with his hammer if he were to find the governor in the mansion.
Surveillance video described in a warrant allegedly shows Balmer breaking a window at the governor’s residence before throwing «an incendiary device» inside. According to the warrant, Balmer then broke another window, entered the residence and deployed another incendiary device before he «approached the dining room exit.»
The warrant also says a woman — seemingly identified as Balmer’s «ex-paramour» — said he confessed to the attack and asked her to call police to turn him in.
Donald Trump,Pennsylvania,US,Politics,US Fires,Crime,Police and Law Enforcement
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A U.S. appeals court struck down a law in New Jersey that prevented the federal government from contracting with private firms to operate immigration detention centers across the state.
The court’s 2-1 ruling marked a victory for President Donald Trump and his administration during their ongoing illegal immigration crackdown across the country.
One of the Trump administration’s efforts has been to expand a network of detention centers in preparation for the deportations of dangerous illegal aliens.
The court’s ruling also means CoreCivic Corp., a private prison firm, can continue to operate the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility, which is one of the centers ramping up deportations.
DEM REP TO PLEAD NOT GUILTY TO FEDERAL CHARGES FOR INCIDENT AT NEWARK ICE FACILITY
A federal appeals court overturned a New Jersey law that blocked private immigration detention centers, citing interference with federal immigration powers. (Kena Betancur/VIEWpress)
In the decision, U.S. Circuit Judge Stephanos Bibas, who was appointed to the post by Trump, wrote, «Just as states cannot regulate the federal government itself, they cannot regulate private parties in a way that severely undercuts a federal function.»
Bibas added that the law «interferes with the federal government’s core power to enforce immigration laws.»
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, signed a law in 2021 that barred CoreCivic from renewing its agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to continue operating the Elizabeth Detention Center.
DEM REP MCIVER EXPECTED TO MAKE FIRST COURT APPEARANCE AFTER NEWARK INCIDENT
CoreCivic ultimately sued the state, resulting in a district court judge siding with the private firm. The state then appealed the ruling to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court and received a decision counter to what it had hoped.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin expressed disappointment about the decision in a post on X on Tuesday.
DEM LAWMAKERS DEFEND ‘STORMING’ OF ICE FACILITY, SAY TRUMP ADMIN IS ‘LYING AT ALL LEVELS’
«As recent events at Delaney Hall underscore, entrusting detention to for-profit companies poses grave risks to health and safety, and as the dissenting judge noted, States retain broad latitude to protect the health and safety of people within their borders – particularly where, as here, there is no conflict with federal legislation,» Platkin wrote, in part.
Platkin added he is evaluating the next steps in the case.
CoreCivic’s Ryan Gustin told Fox News Digital that the company has «played a limited but important role» in the U.S. immigration center at the Elizabeth facility for more than 25 years.
«We appreciate that we’ve had the opportunity to present our positions to the courts and are grateful to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals for reaffirming the federal government’s discretion to rely on the Elizabeth Detention Center to support its vital mission,» Gustin said.
DEM CONGRESS MEMBERS STORM NEW JERSEY ICE PRISON TO CONDUCT ‘OVERSIGHT VISIT’: ‘PEOPLE DESERVE DIGNITY’
Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., has pleaded not guilty to allegedly obstructing Homeland Security agents during an altercation outside a Newark, New Jersey, immigration facility last month. (Fox News)
Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., was hit with a federal indictment for allegedly obstructing Homeland Security agents during an incident outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark on May 9.
McIver and two other members of Congress said they were conducting a congressional oversight visit that coincided with an immigration protest when a clash ensued with federal agents.
According to the DOJ, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was allowed into the facility’s secured area and refused to follow federal agents’ warnings to leave.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
When officers tried to arrest him, McIver allegedly put her arms around the mayor and «slammed her forearm» into one officer while grabbing another and using both of her forearms to forcibly strike the second officer.
McIver has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Israeli police late Monday dismissed reports alleging that Jewish settlers set fire to the archaeological site of the Church of St. George in the village of Taybeh in the West Bank, calling them «factually incorrect,» lacking evidence and potentially misleading to the public.
According to police, a probe was launched last Thursday by a specialized team within the Judea and Samaria Central Investigations Unit (YAMAR) under the direction of the district commander. An internal committee was also tasked with reviewing the timeline of events recorded in police information systems, assessing the handling of reports and complaints, and evaluating the response.
«Findings gathered on the ground unequivocally show that no damage or harm was caused to the holy site itself,» police said.
DISPUTE OVER CHRISTIAN GROUPS’ VISAS TO ISRAEL RESOLVED AFTER HUCKABEE THREAT
An aerial view of Taybeh shows the remnants of a fire in a field located adjacent to the Church of St. George. (Courtesy: Israel Police)
The statement noted that a small fire had occurred in an open area near the site, but no buildings, crops or infrastructure were damaged.
On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee noted on X that Taybeh was «a beautiful village made up of mostly Arab Christians. Glad [the Israel Police] continue [to] search for truth [without] regard to assumptions.»
Huckabee pointedly added: «I have NOT attributed the cause of fire to any person or group as we don’t know for sure. The press has. I have said that regardless, it was [a] crime [and] deserves consequences.»
An exclusive investigation by The Press Service of Israel (TPS-IL) first raised questions over the fire, having uncovered evidence that local Jewish residents had participated in firefighting efforts near the church and raised significant doubts about the cause of the blaze.
TPS-IL also documented additional fires on July 7, 8 and 11 in nearby pastureland, located dozens of meters from the church compound. In each instance, a Jewish farmer with a property adjacent to the site filed complaints with police, claiming the areas where animals were grazing had been deliberately set ablaze.
Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee during a tour of the Church of St. George area, the site of a fire, during his visit to the West Bank town of Taybeh, east of Ramallah Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Last weekend, Huckabee visited Taybeh, where he called for accountability. «To commit an act of sacrilege by desecrating a place that is supposed to be a place of worship, it is an act of terror, and it is a crime,» he said in a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. «There should be consequences, and it should be harsh consequences because it is one of the last bastions of our civilization, the places where we worship.»
The visit came after the Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Churches of Jerusalem issued a statement claiming that «radical Israelis from nearby settlements intentionally set fire near the town’s cemetery and the Church of Saint George.»
A joint statement days earlier from the priests of the three churches in Taybeh – the Greek Orthodox Church, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Church – blamed «Israeli settlers» for «deliberately ignit[ing] a fire near the town’s cemetery and the historic Church of Saint George (Al-Khadr), a fifth-century site considered one of the oldest religious landmarks in Palestine.»
A screenshot shows two Israeli shepherds trying to put out a fire near the Byzantine-period church in the Palestinian village of Taybeh on July 7, 2025. (TPS-IL)
HUCKABEE DEMANDS ISRAEL ‘AGGRESSIVELY INVESTIGATE’ MURDER OF PALESTINIAN-AMERICAN KILLED IN ‘TERRORIST ACT’
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III accused «radical Israelis from nearby settlements» of «a targeted attack.»
Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, told Fox News Digital that Israel must take a more assertive approach in handling incidents that could impact its international standing.
«We are in the middle of the most consequential war since the founding of the state, and events like this are just as dangerous,» he said.
He emphasized the importance of reinforcing Israel’s role in safeguarding Christian heritage and holy sites, particularly in contested areas.
«This includes exposing the PLO and Hamas’ ongoing war against Christian citizens, but it also requires transparency and assertiveness in showing our role as guardians of Christian sites and civilization in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem,» said Diker.
An aerial view showing St. George church on the West Bank. (TPS-IL)
He also pointed to what he described as a coordinated effort by the Palestinian leadership to undermine Israel’s legitimacy on the global stage, particularly through the media.
«We are in the midst of an international crusade by the Palestinian leadership to uproot our legitimacy,» he said. «The international media has become an ecosystem for the defamation and delegitimization of Israel. They are weaponizing every event into an existential assault.»
On Monday night, the Binyamin Regional Council, which administers Jewish communities in southern Samaria, confirmed the church incurred no damage.
«Here I am on the outskirts of the church. You can see the apse over here. And even on the outskirts or the outer walls, there are no signs of fire,» the council’s international spokeswoman, Eliana Passentin, said in a video.
«We are the guardians of the biblical heartland. This land was given to us by God – there is no reason for us to burn a church or to disrespect anyone else’s religion,» she added.
Speaking to Fox News Digital on Tuesday, Passentin recalled bringing visitors to the local brewery in Taybeh, which was so well-regarded that a rabbi granted it kosher certification. She noted that Israelis and Christian Arabs had coexisted peacefully in the area for years, but expressed concern that the community now identifies itself with a Palestinian state that does not formally exist.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
«When I was walking around, one of the priests in Taybeh said he believed in the two-state solution and it felt as if the P.A. was putting a lot of pressure on the Christians,» Passentin said.
She suggested that the latest crisis was manufactured by those seeking to divide Jews and Christians, whom she described as joint guardians of Judea and Samaria.
«We are striving for peace,» she said. «This is the land of the Bible, and we should be building it together – not fighting or spreading false blood libels accusing Jews of burning down a church.»
INTERNACIONAL
Denuncian que las fuerzas de Israel mataron desde mayo a más de 1.000 palestinos que buscaban alimentos en Gaza
“Lo hago por mis hijos”
Critican modelo de entrega de ayuda
Ataques a tiendas que albergan a desplazados
Un hombre permanece junto al cuerpo del bebé de seis semanas, Yousef al-Safadi, quien murió de hambre según las autoridades sanitarias, en el hospital Shifa de la ciudad de Gaza. Foto ReutersIsrael,Franja de Gaza,Hamas
Juan Manuel Urtubey: “El peronismo tiene un enorme potencial para ser alternativa post Milei”
Canales para ver el Boca Juniors vs. Atlético Tucumán, por la Copa Argentina
Carolina Losada respondió a la queja de los legisladores kirchneristas por el uso de los baños en el Senado
El Ejecutivo negocia con siete gobernadores el reparto de fondos a cambio de sostener en el Congreso el veto a las jubilaciones
Se refuerza el Rojo: Independiente contrató a futbolista que fue figura en Reserva de River Plate
New Jersey’s ban on privately operated ICE detention centers struck down by court
Milei, Villarruel y una pelea tóxica en la cima del poder con impacto institucional y final abierto
Los cuadernos de las coimas: convocan a una audiencia clave para iniciar el juicio oral contra Cristina Kirchner y 150 acusados
Juan Carlos Maqueda defendió la condena contra Cristina Kirchner: “Hay una sensación de que se hizo Justicia y que no hay impunidad”
La tensión por el dólar se aplacó y la City tiene veredicto: ¿la paz será duradera o temporal?
El Gobierno anunció el inicio del proceso de privatización de AySA
Alarma por el dólar: la volatilidad se mantiene, pese a las medidas urgentes de Caputo
Patricia Bullrich ratificó el derecho de admisión para Toviggino en los partidos con doble hinchada: “No debe ingresar”
Luego del intercambio de acusaciones entre Pablo Toviggino y funcionarios del gobierno nacional, la ministra de Seguridad, Patricia Bullrich, ratificó...
Día del Cerebro: por qué se celebra hoy y recomendaciones para mantener una mente ágil
El Día del Cerebro se conmemora el 22 de julio de cada año, con el objetivo de concientizar acerca de...
Así quedó la lista completa de Fuerza Patria para las elecciones 2025 en Buenos Aires
Ya se conocen las listas para las elecciones del 7 de septiembre de la provincia de Buenos Aires (PBA). Tal...
POLITICA2 días agoExpulsada del Gobierno, Victoria Villarruel empieza a tomar distancia, pero no tiene proyecto político para este año
- POLITICA2 días ago
La CGT evalúa adelantar a octubre el recambio de sus autoridades y define una movilización contra Milei
- POLITICA1 día ago
🗳️ El chamuyo de las elecciones en la Provincia: se postulan, pero no a asumen
