INTERNACIONAL
Rubio demands NATO pony up, dismisses ‘hysteria’ over US role under Trump
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said NATO nations must provide a «realistic pathway» to ramp up their defense spending to hit a 5% threshold – including the U.S.
«I understand there’s domestic politics, after decades of building up vast social safety nets that maybe don’t want to take away from that and invest more in national security,» Rubio said while speaking at a NATO foreign ministers event in Brussels. «But the events of the last few years… full-scale ground war in the heart of Europe as a reminder that hard power is still necessary as a deterrent.
«We do want to leave here with an understanding that we are on a pathway, a realistic pathway to every single one of the members committee, and fulfilling a promise to reach up to 5% of spending,» Rubio said, adding that «the United States will have to increase its percentage.»
NATO LEADERS PREDICT ERA OF 2% DEFENSE SPENDING ‘PROBABLY HISTORY’ AS TRUMP REPORTEDLY FLOATS HIGHER TARGET
Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a press conference on the day of a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, April 3, 2025. (Reuterrs/Yves Herman)
While the majority of the 32 NATO members currently spend 2% of their nation’s GDP per previous NATO commitments, eight nations – Croatia, Portugal, Italy, Canada, Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Spain – have yet to meet their defense spending pledges.
Only Poland spends over 4% of its GDP on defense, while four other nations spend over 3% – Estonia, the U.S., Latvia and Greece.
Despite the severe spending increases this will demand from all NATO nations, Rubio’s push is unlikely to be met with serious opposition as NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and other NATO allies, have increasingly called for more defense spending.
Washington in 2024 spent 3.38% of its GDP on defense, which equated to more than $967 billion, according to NATO figures released in July.
The U.S. closed out 2024 with a GDP of over $29.7 billion, which means it is on track to spend $1 trillion on defense in 2025 if it maintains the current expenditure rate of 3.38%.
RUBIO ARRIVES IN BRUSSELS FOR NATO TALKS AMID UNEASE OVER TRUMP’S AGENDA
NATO’s largest annual maritime drill, Exercise Dynamic Mariner/Flotex 25, continues in the Gulf of Cadiz off southern Spain on March 28, 2025. (Burak Akbulut/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Rubio did not detail what timeframe he expected to see nations increase their defense spending to hit the 5% threshold, though if the U.S. did it in 2025, that would mean allocating nearly $1.49 trillion for defense – a figure that is higher than the current total spent by the entire NATO alliance, which collectively spent $1.47 trillion in 2024.
«As we speak right now, the United States is as active in NATO as it has ever been,» Rubio said. «Some of this hysteria and hyperbole that I see in the global media and some domestic media in the United States about NATO is unwarranted.
«The United States president [has] made clear. He supports NATO. We’re going to remain in NATO,» he reaffirmed.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio greets the press as he walks with the newly appointed U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker on the first day of the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting on April 3, 2025, in Brussels, Belgium. (Omar Havana/Getty Images)
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Rubio said the only way NATO nations can truly deter aggressor nations like Russia and China is by collectively increasing each NATO nation’s capabilities to contribute to the alliance’s collective defense.
«We understand that’s a tradeoff,» Rubio said. «We have to do it every single year in our country – I assure you that we also have domestic needs.
«But we’ve prioritized defense because of the role we’ve played in the world, and we want our partners to do the same,» Rubio confirmed.
A lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York last month claims the leaders of several radical anti-Israel groups involved in 18 months of disruptive, violent and antisemitic protests on campuses and in the streets of New York City are «accountable for aiding and abetting Hamas’ continuing acts of international terrorism.»
In purported violation of the Antiterrorism Act and the Alien Tort Statue, the defendants are said to have «acted as Hamas’ foot soldiers in New York City,» and may have had foreknowledge of the designated foreign terror organization’s devastating Oct. 7 attacks.
Defendants in the case are Within Our Lifetime and its founder Nerdeen Kiswani, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and its representative Maryam Alwan, Columbia-Barnard Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and its representative Cameron Jones, and Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) and its representative Mahmoud Khalil, who is currently in custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The lawsuit asserts that the associational defendants have «distribute[d] Hamas-created and affiliated propaganda, incite[d] fear and violence, and attack[ed] critical academic, economic, and infrastructure centers in New York City,» as well as having «repeatedly terrorized and assaulted Jews across New York City and on Columbia University’s campus, physically assaulted Columbia University employees, and illegally seized and damaged public and private property.»
DUFFY SLAMS MTA OVER ‘FACT CHECK’ ON ANTI-ISRAEL MOB’S GRAND CENTRAL TAKEOVER
Nerdeen Kiswani, co-founder and leader of Within Our Lifetime, speaks at a demonstration near Columbia University on Feb. 2, 2024, in New York City. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
The details of the allegations are thorough. To demonstrate how the defendants «resoundingly and knowingly answered Hamas’ call to action» on and after Oct. 7, the lawsuit cites how the defendants knowingly «obtain[ed] and disseminat[ed]» a Hamas propaganda document, which contained directions created by the Hamas Media Office for spinning the narrative of their deadly attacks. By «painstakingly follow[ing]» the document, the lawsuit alleges defendants «directly responded to, and followed orders from, Hamas.»
The lawsuit also supplies several indicators that defendants may have had foreknowledge of the heinous Oct. 7 attack, to include «a highly suggestive social media post published moments before the October 7 attack began» in which Columbia SJP posted on Instagram «We are back!!» after a months-long hiatus.
On Oct. 7, Kiswani utilized marketing materials that «would not be released until the next day» in a National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) «Toolkit» demonstrating how SJP organizations across the country could support the Gazan «resistance.»
Emaciated Israeli hostages, from left, Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy are taken by terrorists to a stage before being handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Feb. 8, 2025. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Following Oct. 7, Within Our Lifetime promoted a «Day of Rage» in New York City while Columbia SJP and Columbia JVP promoted their own «Day of Resistance.» The mere announcements of these events forced closures of Jewish schools and institutions, and «even forced Columbia University – a non-Jewish institution – to close its campus as a safety precaution,» while Jewish students «were advised to lock their doors and remain inside for their own safety,» according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit names Khalil as the purported leader of Columbia SJP’s Day of Resistance.
COLUMBIA’S ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS SAY TRUMP PULLING $400 MILLION IN GRANTS FROM UNIVERSITY IS A ‘SCARE TACTIC’
In November 2023, the suit describes how a «’Shut it Down for Palestine’ event descended into – as planned – anti-Jewish and vitriolic hatred and threats,» with speakers shouting «Death to Jews!» and «encourage[ing] Hamas and… comrades across Columbia’s campus to hunt down and assault pro-Israel students.»
The next day, Columbia University suspended Columbia SJP and Columbia JVP, at which time «Khalil and former members and/or organizers of Columbia SJP became leaders of CUAD.» As a result, CUAD «became the primary organizer of the violent and antisemitic protests that would foment terror, sow discord, and disrupt campus life at Columbia for over a year.»
Hamas terrorists kidnap a bloodied Israeli woman into the Gaza Strip. (Hamas-Telegram)
Khalil would later become the lead negotiator of the Columbia encampment, which the lawsuit notes was «well-supplied with identical tents, toiletries, food, and professional signage.» Based on a statement from Shlomi Ziv, a plaintiff in the lawsuit who was held captive by Hamas for 246 days following his kidnapping at the Nova Music Festival, «Hamas and [American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)]/NSJP provided financial, organizational, and other support… for the Encampment.»
Ziv alleges that his «Hamas captors bragged about having Hamas operatives on American university campuses,» and even «showed him Al-Jazeera stories and photographs of protests at Columbia University that were organized by Associational Defendants.»
APPARENT ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVISTS SPLASH RED PAINT ON HOMES OF JEWISH OFFICIALS AT BROOKLYN MUSEUM
Anti-Israel demonstrators attend a protest at Columbia University in New York City, just days after the Hamas slaughter in southern Israel, Oct. 12, 2023. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)
Given the «legal chasm between independent political advocacy and coordinating with a foreign terrorist organization to seed pro-terror propaganda throughout America’s largest city,» the lawsuit alleges the defendants’ «actions violate the Antiterrorism Act and the law of nations.»
According to the Jerusalem Post, the National Jewish Advocacy Center, Greenberg Traurig LLP, the Schoen Law Firm, and the Holtzman Vogel Law Firm filed the suit on behalf of plaintiffs who include Ziv, several Columbia University students who have served with the Israel Defense Forces, and a number of American and Israeli citizens whose family members, most of whom are believed dead, remain in Hamas captivity.
People protest the banning of Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace at Columbia University on Nov. 20, 2023 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
The lawsuit especially states that Khalil, «on information and belief, directly coordinates with Hamas, AMP/NSJP and/or other agents and affiliates of Hamas and related terrorist organizations.» The filers state that his detention by ICE in March may have been «based on many of his actions described in this Complaint.»
Khalil’s involvement in the Columbia protests was cited as a rationale for his removal during his April 11 hearing, when Judge Jamee Comans ruled that Khalil may be deported. Khalil also withheld past employment with the Syrian office in the Beirut British Embassy and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as well as his membership in the CUAD when applying for a green card.
This withholding of information, according to federal officials, made Khalil «inadmissible at the time of his adjustment.»
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Disruptive events in New York City show no signs of abating. In March, students stormed a classroom at Columbia University and took over a building in affiliated Barnard College, where they assaulted an employee. A Within Our Lifetime protest on April 7 «took over» the main concourse of Grand Central Station.
Fox News Digital reached out to CUAD, Columbia SJP, Within Our Lifetime, and Columbia-Barnard JVP for comment about the allegations contained within the lawsuit, but received no response.
INTERNACIONAL
Liberaron a cuatro ex legisladores pro democracia de Hong Kong tras más de cuatro años de cárcel
Cuatro ex legisladores de la oposición de Hong Kong fueron liberados este martes tras cumplir más de cuatro años de prisión, en el que ha sido el caso más amplio bajo la ley de seguridad nacional impuesta por el régimen de China 2020.
Claudia Mo, Jeremy Tam, Kwok Ka-ki y Gary Fan fueron excarcelados justo antes del amanecer, convirtiéndose en los primeros en recuperar su libertad entre los 47 líderes pro democracia procesados por presunta subversión.
Los cuatro ex parlamentarios habían sido arrestados y acusados en 2021, tras participar en la organización de unas elecciones primarias no oficiales, cuyo objetivo era ganar una mayoría legislativa opositora.
El régimen chino sostuvo que el plan de vetar de forma sistemática el presupuesto gubernamental constituía una conspiración para subvertir el poder del Estado, una acusación enmarcada dentro de la legislación aprobada por el gobierno central tras las masivas protestas de 2019.
Según los registros judiciales, los ex legisladores se declararon culpables y fueron sentenciados a cuatro años y dos meses de prisión, una pena reducida debido a sus declaraciones de culpabilidad y su “pasado servicio público” y “desconocimiento de la ley”, según indicó el tribunal.
La salida de prisión se realizó de forma discreta, con los vehículos de traslado cubiertos con cortinas. Desde su domicilio, el esposo de Claudia Mo, el periodista Philip Bowring, declaró: “Ella está bien y de buen ánimo… Estamos felices de estar juntos otra vez”, dijo a la prensa local.
En el interior de la vivienda podía verse un cartel que decía “Welcome home mum”. Bowring añadió que planean visitar Inglaterra próximamente para ver a sus nietos.
Por su parte, Gary Fan indicó a medios locales que se dirigía a reencontrarse con su familia y agradeció las muestras de apoyo: “Gracias a todos los hongkoneses por su preocupación”, dijo.
Los cuatro liberados recibieron las penas más leves entre los 47 acusados, en parte debido a su colaboración con la justicia. La condena más severa en el caso fue impuesta al académico Benny Tai, considerado por la fiscalía como el “cerebro” del supuesto complot, quien recibió una pena de 10 años de cárcel.
El proceso judicial y las sentencias impuestas han generado fuertes críticas internacionales. Gobiernos occidentales y organizaciones defensoras de los derechos humanos denunciaron una regresión en las libertades civiles en Hong Kong. El caso es visto como un símbolo de la represión política bajo la ley de seguridad nacional impuesta por Beijing, que penaliza actos de secesión, subversión, terrorismo y colusión con fuerzas extranjeras.
Claudia Mo, una de las figuras más reconocidas del movimiento pro democracia, trabajó anteriormente como periodista de AFP y relató que su experiencia cubriendo la masacre de Tiananmén en 1989 influyó decisivamente en su activismo.
En 2006, cofundó el partido Civic Party y fue elegida legisladora en 2012. Más adelante se separó del partido para centrarse en una plataforma que destacaba la identidad diferenciada de Hong Kong respecto a China continental.
Jeremy Tam y Kwok Ka-ki también fueron miembros del Civic Party. Tam fue piloto de aerolínea antes de entrar a la política, mientras que Kwok ejercía como médico. Gary Fan, por su parte, fundó el partido Neo Democrats, orientado a promover reformas electorales y a frenar la influencia política y cultural del gobierno central sobre Hong Kong.
Desde la implementación de la ley de seguridad nacional, el régimen de Hong Kong ha arrestado a 322 personas y ha condenado a 163, según cifras oficiales actualizadas a inicios de este mes.
El año pasado, el gobierno local promulgó una segunda ley de seguridad nacional, alegando que es necesaria para restaurar el orden tras las protestas de 2019.
El tribunal tiene previsto escuchar en julio las apelaciones presentadas por 14 de los condenados. Mientras tanto, las excarcelaciones de este martes marcan un nuevo capítulo en el proceso judicial más emblemático desde la reconfiguración del sistema político de Hong Kong bajo la influencia directa de Beijing.
(Con información de AFP)
Asia / Pacific,Crime,HONG KONG
INTERNACIONAL
Trump signs executive order cracking down on ‘sanctuary’ cities, threatens their federal funding
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday instructing the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security to create a list of all sanctuary cities failing to adhere to federal immigration laws, providing them a chance to abandon their sanctuary status.
The order comes as Trump seeks to speed up deportations, following through on a key promise he made on the campaign trail during his third bid for president.
But so-called «sanctuary cities,» or jurisdictions that limit the ability of local agencies to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, have restricted his ability to do so.
«It’s quite simple: obey the law, respect the law, and don’t obstruct federal immigration officials and law enforcement officials when they are simply trying to remove public safety threats from our nation’s communities,» White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday. «The American public don’t want illegal alien criminals in their communities. They made that quite clear on November 5, and this administration is determined to enforce our nation’s immigration laws.»
Specifically, the executive order will notify sanctuary cities of their status and allow them to drop the sanctuary title — or risk losing federal funding. Additionally, it instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to «pursue all legal remedies» to push sanctuary cities into compliance with federal law, according to a Monday White House fact sheet shared with Fox News Digital.
Bondi and Noem are also instructed to establish proper channels ensuring that those in sanctuary cities do not receive federal public benefits.
YOUNGKIN TO DRAFT SANCTUARY CITY BAN, MAKING STATE FUNDING CONTINGENT ON ICE COOPERATION
President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House. (Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo/Reuters)
Some of the country’s largest cities have some sort of sanctuary law on the books aimed at protecting their illegal immigrant residents, including Chicago, New York City, Boston and Los Angeles, according to the Center for Immigration Studies. Some states have even gone on to pass their own sanctuary laws, including California, Oregon, Washington and Illinois.
The jurisdictions have faced controversy as Trump has accelerated his deportation efforts, especially in the wake of multiple high-profile crimes that have been allegedly committed by illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities.
Officers with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have seen their efforts hindered by sanctuary jurisdictions. (ICE)
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY STUDENT PROTESTER SUES TRUMP ADMIN TO PREVENT DEPORTATION
Even so, the executive order comes days after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from restricting federal funds for sanctuary cities violates the Constitution’s separation of powers principles and the Spending Clause, in addition to the Fifth and 10th Amendments.
The tension between the federal government and the jurisdictions has increased in recent weeks, including at a House Committee on Oversight and Government hearing in March, where members of Congress grilled the mayors of four prominent sanctuary cities.
«These reckless policies in Democrat-run cities and states across our nation have led to too many preventable tragedies,» House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said ahead of the hearing. «They also endanger ICE agents who are forced to take more difficult enforcement actions in jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.»
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has been vocal in opposing the Trump administration, saying of her sanctuary city, «we stand with immigrants.» (Getty Images)
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Trump, a longtime critic of sanctuary jurisdictions, hinted earlier in an April 10 social media post that such an executive action might be in the works.
«No more Sanctuary Cities! They protect the Criminals, not the Victims,» Trump said on April 10 in a Truth Social post.
«They are disgracing our Country, and are being mocked all over the World. Working on papers to withhold all Federal Funding for any City or State that allows these Death Traps to exist,» Trump said.
The Trump administration has signed more than 140 executive orders during Trump’s first 100 days in office — an increase from the 33 he signed during the first 100 days of his first term.
Fox News’ Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
Donald Trump,Border security,Immigration,Illegal Immigrants,Trump’s First 100 Days,Chicago,New York City
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