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‘Killed off Elmo’: Jeffries brings along stuffed friend for stunt on House floor
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Elmo has a friend, indeed.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., brought along a stuffed friend to help make a point on the House floor Thursday.
Jeffries held up a stuffed Elmo doll while accusing Republicans of targeting beloved children’s shows like «Sesame Street» in their push to slash federal spending.
«Today, we are on the floor of the House of Representatives debating legislation that targets Elmo. And Big Bird. And Daniel Tiger and ‘Sesame Street,’» Jeffries said, waving the puppet as he railed against the GOP-led rescissions package.
TRUMP SENDS $9.4 BILLION DOGE CUTS PROPOSAL TO CONGRESS, TARGETING NPR, PBS
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., holds a stuffed Elmo doll while speaking on the House floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jun. 12, 2025. Jeffries used the prop to criticize the Republican-led rescissions bill, accusing the GOP of targeting Sesame Street and children’s programming by cutting funds to public broadcasting. (Pool)
The moment, widely circulated online, came during debate over the Republican-backed Proposed Rescissions of Budgetary Resources from President Trump, which would eliminate over $9 billion in unspent or low-priority federal funds.
Among the targeted programs: $3 million in taxpayer support for an international version of Sesame Street in Iraq.
Democrats objected to what they characterized as cultural and humanitarian vandalism disguised as fiscal responsibility. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., delivered one of the sharpest lines of the day: «While you all have killed off Elmo, I urge my colleagues to vote no on this trash and I yield back,» Garcia said.
Republicans dismissed the theatrics and defended the package as a commonsense rollback of bloated, ideological spending. The bill also includes broader cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports PBS and NPR, long-time targets of fiscal conservatives who argue the taxpayer shouldn’t subsidize public media.
Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., rebutted, «I never realized Elmo was more important to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle than the American people.»
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., pushed back forcefully: «The Minority Leader held up a Sesame Street character here on the floor as if Sesame Street’s somehow going to go away,» Scalise said.
SESAME STREET’S PRIDE MONTH POST SPARKS BACKLASH FROM REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS AMID PBS FUNDING THREATS
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., responds to Jeffries’ remarks on the House floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jun. 12, 2025. Scalise defended the $9.4 billion rescissions bill, rejecting claims that it would eliminate Sesame Street, and argued the program thrives on private funding. (Pool)
«I was watching a commercial on TV yesterday where the Cookie Monster was actually doing an advertisement for Netflix because a private company is paying money to run Sesame Street. It’s not going away. It’s doing just fine. Very lucrative.»
Scalise argued the bill doesn’t threaten Sesame Street’s survival, only its taxpayer subsidy, and called out what he described as «far-left, radical views» being promoted through outlets like NPR and PBS.
«There is still going to be a plethora of options for the American people,» he said. «But if they are paying their hard-earned dollars to get content, why should your tax dollars go to only one thing that the other side wants to promote?»
He concluded bluntly: «They can still watch Sesame Street in Iraq. But let the Iraqi people pay for it — not the taxpayers of the United States of America’s children.»
Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., delivers remarks during House debate on the GOP rescissions bill at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jun. 12, 2025. Kamlager-Dove echoed Democratic outrage over proposed cuts to public media, accusing Republicans of «killing off Elmo» and calling the legislation «trash.» (Pool)
Even more eyebrow‑raising was the inclusion of taxpayer‑funded global health spending for procedures like circumcisions.
Among the line items flagged by GOP lawmakers: $3 million to subsidize circumcisions, vasectomies and condoms in Zambia, alongside similar grants for transgender surgeries in Nepal. Republicans contended that pulling back these types of low-impact or ideological slush funds was a logical first step toward returning more than $9 billion to the U.S. Treasury.
The bill passed the House Appropriations Committee earlier this week and Senate Democrats have signaled strong opposition.
The bill passed the House in a 214–212 vote. Four Republicans, Reps. Mark Amodei, R-Nev.; Mike Turner, R-Ohio; Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.; and Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., broke ranks to vote against the bill. All Democrats voted no.
No word yet from Elmo. But with Congress in session, the puppetry continues.
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The Office of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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American stealth bombers are expected to land at U.K. military bases within days to join the U.S.-Israel campaign against Iran, according to reports.
Citing unnamed senior Western officials, The Telegraph reported Wednesday that air bases at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire are being readied for the arrival of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers — the $2 billion strategic bomber is also known as the world’s most expensive aircraft.
The bombers are understood to be landing at the U.K. bases «in a matter of days» as Washington intensifies operations in the region, the outlet reported.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, the U.S. military used stealth B-2 bombers to strike Iranian ballistic missile facilities Feb. 28 as part of the launch of Operation Epic Fury.
Diego Garcia is a strategic Indian Ocean base hosting 2,500 US military personnel. (Reuters)
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that B-2 stealth bombers, which were equipped with 2,000-pound bombs, struck Iranian «hardened» ballistic missile sites.
The U.S. was cleared to use British bases for limited strikes on Iran’s missile capabilities on Feb. 29 after Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed off on the plan, and while U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey stated Britain had «stepped up alongside the Americans.»
Starmer said the authorization was granted to protect U.K. and U.S. allies as the conflict escalated. He had previously said he would not allow American forces to use U.K. bases for offensive operations in the region.
Tensions have since been heightened in the U.K. by security incidents in Cyprus. RAF Akrotiri, a key British military base on the island, was struck by a suspected drone on March 2, causing minor damage.
IRAN’S DRONE SWARM ATTACKS UNLEASH ‘EXPONENTIAL COSTS’ ON US, PROLONGING WAR: ‘ASYMMETRIC CAPABILITY’
Several B-2 Spirit Stealth Bombers are seen on a runway at the Whiteman Air Force Base. (Whiteman Air Force Base)
The unmanned aircraft was reported to resemble an Iranian-made Shahed drone, similar to models used by Russia in Ukraine and by Tehran’s regional proxies.
The Ministry of Defense said force-protection measures were at the «highest level» and that the base had taken steps to defend personnel. About 4,000 service members and their families are based at RAF Akrotiri.
The U.S. State Department raised its travel advisory for Cyprus to Level 3, urging Americans to reconsider travel because of the threat of armed conflict and limited consular assistance in parts of the country.
Non-emergency embassy staff and family members were authorized to leave. Officials said the advisory change reflected adjustments in embassy operations rather than a direct change in underlying risk.
EX-CENTCOM CHIEF DETAILS ‘EXQUISITE INTELLIGENCE’ BEHIND IRAN STRIKES, SAYS NEXT STEPS HINGE ON ‘MISSILE MATH’
President Donald Trump blasted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer March 3, 2026, saying «this is not Winston Churchill we are dealing with,» amid a lack of support for the United States’ and Israel’s joint military operation against Iran. (Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images ; PA Images via Getty Images ; Jonathan Brady/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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Trump had called Britain «uncooperative» and slammed Starmer as «not Winston Churchill» after Starmer initially rebuffed a U.S. request to use U.K. bases to attack Iran, according to The Associated Press.
Trump has also condemned Britain’s agreement to hand over the Chagos Islands, home to the Diego Garcia base, to Mauritius.
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Unearthed video shows Dem candidate supporting ‘reallocation’ of police funding to social service programs
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A Democrat running for Congress in one of the most competitive seats in the country once said she would combat systematic racism by redirecting law enforcement funding when asked if she would «defund the police» in 2020.
«I support the reallocation of funding to programs that would allow people to live their best lives,» JoAnna Mendoza, a Marine veteran, told the Arizona Clean Elections Commission and Arizona Capitol Times at a town hall event.
«Such as social service programs. Such as housing, public education, healthcare, ensuring that we are addressing economic stability and environmental safety.»
JoAnna Mendoza, a candidate for Congress, is running in one of the country’s most competitive races in 2026. (Joanna Mendoza for Congress/YouTube screenshot)
Mendoza, who is running to represent Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, denied ever supporting defunding the police, according to her campaign.
«Jo Mendoza has been on the record for years that police need MORE resources to do their jobs – not less – including body cameras and training. And she has repeatedly stated that she does not support defunding the police,» Mendoza’s campaign said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
«Any other assertion is categorically false, a lie and a political smear from D.C. hacks hoping to save Juan Ciscomani from an early retirement,» the campaign said, referring to the GOP incumbent Mendoza is running against.
Mendoza did not clarify what she had meant by the 2020 statement. However, her campaign pointed to other comments she made in 2020.
«I do not support defunding the police. Police officers are being asked to do too much. They’re being asked to address issues because of the lack of resources in our communities,» Mendoza said in another virtual event that year.
The Republican National Committee slammed Mendoza in a statement to Fox News Digital.
«There’s no way for JoAnna Mendoza to spin her extreme anti-police views, and Arizonans will know that she sides with dangerous criminals over them,» Nick Poche, a spokesperson for the RNC, told Fox News Digital.
The «defund the police» platform, which at the time was championed by several progressive Democrats, has aged poorly, leading Republicans and Democrats to view mere mentions of the phrase as a political liability in 2026.
The movement first burst onto the scene through the outrage after the death of George Floyd, a Black Minnesota resident who died after a police arrest in which an officer pinned him to the ground by placing a knee on his neck for an extended period.
His death sparked an uproar in cities across the country over racism in law enforcement and whether police in America could do more to avoid violence during arrests.
DEMOCRATS WORRY ‘ABOLISH ICE’ SLOGAN WILL BACKFIRE POLITICALLY LIKE ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ DID
Demonstrators carry a banner during an «I Can’t Breathe» Silent March For Justice in Minneapolis March 7, 2021. (Emilie Richardson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Although the outrage over Floyd eventually subsided, many of the calls to divert resources away from police persisted as a Democratic platform, leading some cities like Minneapolis and Austin, Texas, to reduce their police budgets.
However, the movement began to draw ire from Democrats who feared the party had taken a stance that could be considered at odds with community safety and worsen their odds at the ballot box.
Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., the House Majority Whip under U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in 2021, said the phrase was «cutting the throats of the party.»
«We keep making that mistake. This foolishness about you got to be this progressive or that progressive,» Clyburn said.
TENNESSEE CANDIDATE BLASTS DEM OPPONENT’S ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ TWEETS CALLING TO DISSOLVE NASHVILLE POLICE
Other Democratic strategists, such as James Carville, have also condemned the platform.
Carville called the slogan «the three stupidest words in the English language» in interviews in 2024 and went as far as suggesting the slogan could have led to the loss of Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid against Donald Trump.
«We could never wash off the stench of it,» Carville added.
TLAIB-BACKED SENATE CANDIDATE IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER DELETING ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
James Carville speaks onstage during Politicon at Music City Center in 2025. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Politicon)
Mendoza faces a tough race in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District. Ciscomani, the seat’s current incumbent, narrowly won election in 2024 in a 50%-47.5% victory over Democrat challenger Kirsten Engel.
The district is listed among the Cook Political Report’s most competitive races in 2026, earning one of the 18 seats with a «toss-up» designation.
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Poche believes Mendoza’s previous comments have just made her bid against Ciscomani harder.
«If the Democrats think a defund-the-police radical can beat him, they’re just plain stupid,» Poche said.
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El último conflicto en Oriente Medio es veloz, violento, extenso y profundamente complejo. Y con todos los acontecimientos que se mueven con rapidez, la escalada de los combates entre Estados Unidos e Israel por un lado, e Irán y sus aliados por el otro, puede ser difícil de entender, y mucho menos de visualizar.
Los ataques aéreos destruyen manzanas y recintos enteros. Los misiles cruzan las fronteras. Los drones descargan una destrucción letal. Como se observa en el mapa anterior, los ataques aéreos de ambos bandos han resonado en toda la región durante días.
Esta colección de elementos visuales de The Associated Press —mapas interactivos, imágenes satelitales, tomas deslizantes de antes y después— está diseñada para ofrecer una alternativa, o al menos un complemento, a las palabras que describen lo que está sucediendo.
En este espacio, mostraremos las formas en que se desarrolla la guerra, las personas involucradas en ella y el impacto que está teniendo: físico, político y visceral. Algunos mapas y otros elementos serán fijos y evolucionarán día a día. Otros serán sustituidos según lo justifiquen los acontecimientos. A la izquierda: el recinto del Líder Supremo de Irán, Ali Khamenei, antes de la mañana del 28 de febrero. A la derecha: el mismo lugar tras los ataques aéreos.
Ataque al complejo de Ali Jameini
Tocá para explorar el contenido
Esto es lo que los periodistas gráficos llaman un «deslizador»: arrastre las flechas del centro para ver el antes y el después completo; arquitectura antes, simples escombros después.
Khamenei y un número indeterminado de otros líderes iraníes murieron en el ataque, lo que efectivamente descabezó al gobierno teocrático en una medida aún desconocida. Las fotos muestran no solo la destrucción, sino la precisión milimétrica de la carga útil de los aviones en este ataque: mientras que el complejo en sí fue nivelado, muchos de los edificios a su alrededor permanecen visiblemente intactos.
Este «carrusel» gráfico muestra la lista de aspirantes que podrían sustituir a Khamenei como máximo líder espiritual de Irán.
Entre ellos: el expresidente Hassan Rouhani, quien alcanzó el histórico acuerdo nuclear con la administración Obama que Trump desechó; Mojtaba Khamenei, hijo del fallecido líder de alto rango. Aunque solo es un clérigo de nivel medio, se le considera ampliamente como un potencial sucesor de su padre, a pesar de que nunca ha ocupado un cargo político.
También figura en la lista un moderado relativo, Hassan Khomeini, poco conocido fuera de Irán y de sus círculos religiosos y políticos. Es nieto del ayatolá Ruhollah Khomeini, quien orquestó la revolución islámica de Irán en 1979 y gobernó como líder supremo durante una década antes de morir y ser sustituido por Khamenei.
Cada vez que ocurre algo en Oriente Medio, especialmente en el Golfo Pérsico, la cuestión del petróleo nunca está lejos de la conversación, particularmente cuando se trata de Irán.
Este gráfico muestra la volatilidad de los precios del petróleo en los días posteriores a los primeros ataques contra Irán antes de la madrugada del sábado. Los precios del petróleo suelen ser volátiles, pero los conflictos tienden a desequilibrarlos de formas más agudas y, mientras el conflicto continúe, bien podría ser el caso.
Nótese en particular los picos: el precio actual por barril de crudo estadounidense, que ya estaba en ascenso este año a medida que aumentaban las tensiones con Irán, superó los 70 dólares por barril en los días posteriores al ataque del sábado contra Irán. Fue el precio más alto del crudo estadounidense desde julio, cuando la guerra de 12 días entre Israel e Irán lo elevó temporalmente a casi 75 dólares por barril.
Un elemento clave en cualquier guerra relacionada con el Golfo Pérsico es la potencia y capacidad marítima. Este mapa muestra la ubicación aproximada de los destructores bajo el mando de Estados Unidos y la administración Trump.
Cuando Irán es atacado por Estados Unidos y sus aliados, contraataca regionalmente contra quienes albergan operaciones estadounidenses y aliadas.
Como muestra este mapa, una gran cantidad de naciones cercanas han sufrido ataques de Irán en los últimos días, incluidos Israel, Chipre, Irak, Kuwait, Bahréin, Qatar, Arabia Saudita y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, incluido Dubái.
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