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Video shows bomb rock Damascus hotel where French President Macron is staying during Syrian state visit
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A pair of explosions rocked the Syrian capital of Damascus near the downtown Four Seasons hotel, where French President Emmanuel Macron was staying during a state visit, Syrian state media reported Tuesday.
Eighteen people, including four police officers, were injured by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on Tuesday, Syria’s interior ministry reported through state outlet SANA.
According to the ministry, both bombs exploded after security forces had discovered them, «while preparations for the disposal operation were underway.»
BRIEF ALCOHOL BAN IN DAMASCUS SPARKS CONCERNS ABOUT PRESIDENT AL-SHARAA’S VISION FOR SYRIA
The bombs were placed inside a car and a garbage can near the hotel where Macron was staying during his visit, the first Syrian state visit by the leader of a Western country since Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa took over for the now-deposed former President Bashar al-Assad in 2025.
A spokesman for Élysée Palace said Macron was not in his hotel during the explosions and didn’t even hear them. He continued his visit with al-Sharaa, according to both Élysée Palace and SANA.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa at the People’s Palace in Damascus, July 7, 2026. (Reuters/Mahmoud Hassano)
While not commenting on the explosions directly, Macron posted a statement on X shortly after the incident.
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«Nothing can smother the aspiration of Syrian women and men to live in a fully sovereign, safe, pluralistic, and united Syria. This morning I met Syria in all its diversity. I saw dignity, courage, and determination. My visit continues,» he wrote.
Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa greets supporters after meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, D.C., NOV. 10, 2025. (Lubna Allababidi/Handout via Reuters)
Syria’s Ministry of the Interior confirmed the explosions but stressed that they were outside the security perimeter designated for Macron.
«We confirm that the explosion site is outside the security perimeter designated for the French president’s residence. It posed no direct threat to the residence or the official visit program, which is proceeding as planned,» the ministry announced through SANA.
‘PARCEL BOMB’ EXPLODES IN MONACO RESIDENTIAL AREA, LEAVING 2 CRITICALLY INJURED: REPORTS
An ambulance drives past the site where explosive devices blew up near a hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was meant to be staying, in Damascus, Syria, July 7, 2026. (Reuters/Yamam Al Shaar)
Macron is the first Western leader to meet with al-Sharaa in Damascus since he became the country’s president in 2025. Some have criticized Western leaders, including President Donald Trump, who hosted al-Sharaa in the White House in November, for normalizing relations with al-Sharaa given his past as a fighter for the al Qaeda terrorist group.
Tuesday’s explosions in Damascus were also the second and third major blasts in Damascus in less than a week.
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On Monday, France’s government condemned what it called a «terrorist attack» after an explosive device killed at least nine people in a Damascus cafe on July 2.
Syrian authorities are still investigating the attack and have not publicly ascribed it to any group or individual, according to The Washington Post.
Fox News Digital contacted the Syrian Foreign Ministry and Élysée Palace for confirmation and further details.
emmanuel macron, syria, world, bombings, terrorism
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Progressive Dems’ full-throated Platner endorsements come back to haunt them after rape allegations
Bill McGurn discusses Maine Democrat Graham Platner’s mounting controversies
Fox News contributor Bill McGurn discusses Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner’s mounting controversies, including resurfaced Reddit posts, a Nazi symbol tattoo and sexually explicit messages. Democrats are now pushing Platner to exit the race following recent sexual assault allegations, raising questions about prior endorsements despite his problematic history.
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After Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner was accused of drunkenly raping a woman, a litany of progressive Democrats are tucking tail and heading for the hills as their ringing endorsements of the continuously embattled candidate come back to haunt them.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said at an April rally that Platner is, «My kind of man.»
She issued a statement Monday night after allegations emerged that Platner drunkenly raped 41-year-old Maine resident Jenny Racicot in 2021.
Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks to an overflow crowd outside a campaign event Sunday, June 7, 2026, in Portland, Maine. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo)
«Now more than ever we need leaders in Washington who reflect our values. There can be no tolerance for sexual assault,» Warren’s statement said.
«Working families are counting on Democrats to win the Senate election in Maine to unrig our economy and hold Donald Trump accountable. With so much at stake, the best path forward is for Graham Platner to step aside as the Democratic nominee and address these serious allegations outside this Senate race.»
WATCH: DEM SENATORS EXCUSE PLATNER’S CONDUCT AT CRISIS HUDDLE WITH EMBATTLED MAINE CANDIDATE
A spokesperson for Warren did not answer specific questions about whether the senator regretted backing Platner, who has not dropped out of the race as of Tuesday morning, through his numerous prior scandals.
Progressives supported Platner despite a months-long series of damning scandals, including the revelation that the candidate had a Nazi-linked tattoo on his chest. He was also exposed for infidelity to his wife, making lewd Reddit comments about masturbating in portable toilets on a now-deleted account and mocking a Purple Heart veteran.
He also faced accusations last month of physical misconduct and violence against an ex-girlfriend who was then smeared as a conservative political operative.
Ranking member Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., questions Kevin Warsh, nominee to chairman of the Federal Reserve, during his Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee confirmation hearing on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has so far been silent on the rape allegations. In a June statement, he said he would «do everything I can to make sure that Graham Platner is the next Senator from the state of Maine.» That could now be put to the test.
The left-wing commentariat played a massive role in propping Platner up.
Fox News Digital reached out to Sanders’ office for comment, but did not hear back at time of publishing.
TOP PLATNER ALLY TURNS ON HIM AFTER BOMBSHELL RAPE ALLEGATION ROCKS CAMPAIGN: ‘RED LINE’
Former Obama aides Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer and Tommy Vietor, who now host the «Pod Save America» podcast, were chief among those supporting Platner’s rise in the Democratic Party.
«Graham Platner isn’t just our best and only chance to beat Susan Collins, he’s a good, decent man who’s struggled and grown and is always trying to do better,» Favreau said on X in April, well after the Reddit post and Nazi tattoo scandals.
Favreau changed his tune Monday night.
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner stand together during a «Fighting Oligarchy» tour stop at the Collins Center for the Arts on the University of Maine campus in Orono, Maine, on May 24, 2026. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
«Platner needs to drop out ASAP – these are awful, credible allegations,» he posted. «Said on the pod after the (also credible) June NYT story that his biggest problem going forward would be credibility. It’s now abundantly clear that he just hasn’t been honest about his past and can’t be trusted as a candidate for office.»
Vietor defended Platner after Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., who is Jewish, condemned the candidate’s Nazi-linked tattoo and Reddit posts as «disqualifying» in May.
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«Have you called or met with him to discuss it?» Vietor asked Auchincloss on X.
Vietor had also interviewed Platner after those scandals.
But he, too, reversed course on Monday night.
«This story is really bad, well-documented and credible, and obviously the right course of action for Platner is to drop out as soon as possible so that Maine democrats can get a replacement on the ballot,» he said.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guests Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett & Tommy Vietor during Monday’s January 20, 2025 show. (Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)
Pfeiffer followed suit.
«The allegations against Graham Platner are well-documented, very credible, and highly disturbing. He should drop out ASAP,» he said, on X.
Lovett didn’t make a statement, but posted a clip of Monday’s episode of «Pod Save America,» where despite his apology, Vietor jumped straight back to politics and remarked that he was, «very worried now about the prospect of winning this seat» but said the Democratic Party, «could ultimately be in a stronger place politically.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Crooked Media, the parent company of «Pod Save America,» but did not hear back.
PLATNER’S LATEST ACCUSER CLAIMS THE DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE ‘ABSOLUTELY’ RAPED HER
Some not only failed to condemn Platner, but instead took offensive positions.
«Graham Platner may drop out. (I hope he doesn’t, but.) Meanwhile, the Abuser in Chief just keeps on keepin’ on,» author Stephen King wrote on X, referring to allegations against President Donald Trump over the years.
King followed-up with another post claiming everyone in politics in Washington, D.C. is corrupt.
«Tell you what–if you knew the whole truth about everyone in the Senate and House of Reps, those chambers would be dead empty. Jesus said, ‘Let him without sin cast the first stone.’»
Cenk Uygur, Founder and CEO of TYT attends The Young Turks (TYT) 20th Anniversary Celebration at YouTube Space LA on May 25, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Anna Webber/Getty Images for TYT)
Far-left media personality Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks spent much of Monday blaming everyone but Platner for the scandal, including the media and the «Israeli lobby.»
«Congratulations to national media on politically assassinating Graham Platner,» he said in one post. «If he drops out and Democratic Party tries to give us two candidates who are both for Israel and corporate pacs [sic], they’ll face a revolt like they’ve never seen. Days of bull—- false choices are over.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Uygur.
Ryan Grim, formerly of The Intercept, spent ages defending Platner online.
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«Democrats need people like Platner if they are going to come to terms with the true nature of our country, with what we have done to people at home and abroad, and pull together the coalition needed to heal and reshape it,» he said in a June post regarding an opinion piece that promoted Platner.
He reported on X Monday night that Platner «lost his base,» but did not address the rape allegations or his support for the candidate directly.
Grim did not return a Fox News Digital comment request.
Others prominent Democrats who abandoned the Platner ship include Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.
graham platner, politics, chuck schumer, elizabeth warren, bernie sanders, campaigning
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El populista Nigel Farage da un golpe de timón en el Reino Unido acorralado por acusaciones de corrupción
Millones no declarados
Su discurso
Reacciones
El laborismo
La investigación sigue si es diputado
«Engañar a los votantes»
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Francia: condenaron a la ultraderechista Marine Le Pen a 15 meses de inhabilitación para ejercer cargos públicos, pero podrá ser candidata
La líder de la extrema derecha francesa, Marine Le Pen, fue condenada a 15 meses de inhabilitación para ejercer cargos públicos, una sentencia por malversación de fondos europeos que, aun así, le permite ser candidata en las elecciones presidenciales de 2027.
Sin embargo, su candidatura quedó en el aire, ya que el tribunal también la condenó a tres años de prisión, uno de ellos bajo vigilancia mediante una tobillera electrónica, una situación que ella había considerado recientemente incompatible con una candidatura.
“Cuando uno es candidato a la presidencia, debe tener total libertad de movimientos, y ese no es el caso si lleva una tobillera electrónica”, había declarado el miércoles al canal LCI.
Se espera que oficialice su decisión durante el noticiero de las 20 (15 en la Argentina) del canal TF1.
Un fallo con un fuerte impacto político
La decisión de la Corte de Apelaciones de París era esperada por toda la clase política francesa, ya que tendrá un impacto decisivo en la elección del próximo jefe de Estado que sucederá a Emmanuel Macron en la primavera de 2027.
Marine Le Pen, de 57 años, ya logró llegar en dos ocasiones a la segunda vuelta de las tres últimas elecciones presidenciales (2017 y 2022).
Los resultados de su partido, Agrupación Nacional (Rassemblement National, ex Front National), crecieron durante años y la extrema derecha encabeza actualmente las encuestas. Marine Le Pen junto a su delfín, Jordan Bardella, de 30 años. (Foto: REUTERS/Tom Nicholson).
Si finalmente Marine Le Pen no se presenta como candidata, su heredero político, Jordan Bardella, de 30 años y actual presidente del partido, será el candidato.
Una condena rebajada
El 31 de marzo de 2025, Marine Le Pen fue declarada culpable de haber instaurado, entre 2004 y 2016, un “sistema” para pagar con fondos del Parlamento Europeo a empleados del Frente Nacional (el antiguo nombre del partido), que en ese momento atravesaba dificultades financieras
Fue condenada a cuatro años de prisión, dos de ellos de cumplimiento efectivo, una multa de 100.000 euros y, sobre todo, a cinco años de inhabilitación con aplicación inmediata, lo que frenó su impulso hacia la elección presidencial. Le Pen denunció entonces una decisión “política” de los jueces y calificó el proceso como una “caza de brujas”.
Por eso, la decisión de la Corte de Apelaciones de París se anunciaba crucial a diez meses de la presidencial. El Tribunal señaló al inicio de la lectura del fallo que, aunque los hechos imputados son “graves”, las penas de inhabilitación fueron ponderadas teniendo en cuenta “la libertad de las candidaturas” y “la libre elección de los votantes”, considerada una “condición de la expresión democrática”.
Si los jueces de apelación le hubieran impuesto más de dos años de inhabilitación, le habría sido imposible presentarse a las elecciones. Marine le Pen fue condenada por malversación de fondos pero podrá sercandidata a las presidenciales de 2027, donde es favorita en las encuestas. (Foto: REUTERS/Benoit Tessier).
“Hemos previsto todos los escenarios”, aseguró el lunes Bardella desde el Parlamento Europeo en Estrasburgo, afirmando sentirse “sereno y preparado para asumir las consecuencias” de la decisión judicial.
Tras sus derrotas frente a Emmanuel Macron en la segunda vuelta de las elecciones presidenciales de 2017 y 2022 (y su eliminación en la primera vuelta en 2012), la hija de Jean-Marie Le Pen —figura histórica de la extrema derecha francesa— llega fortalecida a los comicios del próximo año, culminando un largo proceso de “desdemonización” de la imagen del partido.
Las encuestas la sitúan al frente de la primera vuelta, prevista para el 18 de abril. A finales de mayo, incluso un instituto de opinión la proyectaba como ganadora de la segunda vuelta, prevista para el 2 de mayo, independientemente de quién fuera su rival.
Sea cual sea la decisión final, “nunca nos desanimaremos, seguiremos luchando, iremos hasta el final, hasta la victoria”, declaró el sábado, junto a Jordan Bardella, en su bastión electoral del norte de Francia.
Marine Le Pen, Francia
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