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WATCH: SPLC chief doubles down on placing Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA on ‘hate map’

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Southern Poverty Law Center head Bryan Fair defended the left-wing organization’s decision to list mainstream conservative groups on its «hate map» during a fiery hearing Tuesday.

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Fair, SPLC’s interim executive, doubled down on the group’s designation of Turning Point USA, a conservative activist organization founded by the late Charlie Kirk, as extremist when pressed by GOP lawmakers. Turning Point was listed alongside White supremacist and neo-Nazi groups in the law center’s 2025 «Year in Hate & Extremism» report released Tuesday. 

The exchange comes as Republicans scrutinize the law center’s close ties to the Biden administration amid the Department of Justice’s pending criminal case against the nonprofit over alleged financial crimes.

«Will you recant it, or are you going to double down and say that these people, including the martyred Charlie Kirk, in fact, somehow deserve to be on your hate list?» Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., asked Fair.

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ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE RETIRES GLOSSARY OF EXTREMIST GROUPS AFTER BACKLASH FOR INCLUDING CHARLIE KIRK’S TPUSA

Southern Poverty Law Center interim CEO Bryan Fair defended the left-wing organization’s designation of Turning Point USA as an extremist organization. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Elizabeth Frantz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

«Congressman, as I said in my statement,» Fair began answering, referring to his opening remarks in which he said he could not address certain topics due to the ongoing criminal probe. 

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«No, wait a second,» Issa interjected. «I heard your statement. I only want an answer to your question in the 11 seconds left. Are you going to recant, yes or no? And if you’re not going to, please don’t tell me it’s because now you’re under charges.»

«Your organization did it as much as 16 years ago. Will you take back any part of that?» the California lawmaker continued.

Fair replied, «The SPLC will continue to expose hate and extremism.»

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The nonprofit head also defended Turning Point’s «hate map» designation when questioned by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas.

«It is our position that TPUSA expresses views and vilifies other people based on immutable characteristics, exposing them to our listing,» Fair told Roy.

Roy said he would introduce legislation to revoke the law center’s tax-exempt status following the exchange.

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Charlie Kirk throwing hats to crowd at Utah Valley University in Orem Utah

Charlie Kirk throws hats to the crowd after arriving at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10, 2025. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

INDICTED SPLC CHIEF FACES HOUSE GRILLING OVER ALLEGED SECRET PAYMENTS TO KKK MEMBERS

Turning Point spokesman Andrew Kolvet slammed Fair’s remarks in a post on social media. «Badge of honor,» Kolvet wrote in a statement following the exchange. «Screw the SPLC.»

The hearing came after the Justice Department filed an 11-count indictment against the law center in April over allegedly defrauding its donors by concealing payments to informants within extremist organizations while publicly professing to combat racism.

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Fair has denied any wrongdoing and has argued the DOJ charges are politically motivated.

He also dismissed GOP criticisms that the organization has unfairly labeled conservative groups as extremist while ignoring left-wing groups that espouse antisemitism. 

Fair struggled to answer Tuesday when asked by Roy if the law center has labeled any anti-Israel or Islamist groups as extremist.

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«Some say we’ve lost our way,» Fair told lawmakers. «That’s false. We’ve never lost our North Star: a fair and just society for every person. All our programs advance that mission.»

Democrats largely defended the law center during the contentious hearing.

Chip Roy

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, vowed Tuesday to introduce legislation revoking the SPLC’s tax-exempt status. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

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«The SPLC is an enduring institutional beacon of hope for millions of people seeking to create a more perfect union,» House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said in his opening statement. «The Trump administration is thus naturally trying to tear it down.»

Fox News Digital reached out to TPUSA for comment.

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UNRWA fires 70 Gaza staffers amid allegations of Hamas ties, says terminations not admission of guilt

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The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) fired 70 staff members working in Gaza after long-standing claims from Israeli authorities that the agency is a collaborator with the Hamas terrorist group.

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«Today, the Commissioner-General ad interim of UNRWA, Christian Saunders, took the decision to terminate the employment of 70 UNRWA staff members in Gaza with immediate effect,» UNRWA wrote in a Friday statement.

UNRWA insisted its decision was not an admission of guilt, but one taken «to mitigate safety and security risks for the refugees the Agency serves under its mandate and for UNRWA personnel and premises.»

The agency claims it has «repeatedly asked the Israeli authorities to provide information and evidence to substantiate allegations against individual UNRWA staff members in Gaza but has received no response to date.»

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ISRAEL SAYS UN MISLEADS WORLD AS GAZA AID STOLEN AND DIVERTED FROM CIVILIANS

A Palestinian boy walks near a UNRWA school sheltering displaced people that was hit in an overnight Israeli strike in Gaza City on July 5, 2025. (Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters)

«The dismissal of the staff is not part of a disciplinary process and does not constitute in any way a validation of the claims made against them,» the UNRWA statement read.

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The firings follow a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) investigation that referred more than 100 UNRWA staff members for suspension or dismissal.

USAID’s investigation, the results of which the agency published June 5, assessed that a number of UNRWA’s employees were deeply enmeshed in Hamas’ civil society and military operations.

The investigation results included mention of «a deputy school principal serving as an al-Qassam deputy company commander in the Ain Gallout/5th infantry battalion, a deputy school principal serving as squad leader for the Khan Younis Brigade/2nd infantry battalion» and «a teacher with expertise as a sniper for Hamas.»

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Al-Qassam Brigades members handing over Israeli hostages to International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza

Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, hand over Israeli hostages Omer Shem-Tov, Eliya Cohen and Omer Wenkert to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Nuseirat Refugee Camp, Gaza, on Feb. 22, 2025, as part of the seventh exchange under the Jan. 19 ceasefire deal. (Ashraf Amra/Anadolu)

The investigation also found numerous school teachers and principals it claimed to have participated directly in Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.

Israeli authorities have long charged UNRWA with being directly tied to Hamas.

«Since October 7, evidence of numerous incidents of Hamas exploiting UNRWA infrastructure and UNRWA employees being involved in terrorist activity has been exposed. Civilians in Gaza have even stated that UNRWA is Hamas,» the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) wrote in a January web post.

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Israeli soldiers standing inside an evacuated UNRWA compound in Gaza City

Israeli soldiers stand inside an evacuated United Nations Relief and Works Agency compound in Gaza City during a media tour organized by the Israeli army on Feb. 8, 2024. (Jack Guez/AFP)

Additionally, the IDF claimed, citing intelligence findings, that «among the 12,521 UNRWA employees in the Gaza Strip, at least 1,462 (12%) are members of Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations.»

UNRWA SCHOOLS ‘HIJACKED BY HAMAS,’ WATCHDOG REPORT WARNS

Israel’s Foreign Ministry pushed back on UNRWA’s defense framing and claims that Israel had not supplied evidence of employee-Hamas collaboration.

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«UNRWA’s statement on the termination of 70 employees, while blaming the victim, Israel, and without even mentioning the word ‘Hamas,’ is a cynical cover-up,» the ministry wrote in a statement shared on X.

UNRWA headquarters building in Gaza City

UNRWA’s headquarters is shown in Gaza City, Gaza, on Feb. 21, 2024. (Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu)

«The responsibility to purge terrorism lies solely with the UN, yet Hamas membership remains simply acceptable within UNRWA’s ranks. By harboring terrorists and letting its facilities serve as Hamas headquarters, UNRWA has become an arm of Hamas,» the statement concluded.

UNRWA, for its part, denies being an active collaborator with Hamas, but insists working with the group is an operational necessity for distributing aid in Gaza.

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«UNRWA, similar to other United Nations entities, does not have police or intelligence capacities and must rely on the cooperation and assistance of Member States, including the State of Israel as the Occupying Power, to protect its operations and neutrality amid high risks in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,» the agency wrote in its Friday statement.

In April, UNRWA’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) announced the results of an investigation into 19 employees accused of participating in Oct. 7. UNRWA terminated 12 of the employees in January. Of the remaining seven cases, UNRWA had dismissed one, citing a lack of evidence. The remaining six cases were still under investigation as of April, according to the agency.

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President Donald Trump’s administration weighed levying terrorism-related sanctions against UNRWA in December.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also referred to UNRWA as «a subsidiary of Hamas.»

Fox News Digital contacted UNRWA and a spokesperson for the Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations but did not immediately receive a response.

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Ucrania inició la mayor transformación de su ejército desde el comienzo de la invasión rusa

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Soldados ucranianos en fila (Europa Press)

Ucrania está poniendo en marcha la mayor transformación de su ejército desde el inicio de la invasión a gran escala por parte de Rusia, con planes para aumentar considerablemente los salarios, introducir contratos de servicio militar de duración determinada y cubrir hasta el 50% de los puestos de infantería y asalto con extranjeros.

Las medidas, anunciadas por el presidente ucraniano, Volodimir Zelensky, tienen como objetivo convertir los salarios de la infantería en “los más altos del mundo”.

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El salario medio de la infantería en primera línea aumentará hasta unos 7.000 dólares al mes (6.000 euros), con un máximo de hasta 10.000 dólares (8.640 euros), en comparación con los actuales 2.500 a 3.000 dólares (2.160 a 2.600 euros) para quienes ocupan puestos de vanguardia.

El aumento está pensado para hacer mucho más atractivos a los reclutas los puestos de mayor riesgo.

Los incentivos económicos son sólo una parte de un paquete más amplio elaborado por Mijailo Fedorov, el antiguo jefe del Ministerio de Transformación Digital de Ucrania que fue nombrado ministro de Defensa hace cinco meses.

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Militares de la 93.ª Brigada Mecanizada Separada Kholodnyi Yar de las Fuerzas Armadas de Ucrania (REUTERS/Serhii Korovainyi)
Militares de la 93.ª Brigada Mecanizada Separada Kholodnyi Yar de las Fuerzas Armadas de Ucrania (REUTERS/Serhii Korovainyi)

Obligar a Rusia a la paz” no sólo es una cuestión de armas y tecnología, afirmó Fedorov al anunciar las primeras medidas, que fueron aprobadas por el Consejo de Ministros el viernes.

Se necesita un nuevo sistema de servicio militar, basado en el respeto a la persona, la justicia y unas normas claras”, subrayó, y señaló que se espera que las medidas consoliden la tendencia favorable para Ucrania en el campo de batalla.

En concreto, la reforma responde a una demanda de hace tiempo de los soldados y sus familias en favor de una mayor previsibilidad con la introducción de contratos de duración determinada que garantizan un descanso tras su finalización, en sustitución del actual servicio de facto indefinido.

Los contratos tendrán una duración de entre 6 y 24 meses, mientras que el periodo de exención del servicio militar será de a partir de 6 meses y dependerá de la duración y los riesgos del servicio.

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Los soldados con más antigüedad podrán empezar a “abandonar gradualmente” las filas a finales de año, mientras que otros tendrán descansos significativamente más largos entre contratos.

Fedorov también anunció la puesta en marcha de un sistema digitalizado de control de misiones para garantizar una distribución justa de las tareas y una mayor transparencia en la remuneración.

Un artillero de la 152.a Brigada Separada de Cazas dispara un obús autopropulsado M114 hacia las tropas rusas, en medio del ataque de Rusia a Ucrania, cerca de la ciudad de primera línea de Pokrovsk en la región de Donetsk, Ucrania (REUTERS/Anatolii Stepanov/Archivo)
Un artillero de la 152.a Brigada Separada de Cazas dispara un obús autopropulsado M114 hacia las tropas rusas, en medio del ataque de Rusia a Ucrania, cerca de la ciudad de primera línea de Pokrovsk en la región de Donetsk, Ucrania (REUTERS/Anatolii Stepanov/Archivo)

Tras más de cuatro años de intensos combates y movilización a gran escala, Ucrania tiene previsto cubrir entre el 30% y el 50% de sus necesidades de tropas de infantería y asalto mediante el reclutamiento internacional, afirmó Fedorov.

Miles de combatientes extranjeros ya prestan servicio en el ejército ucraniano, con los contingentes más numerosos procedentes de Colombia y otros países latinoamericanos. Hasta ahora, el reclutamiento ha sido gestionado en gran medida por unidades individuales.

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“Hay ciertas unidades en las que entre el 60% y el 80% del personal son voluntarios extranjeros. Su contribución es difícil de sobrestimar”, declaró a EFE Dmitro “Domovik”, comandante de una compañía de drones del 413.º Regimiento “Raid”.

La reforma creará nuevos mecanismos para ampliar la participación extranjera. “He dado instrucciones para que se abran significativamente más oportunidades a los voluntarios extranjeros que deseen alistarse en el Ejército ucraniano”, declaró Zelensky.

El presidente ucraniano aseguró que el país cuenta con los fondos necesarios para llevar a cabo la reforma, aunque no dio más detalles.

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El presidente de Ucrania, Volodimir Zelensky (Servicio de prensa presidencial de Ucrania/Handout vía REUTERS)
El presidente de Ucrania, Volodimir Zelensky (Servicio de prensa presidencial de Ucrania/Handout vía REUTERS)

La reforma se considera esencial para la capacidad de Ucrania de mantener su defensa a largo plazo. Aunque sus elementos principales se vienen anticipando desde hace un tiempo, su implementación exitosa será clave para superar el escepticismo entre los soldados que llevan luchando desde los primeros días de la guerra.

El fuerte aumento salarial para la infantería también podría generar descontento entre los soldados en la retaguardia, cuyos salarios crecerán de forma más modesta, advirtió en sus redes sociales Yarina Chornoguz, voluntaria que se alistó en el ejército ya en 2020.

El salario base para la mayoría de los puestos de retaguardia aumentará de un equivalente de unos 400 a 600 euros al mes.

Los cambios, que se espera que entren en vigor este mes, no pondrán fin a la movilización obligatoria, que está previsto que continúe mientras duren las hostilidades activas.

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La reforma de los centros de reclutamiento -que han sido objeto de críticas por su gestión de la movilización y conflictos con la población civil- será la siguiente fase, señaló el viernes la primera ministra Yulia Sviridenko.



Military Conflicts

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Talarico touts Texas roots as out-of-state cash powers Senate campaign

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Donors from outside of Texas accounted for roughly 50% of the funds Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico received during the final stretch of the first quarter of 2026, compared to his Republican opponent, who received just about 25% of his cash from out of state.

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Of the $8.5 million Talarico raised between February 12 and March 31, a period where he saw a significant uptick in donations owing to his growing national profile, approximately $4 million came from states other than Texas, according to campaign finance records reviewed by Fox News Digital. The Republican nominee, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, meanwhile, raised $640,000 out of the roughly $850,000 he brought in during that period from within Texas.

The fundraising disparity underscores the nationalization of Texas’ Senate race, with Talarico drawing major financial support from Democratic donors and executives far beyond the state he seeks to represent, even as he campaigns on Texas roots and opposition to outside special interests. The haul gives Democrats a cash advantage in what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive Senate races this cycle, while giving Republicans an opening to cast Talarico’s campaign as powered by coastal liberal donors rather than Texas voters.

Donors from New York and California, for instance, showered Talarico with more than $1.3 million in the final six weeks of quarter one, according to Federal Election Commission records.

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VULNERABLE DEM SENATOR’S ‘GRASSROOTS’ CAMPAIGN POWERED BY OUT-OF-STATE CASH, MOSTLY BY COASTAL ELITES

Texas Senate candidate James Talarico urged voters to reduce meat consumption in a 2022 clip that went viral on Tuesday. (Mark Felix/Getty Images)

Talarico has made an effort to highlight his ties to Texas during his Senate campaign, touting the fact that his family has lived in the state for eight generations and criticizing the influence of out-of-state interests on Texans. 

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«I’ve led the fight against the billionaire mega-donors that have rigged the system against working Texas families,» Talarico’s campaign website reads. «Now, as those same billionaire mega-donors take over the federal government, we need more fighters in Washington who will take power back for working people.»

Talarico at a rally

Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico addresses supporters at a rally in Houston. (F. Carter Smith/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

ACTBLUE SUES TEXAS AG KEN PAXTON, ALLEGING POLITICAL RETALIATION OVER DEMOCRATS’ FUNDRAISING

«James is proud to be the only candidate in this race not taking a dime of corporate PAC money, shattering grassroots fundraising records with donations from 246 Texas counties and the help of over 540,000 small dollar contributors — unlike John Cornyn and Ken Paxton, who have raked in millions of dollars from special interests and enriched their billionaire donors while working Texans struggle,» campaign spokesman JT Ennis told Fox News Digital when asked about out-of-state donations. 

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«Our campaign is bringing Democrats, Republicans and Independents together to fix this broken, corrupt political system and bring down costs for families across our state.»

Talarico accepted donations from out-of-state executives at Google, Warner Brothers, Apple, Meta, Victoria’s Secret, and other major companies between February 12 and March 31, per FEC records. The Democratic Senate hopeful has also accepted donations from lobbyists representing major corporations such as Google, AirBnB, Boeing, Novo Nordisk, Comcast, CVS and JP Morgan.

While Talarico has attracted considerable support from outside of Texas, his fundraising operation within the state has also eclipsed that of Paxton, who raised less than one-fifth as much from Texans as his Democratic opponent. Paxton, however, fought a brutal primary against Sen. John Cornyn, splitting the GOP donor base.

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JAMES TALARICO ADMITS PAST COMMENTS ‘MISSED THE MARK’ WHEN CONFRONTED ON CLAIMS LIKE GOD IS ‘NON-BINARY’

James Talarico speaking at an event

James Talarico speaks during a primary event in Texas. (PJason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

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Beyond his campaign committee, Talarico has also benefited from Lone Star Rising PAC, a super PAC spending millions to help him win. In contrast to his campaign rhetoric, much of the cash behind the super PAC boosting Talarico’s campaign came from wealthy out-of-state donors.

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Just 12% of the millions of dollars in donations collected by Lone Star Rising PAC, which the Washington Free Beacon reports is run by Talarico’s longtime friend, came from entities within Texas, according to campaign finance records.

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