Hamas accused of stealing and profiting off humanitarian aid in Gaza
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Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Speaker Mike Johnson visits occupied West Bank to support Israeli settlers
Mike Johnson became the highest ranked US official to visit the occupied West Bank on Monday, the Republican House speaker drawing measures of praise and condemnation for his trip in support of Israeli settlements amid a worsening starvation crisis in Gaza. The excursion followed Johnson's arrival in Israel on Sunday on an unannounced visit with other Republican lawmakers, and his meeting with Israeli defense minister Israel Katz and foreign minister Gideon Saar. Johnson's visit to the West Bank is the highest profile by a senior US political figure since then secretary of state Mike Pompeo went to Psogat in November 2020 during the final months of Donald Trump's first presidency. It is a private trip hosted by a pro-Israel advocacy group, an Axios report said, and not an official congressional delegation. The outlet said Johnson traveled with fellow Republican representatives Michael McCaul, Nathaniel Moran and Michael Cloud of Texas, and Claudia Tenney of New York. Johnson told Israeli settlers on Monday that Israel was the 'rightful owner' of the contested Palestinian territory, according to a report published on the pro-Palestinian website Common Dreams, and separately, Marc Zell, chair of Republicans Overseas Israel. Common Dreams quoted Johnson as saying that 'the mountains of Judea and Samaria are the rightful property of the Jewish people' and that the territory was at 'the front line of the state of Israel, and must remain an integral part of it'. 'Even if the world thinks otherwise, we stand with you,' he reportedly added, an apparent reference to recent proclamations by France and the UK that they would recognize a Palestinian state if Israel did not commit to a ceasefire in Gaza. His visit was immediately condemned by the Palestinian foreign ministry, which issued a statement calling Israel's annexation of the West Bank a 'blatant violation of international law'. Johnson's stance in support of the settlers, it said, 'undermines Arab and American efforts to stop the war and [the] cycle of violence, while flagrantly contradicting the declared US position on settlements and settler violence'. According to a post on X by Zell, Johnson also said the US should use the 250th anniversary of its independence next year 'to remind the American people of its Judeo-Christian foundations that were formed here in the land of Israel'. Johnson's trip comes as pressure builds on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the growing hunger crisis in Gaza, which some critics have called a genocide orchestrated by Israel. It also comes shortly after a Palestinian American from Florida was killed in the West Bank by Israeli settlers while visiting family. The Trump-appointed ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, called the killing a 'terrorist attack'. Johnson is expected to meet Netanyahu before returning to the US on Sunday. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Oil prices fall on Trump's India tariff threats, OPEC+ output
Oil prices (CL=F, BZ=F) are under pressure on Monday after US President Trump threatened to raise tariffs on India due to its purchase of Russian oil and OPEC+ lifted production numbers. Yahoo Finance Senior Reporter Ines Ferré outlines what investors need to know. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Domination. Oil futures are sliding this coming against the backdrop of OPEC plus hiking oil production and potential supply disruptions linked to Russia. For more, bring in Yahoo Finance senior market reporter, Ines Ferre. Ines. Yeah, Josh, we saw Brent today down more than 1 and a half percent, and WTI also down almost 2%. This is because of that September output hike from OPEC Plus. Now, Goldman Sachs says that they do not expect any more hikes from OPEC Plus. This pretty much now unwinds the 2.2 million barrels per day, those voluntary cuts that they had installed over the last couple of years. So, for now, this should be the last output hike. As far as Brent futures are concerned and where they're going for the rest of the year, well, Goldman Sachs is saying that they're going to go lower. They're predicting $64 per barrel for Brent by the fourth quarter of this year. So we're about $4 away from that. And also, as far as 2026 is concerned, they're predicting that Brent is going to go down to $56 per barrel. They're talking about more supply coming into the market with non-OPEC members that have new production coming on, like US shale, like Brazil, also Norway, as well. So that really limits the amount of more output hikes that OPEC Plus could do without creating a surplus, Josh. And Ines, we also saw some headlines about India's oil purchases from Russia. What can you tell us about that? Yeah. So, well, President Trump has really been pressuring India to stop purchasing oil from Russia. Essentially, basically saying that they are funding Russia, Russia's initiatives in Ukraine, in the war in Ukraine. So, Trump saying that he will substantially increase tariffs on India. But Indian Prime Minister Modi has said they're going to continue buying Russian oil. He also said that Indians should purchase domestic products. I will say that what Wall Street is looking at is if Russian production were to somehow be compromised, or if that would be decreased, then you would see an upside risk to oil prices. In this case, India is kind of stuck in this sort of push that Trump has been doing in order to end the war in Ukraine, and him using tariffs and pointing to oil purchases because India has been a big buyer of Russian oil since the war in Ukraine started. All right. Thank you, Ines. Appreciate it.
New York Post
8 minutes ago
- New York Post
Don't trust the ‘influencers' — Trump's base isn't breaking over Israel
When President Donald Trump was weighing a potential attack on Iran's nuclear facilities a few months ago, influencers and commentators in a certain corner of the right went into an uproar. The base will not stand for it! they shouted, calling the very idea a betrayal — and the liberal media accepted their framing. 'MAGA is split over Iran,' the headlines screamed. They were soon proved wrong. Republican voters overwhelmingly supported ridding the planet of the threat of a nuclear Iran, to the tune of 80%. Advertisement The same thing played out over the administration's awkward handling of the Jeffery Epstein files. This time he's really done it! brayed the influencers — Trump's supporters would not tolerate burying the Epstein list, they declared. 'The Epstein case is tearing MAGA apart,' the media parroted. Once again, the commentariat was wrong; polling showed how little GOP voters cared about the topic, and how little they blamed Trump for his aides' stumbles. The lesson should be clear: Doubt the president's understanding of his base at your peril. Advertisement Yet today these same characters, following the social-media engagement algorithms, declare that Israel's war with Hamas is losing the right. Attention-seeking lawmakers are claiming a 'genocide' in Gaza, as influencers predict an imminent GOP rupture. And again, it's just not true. Advertisement For starters, polling still shows vast support for Israel among Republicans —including for the current war against Hamas. Last week 71% of Republican voters told Gallup that despite all the headlines claiming famine in Gaza, they are on Israel's side in this war — compared to just 25% of independents and a shocking 8% of Democrats. Meanwhile, 81% of Republicans approve of Trump's handling of the situation, including his clear and proud Israel backing. Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! Advertisement True, younger Republicans express less support for Israel — their approval of the Jewish state is at 50%, polls show. But the reason for that isn't anti-Israel sentiment. It's populism. Young Republicans, like young Americans across the board, have less appetite for war — especially when they are being asked to fund it. A survey of attendees at the recent Turning Point USA Student Action Summit, which gathered over 5,000 young conservatives, found that 73% called themselves pro-Israel — even as the event's prominent speakers were expounding on Epstein's alleged ties to Mossad. The vast majority of the young activists in attendance agreed that Israel has a right to defend itself. But they also said they were sick of being asked to pay for wars they don't see as benefiting them — unlike the strike on Iran, which 86% supported. A few days ago Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk convened a focus group on Israel with conservative Gen Z students. Advertisement 'What's the first word that comes to mind when you hear 'Israel'?' Kirk asked them. Some responded with terms including 'Judaism,' 'conflict' and 'sacred' — but by far, the word that came up most often was 'aid.' 'Our house is burning down and so is our neighbor's, and we're trying to put their fire out before we put ours out,' one student explained. Israel absolutely has a right to exist and a right to defend itself, these young Americans said, but we have a right to want our taxpayer dollars spent at home. Advertisement It's the exact same logic heard from many MAGA partisans when they explain their fatigue with paying for the war in Ukraine, or for USAID grants: They can't afford to buy a home, yet their tax dollars are going elsewhere. Meanwhile, when pro-Israel partisans paint these young Trump supporters as antisemitic for opposing aid to Israel, they feel alienated, complaining that a woke speech code has infected the discourse. 'It's very similar to our support for Ukraine,' one of the students explained to Kirk. Advertisement 'We're sending a lot of money over there, not really getting in my opinion a huge return on investment . . . When people talk about their distrust or dis-support for Israel, that's the first thing that usually comes up, is all the money that we're sending them.' 'I think we have a lot bigger issues at home,' another said. 'I think we should be spending most of our tax dollars on securing our border, keeping our home people safe . . . we have a much bigger problem on the home front, rather than sending money to foreign countries.' Crucially, they don't see this stance as being anti-Israel — but as being pro-American. 'I think it's critical that we remain friends with them, they remain our ally,' another focus group participant succinctly put it. 'I just don't think we should be subsidizing them as much as we are.' Advertisement So ignore the newly anti-Israel right-wing podcasting class. Gen Z Republicans aren't turning on Israel. They're just insisting that their own right to the American Dream must come first — as they should. Batya Ungar-Sargon is the author of 'Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women.'
