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New York Post
02-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Sen. Fetterman warns pro-Israel Democrats have ‘lost the argument in parts of my party'
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman acknowledged Monday that 'parts' of the party's base have turned their back on Israel, an issue he described as one of 'moral clarity' for him. Fetterman (D-Pa.) argued during a bipartisan 'The Senate Project' event with Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) that those who lament the 'tragedy in Gaza' should blame Hamas and its benefactor, Iran. 'The Jewish community must feel constantly under assault,' said Fetterman, 55. 'I visited Penn, and I said hello with 300 [Jewish] students, and they were all just, it's like they're exhausted, and were constantly living under this kind of constant kinds of criticism, and having that there in their face. Advertisement 'That's not free speech, building tent cities on a campus and terrorizing and intimidating Jewish students, that's not free speech,' he added. 'And now we really lost, we've lost the argument in parts of my party, and for me, that moral clarity, it's really firmly on Israel.' Fetterman has been a staunch public supporter of Israel since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack killed an estimated 1,200 people in the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. 4 Sen. John Fetterman has not minced words about the far left. AP Advertisement 4 Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick are one of three pairs in the Senate who caucus with different parties. AP The senator's outspokenness has prompted lefty agitators to target him at political events and even his home. 'Of course, we can all agree [there's a] tragedy in Gaza. Nobody wants that. But who does want that — and that's Hamas,' Fetterman added. 'I think we should blame Iran and Hamas. 'I refuse to allow [to] try to turn Israel into a pariah state, and now it's right in the middle of that,' he added, noting his agreement with McCormick. Advertisement Fetterman also expanded on his calls for the Trump administration to partner with Israel to obliterate Iran's nuclear program. 'I think I'm the only member of my caucus that realizes that we have an opportunity to destroy that nuclear facility,' he said. 'What's made this possible is because … Israel pushed through all the kinds of demands for a cease-fire … and they've destroyed and broke Hamas largely, and then also Hezbollah too.' President Trump's team is currently engaged in negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. A recent report from the International Atomic Energy Agency found that Tehran has amassed some 300 pounds of 60% enriched uranium, not far off from the 90% enrichment grade needed to build a nuke. Trump has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from striking Iran during talks, saying such a move would be 'inappropriate.' Advertisement 4 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed to maximize pressure on Iran. REUTERS Back in 2018, Trump withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Iran nuclear deal that former President Barack Obama's team negotiated in 2015. 'I wasn't really kind of allowed to disagree politically, with the original agreement on Iran,' Fetterman recalled. 'I really do think now, Trump did the right thing to break that agreement.' 'We can't really negotiate, I think, with Iran,' he added. 'I think it's a once-in-a-generation [opportunity] to destroy that facility, and I think that would transform the region once that's finally destroyed.' Fetterman faced a firestorm last month after disgruntled staffers, including former chief of staff Adam Jentleson, badmouthed him to New York Magazine in a bid to stir up concerns about his mental health. McCormick was among Fetterman's defenders after the article dropped, ripping the attacks as 'disgraceful smears.' 'He actually asked me, 'Is it OK to defend you? I don't want that to create more political problems,'' Fetterman recounted. 'I appreciate that. You know, he and people recognize the smear in this process.' 4 Sen. Dave McCormick decried the 'disgraceful smears' against Sen. John Fetterman. AP Advertisement McCormick, who defeated long-serving Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) last year, surmised that many of the 'same people that elected me elected him for the most part.' The two Pennsylvania senators are one of only three cross-party pairs in the Senate, along with Republican Susan Collins and Democrat-aligned independent Angus King of Maine and Republican Ron Johnson and Democrat Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.
Politico
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
An Interview With Shannon Bream
Happy last Friday in May! Thanks for reading Women Rule. Hit our lines: ecordover@ and klong@ This week, I sat down with a veteran reporter about her trailblazer status, covering Trump 2.0 and maintaining neutrality in today's political atmosphere. Shannon Bream is FOX News Sunday's first female anchor. She pivoted to TV journalism after starting her career as a lawyer specializing in race discrimination and sexual harassment, joined Fox in 2007 as a Washington D.C.-based correspondent covering the Supreme Court and has helmed FOX News Sunday since 2022. Bream came under fire from Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) last year for asking the representative a question about how her support of President Donald Trump has changed over time, citing a New York Times article. 'It's a disgrace you would quote The New York Times with nameless and faceless people,' Stefanik said, which led to a sharp back and forth between the two. 'For me, it's not an unusual or bold choice to cite The New York Times. I'm giving them an opportunity to clarify or to rebut or to take on that reporting, which was my intention with the congresswoman,' Bream tells Women Rule in an interview. Trump also disparaged Bream last year after she pushed back during an interview with his attorney, Alina Habba, on her assertion that his criminal hush money trial was in some way directed by the Biden White House. 'I never knew Shannon Bream was so 'naive,'' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'I just always feel like it's part of his strategy and I just take it with a grain of salt,' Bream says. 'It feels like part of the job and just sort of the way that the Trump stratosphere — how they operate.' Bream will be moderating a conversation Monday between Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and David McCormick (R-Pa.) at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston. Women Rule spoke with Bream about covering Trump's second administration, remaining neutral at a network known for its conservative opinions and being a woman in journalism today. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. You aren't afraid to get into tussles with high-profile interviewees on screen, I'm thinking of your exchanges last year with Elise Stefanik and another with Alina Habba. How did you navigate the fallout from those interactions, specifically being called 'naive' by President Trump online? This exchange with Alina, I was just simply pointing out the case that we were at was a state case and that there wasn't a federal component to it. So I didn't see it as a big deal. I feel like any time that you're out there, and you're probing and having an interview with somebody, especially somebody who is specifically aligned with the campaign or a specific administration, there's going to be pushback and there's going to be blowback from people at home or from the president himself who don't agree with how that interview went down. So to me it just felt like part of the job and I didn't see it as as big of an issue as maybe some other folks did. Do you feel like those public attacks on journalists that the president can often engage in are fair? Do you feel like they're dangerous? It's just the way that this president operates. You know, I think back to 2016, 2015 to where he kind of upended the media landscape as it works, going around them, using social media in a really powerful way to leverage the message he was getting out. I just always feel like it's part of his strategy and I just take it with a grain of salt. It feels like part of the job and just sort of the way that the Trump stratosphere — how they operate because social media has been so successful for them. How would you respond to criticism that Fox sometimes chooses not to rely on The New York Times' reporting in other scenarios and maybe delegitimizes their reporting when it doesn't serve their narrative? For me, it's not an unusual or bold choice to cite to The New York Times. I'm giving them an opportunity to clarify or to rebut or to take on that reporting, which was my intention with the congresswoman because she was under contention as a VP shortlister. Some lawmakers will say 'Thank you for bringing that up, that was inaccurate.' You'll see almost every weekend that I'm going to cite The New York Times and many of my news colleagues do the same because some of these outlets are legacy outlets that do deep dive reporting on important issues. And so I say, 'Listen, if they break news, whatever the outlet is, if it's something that is topical and newsworthy, I'm going to cite it and use that as a jumping off point for the questions that we and our viewers may have.' Do you see a shift in the kinds of questions that need to be asked of the current Trump administration compared to his first term? I think that President Trump feels very unencumbered by the fact that he's not going to have to run again. He seems to be having a lot more fun. He seems a lot more confident and relaxed this time around. President Trump is almost an endless access machine. He enjoys engaging and getting in these dust-ups with reporters. For me, I'm leaning a lot more heavily on my legal background as an attorney and covering the Supreme Court because so much of what we're doing, and I think that it is covering just what the Trump administration had planned to do, which was really push the envelope on executive power. They knew these things would immediately wind up in court. So for me, there's much more of an emphasis the second time around on all of the legal stuff. Do you feel a push to soften your questioning, or an increasing hostility toward fair questioning, from the political right today? I don't feel it personally. I have had Republicans who have come on the show that afterwards have expressed some level of frustration at some of what we asked, have that from Democrats too. But what I'm proud of is that everybody we've had on has said, 'I'd come back.' I can't remember having somebody on from either party to say, 'That wasn't a fair interview and I wouldn't give you another chance.' You can't listen too much to the noise because there are critics, we hear from them every day, who would do our jobs differently. I just try to be consistent and fair. Are there any pressures or double standards that you have faced as the first woman anchor of your show that your male counterparts or predecessors haven't? It doesn't feel that way to me at all. To now look around the landscape to see that most of the Sunday shows are helmed by women, it's just sort of a fun moment to be a part of these women who are strong, they're intelligent, we challenge each other, we're competitive, but we're also friends and so it feels like a real blessing to kind of sit in this moment in broadcasting. Have you ever faced skepticism or dismissal from sources or political figures because of your gender? I haven't, but I would say the one thing in Washington is that we're always fighting for sources for access. It's a little different as a woman because so much of D.C. is still very male dominated — when grabbing a drink, having dinner, you always want to make sure that the optics of that are clean or above board or good. I'm not sure that my male coworkers or others in the media think about that in the same way, because most of the time it's a guy grabbing a drink with a guy. I think sometimes there's that extra layer. Maybe it's just me putting it on myself; I want to make sure that it doesn't ever have any tinge or appearance of something that's inappropriate. Do you feel conservative women in journalism face different expectations than progressive women, both from their networks and their audiences? I think what's gotten tricky the last few years is that people who are in journalism, some of them have slipped into advocacy. As a member of our news division, I try to keep it neutral. I think if people are confused about where I am or unsure, then I've done my job as a journalist to be neutral. I think people project a lot onto us because politics is so heated right now and people are very passionate about where they're at. So for me, I think if I'm taking heat from both sides, then good. I want them to not ever be worried about my personal politics. That should never be the story. Do you feel like it's harder at Fox to remain neutral, in that there's an expectation set for you, by your audience, to be loyal to a certain party? I think where that comes in is with our opinion shows which are unabashedly what they are. They've got millions of viewers, very passionate followers, and we're all a family, so, we all work together, but I find that for me in the news division, you do have people that are frustrated if they think you should be advocating one position one way or another. I can come out of the same show and people say, 'You were too easy on the Republican guests; you were too hard on the Republican guests.' Same thing with Democrats: 'You were too hard on the Democrat guests; you're too easy on the Democrat guests.' I do think that sometimes viewers show up with their own expectations, so my job is just to do my job and not let that noise bother me. I do think that people are very frustrated. Some of them want to hear the most extreme voices, the most extreme attack interviews, the most contentious stuff. But I do think there's a big section of the country who says, 'I just want my questions answered.' Do you feel like bipartisanship truly does have a place right now, on the Hill? I don't think it's irreparably broken. It may be on some kind of life support and some issues and with some policies, but Washington always finds a way to make it work. I think our system is so unique and there are checks and balances within the different branches. The judicial branch is getting an overtime workout right now. But I do find that people feel the court system and the branches are functioning in the way that the Constitution intended them to, which was under duress. Are you ever frustrated by the super opinionated things that come out of your network and how that might make people frustrated with you as you endeavor to be neutral? I don't feel that way at all because I do see us having very different silos and very different assignments. That you look to other networks and you can very clearly tell the opinion shows and the opinion hosts, and they're going to differ from their news division too. POLITICO Special Report Judge Jeanine Finds Herself in the Spotlight — Again by Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing for POLITICO: 'Former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, D.C.'s new interim U.S. attorney, is leaping from one spotlight directly into another as she helms the investigation into the capital's most high-profile crime in years. Pirro — who President Donald Trump hosted for a ceremonial swearing in at the Oval Office Wednesday — made an abrupt departure from her longtime position at Fox earlier this month after Trump tapped her for the position in Washington, making her the latest in a string of former personalities at the president's favorite network to join the administration.' Fired Copyright Chief Loses First Round in Lawsuit Over Trump Powers by Katherine Tully-McManus for POLITICO: 'Shira Perlmutter was fired as register of copyrights earlier this month, an office housed inside the Library of Congress. In a suit filed in Washington's federal court last week, she alleged that Trump and his subordinates overstepped in both naming a new Librarian of Congress — the only official, she claims, that can hire and fire a copyright chief. Perlmutter asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order keeping Trump's appointees out of the Library of Congress and keeping her on the job, but U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly denied the motion from the bench in a hearing Wednesday.' The CDC Is No Longer Recommending Covid Vaccines for Healthy Children, Pregnant Women by Sophie Gardner and David Lim for POLITICO: 'The CDC is no longer recommending that 'healthy' children and pregnant women get vaccinated against Covid-19, according to a post on X from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The CDC had recommended the vaccine to everyone at least six months old, including during pregnancy. Kennedy has long said that Covid vaccines are not safe, despite the medical consensus. The top U.S. vaccine regulator, Vinay Prasad, has said that the cost-benefit of the shots doesn't make sense for some groups, such as young men, who face an elevated risk of heart inflammation or myocarditis. POLITICO first reported last month that Kennedy was considering pulling the CDC's Covid-19 vaccine recommendation for children.' Number of the Week Read more here. MUST READS Noor Abdalla's First Month of Motherhood by Angelina Chapin, The Cut for New York Magazine: 'It's late May, and her baby, Deen, is napping soundly in the other room. 'Sometimes he'll have the little crying fits where you don't know what's wrong. I've changed his diaper, I've burped him, I've fed him. What's going on?' Such are the challenges faced by every first-time parent, and Abdalla's living room has all the typical trappings of postpartum life: a diaper bag on top of a green pouf, a WubbaNub pacifier attached to a stuffed giraffe, a bassinet against the wall. But among the baby gear is a poster that says FREE MAHMOUD KHALIL and a Mother's Day bouquet with wilting white roses that her husband sent through a friend. Instead of celebrating the day with his wife and new son, Khalil has been held in an immigration-detention center nearly 1,500 miles from his family since Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested him on March 8. 'To the most beautiful mother in the world,' the card reads. 'I love you and will see you soon.'' Sexual Exploitation and Domestic Violence Soared After Lahaina Wildfire, Report Finds by Nina Lakhani for The Guardian: 'Sexual exploitation and domestic violence soared after the catastrophic Lahaina wildfire in 2023, with pre-existing gender inequalities exposed and exacerbated by the post-disaster response, new research has found. In the weeks and months after the deadliest American fire in a century, one in six female fire survivors surveyed felt forced to engage in sexual acts in exchange for basic necessities such as food, clothing and housing. Immigrant women and other limited English speakers felt particularly isolated and unsafe in emergency shelters, with some sleeping with their children in vehicles — or engaging in 'survival sex' for a safer place to stay, according to the new report by Tagnawa, a Filipino feminist disaster response organization in Hawaii, shared exclusively with the Guardian.' Missouri Supreme Court Effectively Blocks Access to Abortion, at Least for Now by Katie Benner for The New York Times: 'The Missouri Supreme Court has temporarily blocked access to abortion in the state, despite a new amendment to the State Constitution, passed by voters, that ensures such access. The court's ruling on Tuesday lifted an injunction by a circuit judge who had found that some state laws regulating abortion access could undermine the new amendment. After the Supreme Court's decision, Planned Parenthood, the state's last abortion provider, temporarily halted abortion procedures in the state.' Quote of the Week Read more here. on the move Molly Fromm is now vice president and general counsel at the Nickles Group. She previously was general counsel and parliamentarian for House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.). (h/t POLITICO Playbook) Emmy Ruiz is joining Somos Votantes as senior adviser. She previously was senior adviser to the president and director of the office of political strategy and outreach in the Biden White House. (h/t POLITICO Influence) Linda Goler Blount is now president and CEO of Community Catalyst. She previously was president and CEO of the Black Women's Health Imperative. (h/t POLITICO Playbook)
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bipartisan senators unveil measure providing flexibility in school lunch milk options
A bipartisan trio in the Senate unveiled a proposal Wednesday to require schools to offer nondairy milk options at lunch to accommodate students who are lactose intolerant or have other dietary restrictions. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) has long required school lunches to include milk on all trays in order for schools to be reimbursed for the meals. But the Freedom in School Cafeterias and Lunches (FISCAL) Act — introduced by Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and John Kennedy (R-La.) — would update the legislation to require schools to also offer students 'plant-based milk' that is 'consistent with nutritional standards established by the Secretary.' 'We need to be doing whatever it takes to make sure our kids are fed in school,' Fetterman said in a statement. 'This bipartisan bill cuts the unnecessary red tape in our nutrition assistance programs so students can access meals that work for them and their dietary needs.' Booker said the bill also seeks to remedy inequity in the school lunch program, noting many people of color are lactose intolerant and are deprived of some nutrition that other students might get through milk at lunch. 'Most of this nation's children of color are lactose intolerant, and yet our school lunch program policy makes it difficult for these kids to access a nutritious fluid beverage that doesn't make them sick,' Booker said in a statement. 'This bipartisan and bicameral legislation will bring greater equity to the lunchroom, by giving students the option to choose a nutritious milk substitute that meets their dietary needs.' The senators also touted the legislation as fiscally sound, pointing to data indicating 40 percent of milk cartons at lunches get discarded without even being opened. 'There are over 30 million food-insecure children in this country, yet current school lunch policies waste $400 million worth of food each year. Feeding our kids and keeping them healthy isn't a red or blue issue,' Fetterman said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Netanyahu gives Fetterman ‘silver-plated beeper'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gifted Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) a 'silver-plated beeper' during the lawmaker's visit to Israel, inspired by the country's covert operation when thousands of devices on Hezbollah fighters detonated last year. 'This is a silver-plated beeper. The real beeper is like one-tenth the weight,' Netanyahu said Wednesday after handing the symbolic device to the senator. 'It's nothing, but it changes history.' Fetterman, who has been a vocal supporter of Israel in its war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas, then told Netanyahu that, 'When that story broke, I was like, 'Oh I love it. I love it,' and now it's like, thank you for this.' 'Thank you,' the Pennsylvania Democrat added before shaking the prime minister's hand. The gift is a reference to Israel's operation in September last year when it detonated booby-trapped pagers in an attack to take out Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, in Lebanon. Netanyahu and his wife Sara met with Fetterman and his wife Gisele on Wednesday at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem. The trip was Fetterman's second visit to Israel since becoming a senator. During the 'warm and friendly' meeting, Netanyahu and his wife thanked Fetterman and his wife for 'their consistent support of Israel since the outbreak of the war,' the prime minister's office said Wednesday. Netanyahu had a similar present for President Trump last month while visiting Washington. The prime minister gifted Trump a golden pager fixed onto a wooden panel in early February. The pager is attached to a golden plaque and says 'To President Donald J. Trump, Our greatest friend and greatest ally. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.' The prime minister's office also said in a statement that Fetterman gave Netanyahu a framed original news article from 1986 that features a photograph of the prime minister at a Philadelphia memorial for his late brother Yoni, an Israeli military officer who was killed in action during 'Operation Entebbe' in Uganda in 1976. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Netanyahu Gifts Fetterman Silver Pager To Commemorate Deadly Attack On Hezbollah, Civilians
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a silver pager to Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) on Wednesday as a thank-you gift for his support of Israel. Fetterman, who has been a vocal supporter of Israel, received the gift during a visit with his wife, Gisele, to the prime minister's office in Jerusalem. Netanyahu's wife, Sara, was also present. The pager is an ode to Israeli attacks in Lebanon and Syria in September 2024, in which Israel triggered explosions of hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies used by the militant group known as Hezbollah. The attack killed 13 people, some of whom were children, and injured thousands more. 'During the warm and friendly meeting, the Prime Minister and his wife thanked Senator Fetterman and his wife for their consistent support of Israel since the outbreak of the war,' the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. 'Prime Minister Netanyahu gave Senator Fetterman a silver pager, inspired by 'Operation Pager', which changed the face of the war in Lebanon.' Netanyahu also gifted a golden pager to President Donald Trump during a visit to the White House last month. Trump called the attacks a 'great operation' after receiving the gift. This week, Israeli strikes in Lebanon threatened a fragile ceasefire deal there. Meanwhile, Israel embarked on a ground operation and terminated the ceasefire in Gaza, killing hundreds of Palestinians. Netanyahu said Tuesday the attack was 'only the beginning.' In response to the broken ceasefire, Fetterman posted on X on Tuesday saying, 'I unapologetically, 100% stand with Israel, and demand the release of all remaining hostages. Sending this from Israel.' Israel has unleashed an unrelenting bombardment of attacks on Gaza, a region it has occupied for decades, since October 2023, when Hamas militants attacked and abducted more than 200 people, holding them hostage. Roughly two dozen people are believed to still be held alive by Hamas. Since the start of the war, 48,500 Palestinians have been killed, according to local health officials, and in addition to military action, Israel's decision to cut off the entry of food, medicine, fuel and other supplies has put more lives at risk. Multiple entities, including the United Nations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have said that Israel's attacks on Gaza are consistent with genocide. Israeli Troops Advance In Gaza To Retake Part Of A Corridor Dividing North From South Pro-Palestine And Pro-Israel Protesters Clash At Gal Gadot's Walk Of Fame Ceremony Gal Gadot Responds To Backlash Over Her Comments About Israel
