New admission raises questions about U.N. report targeting Israel
Far Right
The author of a United Nations report that placed Israel on a “sexual violence blacklist” admitted she had no need to see evidence. The first hint that […]
Jared Kushner's luxury coastal resort project in Albania was under investigation by the country's anti-corruption prosecutors amid growing protests against the development, Politico reported on Monday.President Donald Trump's son-in-law is the head of Affinity Partners, a private equity firm behind a project slated to include 10,000 hotel rooms located "on the uninhabited Adriatic island of Sazan and several hundred hectares of the Vjosa-Narta protected landscape, a sensitive coastal wetland area home to flamingos, seals and sea turtle nesting sites," according to Politico. Albania's special anti-corruption prosecution office, SPAK, said it had launched a probe into the change in land ownership in 2024, as questions have been raised about the land's protected status.Kushner is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and has a multi-billion dollar real estate portfolio. He has been serving as the president's special envoy for peace and has been involved in negotiations involving Iran, Gaza and the war in Ukraine, which has raised eyebrows among critics over potential conflicts of interest.Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has confirmed to Politico that the negotiations around the project were ongoing. He has "denied that the project encroaches on a protected wildlife reserve and said that the final proposal has yet to be submitted and the environmental study is not complete."Protests have broken out in the country over the project since May, with people calling for the project to be halted and to protect the area. Activists have also called for the prime minister to resign.Some of the demonstrations have become violent."Footage emerged — after protests Saturday — of private security guards appearing to assault and then drag a protester along a cliff, while threatening other demonstrators who attempted to remove fences and halt construction," Politico reported.
New York mayor refused to attend as other Democrats drew rebukes for marching with Israel’s far-right finance ministerAs they’ve done for decades, prominent members of the Democratic party establishment marched on Sunday in New York City’s annual Israel Day parade. Perhaps more noteworthy, however, was who was missing.Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York City, refused to attend, citing his opposition to the Israeli government, which he has accused of committing genocide in Gaza. Continue reading...
Democratic socialist and anti-Zionist Mayor Zohran Mamdani has become the first New York City mayor to boycott the Israel Day Parade since its creation in 1964. At a security briefing on Thursday for the then-upcoming parade, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, alongside Mamdani, shared details on the security measures that would be implemented in order to ensure the safety of all attendees.'I think it's absolutely disgraceful that the mayor of New York City, a city that has the largest Jewish population outside of the state of Israel, chose not to be here.'“This Sunday, New Yorkers will see the most extensive security plan that the NYPD has ever put together for the Salute to Israel Parade, including the largest number of officers ever assigned to that detail. Included in that security plan will be the most heavy weapons teams ever, robust camera coverage of the area, and comprehensive screening of everyone entering the parade route including spectators, vendors, participants, and the press,” Tisch said.Despite the commissioner's plans to march “proudly” as the honorary grand marshal, Mamdani, when asked his response to critics who say that he can still attend the parade to support Jewish New Yorkers without directly supporting the current Israeli government, replied: “I said on the campaign trail that I wouldn't be attending the parade, and I’ve made my views on the Israeli government abundantly clear.”He also said: "I take seriously my responsibility to protect the safety and well-being of every New Yorker and every event, regardless of my attendance."The Israel Day Parade, formally called the Israel Day on Fifth, is the largest gathering in support of Israel in the world. It has been held annually in New York City for the past 61 years, with every mayor from Robert F. Wagner Jr. to Eric Adams having marched in it during their time in office. The parade consistently attracts tens of thousands of participants and spectators every year. The event is also profoundly pro-American, with this year's theme of "Proud Americans, Proud Zionists" visible in the sea of American and Israeli flags down Fifth Avenue.Mamdani’s decision comes at a frightening time for Jewish New Yorkers. For the month of April, anti-Semitic hate crimes made up 60% of all reported incidents in the city, while numerous anti-Israel demonstrations — many of which Mamdani has supported — have been held outside synagogues and Jewish institutions.However, it isn’t as though skipping out on a cultural celebration is a norm for Mamdani. The mayor was in attendance at this year's St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, during which he compared historical Irish suffering to the “genocide” of Palestinians.In March, Mamdani attended the Lunar New Year Parade with New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul. Last year, he appeared at the Puerto Rican Day Parade, India Day Parade, and Pakistan Independence Day Parade. RELATED: Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs accuses NYC Mayor Mamdani of anti-Semitism after his first day in office kena betancur/AFP/Getty ImagesMamdani also became the first mayor in the city’s history to address an International Workers' Day rally, also known as May Day, on May 1. Notable officials and figures who marched in the Israel parade on Sunday include Gov. Hochul, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), former Mayors Eric Adams (D) and Michael Bloomberg (D), Nassau County executive and Republican nominee for governor Bruce Blakeman, and Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, among many others."I think it's absolutely disgraceful that the mayor of New York City, a city that has the largest Jewish population outside of the state of Israel, chose not to be here," said Lawler, who has been a vocal critic of Mamdani and his administration.Adams uploaded a video to his official Instagram account Friday publicly announcing his excitement for the parade: “As your mayor, I was proud to march in this parade for all four years I was in office, and this year will be no different. I'll be right there, marching with tens of thousands of New Yorkers.”The CEO of the prominent Jewish organization UJA Federation of New York, Eric Goldstein, blasted Mamdani in an open letter Friday. “You are the first mayor in the history of New York City — home to the largest Jewish diaspora community in the world — to refuse to participate in this parade because you fundamentally reject Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.”Goldstein claims Mamdani’s “refusal to participate this Sunday is not principally grounded in criticism of a particular Israeli government or policy” but rather rooted in a “refusal to acknowledge the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in their ancestral homeland.”“Your absence — and what it represents — will be long-remembered.”Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Journalist Nick Shirley is accusing the media of making him a “target” over his reporting on fraud in Minnesota. Joining Fox News Channel’s The Big Weekend Show on […]
Iran said it would halt talks with the US in protest over Israel’s expanded ground assault in Lebanon, escalating tensions as Washington and Tehran seek to reach an interim peace agreement.
Ed Price, Senior Non-Resident Fellow at New York University, discusses the latest out of the Middle East and how the conflict is playing out in sectors across the globe. (Source: Bloomberg)
President Donald Trump is expected to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Monday at the White House to address a major obstacle to a top GOP priority – one created by the president himself, Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman revealed.That obstacle is Trump’s taxpayer-funded $1.7 billion “anti-weaponization fund,” designed to award payouts to those who’ve alleged to have been unfairly targeted by the Biden administration’s Justice Department. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has admitted that even those convicted of assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot would be eligible for compensation from the fund.While the fund has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge from awarding payouts, Trump has continued to support it, creating a headache for GOP lawmakers attempting to pass a reconciliation bill to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), which have remained unfunded since February.“Speaker Mike Johnson and President Donald Trump are meeting at the White House this morning on the weaponization fund,” Sherman wrote in a social media post on X. “This fund has completely screwed up passing reconciliation -- ICE/CBP funding.”No other details have been revealed about Trump and Johnson’s meeting, other than its focus being on the threat it poses to Republican efforts to fund ICE and CBP.SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON and President DONALD TRUMP are meeting at the White House this morning on the weaponization fund.This fund has completely screwed up passing reconciliation -- ICE/CBP funding.Confirming the great abc team @lauren_peller and @KFaulders— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) June 1, 2026
Former first lady Jill Biden joins TODAY's Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones to share stories and memories from iconic photos taken throughout her life, including her 49-year marriage with Joe Biden, her connection to the White House's East Wing, and bidding for a cameo in Season 2 of “Heated Rivalry.”
