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Top lawyers for Bush, Clinton and Obama join together to blast Trump’s political prosecutions: ‘No American is safe’

A bipartisan trio of former White House ethics lawyers warned “no American is safe from political prosecution” after the Trump administration’s recent indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
President Donald Trump, who publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute his political rivals without “delay” last month, has since used a federal prosecutor to embark on a retribution campaign.
Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s newly appointed interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, secured grand jury indictments against Comey and James. Comey has pleaded not guilty and his attorneys have dubbed it a “vindictive” prosecution; James has yet to make a formal plea, but called the charges against her a “weaponization of our justice system.”
Richard Painter, Norman Eisen and Virginia Canter, who served as ethics counsels for Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton respectively, asked for investigations int..

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Bowen: Trump’s role in Gaza ceasefire was decisive, but not a roadmap to peace

Bowen: Trump's role in Gaza ceasefire was decisive, but not a roadmap to peace4 hours agoShareSaveJeremy BowenInternational editorShareSaveEPA/ShutterstockSpeaking to the Israeli parliament, Trump declared “the historic dawn of a new Middle East”Donald Trump's quick trip to Israel and Egypt was the victory lap he wanted.
Anyone watching the speeches he made in Jerusalem and Sharm el-Sheikh could see a man luxuriating in his power – enjoying the applause in Israel's parliament, and in Egypt, basking in the fact that so many heads of state and government had flown in.
One veteran diplomat in the room said it looked as if Trump saw the role of the world leaders there as extras on his film set.
Trump's message at Sharm was, in effect, that he had created a historical turning point.
“All I've done all my life is deals. The greatest deals just sort of happen… That's what happened right here. And maybe this is going to be the greatest deal of them all,” he said…

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My friend Bipin threw back Hamas grenade – and saved my life

My friend Bipin threw back Hamas grenade – and saved my life6 hours agoShareSavePhanindra DahalBBC Nepali in KathmanduShareSaveDhan Bahadur ChaudharyDhan Bahadur (left) and Bipin, seen here in their bachelor level college year at Far Western University in NepalBipin Joshi threw back a grenade from Hamas attackers before being taken hostage in the assault on Israel two years ago, says the fellow Nepalese student he saved.
“I may not have survived if both grenades had exploded. Bipin showed courage and threw the grenade out,” Dhan Bahadur Chaudhary told BBC Nepali.
He was speaking after the Israeli military identified his friend's body as being among four dead hostages returned by Hamas under the Gaza ceasefire accord.
Bipin was 23 and working on a kibbutz when he was taken by Hamas into captivity along with 250 others on 7 October 2023. It's unclear how or when he died.
His family and friends hoped right up to the release deadline that he might be among living hostages returne..

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Even Newsmax rejects the Pentagon’s new press restrictions ahead of signing deadline

Amid a slew of mainstream news publications rejecting the Pentagon’s prohibitive new press restrictions ahead of a Tuesday signing deadline, right-wing cable channel Newsmax surprisingly declared that it would also refuse to sign the new agreement, calling the policy “unnecessary and onerous.”
In fact, amid the continued backlash against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s new rules – which the Pentagon Press Association called an “unprecedented message of intimidation” – only one media organization has agreed to sign the letter: Trump-boosting channel One America News.
Late last month, the Department of Defense – which the Trump administration recently rebranded as the War Department – announced that it was imposing severe restrictions on reporters covering the Pentagon, including requiring them to cease gathering any information that the department hadn’t already cleared. Hegseth declared that any journalist who didn’t sign the pledge would have their press credentials revoked.
Followin..

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Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees freed as Trump hails ‘historic dawn’ in Middle East

Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees freed as Trump hails 'historic dawn' in Middle East57 minutes agoShareSaveTom BennettJerusalemShareSave'Peace in the Middle East': Trump signs ceasefire deal in EgyptThere have been celebrations across Israel and the Palestinian territories as a major hostage and prisoner exchange on Monday marked a significant step towards ending two years of war in Gaza.
In a crucial first phase of the US-brokered plan to end the war, Hamas returned all living Israeli hostages, while Israel freed almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
There were emotional scenes as families of the Israeli hostages screamed and cried with happiness as they embraced their freed loved ones.
And for the Palestinians who were freed from Israeli jails, huge crowds waving flags and playing patriotic music greeted them as they arrived on buses in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
US President Donald Trump landed in Israel minutes after the first hostage..

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‘Get your a** on-site or find another job’: One-legged employee sues company over unyielding return-to-office mandate

A Las Vegas man with a prosthetic leg is suing his former employer after being “forced back” to work under a strict return-to-office policy he claims violated his rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Even though John Waudby, 54, had requested an ADA accommodation, and could do his work sufficiently from home, he was instructed by a supervisor to “get his a** on-site or find another job,” according to a federal discrimination lawsuit obtained by The Independent.
“It was further communicated to [Waudby] by his training director, ‘[T]he company does not care about your ADA accommodation. Either come on-site or find another job,’” Waudby’s complaint states.
Waudby, an animal lover who has raised money for abused pets, says being made to show up physically each day caused him “to suffer severe pain,” according to the complaint. When he complained, however, it says he was soon fired.
Foundever, formerly known as Sitel, provides “customer experience” services to some 800 companie..

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‘You’re my life, my hero’: Hostages reunite with families after two years

'You're my life, my hero': Hostages reunite with families after two years5 hours agoShareSaveAlice CuddyTel AvivShareSaveWatch: Emotional reunions as freed hostages return to IsraelMatan Zangauker, 25, walks grinning into his mother's arms.
“You're my life,” she exclaims, hugging him tightly in footage filmed by the Israeli military. “My life. My hero. Come, come.”
Matan was one of 20 living hostages remaining in Gaza after being taken during the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023, who were freed on Monday after two years in captivity.
His mother, Einav, has campaigned fiercely for Matan's return. She became among the best-known faces of the movement, and demanded the Israeli government agree a hostage exchange with Hamas.
Last week, she and her daughter lit fireworks in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to celebrate the ceasefire deal that had been agreed between Israel and Hamas as part of Donald Trump's peace plan.
On Monday, crowds gathered and cheered..

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‘Our nightmare is coming to an end’: Trump flies to Israel to push through last critical hours of Gaza ceasefire

Donald Trump is en route to Israel and Egypt to oversee the critical hours of a Gaza ceasefire he helped broker, as relatives of hostages “held their breath” ahead of their expected release.
For the first time, Hamas militants have agreed to release all 48 remaining hostages – 20 alive, 26 confirmed dead, and two whose lives were “serious danger” with an unknown status. The deadline for Hamas to return the captives who have been held for two years expires at midday Monday (10am BST).
Shortly afterwards, 1,700 Palestinians detained from Gaza since October 2023 and 250 more serving life sentences will be released from Israeli detention. The bodies of 360 Palestinians Israel is holding will also be returned.
Leaving to fly to Israel ahead of the planned releases, Mr Trump told reporters Trump his trip would be: “very special event”.
“We're going to have an amazing time,” he added: “This is going to be a very special time. Everybody is very excited about this moment in time.”
open i..

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Trump-Gaza latest: US president says ‘all sides cheering’ as he flies to Israel ahead of hostage release

CloseHerzog: As soon as hostages return, Israel is not going to warDonald Trump has said that all sides in the Middle East are “cheering at one time” as he flies there ahead of Hamas’ expected release of the Israeli hostages.
Speaking to reporters as he boarded Air Force One on Sunday, the US president said “that's never happened before”, adding that his trip to Israel and Egypt is going to be a “very special event”.
Meanwhile, Israel has warned against “any sick displays by Hamas” during the release of hostages, which a spokeswoman said is expected to take place early Monday morning.
“We are expecting all 20 of our living hostages to be released together at one time to the Red Cross and transported among six to eight vehicles without any sick displays by Hamas,” spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said.
But if Hamas decides to free the hostages any earlier, “we will be ready to receive them”, she added. Palestinian detainees and prisoners will be released once the hostages have crossed..

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Clashes erupt between Hamas forces and armed clan members in Gaza City

Clashes erupt between Hamas forces and armed clan members in Gaza City3 hours agoShareSaveRushdi AbualoufGaza correspondent in IstanbulShareSaveAFP via Getty ImagesAt least 27 people have been killed in fierce clashes between Hamas security forces and armed members of the Dughmush family in Gaza City, in one of the most violent internal confrontations since the end of major Israeli operations in the enclave.
Masked Hamas gunmen exchanged fire with clan fighters near the city's Jordanian hospital, witnesses said.
A senior official in the Hamas-run interior ministry said security units surrounded them and engaged in heavy fighting to detain them. The ministry said eight its members were killed in “an armed assault by a militia”.
Medical sources said 19 Dughmush clan members and eight Hamas fighters had been killed since fighting began on Saturday.
Eyewitnesses said the clashes erupted in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood in southern Gaza City after a Hamas force of more than 300 fighter..