New York Daily News
Aaron Carter’s 23-month-old son sues doctors, pharmacies over drowning death
Story by Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News •
18h

Aaron Carter arrives at Wango Tango at StubHub Center on May 13, 2017, in Carson, California.
Aaron Carter arrives at Wango Tango at StubHub Center on May 13, 2017, in Carson, California.
© Frazer Harrison/Getty Images North America/TNS
Awrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of Aaron Carter’s toddler, 23-month-old Princeton Lyric, blames doctors and pharmacies for his father’s drug-induced drowning last year.

The “I Want Candy” crooner died in the bathtub of his California home the morning of Nov. 5, 2022. His housekeeper found him fully submerged in water and immediately phoned 911.


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The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner later listed his cause of death as drowning under the effects of Xanax and inhaling difluoroethane.

According to Prince’s lawsuit — filed by his mother and Carter’s fiancee, Melanie Martin — doctors prescribed the singer hydrocodone, oxycodone and alprazolam with no medical justification. They were also aware of Carter’s “mental health and psychiatric condition,” but still opted to write him the prescriptions, TMZ reported.
What’s more, Walgreens, one of several defendants named in the suit, should have taken issue with giving Carter opioids when considering the quantities and his past struggles with addiction.

Carter was open about his issues. He previously admitted his sister Leslie, who died from an overdose in 2012, introduced him to huffing — the practice of inhaling fumes from household items.

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“Started when I was about 16,” he said on an episode of “The Doctors.”

Carter also revealed that after his stint on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2009, he started going to Staples and Office Depot to purchase inhalants, “buying it with cash so it wouldn’t be reported on receipts or anything like that, so no one could trace me.”

“I was huffing because I was really f—ing stupid and sad, but this is really no excuse,” he added. “I was huffing because I’m a drug addict.”

Carter, the younger brother of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, shot to fame at just 9 years old, following the release of his self-titled debut album in 1997. His follow-up album, 2000’s “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It),” sold over 3 million copies in the U.S.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

———

©2023 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry dead at 54: reports
by: Vivian Chow, Russell Falcon

Posted: Oct 28, 2023 / 02:51 PM HST

Updated: Oct 28, 2023 / 08:34 PM HST

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(KTLA/NEXSTAR) — Actor Matthew Perry, best known for his role on “Friends,” died on Saturday, according to several news outlets. He was 54.

Authorities responded to reports of a cardiac arrest at an L.A.-area home where Perry was located, according to TMZ. The outlet reports Perry died from an apparent drowning. Meanwhile, Associated Press and People report Los Angeles Police Department representatives confirmed an officer response to Perry’s residence for the death of a male in his 50s. LAPD did not confirm the deceased was Perry, however.

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The circumstances surrounding the actor’s death remain unclear, although reports claim no foul play was involved. Los Angeles Times reports Los Angeles authorities confirmed Perry was found unresponsive in a hot tub.

Perry was most known for his iconic role as Chandler Bing on the hit NBC sitcom “Friends” which ran from 1994 to 2004. He made his television debut in a 1979 episode of the ABC drama “240-Robert” and his final television role was a portrayal of late politician Ted Kennedy in the 2017 Reelz miniseries “The Kennedys: After Camelot.”

The former Canadian also appeared in a variety of comedy films including, “Fools Rush In,” and “The Whole Nine Yards.” Perry’s film debut was in 1988’s teen drama “A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon,” alongside the late River Phoenix. His final film role was in the 2009 Disney film “17 Again.”

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BEVERLY HILLS, CA – OCTOBER 14: Actor Matthew Perry arrives at the 9th Annual Dinner Benefiting the Lili Claire Foundation at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 14, 2006 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)Read More »
Perry also appeared as himself for the 2021 HBO Max special “Friends: The Reunion,” which brought the entire cast back together for the first time since the show’s series finale.

The Williamstown, Massachusetts-born Perry was nominated for and received some of television’s top accolades, including a 2007 Golden Globe Award nomination and four Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Through the years, Perry also accumulated six nominations and one win at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

He revealed his immense struggle with addiction to drugs and alcohol during his career in a 2022 memoir titled, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir.” In promotion of the book, Perry sat down for a much-publicized interview with ABC News’ Diane Sawyer last October, where he described feeling “OK” in his addiction journey, telling Sawyer he’d established safety nets to prevent the disease from running his life.

“For a start, I’ve surrendered, but to the winning side, not the losing,” Perry wrote in the memoir. “I’m no longer mired in an impossible battle with drugs and alcohol.”

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During this turbulent time, Perry detailed his notable weight loss and gain during various “Friends” seasons along with serious health issues that required several hospitalizations.

One of Perry final social media messages, posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, came on Oct. 24, when the actor posted: “Let’s make stigmas a stigma. #mentalhealth.”

Nexstar has reached out to Perry’s representatives for comment and will update when we hear back.

Grand Central Terminal shut down due to pro-Palestinian protests
Thousands of Jewish and Palestinians protesters take over the Grand Central lobby during protest demanding immediate ceasefire of attacks to Gaza by Israeli forces. NYPD made seventh arrests of protesters that refused to clear the traffic areas of the busy station. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News)
Thousands of Jewish and Palestinians protesters take over the Grand Central lobby during protest demanding immediate ceasefire of attacks to Gaza by Israeli forces. NYPD made seventh arrests of protesters that refused to clear the traffic areas of the busy station. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News)
Author
By KERRY BURKE | kburke@nydailynews.com | New York Daily News and LIAM QUIGLEY | New York Daily News
PUBLISHED: October 27, 2023 at 8:15 p.m. | UPDATED: October 27, 2023 at 10:54 p.m.
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protestors packed into Grand Central Terminal during Friday rush hour — partially shutting down the transit hub and leading to more than 200 arrests, according to the NYPD.

Metro-North service was shut down at the terminal, with the MTA advising customers to use the 125th St. station, instead. east-bound LIRR service was still running at the Grand Central Madison stop, though the entrances were restricted during the tumult.

Thousands of Jewish and Palestinians protesters take over the Grand Central lobby during protest demanding immediate ceasefire of attacks to Gaza by Israeli forces. NYPD made seventh arrests of protesters that refused to clear the traffic areas of the busy station. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News)
Thousands of protesters fill the Grand Central Terminal lobby on Friday. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News)
Subway service on the 4, 5, 6 and 7 lines was severely disrupted, the MTA stated.

“I missed my train. I don’t understand why they shut the station down. This is nonsense,” said Kane Bonitto, 38, of Brooklyn, who missed his 7 p.m. departure on Metro-North bound for New Haven. “They could have taken it somewhere else. All they want is attention. What about our daily commute?”

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Top Videos - Sullivan County public safety official shares story of 2-week deployment to Israel to help country's fire service
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Pre-recorded announcements from police warning of impending arrests were at times drowned out by chants during the rally organized by Jewish Voice for Peace.

“There’s a genocide going on right now in front of our eyes,” said protester Peter Kinoy, 75.

Thousands of Jewish and Palestinians protesters take over the Grand Central lobby during protest demanding immediate ceasefire of attacks to Gaza by Israeli forces. NYPD made seventh arrests of protesters that refused to clear the traffic areas of the busy station. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News)
Numerous arrests were seen by the Daily News. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News)
“The U.S. should stop sending arms to Israel now,” added Kinoy, who is Jewish.

The Daily News witnessed numerous arrests of activists calling on Israel to stop its bombardment of Gaza — the latest in a series of protests since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

After three warnings to disperse, demonstrators were told to put their hands behind their backs. Cops then put them in zip ties and took them to waiting buses.

Thousands of Jewish and Palestinians protesters take over the Grand Central lobby during protest demanding immediate ceasefire of attacks to Gaza by Israeli forces. NYPD made seventh arrests of protesters that refused to clear the traffic areas of the busy station. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News)
Thousands of protesters fill the Grand Central Terminal lobby on Friday. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News)
They faced charges of criminal trespass.

Police also arrested demonstrators who gathered on the balcony level overlooking the 200,000-square-foot train hall. Some hung banners with the words, “Mourn the dead and fight like hell for the living” from the station departure board.

“It’s disappointing that this group elected to stage a protest that interfered with New Yorkers getting home from work and otherwise going about their business,” MTA Chief Safety and Security Officer Pat Warren said in a statement.

About two hours into the protest, some activists exited the terminal and made for Vanderbilt Ave. to continue the demo. Train service was fully restored by around then, according to the MTA.

Thousands of Jewish and Palestinians protesters take over the Grand Central lobby during protest demanding immediate ceasefire of attacks to Gaza by Israeli forces. NYPD made seventh arrests of protesters that refused to clear the traffic areas of the busy station. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News)
Demonstrators are seen hanging a banner on Friday. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News)
Cody Edgley was among those being arrested Friday evening.

“If you care about Jewish safety, if you care about fighting anti-Semitism, then you have to care about Palestine,” he told The News as cops dragged him into custody.

The war in Israel and Gaza has sent ripples all over the world, with protesters taking to the streets of cities both great and small.

The Big Apple has seen a steady drumbeat of demonstrations, with numerous arrests, too.

On Oct. 13, a protest organized by Jewish Voice for Peace over Israel’s plans to invade Gaza drew hundreds of people to the area near Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, resulting in 57 arrests, police said.

That day in Manhattan, a mostly peaceful protest of about 2,500 gathered in Midtown to support freedom for Palestine. Police said three people were arrested on disorderly conduct charges there.


2023
October
27

NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated 11:53 AM EDT, October 27, 2023
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A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:

___
A video circulating online doesn’t show the arrest of a suspect in the Maine mass shooting

CLAIM: An aerial video of a man lying on his stomach in the middle of a road, being detained by authorities, shows police arresting Maine mass shooting suspect Robert Card.

OTHER NEWS
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
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A photo hangs on a refrigerator riddled with bullet holes in a house at Kibbutz Kissufim in southern Israel, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. The Kibbutz was overrun by Hamas militants from the nearby Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, when they killed and captured many Israelis. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
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THE FACTS: While the video, which began circulating Wednesday night after the shootings, shows someone being detained in Lewiston, Maine, it doesn’t show Card. Officials said at a press conference the next morning that Card was still at large. Hundreds of heavily armed police and FBI agents searched for Card on Friday morning as residents in the area stayed close to home. Card, a U.S. Army reservist, is wanted in the fatal shootings of at least 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, the worst mass killing in the state’s history. The clip, which was filmed at night from a building overlooking a street, shows authorities instructing a man in the middle of the street to lay on the ground and not move. “MAINE SHOOTER HAS BEEN ARRESTED KNOWN AS ROBERT CARD,” reads a post on X that shared the video. It had received approximately 3,600 likes and been shared about 2,200 times as of Friday. Local and state police have not responded to messages seeking additional comment on the misrepresented video. Comparisons with Google Maps images confirm the video was filmed across from the Lewiston Public Library, on Pine Street between Park Alley and Lisbon Street. A longer video that shows the same incident from a different angle also circulated online Wednesday night. It includes the screen name of a TikTok user who has previously posted content from the same location, although the video of this incident had been removed from their account Thursday. The longer video shows that after authorities detained the man in the street, the situation appeared to de-escalate. The man was helped up and moved to sit in one of the library’s large, storefront windows, and most of the officers walked away.

— Associated Press writer Melissa Goldin in New York contributed this report.

___
A black flag over Iran’s Imam Reza shrine isn’t a war cry. It represents mourning for Gaza victims

CLAIM: A major mosque in Iran raised a black flag to call Muslims to war over Israel’s attacks on Gaza.

THE FACTS: The Imam Reza shrine said the flag was raised as a symbol of mourning for the lives lost in Israel’s strikes on Gaza, and experts on Islam and Iran confirmed the flag includes a passage from the Quran that is meant to comfort Muslims that their sacrifices will one day be rewarded. Social media users are sharing the false claim alongside images and videos of the black flag flying over the distinctive gold dome of the shrine — a major pilgrimage site for Shiite Muslims in Iran’s northeast that includes a mosque, library and other institutions. Others claimed the black flag and its Farsi inscription was meant to herald the coming of the Mahdi, the final leader believed to appear at the end of times to lead Muslim people. But the black flag isn’t a call for war, and neither the flag’s text nor the shrine’s statement about the banner references the coming of the Mahdi or the end of time. In fact, an announcement on the shrine’s English-language Facebook page on Oct. 17 specifically describes it as a “mourning flag” that was raised in response to the deadly blast that rocked a hospital in Hamas-controlled Gaza that day. “In an unprecedented gesture and by the order of the custodian of Astan Quds Razavi, the black flag has been hoisted above the illuminated and pure Razavi dome, and drum beating will not be played tomorrow,” the post said, including #sorrow #mourning #sadness #grief and other hashtags. Islamic and Iranian experts confirmed the flag includes a line from the Quran roughly translated as “help from Allah and an imminent victory” or “conquest from Allah and victory is near.” That phrase isn’t traditionally used to declare war, but meant to bring comfort and hope to those struggling or engaged in battle that their sacrifice is not in vain and that Allah will grant them victory eventually, they said. Hamid Dabashi, professor of Iranian Studies at Columbia University in New York, said the Quranic verse, in the context of the shrine’s Facebook post, means “solidarity” with the Palestinian cause and not an outright declaration of war against Israel. “To me it says nothing more than the obvious: the ruling government in Iran supports Hamas and the Islamic Jihad,” he wrote in an email. “Nothing more, nothing less.” The Middle East Media Research Institute, a Washington-based think tank founded by Israeli analysts, agreed, noting that Islamic militants tend to use a different passage from the Quran when declaring war.

— Associated Press writer Philip Marcelo in New York contributed this report.

___
Video of Kim Jong Un doesn’t reference the Israel-Hamas war. The clip is old and mistranslated

CLAIM: A video shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un saying in a speech that he blames President Joe Biden for the latest Israel-Hamas war.

THE FACTS: The video is from 2020 and the version currently circulating online features incorrect English captions. The footage actually shows Kim celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Workers’ Party; he doesn’t reference the conflict in the Middle East or Biden at any point. In the misleading video circulating online, the English captions claim Kim says: “Under the Biden administration, conflicts erupt yearly. This year a war begins between Israel and Palestine.” “I’m afraid that if the Biden admin does not cease to exist in the next election, World War 3 may begin,” the captions continue. “Who knows what next year’s war will be. I support Donald Trump for President in 2024. Good Luck to Mr. Trump.” The video was shared on Instagram and TikTok, where one post garnered more than 223,000 likes. However, the video is old and the captions are completely inaccurate. Clips and images from the same speech can be seen in news reports from October 2020 about an event celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Korean Workers Party. A transcript of the full speech translated to English by The National Committee on North Korea, a U.S.-based organization, does not mention anything about the Israel-Hamas war nor the 2024 U.S. presidential race. Multiple Korean speakers and an expert who reviewed the portion of the speech circulating online also confirmed Kim says nothing of the sort in the footage. Instead, Kim thanks his people and his military, saying: “The patriotic and heroic commitment shown by our People’s Army soldiers on the unexpected frontlines of epidemic prevention and natural disaster recovery this year is something that evokes tears of gratitude from everyone.” Ji-Young Lee, a professor of Korean Studies at American University who confirmed the captions are inaccurate, noted that the surprise attack on Israel by Hamas militants did create concerns in South Korea about a similar assault from the North.

— Associated Press writer Karena Phan in Los Angeles contributed this report.

___
Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck

___
Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck

Gun Maine suspect used to kill 18 people was bought legally just days before psychiatric evaluation, sources say
Holly Yan John Miller
By Holly Yan, John Miller and Aya Elamroussi, CNN
11 minute read
Updated 8:14 PM EDT, Fri October 27, 2023




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—
The gun investigators believe Robert Card used to kill 18 people and wound more than a dozen others was purchased legally just days before he was hospitalized and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

In mid-July, New York State Police were called to Camp Smith in Cortlandt, New York, the military base where Card served, because he was acting “belligerently and possibly intoxicated,” according to a source briefed on the matter. Three law enforcement sources confirm State Police brought Card to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for suspected intoxication and released the next day. When asked for information about the encounter, a New York State Police spokesperson told CNN: “This is an active investigation, and the New York State Police does not comment on active investigations.”

A federal law enforcement source told CNN the army gave Card a “Command Referral” to seek treatment after he told army personnel at Camp Smith Card had been “hearing voices” and had thoughts about “hurting other soldiers.” A National Guard spokesperson confirmed to CNN Card was transported to the nearby Keller Army Community Hospital at the United States Military Academy for “medical evaluation,” after Army Reserve officials reported Card for “behaving erratically.”

Card’s encounters with New York State Police and his National Guard superiors occurred just 10 days after Card had purchased the high-powered rifle at a Maine gun store, according to law enforcement sources. The rifle was a Ruger SFAR chambered for high-powered .308 ammunition, the sources added. The .308 round is favored by military snipers firing at long distances and big game hunters. It is larger and more powerful than the regular ammunition carried in the rifles of soldiers and SWAT teams.

Sources say the weapon found inside Card’s 2013 white Subaru Outback appears to be the same one fired by the gunman at the bowling alley and a local bar, though a ballistics match has not been confirmed. The weapon will be processed by the FBI and ATF for fingerprints and DNA and then run through laboratory testing to determine if the bullets and shell casings found at the scene match.

In the same July purchase, along with the rifle, sources say Card also bought a Beretta 92-F 9mm semi-automatic pistol. It is the standard pistol of the US military.

Search spans land, air, and water
Authorities are continuing an intensive search across southern Maine for the mass shooting suspect, with divers expected to join the effort Saturday to scour the river near where his car was found.

Starting Saturday, additional dive teams from Maine and other states will join the search in the Androscoggin River, Maine Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck said Friday.

Part of the reason why the manhunt has shifted to include the water is a note left by the suspect and found by authorities, a law enforcement official told CNN. The source said the message suggested Card didn’t expect to be alive when the note was found and could be akin to a suicide note.

The note essentially gave information to others about where things could be found and how things could be disposed of – ultimately suggesting Card would no longer be alive when the note was found or read, the official said.

Still, investigators have warned residents Card should be considered armed and dangerous. And while the manhunt for him intensifies, communities grieving the deaths of 18 people in the tranquil city of Lewiston are now riddled with anxiety.

A boat launch is seen in Lisbon, Maine, on October 27, 2023.
Authorities search the area around a boat launch Friday in Lisbon, Maine.
CNN
Two days after the gunman shot up a bowling alley and a bar, authorities have urged residents across a 700-square-mile area to “be vigilant” as authorities race to find the suspect. Investigators have received more than 530 tips from the public, the public safety commissioner said Friday.

Divers prepare to search the Androscoggin River in Lisbon Falls, Maine, on October 27, 2023, in the aftermath of a mass shooting. Police in Maine struggled for a second day on October 27, 2023, to catch a man who gunned down 18 people with a semi-automatic rifle in a bowling alley and a bar in a town where locals were enjoying an evening out. Robert Card, 40, is accused of being the man seen on security cameras walking into a Lewiston bowling alley on the evening of October 25, 2023, and launching the country's deadliest mass shooting of the year so far. In addition to the 18 murdered at the bowling venue and later in a bar, the US Army reservist is accused of wounding 13. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Divers prepare to search the Androscoggin River in Lisbon Falls, Maine, on Friday as investigators search for massacre suspect Robert Card.
Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images
“All possibilities are open to us,” said Sauschuck Friday afternoon when asked if it was possible that the suspect had escaped on a boat or in a second vehicle unknown to authorities.

He added law enforcement hadn’t made any sightings of Card since the shooting and they did not know how many weapons he might have.

A CNN team saw officers surrounding a greenhouse late Friday morning at Springworks Farm in Lisbon, which is less than a mile from a boat launch where Card’s vehicle was found. By around noon, officers had cleared the scene.

Law enforcement members patrol near a Lisbon school, following a deadly mass shooting in Lewiston, in Lisbon Falls, Maine, U.S. October 26, 2023. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
Law enforcement could face these challenges in their hunt for the Lewiston shooting suspect
Air assets will also be deployed to help the divers look for evidence, the public safety commissioner said.

Live Updates: Manhunt continues after Maine shooting rampage

Despite a concentration of resources in the river area near the town of Lisbon, Card’s escape path remains unclear. “I’m not saying we know the suspect is in the water,” Sauschuck said.

Investigators were expected to return to Card’s home on Friday, hours after law enforcement officers surrounded the home Thursday night and ordered any occupants to come out. It’s not clear whether anyone was inside.

Investigators have recovered a cell phone that belonged to Card, a law enforcement official said Friday. It adds to the challenges for investigators, who routinely track cell phones to find suspects. It’s not clear whether Card is carrying another phone.

Lewiston Police Department identified Robert Card as a "person of interest" involved in the Lewiston shooting.
Here’s what we know about the suspect in the Maine mass shooting
Investigators have also found a note left by the suspect, though it doesn’t reveal a motive, the law enforcement official said.

While the motive for the massacre remains uncertain, a key theory has emerged in the investigation, law enforcement sources say.

Card recently broke up with a longtime girlfriend, and investigators are pursuing the theory Card went to the bowling alley and the bar because they were places the couple used to frequent, law enforcement sources told CNN’s John Miller.

Investigators believe the ex-girlfriend had signed up to play in a tournament at the bar Wednesday night, the sources said. According to the Facebook page for Schemengees Bar and Grill, Wednesday is “Industry Night,” which draws employees from other bars and restaurants in the Lewiston area.

The massacre in Maine is the deadliest of at least 566 mass shootings in the US so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. With 18 victims killed, the mass shooting is also the deadliest since the Uvalde massacre in May 2022, when 21 people were gunned down at a Texas elementary school.


How the terror unfolded
The horror began around 7 p.m. Wednesday in Lewiston, where authorities say Card opened fire at Just-in-Time Recreation and then later at Schemengees Bar & Grille. In addition to the 18 people killed, 13 others were injured, Gov. Janet Mills said Thursday.

Police were on the scene within just minutes of 911 calls made from the shooting locations.

The shooting and subsequent manhunt spurred shelter-in-place orders for Androscoggin and northern Sagadahoc counties, which encompass Lewiston and the nearby Auburn and Lisbon communities. The orders were lifted Friday afternoon.

A woman is hugged by a man at a reunification center at Auburn Middle School, in Auburn, Maine, after shootings in Lewiston on Wednesday, October 25, 2023.
Here’s a timeline of the mass shooting in Maine and the ongoing manhunt for a suspect
“Nerves are rattled right now – (I’m) keeping an eye on the woods,” said Cory, a Lisbon resident and father of a 10-year-old daughter. “Seeing the cops coming around here, that makes me feel a million times better.”

Earlier Thursday, investigators executed a search warrant at the home, looking for computers, notes, weapons and any evidence that might indicate a plan for the shootings, law enforcement sources told CNN.

The suspect’s car was found abandoned some 8 miles from Lewiston in Lisbon, authorities said.

Authorities are expected to return to Bowdoin to continue investigating Friday, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said.

The search for Card could be complicated by his background in combat training. Card is a certified firearms instructor and a member of the US Army Reserve, law enforcement officials in Maine told CNN.

Katherine Schweit, a former FBI senior official, said Card may have an advantage.

“He’s in his own backyard, and we’re coming into his own backyard to try to find him in a game of hide and seek. He knows what he’s looking for and where he’s going to go,” Schweit told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Thursday.

“He has a plan, and law enforcement has to follow those trails wherever they can find them until he makes a decision to stop. So, if he keeps going, that’s just what we’re facing.”

A ‘hero’ and a pioneer in the deaf community are among those killed
The 18 victims gunned down range in age from 14 to 76 years old and include a young father and a heroic bowling alley employee.

Tricia Asselin, 53, was a mom and a part-time employee at the bowling alley who was with her family bowling recreationally when the gunfire erupted, her brother DJ Johnson said.

“What I’m told is that when it all started happening, she ran up to the counter and started to call 911, and that’s when she was shot,” Johnson. “That was just her. She wasn’t going to run. She was going to try and help.”

First row: Tricia Asselin, Peyton Brewer-Ross, Tommy Conrad, Michael Deslauriers II and Bryan MacFarlane. Second row: Arthur Strout, Joseph Walker, Joshua Seal, Maxx Hathaway and Ron Morin. Third row: Bill Young, Aaron Young, Stephen Vozzella and Bob Violette.
What we know about the victims of the Maine mass shooting
Asselin’s sister, Bobbi Nichols, was also at the bowling alley when gunfire erupted. Nichols said she ran as far as she could before finally reaching a fence and some trees, which she and others hid behind. Two hours later, she learned her sister was killed trying to call 911.

“When she called 911 to save everybody, she lost her life because of it,” Nichols said. “She was a hero.”

Bryan MacFarlane was playing in a cornhole tournament at the restaurant when he was killed, his sister Keri Brooks told CNN. MacFarlane, part of the local deaf community, typically went to Schemengees on Wednesdays, when other deaf people gather to play the game, Brooks said. He leaves behind his mother and his sister.

“I grew up in Maine and the deaf community is a tight-knit community,” Brooks said. “Not only was my brother slain, but my friends were too.”

MacFarlane, 40, was one of the first deaf people in Vermont to get his commercial trucking driver’s license, Brooks said.

Peyton Brewer-Ross also was at the cornhole tournament when he was fatally shot, according to his brother Ralph Brewer. He enjoyed playing the game and spending time with friends at the restaurant.

Brewer-Ross was a father of two children and “loved being a dad more than anything else,” his brother said, adding he had just celebrated his daughter’s second birthday a couple of weeks ago.

“She woke up telling her mom, Rachel (Sloat), ‘Where’s daddy, where’s daddy?’” Brewer said. “At 2 years old, she isn’t going to remember any of this, but in the same breath, she isn’t going to have her dad be there the rest of her life.”

Authorities identified all 18 of the victims at a Friday afternoon news conference and said all their families had been notified.

A police officer stands guard in front of the Central Maine Medical Center.
Police respond to the scene in Lewiston.
A member of law enforcement walks with a police dog outside a property in Bowdoin on Thursday.
A member of law enforcement walks with a police dog outside a property in Bowdoin on Thursday.
Steven Senne/AP
Law enforcement are seen outside the home of suspect Robert Card's father and brother in Bowdoin, Maine on October 26, 2023, in the aftermath of a mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine. Hundreds of police in the US state of Maine hunted October 26, 2023 for a fugitive gunman who killed 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar, as President Joe Biden mourned "yet another senseless and tragic mass shooting." Police named the suspect as 40-year-old Robert Card -- seen in surveillance footage pointing a semi-automatic rifle as he walked into the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Jess Paquette holds a sign showing her support in Lewiston, Maine, on October 26.
A pedestrian crosses a virtually empty street in Portland, Maine, on Thursday. The shootings took place about 36 miles north of the city.
Law enforcement personnel work outside Schemengees Bar and Grille on Thursday.
Law enforcement officials prepare at Lisbon High School at daybreak on Thursday, as a manhunt resumes for the suspect in the mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine.
Dexter Britton, 9, looks out through a window in Lisbon Falls, Maine, on Thursday. The Lisbon area has been under a shelter in place order since Wednesday night.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills, center, speaks during a news conference at Lewiston City Hall on Thursday.
A police officer speaks to a driver at a roadblock in Lisbon on Thursday.
Law enforcement officials load into a tactical vehicle at Lisbon High School on Thursday.
Police officers patrol around the hospital in Lewiston on Thursday.
A man and woman embrace at the reunification center at Auburn Middle School in Auburn, Maine, after the mass shootings in Lewiston on Wednesday, October 25.
Police close Lincoln Street leading to Schemengees Bar and Grille in Lewiston.
The rampage began shortly before 7 p.m. and fueled calls for everyone in Lewiston to shelter in place as hundreds of officers searched for the gunman.
Maria Wilson reacts while speaking to reporters at the reunification center at Auburn Middle School about the unknown status of her loved one on Wednesday.
Stretchers are lined up outside the emergency room at the Central Maine Medical Center.
People stand outside the reunification center at Auburn Middle School.
A helicopter searches an area of Lewiston on Wednesday.
People depart an emergency room entrance at the Central Maine Medical Center.
A police officer stands guard in front of the Central Maine Medical Center.
Police respond to the scene in Lewiston.
A member of law enforcement walks with a police dog outside a property in Bowdoin on Thursday.
Law enforcement are seen outside the home of suspect Robert Card's father and brother in Bowdoin, Maine on October 26, 2023, in the aftermath of a mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine. Hundreds of police in the US state of Maine hunted October 26, 2023 for a fugitive gunman who killed 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar, as President Joe Biden mourned "yet another senseless and tragic mass shooting." Police named the suspect as 40-year-old Robert Card -- seen in surveillance footage pointing a semi-automatic rifle as he walked into the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
In pictures: Mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine
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A fellow Army Reserve member said Card was a skilled marksman
Card is a petroleum supply specialist in the Army Reserve and first enlisted in 2002, according to records provided by the Army.

Even though he’s a certified firearms instructor, law enforcement officials told CNN, his time in the Army did not include training as a firearms instructor “nor did he serve in that capacity for the Army,” spokesperson Bryce Dubee said in a statement to CNN.

BOWDOIN, MAINE - OCTOBER 26: Law enforcement officials gather in the road leading to the home of the suspect being sought in connection with two mass shootings on October 26, 2023 in Bowdoin, Maine. Police are searching for U.S. Army Reservist Robert Card, 40, who is wanted in the shooting deaths of 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar last night in nearby Lewiston. At least 13 others were wounded in the rampage. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
During manhunt for suspect in Maine shooting that killed 18, authorities twice converge Thursday on his last known residence
Still, Card had extensive training, including land navigation, making him “very comfortable in the woods,” said Clifford Steeves, who told CNN he knew Card when they both served in the Army Reserve.

He said Card is a skilled marksman who was one of the best shooters in his unit.

Investigators searched the suspect’s car Thursday and recovered a .308-caliber AR15 rifle. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will conduct tests to determine whether the gun can be matched to bullets and shell casings recovered at the two shooting scenes.

Authorities executed at least three search warrants Thursday on Card’s vehicle, which have helped guide their search procedures Friday, a law enforcement official said.

Steeves met Card in the early 2000s when they served together and knew him until about a decade ago, he said. Steeves said he didn’t notice any concerning behavior from Card, who he described as an “outdoors type of guy.”

Law enforcement surround a house in Bowdoin, Maine, as they continue their manhunt on Thursday, October 26.
Law enforcement surround a house in Bowdoin, Maine, as they continue their manhunt on Thursday, October 26.
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
“He was a very nice guy – very quiet. He never overused his authority or was mean or rude to other soldiers,” Steeves said. “It’s really upsetting.”

Katie O’Neill, Card’s sister-in-law, told CNN he didn’t have a long history of mental health challenges.

“This is something that was an acute episode. This is not who he is,” O’Neill said, referring to his July hospitalization. “He is not someone who has had mental health issues for his lifetime or anything like that.”

Life upended
While investigators scramble and victims’ families grieve, thousands of residents in southern Maine have also been affected.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, attends the State of the Tribes, Wednesday, March 16, 2023, at the State House in Augusta, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Lewiston’s Democratic congressman reverses opposition to assault weapons ban
For a second day, many schools, grocery stores and other businesses were closed Friday as hundreds of law enforcement officers swarmed the terrain in pursuit of Card.

On Friday evening, state public safety commissioner Sauschuck announced that they would lift the shelter-in-place order but still recommended residents remain vigilant. He said businesses could decide whether they’d like to open or close amid the ongoing search.

Sauschuck also said that although the Maine rifle hunting season will open to state residents on Saturday, the popular sport will be prohibited in the towns of Lewiston, Lisbon, Bowdoin, and Monmouth until further notice.

The Maine rifle hunting season will open to state residents on Saturday, the public safety commissioner said Friday evening. But hunting will be prohibited in the towns of Lewiston, Lisbon, Bowdoin and Monmouth until further notice.

Sauschuck added that some communities may hear gunshots from time to time in certain areas because some people will be hunting.

Hunting is “a big deal in Maine,” the state’s public safety commissioner said earlier Friday. “It may not be a big deal to a lot of people from other communities, but we know what that’s going to look like.”

Lewiston Mayor Carl l. Sheline described the residents of Lewiston as “strong, determined, and fearless” in an interview with CNN.

“Lewiston is a very safe city. I understand what happened last night is certainly – you know, it’s surreal for it to be happening here,” he said. “But Lewiston is strong. Lewiston is – we have grit and I have no doubt that we will be okay.”

NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated 11:53 AM EDT, October 27, 2023
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A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:

___
A video circulating online doesn’t show the arrest of a suspect in the Maine mass shooting

CLAIM: An aerial video of a man lying on his stomach in the middle of a road, being detained by authorities, shows police arresting Maine mass shooting suspect Robert Card.

OTHER NEWS
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
These numbers show the staggering toll of the Israel-Hamas war
A photo hangs on a refrigerator riddled with bullet holes in a house at Kibbutz Kissufim in southern Israel, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. The Kibbutz was overrun by Hamas militants from the nearby Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, when they killed and captured many Israelis. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Scenes of sorrow and despair on both sides of Israel-Gaza border on week 3 of war
Egypt's United Nations Ambassador Osama Abdel Khalek address the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023 at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
UN General Assembly calls for `humanitarian truce’ in Gaza leading to halt in Israel-Hamas fighting
THE FACTS: While the video, which began circulating Wednesday night after the shootings, shows someone being detained in Lewiston, Maine, it doesn’t show Card. Officials said at a press conference the next morning that Card was still at large. Hundreds of heavily armed police and FBI agents searched for Card on Friday morning as residents in the area stayed close to home. Card, a U.S. Army reservist, is wanted in the fatal shootings of at least 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, the worst mass killing in the state’s history. The clip, which was filmed at night from a building overlooking a street, shows authorities instructing a man in the middle of the street to lay on the ground and not move. “MAINE SHOOTER HAS BEEN ARRESTED KNOWN AS ROBERT CARD,” reads a post on X that shared the video. It had received approximately 3,600 likes and been shared about 2,200 times as of Friday. Local and state police have not responded to messages seeking additional comment on the misrepresented video. Comparisons with Google Maps images confirm the video was filmed across from the Lewiston Public Library, on Pine Street between Park Alley and Lisbon Street. A longer video that shows the same incident from a different angle also circulated online Wednesday night. It includes the screen name of a TikTok user who has previously posted content from the same location, although the video of this incident had been removed from their account Thursday. The longer video shows that after authorities detained the man in the street, the situation appeared to de-escalate. The man was helped up and moved to sit in one of the library’s large, storefront windows, and most of the officers walked away.

— Associated Press writer Melissa Goldin in New York contributed this report.

___
A black flag over Iran’s Imam Reza shrine isn’t a war cry. It represents mourning for Gaza victims

CLAIM: A major mosque in Iran raised a black flag to call Muslims to war over Israel’s attacks on Gaza.

THE FACTS: The Imam Reza shrine said the flag was raised as a symbol of mourning for the lives lost in Israel’s strikes on Gaza, and experts on Islam and Iran confirmed the flag includes a passage from the Quran that is meant to comfort Muslims that their sacrifices will one day be rewarded. Social media users are sharing the false claim alongside images and videos of the black flag flying over the distinctive gold dome of the shrine — a major pilgrimage site for Shiite Muslims in Iran’s northeast that includes a mosque, library and other institutions. Others claimed the black flag and its Farsi inscription was meant to herald the coming of the Mahdi, the final leader believed to appear at the end of times to lead Muslim people. But the black flag isn’t a call for war, and neither the flag’s text nor the shrine’s statement about the banner references the coming of the Mahdi or the end of time. In fact, an announcement on the shrine’s English-language Facebook page on Oct. 17 specifically describes it as a “mourning flag” that was raised in response to the deadly blast that rocked a hospital in Hamas-controlled Gaza that day. “In an unprecedented gesture and by the order of the custodian of Astan Quds Razavi, the black flag has been hoisted above the illuminated and pure Razavi dome, and drum beating will not be played tomorrow,” the post said, including #sorrow #mourning #sadness #grief and other hashtags. Islamic and Iranian experts confirmed the flag includes a line from the Quran roughly translated as “help from Allah and an imminent victory” or “conquest from Allah and victory is near.” That phrase isn’t traditionally used to declare war, but meant to bring comfort and hope to those struggling or engaged in battle that their sacrifice is not in vain and that Allah will grant them victory eventually, they said. Hamid Dabashi, professor of Iranian Studies at Columbia University in New York, said the Quranic verse, in the context of the shrine’s Facebook post, means “solidarity” with the Palestinian cause and not an outright declaration of war against Israel. “To me it says nothing more than the obvious: the ruling government in Iran supports Hamas and the Islamic Jihad,” he wrote in an email. “Nothing more, nothing less.” The Middle East Media Research Institute, a Washington-based think tank founded by Israeli analysts, agreed, noting that Islamic militants tend to use a different passage from the Quran when declaring war.

— Associated Press writer Philip Marcelo in New York contributed this report.

___
Video of Kim Jong Un doesn’t reference the Israel-Hamas war. The clip is old and mistranslated

CLAIM: A video shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un saying in a speech that he blames President Joe Biden for the latest Israel-Hamas war.

THE FACTS: The video is from 2020 and the version currently circulating online features incorrect English captions. The footage actually shows Kim celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Workers’ Party; he doesn’t reference the conflict in the Middle East or Biden at any point. In the misleading video circulating online, the English captions claim Kim says: “Under the Biden administration, conflicts erupt yearly. This year a war begins between Israel and Palestine.” “I’m afraid that if the Biden admin does not cease to exist in the next election, World War 3 may begin,” the captions continue. “Who knows what next year’s war will be. I support Donald Trump for President in 2024. Good Luck to Mr. Trump.” The video was shared on Instagram and TikTok, where one post garnered more than 223,000 likes. However, the video is old and the captions are completely inaccurate. Clips and images from the same speech can be seen in news reports from October 2020 about an event celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Korean Workers Party. A transcript of the full speech translated to English by The National Committee on North Korea, a U.S.-based organization, does not mention anything about the Israel-Hamas war nor the 2024 U.S. presidential race. Multiple Korean speakers and an expert who reviewed the portion of the speech circulating online also confirmed Kim says nothing of the sort in the footage. Instead, Kim thanks his people and his military, saying: “The patriotic and heroic commitment shown by our People’s Army soldiers on the unexpected frontlines of epidemic prevention and natural disaster recovery this year is something that evokes tears of gratitude from everyone.” Ji-Young Lee, a professor of Korean Studies at American University who confirmed the captions are inaccurate, noted that the surprise attack on Israel by Hamas militants did create concerns in South Korea about a similar assault from the North.

— Associated Press writer Karena Phan in Los Angeles contributed this report.

___
Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck

Israel conducts ground incursion in Gaza tanks roll through border area
Israeli forces conducted "brief" ground incursions into the Gaza Strip as the war with Hamas enters its 20th day. The Hamas-run Health Ministry claims at least 6,546 Palestinians have been killed and 17,439 wounded. More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed since the Oct. 7 surprise attack by Hamas, in which 224 people including foreigners were taken captive into Gaza. Four people have been released so far.

Covered by: Anders Hagstrom and Greg Wehner

FAST FACTS:
Israel is entering its third week of war against Hamas after the terrorist group infiltrated the country on October 7, firing thousands of rockets at residential areas and butchering civilians

As many as 7,900 people have been killed in the war on both sides, including at least 1,400 Israeli civilians and soldiers and 33 Americans. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry claims at least 6,546 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and more than 17,439 wounded. At least 10 Americans are feared to be among the 224 people held captive by Hamas

Israel remains poised for a ground invasion of Gaza, but the order has yet to come down. Iran and its terrorist proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, have threatened to join the conflict

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1 hour(s) agoPINNED
Iran’s foreign minister threatens US, accuses Israel of 'genocide' in UN speech
Iran’s foreign minister threatens US, accuses Israel of 'genocide' in UN speech
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian spoke at the United Nations on Oct. 26, 2023. (Source: UNTV via Reuters)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned the U.S. that it would not be spared if it continues to manage what he called the “genocide in Palestine,” while speaking to the United Nations on Thursday.

“Today in New York and the United Nations, I say frankly to the American statemen who are now managing the genocide in Palestine that we do not welcome the expansion of the war in the region,” Amir-Abdollahian said. “But I warn, if the genocide in Gaza continues, they will not be spared from this fire. It is our home and West Asia is our region.”

He continued by saying his country does not compromise with any party or side and does not have reservations when it comes to the country’s security.

Amir-Abdollahian directed comments to President Biden, saying Hamas is ready to release civilian prisoners, then added that the world should support the release of 6,000 Palestinians who are also held as prisoners, though in Israel.

“In addition, why the United States itself is actually and in practice and directly involved in committing crimes against Palestinians, it is not in a position to invite others to exercise self-restraint and refrain from spreading the war,” the foreign minister said. “Therefore, we strongly warn against the uncontrollable consequences of the unlimited financial arms and operational support by the White House to the Tel Aviv regime, which have led to the expansion and added to the severity of the bombardments of the civilians and the Palestinian women and children in Gaza and the West Bank.”

Posted by Greg Wehner
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19 min(s) ago
Israel's UN ambassador tells General Assembly, 'we are at war with monsters'
Israel's UN ambassador tells General Assembly, 'we are at war with monsters'
Israeli UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan speaking at the United Nations General Assembly. Courtesy: UNTV

Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, spoke during an emergency meeting pertaining to the Israel-Hamas war on Thursday, telling those in attendance that his country was not at war with humans, but instead were “at war with monsters.”

During the emergency meeting, held by the UN’s General Assembly and expected to last two days, Erdan shared stories while showing pictures and videos of the heinous acts committed by Hamas on innocent civilians.

In one video, a terrorist is seen trying to behead a victim.

“I have seen much footage over the past weeks that will be seared into my mind forever, but there is one sight that I keep seeing when I try to sleep,” Erdan said. “In the video, one can see a terribly injured civilian – bloodied, yet alive – laying on the ground as a Hamas savage screaming Allahu Akbar repeatedly pummels the man’s neck with a garden hoe in order to decapitate him.”

Erdan said the victim was not Israeli or Jewish, but instead was an agricultural worker from Thailand, merely trying to make a living for him and his family.

“But he was decapitated with a blunt gardening tool,” the ambassador said. “Horrifying! Israel is not at war with human beings, we are at war with monsters.”

Erdan shared photos of Israeli victims burned alive, raped, and butchered by Hamas terrorists.

He said the attack on Oct. 7 was conducted by “Barbaric Hamas terrorists” who came with the sole purpose of “savagely” murdering every living thing in their path.

“They brutally murdered civilians in their beds. They drove pickup trucks with machine guns – yes, just like ISIS – and fired blindly at hundreds of young people at a concert,” Erdan said. “The savages tortured small babies. Just like the Nazis, Hamas terrorists removed infants from their cribs and swung them repeatedly against the ground until their skulls became a pulp. Children were murdered in front of their parents. And parents in front of their children."

The UN is expected to vote on a resolution introduced by Jordan – which does not condemn or even mention Hamas.

“They write a resolution completely devoid of any content related to the situation, they assume that you have already forgotten who it is that is responsible for the inhuman violence, and they just expect you to support it,” Erdam told the General Assembly. “This resolution is a disgrace to your intelligence. It is unfathomable that such a resolution – one that doesn’t even mention Hamas – could possibly be voted upon."

Posted by Greg Wehner
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Pentagon officials say 900 troops deployed to Middle East who were on 'Prepare to Deploy' orders
Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said on Thursday that 900 troops have been deployed, or are in the process of deploying to the Central Command area in the Middle East. (Source: Pentagon Live Feed)

U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said on Thursday that 900 troops have been deployed, or are in the process of deploying to the Central Command area in the Middle East.

Ryder said the troops heading to the region have been on “prepare to deploy” orders, and are deploying from the continental U.S.

The units include a high-altitude area defense battery from Fort Bliss, Texas; Patriot batteries from Fort Sill, Oklahoma; the Patriot and Avenger batteries from Fort Liberty, North Carolina, and their associated air defense headquarters, which are elements from Fort Bliss and Fort Calvados, Texas.

Ryder would not say where the units were being deployed to, but confirmed they are not going to Israel.

“Again, they are intended to support regional deterrence efforts and further bolster U.S. force protection capabilities,” Ryder said.

He also said between Oct. 17 and 18, 21 service members received minor injuries during drone attacks at al-Asad Air Base in Iraq and al-Tanf Garrison in Syria.

At al-Tanf, there were 17 U.S. service members who were injured, 15 of whom were diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, or TBI. Four service members were injured at al-Asad, and also diagnosed with TBI.

All 21 members have returned to duty.

Posted by Greg Wehner
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2 hour(s) ago
US and Qatar agree to negotiate Hamas’s status in Doha, once hostage crisis resolved: source
US and Qatar agree to negotiate Hamas’s status in Doha, once hostage crisis resolved: source
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday said the U.S. has "a pretty strong idea" that some of the 10 unaccounted for Americans are being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

The U.S. and Qatar have agreed to negotiate Hamas’ status in Doha, after the hostage crisis has been resolved, according to a source familiar with the situation.

The Washington Post was first to report about the agreement.

At this time, the source says, there is no specific plan on how to resolve Hamas’ office in Doha, or whether Qatar will expel Hamas.

The deal was struck between the two countries two weeks ago in Doha when Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Sheikh Tamin Bin Hamad al-Thani.

Hamas has an office in the Qatari capital, and officials in Qatar have been acting as intermediaries to negotiate with Hamas to release hostages.

Richard Edson of Fox News contributed to this report.

Posted by Greg Wehner
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2 hour(s) ago
White House says Gaza health ministry is 'a front for Hamas,' again denies Palestinian casualty data
White House says Gaza health ministry is 'a front for Hamas,' again denies Palestinian casualty data
White House says Gaza health ministry is 'a front for Hamas,' again denies Palestinian casualty data

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby doubled down on President Biden's rejection of casualty data coming from the Hamas-run Gaza healty ministry on Thursday.

Kirby made the statement in response to questions from reporters at a Thursday press briefing at the White House. He described the health ministry as a "front for Hamas" and rejected its claim that more than 7,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7.

"We all know that the Gaza ministry of health is nothing more than a front for Hamas," Kirby said. "It's run by Hamas, a terrorist organization. I've said it myself up here--we can't take anything coming out of Hamas, including the so-called ministry of health, at face value."

Kirby went on to say that the number of casualties in Gaza is likely in the thousands, however.

Biden first stated he had "no confidence" in the Hamas data on Wednesday.

A reporter had asked whether Hamas' statistics suggest that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ignoring U.S. calls to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza.

"What they say to me is that I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed," Biden responded. "I'm sure innocents have been killed, and it's a price of waging a war."

"I think we should be incredibly careful – not we – the Israelis should be incredibly careful to be sure that they're focusing on going after the folks that are propagating this war against Israel. It's against their interests when that doesn't happen, but I have no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using," he added.

Posted by Anders Hagstrom
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3 hour(s) ago
Muslims warn Democrats they'll lose their votes over Israel support: 'Going to have a problem'

Some Muslims in Michigan feel "betrayed" by how Democrats have responded to the Israel-Hamas war, and are warning party leaders they might not back the party in 2024, the Associated Press reported.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other Democrats in the state angered some Arab Americans for attending a pro-Israel rally days after the coordinated terror attack from Hamas earlier this month, but not attending a pro-Palestinian rally in Dearborn, the following day. Dearborn is one of the largest Muslim and Arab-American communities in the country.

At that rally, Whitmer and party leaders in the state were reportedly called out and booed for not attending.

Some Arab Americans told the AP this gesture, along with President Biden's support of Israel, could cost Democrats in the next election.

"There is going to be an effort to not support the people who have not supported us. The people that we voted for such a long time — people that we’ve helped, we’ve donated to and we’ve worked on their campaigns," 22-year-old Palestinian American Adam Abusalah said.

Democratic state Rep. Alabas Farhat said that in 2024, the party would have to answer for the way they've treated Arab Americans and Palestinians in this conflict.

"In 2024, Democrats are going to have a problem with Arab Americans. For too long, they’ve isolated Arab American voices within the party. They’ve isolated the perspectives of Arab Americans. And on this specific issue, they’ve denied even recognizing the human rights of Palestinians," Farhat, whose district contains most of Dearborn, told the AP.

Fox News' Kristine Parks contributed to this report

Posted by Anders Hagstrom
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4 hour(s) ago
New York City Jews warned to stay away from 'Flood Brooklyn for Gaza' protest: Report
New York City Jews warned to stay away from 'Flood Brooklyn for Gaza' protest: Report
New York City Jews warned to stay away from 'Flood Brooklyn for Gaza' protest: Report

Jews in New York City are reportedly being encouraged to stay away from an upcoming "Flood Brooklyn for Gaza" protest, according to local outlet Col Live.

Rabbi Chanina Sperlin of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council told the outelt that the NYPD has assured him that local Jews "will be protected." The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

“Jews should definitely avoid the area,” a police source reportedly told the outlet. "There’s no intel at this time in which direction the protest will head. Locals should definitely stay away from Eastern Parkway in that area."

Jewish community leaders remain confident in police's ability to manage the protest, however.

Rabbi Yaacov Behrman of Jewish Future Alliance told Col that the NYPD did an "excellent job" of managing a pro-Palestinian rally last week that featured some 5,000 attendees. Nevertheless, Behrman said residents shoudl "stay vigilant and avoid that area unless absolutely necessary."

The Brooklyn protest comes as pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas demonstrations have popped up across the U.S., Europe and the globe. University students across America have shouted pro-Hamas slogans, leading to widespread fear among Jewish students.

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4 hour(s) ago
Israel eliminates top Hamas intelligence official who planned Oct. 7 attack in Gaza airstrike
Israel eliminates top Hamas intelligence official who planned Oct. 7 attack in Gaza airstrike
Israel eliminates top Hamas intelligence official who planned Oct. 7 attack in Gaza airstrike

Israeli Defense Forces say they eliminated a top Hamas intelligence official in an airstrike in Gaza on Thursday.

Israel identified the official as Shadi Barud, deputy head of Hamas' Intelligence Directorate. He is one of several senior Hamas officials to be killed in Gaza in recent days.

"Shadi Barud, Deputy Head of Hamas’ Intelligence Directorate has been eliminated by an IDF aerial strike," the Israeli military wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "He took part in the planning of the October 7 massacre and countless other deadly attacks carried out against Israelis."

"We will continue to strike and eliminate Hamas leaders and operatives responsible for the barbaric attacks," it added.


Israel remains poised for a full-scale invasion of northern Gaza, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says is imminent.

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4 hour(s) ago
GOP senators introduce standalone bill to aid Israel without more funding to Ukraine
GOP senators introduce standalone bill to aid Israel without more funding to Ukraine
GOP senators introduce standalone bill to aid Israel without more funding to Ukraine

GOP Sens. Roger Marshall, Ted Cruz, JD Vance and Mike Lee introduced a standalone bill to funnel aid to Israel without tying it to Ukraine aid on Thursday.

The bill, called the Israel Supplemental Appropriations Act, is an alternative to President Biden’s $106 billion emergency supplemental bill he requested from Congress last week.

The Israel Supplemental Appropriations Act, if passed, would provide $14.3 billion to Israel, including $10.6 billion for assistance through the Department of Defense (DOD), $3.5 billion for foreign military financing and $200 million to help protect U.S. embassies and personnel.

The legislation expedites funding for Israel by allocating resources to bolster Israel's defense capabilities, specifically focusing on enhancing systems like the Iron Dome and Iron Beam, as well as replacing weapons provided by the DOD.

The bill comes in opposition to legislation proposed by Democrats and Biden, who want funding for Ukraine and Israel to be lopped together. Many Republicans have soured on continued support for Ukraine, which has already received over $120 billion.

Fox News' Jamie Joseph contributed to this report

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5 hour(s) ago
Critics slam Biden admin for allowing Iran's FM to visit UN: 'blood of Americans on his hands'
Critics slam Biden admin for allowing Iran's FM to visit UN: 'blood of Americans on his hands'
Critics slam Biden admin for allowing Iran's FM to visit UN: 'blood of Americans on his hands'

The United States allowed Iran’s foreign minister to visit New York City this week to address the United Nations, drawing the ire of critics who insist the Biden administration should never have allowed him into the country.

"Iran-backed terrorists have attacked our servicemembers and are currently holding Americans hostage, but the Biden administration has granted a top Iranian official a visa — welcoming this regime on U.S. soil with open arms," Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, wrote on social media platform X.

"The appeasement must end," she added.

Fox News Digital learned that Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was coming to New York as early as Monday for a U.N. Security Council meeting and asked the State Department why he was being allowed in. While he did not attend that meeting, he arrived last night. Iran's state-owned Islamic Republic News Agency broadcast video of the minister at the Millennium Hilton hotel across from the United Nations.

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that, "As host nation of the U.N., the United States is generally obligated under the U.N. Headquarters Agreement to issue visas to representatives of U.N. member states to travel to the U.N. headquarters district."

Fox News' Peter Aitken contributed to this report

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5 hour(s) ago
Jewish student denounces pro-Hamas messages projected on campus library: 'Absolute antisemitism'
Jewish student denounces pro-Hamas messages projected on campus library: 'Absolute antisemitism'
Jewish student denounces pro-Hamas messages projected on campus library: 'Absolute antisemitism'

One Jewish student at George Washington University spoke out after disturbing anti-Israel messages were projected onto the wall of the library as antisemitism continues to ferment on campuses nationwide in wake of the war against Hamas.

Sabrina Soffer said she was "not surprised" by the antisemitic messages projected onto the library, but explained why she still remains fearful, nonetheless, during "The Ingraham Angle."

"I was very shocked, but I was not surprised, and I'll tell you why," Soffer told Laura Ingraham Wednesday. "I think that Jewish students have been warning of this kind of radical ideology by anti-Israel groups on campus, and this is just one extreme manifestation that they're really showing their true colors here."

"This is absolute antisemitism, and what is happening is that there is a lot of radical ideology that's going on in the classroom where terrorism is being justified in very insidious ways, and it's very concerning," she continued.

"My first reaction was, 'yes, of course, I'm fearful.' Jewish students are fearful, but again, we shouldn't be surprised."

The messages projected onto the university's library read, "GW the blood of Palestinians is on your hands," and "Your tuition is funding genocide in Gaza."

Another message read, "Glory to our martyrs."

Soffer said Jewish students stopped in their tracks when they saw the messages on the library and an ongoing pro-Hamas "vigil." She said there was police intervention but that nothing turned violent.

Fox News' Bailee Hill contributed to this report

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5 hour(s) ago
Israel says Hamas terrorists keeping fuel for themselves ignoring humanitarian needs of Gazans
Israel says Hamas terrorists keeping fuel for themselves ignoring humanitarian needs of Gazans
Israel says Hamas terrorists keeping fuel for themselves ignoring humanitarian needs of Gazans

Even as the humanitarian situation for Gaza’s 2.1 million civilians continues to deteriorate, with the U.N. and other international aid agencies warning that fuel for hospitals and essential institutions is set to run out completely in the coming days, Israel is remaining steadfast in its refusal to allow power generating materials to enter the Palestinian enclave.

As Israel ramps up its aerial bombardments in an effort to wipe out the Hamas terrorist group following its Oct. 7 surprise attack on southern Israel, withholding fuel is part of a broader strategy of literally "smoking out" the terrorists who have been sequestered in the subterranean tunnel system that snake beneath the streets of the Gaza Strip.

Ehud Ya’ari, an Israel-based Lafer international fellow of The Washington Institute, told Fox News Digital that for years, Hamas had been stealing fuel designated for civilian purposes in order to build up its stocks.

"Underneath Gaza City, there is a deep system of tunnels that stretches for some 190 miles, and it is totally dependent on fuel for ventilation, communication, and electricity," he said.

Ya’ari also said that the roughly 220 hostages being held by Hamas inside Gaza since the Oct. 7 attack were likely hidden somewhere inside this vast tunnel system.

"One of the ways to flush them [Hamas] out or force them above ground is to prevent them from having fuel," he said, adding "It is no vacation being in those underground tunnels for three weeks. It’s hot and humid and the more Israel destroys of Hamas’ infrastructure from the air, the fewer casualties there will be for Israel on the ground."

"This is a key strategy and that is why the Israelis have been insisting that fuel is not to be included in the aid trucks going into Gaza from Egypt," Ya’ari added.

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5 hour(s) ago
‘Shaking from fear:’ Israeli Father recounts miracles that saved family during Hamas's massacre


A father of three girls said it's a miracle most of his family survived Hamas’ massacre on Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel.

"Every time I looked inside at my daughters, I couldn’t believe that somebody was going to kill them," Mati Dancyg told Fox News. "I thought that eventually they will come to our house."

Almost half of Kibbutz Nir Oz’s 400 residents were murdered or taken captive during Hamas’s brutal Oct. 7 attack, reported The New York Times.

Dancyg’s believes his father and beloved 75-year-old Yad Vashem Holocaust educator, Alex Dancyg, is believed to be a hostage in Gaza.

"They started slaughtering people and burning houses," Dancyg said. "I was very, very terrified, and I was shaking from fear."

"In some kind of a miracle way, they didn’t get inside," he continued.

Dancyg said he tried to keep his family as calm as possible by giving his young daughters — ages 2, 7 and 8 — toys and filtering the news reports he shared with his wife.

"I’m glad they didn’t get very, very traumatized," he said. "I didn’t tell my wife exactly what was going on because I wanted her to stay calm with the daughters."

Fox News' Kassy Dillon contributed to this report

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6 hour(s) ago
United Nations holds emergency session on Israel-Hamas war

The United Nations is holding an emergency session to address Israel's retaliatory war against Hamas on Thursday and Friday.

The U.N. has so far failed to address the conflict, with Russia and China vetoing a resolution on the issue from the U.S. on Wednesday. The two-day session that began Thursday will open with a speech by the Palestinians after which Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N. Gilad Erdan will deliver remarks, followed by the Ambassador of Jordan and the Foreign Minister of Iran.

Israel has already condemned a resolution put forward by Jordan, calling hit "biased and distorted."

"[The resolution] completely ignores the existence of Hamas and does not mention the terror organization or the barbaric massacre it committed," Israel's mission to the U.N. said in a statement. "The one-sided proposal, which is disconnected from reality, calls for an immediate ceasefire and does not refer at all to the firing of missiles and rockets at Israel or Israel's right to defend itself."

The session will vote on Jordan's resolution on Friday.

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6 hour(s) ago
Enes Kanter-Freedom slams Turkey’s President for saying Hamas not terrorists: ‘Enough is enough’

Former NBA Star Enes Kanter-Freedom blasted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for claiming that Hamas is not a terrorist organization on thursday.

Kanter-Freedom appeared on Fox Business with host Maria Bartiromo on Thursday morning to discuss Erdogan's comments. Erdogan has accused Israel of deliberately targeting civilians and called the war against Hamas a "premeditated act of crime against humanity."

Kanter-Freedom says he first thought that headlines about Erdogan's comments were "fake, Onion news," referring to a satirical news outlet.

"I couldn't believe my ears. And Turkey is supposed to be a NATO ally," he said. "I cannot imaging an organization like Hamas or Hezbollah getting so much support from countries like Iran and Turkey."

He went on to accuse Turkey of supporting terrorist groups and even providing some with passports.

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7 hour(s) ago
Israeli military releases footage of airstrike that killed senior Hamas commander


Israeli Defense Forces released footage of an air strike they say killed senior Hamas commander Hassan Al-Abdullah on Thursday.

The footage, apparently taken from an Israeli jet, shows several airstrikes in Gaza. Israel conducted some 250 such strikes on Hamas targets over just 24 hours on Thursday.

"IDF fighter jets carried out a precise air strike based on IDF and ISA intelligence and eliminated the Commander of Hamas' Northern Khan Yunis Rockets Array, Hassan Al-Abdullah," the IDF wrote in a statement.


Al-Abdullah is only the latest senior commander Israeli forces have killed, and he is unlikely to be the last. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that all Hamas members involved in the October 7 attack on Israel will be killed, and that Hamas itself will be "destroyed."

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7 hour(s) ago
Russia, China veto American UN resolution calling for 'humanitarian pauses' in Israel-Hamas war
Russia, China veto American UN resolution calling for 'humanitarian pauses' in Israel-Hamas war
Russia, China veto American UN resolution calling for 'humanitarian pauses' in Israel-Hamas war

A U.S. resolution supporting Israel and calling for the respect for civilian life and for "humanitarian pauses" in the Israel-Hamas war failed to pass at the United Nations on Wednesday following vetos from Russia and China.

Of the 15-member Security Council, ten members voted in favor, two abstained, and three voted against. Those opposed included Russia, China and the United Arab Emirates. Despite the strong majority, the resolution failed to pass thanks to Russia and China's status as permanent members.

The U.S. resolution would have fully endorsed Israel's right to defend itself, but it would also have emphasized the protection of civilians and called for pauses in the fighting to provide aid to Gaza.

Israel has allowed some aid to flow into Gaza through the Egyptian border over the 20 days since the war began, but critics say it is not enough.

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8 hour(s) ago
North Korea accuses Israel of 'genocide' in Gaza, labels US an 'accomplice'


North Korea is accusing Israel of masterminding the ongoing violence between themselves and Hamas — and claiming the U.S. is an accomplice.

North Korean state media accused Israel of responsibility for the recent explosion near al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in the Gaza Strip.

"What should not be overlooked is that Israel's such criminal act was openly committed under the undisguised patronage of the U.S.," a North Korean foreign ministry spokesperson told the Korean Central News Agency.

"Immediately after the bombing of the hospital by Israel, the U.S. covered such crime, making absurd sophism that the incident seemed to be committed by other forces rather than Israel," the North Korean spokesperson continued. "This shows that the U.S. is an accomplice who connived at and fostered Israel's genocide."

Hamas has claimed Israel was behind the Oct. 17 explosion that killed hundreds of people, but the source of the rocket has been disputed.

President Biden has asserted intelligence networks' belief that the explosion was caused by a misfired rocket from Gaza militants themselves.

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8 hour(s) ago
U.S. military bolsters readiness in Middle East amid targeted attacks

The U.S. military is bolstering its capabilities in the Middle East as it prepares for a potential escalation in Israel's retaliatory war against Hamas on Thursday.

The Pentagon is reportedly rushing to deploy air defenses around bases in the Middle East as Israel appears poised for a full-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip. U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria have already faced over a dozen drone and rocket attacks in the past week, resulting in more than 20 injuries.

President Biden has warned that Iran and Hezbollah must not intervene in Israel's campaign against Hamas, as such an intervention would drastically widen the conflict.

The U.S. has deployed two aircraft carrier strike groups to the Eastern Mediterranean in a clear message of support for Israel. Secretary of State Tony Blinken has said the U.S. will not hesitate to intervene on Israel's behalf if it is necessary.

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8 hour(s) ago
Swedish government pushes funding to protect Jewish community as antisemitism spikes globally
Swedish government pushes funding to protect Jewish community as antisemitism spikes globally
The Swedish government is granting more funds to its Jewish community to bolster their security as antisemitic incidents spike across the globe.

The Swedish government is granting more funds to its Jewish community to bolster their security as antisemitic incidents spike across the globe.

Pro-Palestinian and Pro-Hamas rallies have popped up in Europe, the U.S. and elsewhere as Israel prosecutes its retaliatory war against Hamas in Gaza. The Swedish governmet granted 10 million Swedish kronor, or just under $900,000, to the Official Council of Swedish Jewish Communities on Wednesday.

Sweden says the funds are to be used to improve security at Synagogues, schools and other Jewish organizations.

Meanwhile, American Jews studying in Israel say they are outraged by what they see as a rise of antisemitism back home in the United States following the worst terrorist attack in the history of the Jewish state.

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8 hour(s) ago
CAIR demands apology after Biden dismisses Hamas-provided casualty numbers in Gaza
CAIR demands apology after Biden dismisses Hamas-provided casualty numbers in Gaza
CAIR demands apology after Biden dismisses Hamas-provided casualty numbers in Gaza

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned President Biden for stating that he has "no confidence" in Hamas-provided data on casualties in Gaza on Wednesday.

CAIR wrote that it is "deeply disturbed and shocked" by Biden's comments, made during a press briefing at the White House on Wednesday. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry claims that more than 6,500 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's war on Hamas since October 7.

"The Israeli government has openly admitted that it is targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure. Journalists have confirmed the high number of casualties, and countless videos coming out of Gaza every day show mangled bodies of Palestinian women and children – and entire city blocks leveled to the ground. President Biden should watch some of these videos and ask himself if the crushed children being dragged out of the ruins of their family homes are a fabrication or an acceptable price of war. They are neither," CAIR wrote in a statement.

On Wednesday, a reporter asked Biden whether Hamas' statistics suggest that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ignoring U.S. calls to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza.

"What they say to me is that I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed," Biden responded. "I'm sure innocents have been killed, and it's a price of waging a war."

"I think we should be incredibly careful – not we – the Israelis should be incredibly careful to be sure that they're focusing on going after the folks that are propagating this war against Israel. It's against their interests when that doesn't happen, but I have no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using," he added.

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8 hour(s) ago
Hamas members are blocking roads and 'shooting at people' who try to flee south, Gaza resident says
Hamas members are blocking roads and 'shooting at people' who try to flee south, Gaza resident says
Hamas members are blocking roads and 'shooting at people' who try to flee south, Gaza resident says

Hamas terrorists continue to block roads and prevent civilians in Northern Gaza from fleeing to the south as Israel has urged them to do.

Israeli Defense Forces released a recording they say is of an Israeli intelligence officer speaking with a Gaza resident. The officer urges the resident to flee south toward Khan Yunis, but the resident says that is not possible due to Hamas roadblocks.

"I'm an officer from the IDF, to ensure your personal safety, I'm asking you to head towards Khan Yunis immediately," the officer says in the recording.

"All the roads are blocked," the resident says. "They're just sending people back home...they are shooting at people."


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9 hour(s) ago
Israel arrests dozens of Hamas targets in West Bank raids
Israel arrests dozens of Hamas targets in West Bank raids
Israel arrests dozens of Hamas targets in West Bank raids

Israeli Defense Forces say they made 60 arrests in the West Bank during raids on Thursday, with 46 of the arrestees being members of Hamas.

Israel's West Bank raid came around the same time it conducted its largest-yet incursion into the Gaza Strip early Thursday. Since the start of the war on Oct. 7, about 1,000 wanted individuals have been arrested, the IDF says.

The West Bank has been th esite of many widespread protests against Israel's war against Hamas.

Israel says the incursion is only a preamble for the "next stages of combat," an apparent hit at a larger scale invasion.

Israeli forces have been encamped around Gaza for more than a week, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Hamas will be "destroyed" by the end of the conflict.

Fox News' Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report

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9 hour(s) ago
Israel says overnight Gaza incursion was only preparation for 'next stages of combat'
Israel says overnight Gaza incursion was only preparation for 'next stages of combat'
Israel says overnight incursion was only preparation for 'next stages of combat'

The Israeli military says its overnight incursion into Gaza--the largest incursion of the war so far--was only in preparation for "the next stages of combat."

Israeli Defense Forces made the statement online early Thursday, hours after the brief, but expansive incursion ended. Footage of the assault shows Israeli tanks firing as they move near a Gaza border zone.

"The soldiers have since exited the area and returned to Israeli territory," the military statement added.

Israel began localised ground incursions on Sunday as the war, triggered by an Oct 7 cross-border rampage by Hamas gunmen, entered its third week. Israel's Army Radio described Thursday's incursion as the biggest yet.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to "destroy" Hamas, saying a full-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip is imminent.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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10 hour(s) ago
Israeli military launches 'largest incursion' yet into Gaza

The Israeli military conducted its largest incursion into Gaza of the war so far early Thursday after a bombardment on 250 terrorist targets over the previous 24 hours.

Israeli's military has been poised for a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza for more than a week, but leaders have hesitated to issue an order to move forward. U.S. officials had reportedly urged Israel to hold off on the attack while the U.S. places further air defenses at its bases across the Middle East, according to the Wall St. Journal.

The 224 hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7 massacre in Israel have also been a factor.

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10 hour(s) ago
Gold Star dad says Gaza hostage crisis response shows Biden didn't learned anything from Afghanistan

The Gold Star father of a Marine who was killed in the U.S. withdrawal from Kabul, Afghanistan, called out Secretary of State Antony Blinken and President Biden for how they are handling a situation in Gaza that could lead to a similar mass evacuation of Americans.

On "The Ingraham Angle," host Laura Ingraham reported on murmurs that evacuations of thousands of Americans from Middle Eastern countries could commence if the situation in the Holy Land worsens. Hamas Palestinian militants have an unclear number of Americans held hostage versus potentially deceased.

Mark Schmitz, father of LCpl. Jared Schmitz, told FOX News on Thursday that he fears the worst, given who is in charge at the White House.

"I have no faith and I don't think they've learned a single lesson from Afghanistan," he said. "I mean, we still have American citizens in Afghanistan that we haven't gotten out."

"I just wonder if Blinken is now climbing in the perch of [NSC spokesman John] Kirby where he saw no chaos," Schmitz said. "You know, I think these guys are just tone-deaf."

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10 hour(s) ago
More than 250 terror targets struck over past 24 hours, hostages held by Hamas now at 224: IDF

Fighter jets hit more than 250 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, according to Israel Defense Forces Thursday morning.

The IDF said it struck Hamas infrastructure, operational command centers, tunnel shafts and rocket launchers "placed in the heart of civilian areas" that have fired toward Israeli territory since the terrorist group launched its attack on Oct. 7.

In addition to the airstrikes, the Israeli navy also took down a Hamas surface-to-air missile launch post in the Khan Yunis area."The post is located adjacent to a mosque and kindergarten, which is further proof that Hamas deliberately uses civilian sites for terror purposes," the IDF said.

IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari also revealed there are 224 hostages in Hamas' custody as of Thursday morning, and all families have been notified.

"The effort to release the hostages is still a high priority in any possible way," Hagari said.

Fox News' Yael Rotem-Kuriel contributed to this report.

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10 hour(s) ago
Jewish students at Cooper Union 'barricaded' by pro-Hamas protestors: video

Social media video shows Jewish students at Cooper Union in New York City locked inside a school library while a pro-Palestinian rally moved through the building.

Protestors were heard banging on doors and chanting "Free, free Palestine" as the students sat at a table and attempted to study. Organizers were also observed holding up anti-Israel signs against the library's glass.

Jake Novak, who formerly worked as a media director at the Israeli Consulate in New York, reported that the protestors "barricad[ed]" the library's exits.

"My sources tell me several Jewish students [at Cooper Union] are currently locked in the school library as a [pro] Hamas rally outside of the Cooper Union building learnt [sic] the Jews were afraid and sitting in the library, then brought the protest inside and are barricading all exits," he explained.

"Police have been called for 40 min and are afraid to get involved," Novak added. "Security locked the students in as they are worried they cannot protect the Jews [right now]."

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10 hour(s) ago
FBI, DHS update alert highlighting increase in 'potential threats' to US amid Hamas-Israel war
FBI, DHS update alert highlighting increase in 'potential threats' to US amid Hamas-Israel war
FBI, DHS update alert highlighting increase in 'potential threats' to US amid Hamas-Israel war

The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI issued an updated alert on Wednesday warning of heightened terrorism threats in the United States amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The announcement was made to "highlight potential threats" from a "variety of actors" following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which has emboldened foreign terrorist groups to encourage their supporters to "foment violence in the West."

Wednesday's bulletin reflects "a fluid and evolving situation," according to the agencies, and comes as an update to the Oct. 10 and Oct. 18 announcements from the FBI, the DHS and the National Counterterrorism Center.

"The terrorism threat in the Homeland has remained heightened throughout 2023, but recent events have increased the possibility of potential attacks against individuals and institutions in response to developments in the Middle East," the bulletin read.

Since the initial announcement on Oct. 10, the FBI and DHS said "the volume and frequency" of threats against Americans, especially those in the Jewish, Arab Americans and Muslim communities, have increased, heightening concerns over reactions from "violent extremists and "lone offenders."

"While we have no specific information that foreign adversaries are plotting attacks against the homeland, some are seeking to take advantage of the conflict, calling for violence in furtherance of their respective goals," the agencies wrote.

The bulletin noted a few instances over the past two weeks of terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida and ISIS, using their media publications to call for attacks against Americans and Jewish communities.

A warning was also issued about mis- and dis-information circulated online by Iranian media outlets "that risk deepening resentment and evoking strong emotional responses among English-speaking audiences" in relation to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

"These outlets are utilizing verifiably doctored or mislabeled images and video footage, inaccurate translations, and misleading content about the conflict with the apparent intent to stoke passions, accelerate the process of radicalization, and lead individuals to engage in targeted violence," the bulletin said.

Americans at home and abroad are urged to remain vigilant and to report threats of violence and suspicious activity to authorities.