TV News LIES

US President Donald Trump’s "Board of Peace" has shrunk its Gaza "recovery plan" from rebuilding territory to a temporary camp of "portable cabins" under Palestinian administration, police and a small international security force. 

The pilot scheme will be located in the so-called buffer zone along the ceasefire line near Rafah, according to a Guardian investigation published on Thursday. Its blueprint reflects little of what Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, presented in his "free market Gaza" slideshow in January, which assured basic infrastructure within 100 days.

No construction or preparatory work has begun for the scheme through the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), a United Nations-mandated multinational peacekeeping force establised by the 2025 Gaza peace plan. 

A logistical base for the ISF is nearly complete at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza, and the force is expected to be trained in Egypt with troops from Morocco, Kosovo, and possibly Albania and Kazakhstan. It will take months to train them, and a legal framework for their presence remains under negotiation with the Israeli government.

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A US federal judge this week ruled in favour of a prominent Palestinian-American academic and activist in a decision that deemed the search and seizure of his phones by customs officers to be illegal.

Osama Abu Irshaid, the executive director of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), had his phones taken from him and searched at Washington Dulles International Airport on two occasions in 2024, upon his return from trips to the Middle East. 

On Wednesday, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia determined that Abu Irshaid was indeed entitled to his Fourth Amendment claim, because "the evidence marshaled by Defendants... does not rise to the level of reasonable suspicion" of ongoing criminal activity, the decision read. 

The Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and requires that warrants be issued by a judge based on probable cause.

"Not only is this a victory for Dr Abu Irshaid, but a victory for the pro-Palestine movement overall. For decades, allies who support Palestinian human rights have been systematically targeted by the US government for daring to speak out against Apartheid Israel," AMP said in a statement following the ruling.

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President Donald Trump called for ABC and NBC’s licenses to be revoked over not airing his July 16 primetime address focused on election security.

Toward the end of his nearly 26-minute long address from the White House, Trump criticized the networks for not broadcasting it live, alleging that the decision was made “because of the fact that they don’t like the topic.”  

“Fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses,” he said. “They use our public, multi-billion dollar in value, airways for absolutely no money. They pay nothing. All we want is honesty in our elections and honesty in reporting.”

The networks did air his speech on their respective streaming platforms and provide coverage of his statements afterward.

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Arab diplomats familiar with the discussions said regional governments increasingly view Netanyahu as an impediment to Trump's diplomatic ambitions in the Middle East.

Several Arab leaders have privately urged US President Donald Trump to reconsider his support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli public broadcaster KAN News reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, the leaders described Netanyahu and his government as "an obstacle to realizing his vision in the region."

Additionally, Arab diplomats familiar with the discussions said regional governments increasingly view Netanyahu as an impediment to Trump's diplomatic ambitions in the Middle East, left-leaning Israeli daily Haaretz reported.

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The Israeli government announced on Tuesday that it had approved a budget of approximately 1.3bn shekels ($434m) to fund the establishment of 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank.

According to Israeli news outlet Ynet, the decision was made by the security cabinet in June but kept under wraps over concerns about the US response.

The cabinet had separately approved the establishment of the 34 settlements in March, but the decision was not publicly announced until Tuesday.

The latest approval brings the number of settlements authorised under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's current government to 104 since it took office in late 2022, Ynet reported.

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A global campaign in support of captive Palestinians has urged the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to immediately resume independent visits to Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, warning that Israel has yet to implement a Supreme Court ruling overturning its ban on humanitarian access.

The Red Ribbons campaign emerged last year as people started wearning red ribbons in support of Palestinian captives held in Israeli prisons at protests from New York to London.

In a statement, it called on the ICRC to “take immediate humanitarian action to ensure the practical implementation of the Israeli Supreme Court's ruling of 3 June 2026, which revoked the blanket prohibition on ICRC visits to Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in Israeli custody.”

An open letter sent last week also urged the Red Cross to “restore regular, meaningful and independent access to Palestinian hostages and prisoners in accordance with international humanitarian law and the ICRC's own established standards for detention visits.”

Israel’s Supreme Court unanimously struck down the ban on 3 June, ruling that the government had violated Israeli and international law and failed to prMore...ovide a legal basis for blocking visits since October 2023.

The rules bar visits to several categories of detainees, limit the ICRC to one visit every three months, and allow it to request meetings with no more than five prisoners.

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Buffett also said in his statement that he wants all of his remaining Berkshire Hathaway stock worth more than $140bn donated to charity by the end of 2034. Previously the plan was for his three children to distribute his remaining fortune within 10 years of the 95-year-old investor’s death.

Billionaire Warren Buffett omitted Bill Gates′ foundation from his annual donations this year after disclosures of the Microsoft co-founder’s ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Buffett will donate about $6bn to four foundations connected to his own family, but did not mention Gates in his announcement Tuesday.

“Of course, mortality is unpredictable, but my remaining shares will be donated to the four foundations one way or the other by December 31, 2034,” Buffett said in a statement. “The goal is to have the grants grow annually to each of the three foundations managed by each of my children and the annual grant to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation grow at a somewhat greater rate.”

Buffett and the Gates Foundation did not immediately respond on Tuesday to questions. CNBC said Buffett is scheduled to give the channel an exclusive interview on this topic Wednesday morning.

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Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the U.S. military will begin testing the testosterone levels of troops 30 and older, telling service members the new screening measure is another way to "optimize your performance" on the battlefield.

Hegseth, who as a Cabinet secretary has embraced masculinity and what he calls "warrior ethos," said he's authorized a new screening program for testosterone deficiency.

"It's well-established since that, as we age, testosterone levels naturally drop," Hegseth said in a short video announcing the plan. "Under the supervision of our world-class medical professionals, war fighters age 30 and older are going to be tested annually as part of their periodic health assessments."

U.S. troops younger than 30 can choose to have their testosterone checked during their annual assessments, the secretary added.

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