House Speaker Mike Johnson is moving ahead on a foreign aid plan that has roiled his conference and prompted two Republicans to push an effort to oust him from the chamber’s top job.

But instead of the complex four-part plan he floated this week, Johnson now intends to try to pass five bills — one each for aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Indo-Pacific allies — as well as a GOP wish list of foreign policy priorities and a fifth stand-alone bill to address widespread Republican demands to strengthen the southern U.S. border.

The new approach is risky and could blow up on the speaker, whose six-month-old hold on the gavel is being threatened by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (Ga.) promise to move a motion to topple Johnson (R-La.) if he puts Ukraine aid on the floor, something many Republicans object to.

Johnson told Republicans in a text to colleagues Wednesday morning: “After significant Member feedback and discussion” this week, the House will move ahead with his plan, with some significant changes. He intends to release bill text on Ukraine, Israel and for Indo-Pacific allies earlier Wednesday, and language for the GOP wish list and border later Wednesday.

The three separate bills that fund military aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan largely mirror the $95 billion Senate-passed supplemental. It turns a portion of the aid, the money sent directly to Ukraine, into a loan, which attempts to satisfy Republicans. It also includes just over $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza, the West Bank, Ukraine and other places in need, which was a demand of Democrats.

Success is anything but guaranteed for Johnson, both on the foreign aid package and keeping his job. Timing on the votes, also, is up in the air — even as members were slated to head home for a one-week recess Thursday.

“The congressman has the flexibility to stay and support the aid package on Saturday,” his office said Wednesday.

The House Freedom Caucus has already panned the proposal. Johnson is “surrendering” on the border, the group tweeted in response to Johnson’s plan. “This flies in the face of every promise Republicans have told you” and they care more about “funding Ukraine than they do securing our own borders.”

Yet Johnson is moving the separate border package in an attempt to appease his unruly conference, many of whom have demanded that the border be secure before funding is sent to Ukraine and other allies.

Keeping border security separate from the foreign aid package is an attempt by Johnson to give both pieces of legislation a greater chance of passing. The national security bill will likely need Democratic support because of the large number of Republicans who don’t want to fund Ukraine — while Johnson aims to pass the border security bill with just Republican support, hoping to satisfy demands from all corners of his conference and send all bills to the Senate.

But in an almost four-hour meeting between Johnson and his allies Tuesday night — before this latest plan was released — Republicans left demoralized after failing to concoct a plan that would ensure enough of them support sending the package to the floor without having to rely on Democrats. Multiple people familiar with the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal dynamics, said the meeting enlightened them and Johnson about what moving on his plan would mean for his future: It could al lead to his ouster.

“The battle lines were very clear at the end,” one Republican said. “It was very clear [the motion to vacate] will be brought if the speaker’s plan proceeds.”

Greene and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) are supporting the motion to remove Johnson from the speakership after he relied on Democrats to pass several bills that failed to unite Republicans. If the motion were to be considered under special rules, the House would have 48 hours to vote on the question to oust the speaker.

Longtime NPR editor Uri Berliner, who was suspended after blowing the whistle on liberal bias at the organization, announced Wednesday he has resigned.

“I am resigning from NPR, a great American institution where I have worked for 25 years. I don’t support calls to defund NPR. I respect the integrity of my colleagues and wish for NPR to thrive and do important journalism. But I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems at NPR I cited in my Free Press essay,” Berliner wrote in a statement published on X.

Berliner was referring to Katherine Maher, who took over last month as President and CEO and has gone viral for past social media posts showing far-left personal views.

Berliner recently penned a piece in the Free Press that criticized NPR’s coverage of Russiagate, the COVID lab leak theory, Hunter Biden’s scandalous laptop, embrace of the theory of systemic racism and accused the organization of downplaying antisemitism following Oct. 7.

Berliner also wrote that registration records in 2021 showed an astonishing disparity between Democrats and Republicans in the NPR newsroom in Washington, D.C., and that staffers were out to hurt the presidency of Donald Trump. Berliner, who said he voted against Trump twice, even said “one of NPR’s best and most fair-minded journalists” said it was good to not cover the Hunter Biden laptop story because it could benefit Trump in 2020.

His Free Press piece angered colleagues, with some telling in-house media reporter David Folkenflik they didn’t want to work with him any longer. Berliner was suspended for five days without pay and NPR told him it was a “final warning” and he would be shown the door if he violated NPR’s policy about working with outside news organizations going forward. Instead, he walked away on his own terms.

My resignation letter to NPR CEO @krmaher pic.twitter.com/0hafVbcZAK

— Uri Berliner (@uberliner) April 17, 2024

Berliner’s work has received a Peabody Award, a Loeb Award, Edward R. Murrow Award, and a Society of Professional Journalists New America Award, according to NPR’s website.

Many other NPR figures, including “Morning Edition” host Steve Inskeep, publicly rebuked Berliner’s conclusions.

Reached for comment on Berliner’s resignation, a spokesperson said, “NPR does not comment on individual personnel matters.”

An NPR spokesperson last week directed Fox News Digital to a memo to staff by editor-in-chief Edith Chapin, where she said she and her team “strongly disagree” with the veteran editor’s assessment of the quality of NPR’s journalism and integrity.

“We’re proud to stand behind the exceptional work that our desks and shows do to cover a wide range of challenging stories. We believe that inclusion — among our staff, with our sourcing, and in our overall coverage — is critical to telling the nuanced stories of this country and our world,” she wrote as part of a lengthy memo.

NPR has also stood by Maher, who showed support for Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden’s presidential runs while regularly sharing far-left talking points and criticizing Donald Trump on social media before landing the NPR top job.

“This is a bad faith attack that follows an established playbook, as online actors with explicit agendas work to discredit independent news organizations,” an NPR spokesperson told Fox News Digital of the newly surfaced posts.

A Boeing whistleblower told a Congress hearing that he received threats against his life, while another said a probe into the door of an Alaskan Airlines flight that blew out was a ‘criminal cover up’.

Sam Salehpour and Ed Pierson were giving evidence to a hearing on Wednesday around the beleaguered company and their ongoing safety crisis.

Salehpour works as a Quality Engineer for the company, and claimed that sections of the 787 Dreamliner jets have not been properly secured.

While Pierson, Executive Director of The Foundation for Aviation Society and former Boeing manager, had previously warned of ‘chaotic manufacturing’ at the company.

During the hearing on Wednesday, it was revealed that Salehpour had faced threats from his supervisor after he attempted to discuss issues with the jets.

He also said that the safety situation at Boeing was like the company playing ‘Russian roulette’ with peoples lives, adding: ‘We never know exactly when it’s going to happen, when or where or how it’s going to happen.’

Pierson said in written testimony that he believes the investigation into the 737 Max that had its door blown out mid flight was being covered up.

Pierson said: ‘Last Wednesday, the NTSB Chair reiterated to Congress that Boeing has said there are no records documenting the work associated with the removal of the Alaska Airlines door.

‘In my opinion this is a criminal cover-up. Records do exist documenting in detail the hectic work done on the Alaska Airlines airplane and Boeing’s corporate leaders know it too.

‘They fought to withhold these same damning records after the two MAX crashes. I know this Alaska airplane documentation exists because I personally passed it to the FBI.’

While Salehpour told the hearing: ‘I have even been subjected to threats of violence from my supervisor after I attempted to discuss the problems in a meeting in April 9 2023.

‘After the meeting, my supervisor said to me, ‘I would have killed anyone who said what you said if it was from some other group, I would tear them apart.”

“I want to make clear that I have raised these issues over 3 years. I was ignored. I was told not to create delays. I was told, frankly, to shut up.”

WATCH: Boeing Whistleblower Sam Salehpour testifies Wednesday in front of Congress. pic.twitter.com/BSnkD6Itfq

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 17, 2024

He added: ‘I provided evidence of this threat as part of an ethics complaint, but no action has been taken and I continue to report to a supervisor who has threatened me with bodily injury for speaking out.’

He also added: ‘Boeing officials attempted to intimidate and retaliate against me by sidelining me from my job duties and excluding me from key meetings.’

As well as the threats being made against Salehpour, Senator Richard Blumenthal held up a picture of a large nail through a car tire.

Directing his questioning towards Salehpour, he said: ‘That bolt was inserted as a threat, perhaps as a risk to you.’

Salehpour explained: ‘I was losing air in my tire and I bring it to someone, they said you have a nail in the tire. That was about a one month old tire.

‘The gentleman told me it wasn’t picked up through normal driving. The nail was inserted in there, I believe it happened at work.’

Salehpour was questioned further on this, and asked by Senator Roger Marshall if he believed the tire incident and the threats was part of efforts by the company to silence and prevent him from sharing his story.

Salehpour said: ‘I think the retaliation was somebody calling me on my personal phone time after time. This is my personal phone.

‘My boss was calling me there for forty minutes, he berated me and chewed me out. I have a work phone that he could use but he called me on my personal phone.

‘It reminds me of people calling you on your personal phone to let you know they know where you live, they know where you are, and they can hurt you.

‘After the threats, and after this, it really scares me – believe me. But I am at peace.’

His lawyers say that Boeing has ignored his concerns and prevented him from talking to experts about fixing the problems.

On Tuesday night, Salehpour told NBC News that the jets should be grounded on account of ‘fatal flaws’ that could cause the plane to fall apart mid air.

When asked by the outlet if he would put his own family on a 787, he replied: ‘Right now, I would not.’

The Democrat who chairs the panel and its senior Republican have asked Boeing for troves of documents going back six years.

The lawmakers are seeking all records about manufacturing of Boeing 787 and 777 planes.

This will include any safety concerns or complaints raised by Boeing employees, contractors or airlines.

A Boeing spokesperson said the company is cooperating with the lawmakers’ inquiry and offered to provide documents and briefings.

The company says claims about the 787’s structural integrity are false. Two Boeing engineering execs said this week that in both design testing and inspections of planes – some of them 12 years old – there have been no findings of fatigue or cracking in the composite panels.

They suggested that the material, formed from carbon fibers and resin, is nearly impervious to fatigue that is a constant worry with aluminum fuselages.

The Boeing officials also dismissed another of Salehpour’s allegations: that he saw factory workers jumping on sections of fuselage on 777s to make them align.

Salehpour is the latest whistleblower to emerge with allegations about manufacturing problems at Boeing.

In March, whistleblower John Barnett was found dead in his truck in South Carolina while going throwing a whistleblowing suit against his former employer.

The 62-year-old alleged that under-pressure workers were deliberately fitting sub-standard parts to aircraft while on the assembly line.

Barnett had alleged that second-rate parts were literally removed from scrap bins, before being fitted to planes that were being built to prevent delays.

A 2017 review by the FAA upheld some of his concerns, requiring Boeing to take action.

He had just given a deposition to Boeing’s lawyers for the case the week before his death, his attorney Brian Knowles said.

Barnett’s job for 32 years was overseeing production standards for the firm’s planes – standards he said were not met during his four years at the then-new plant in Charleston from 2010 to 2014.

Barnett claimed he alerted superiors at the plant about his misgivings, but no action was ever taken. Boeing denied this, as well as his claims.

The company has been pushed into crisis mode since a door-plug panel blew off a 737 Max jetliners during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.

Investigators are focusing on four bolts that were removed and apparently not replaced during a repair job in Boeing´s factory.

The company faces a criminal investigation by the Justice Department and separate investigations by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.

CEO David Calhoun, who will step down at the end of the year, has said many times that Boeing is taking steps to improve its manufacturing quality and safety culture.

He called the blowout on the Alaska jet a ‘watershed moment’ from which a better Boeing will emerge. There is plenty of skepticism about comments like that.

Senator Tammy Duckworth, member of the Senate Commerce Committee, said: ‘We need to look at what Boeing does, not just what it says it’s doing.’

The FAA is also likely to take some hits. Duckworth said that until recently, the agency ‘looked past far too many of Boeing´s repeated bad behaviors’.

In particularly when it certified the 737 Max nearly a decade ago. Two Max jets crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people, after faulty activations of a flight-control system that FAA did not fully understand.

The leaders of the Senate investigations subcommittee have also requested FAA documents about its oversight of Boeing.

The subcommittee’s hearing Wednesday will follow one by the Senate Commerce Committee, which is scheduled to hear from members of an expert panel that examined safety at Boeing.

The group said that despite improvements made after the Max crashes, Boeing’s safety culture remains flawed and employees who raise concerns could be subject to pressure and retaliation.

Boeing representatives will not testify at the hearing, but the company said it is cooperating with the inquiry.

‘We have offered to provide documents, testimony and technical briefings, and are in discussions with the Subcommittee regarding next steps,’ a spokesman said.

The ‘whistleblower’ who sparked Donald Trump’s first impeachment was deeply involved in the political maneuverings behind Biden-family business schemes in Ukraine that Trump wanted probed, newly obtained emails from former Vice President Joe Biden’s office reveal, RealClearInvestigations reported.

In 2019, then-National Intelligence Council analyst Eric Ciaramella touched off a political firestorm when he anonymously accused Trump of linking military aid for Ukraine to a demand for an investigation into alleged Biden corruption in that country.

But four years earlier, while working as a national security analyst attached to then-Vice President Joe Biden’s office, Ciaramella was a close adviser when Biden threatened to cut off U.S. aid to Ukraine unless it fired its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, who was investigating Ukraine-based Burisma Holdings. At the time, the corruption-riddled energy giant was paying Biden’s son Hunter millions of dollars.

Those payments – along with other evidence tying Joe Biden to his family’s business dealings – received little attention in 2019 as Ciaramella accused Trump of a corrupt quid pro quo. Neither did subsequent evidence indicating that Hunter Biden’s associates had identified Shokin as a “key target.” These matters are now part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

“It now seems there was material evidence that would have been used at the impeachment trial [to exonerate Trump],” said George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, who has testified as an expert witness in the ongoing Biden impeachment inquiry. “Trump was alleging there was a conflict of interest with the Bidens, and the evidence could have challenged Biden’s account and established his son’s interest in the Shokin firing.”

Ciaramella’s role – including high-level discussions with top Biden aides and Ukrainian prosecutors – is only now coming to light thanks to the recent release of White House emails and photos from the National Archives.

The emails show Ciaramella expressed shock – “Yikes” is what he wrote – at Biden’s move to withhold the $1 billion in aid from Kyiv, which represented a sudden shift in U.S. policy. They also show he was drawn into White House communications over how to control adverse publicity from Hunter taking a lucrative seat on Burisma’s board.

Yet there is no evidence Ciaramella raised alarms about the questionable Biden business activities he witnessed firsthand, which is in sharp contrast to 2019. In that instance, he was galvanized into action after being told by White House colleague Alexander Vindman of an “improper” phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. During the call, Trump solicited Zelensky’s help in investigating Burisma and Hunter Biden’s role in the company.

Some former congressional investigators say Ciaramella effectively helped cover up a scandal far worse than what Trump was impeached over. What’s more, he failed to disclose that he had a potential conflict of interest stemming from his connection to the matter Trump asked Zelensky to probe when he lodged his complaint against Trump. RealClearInvestigations was the first to identify the then-33-year-old Ciaramella as the anonymous impeachment “whistleblower,” something major media continue to keep under tight wraps.

Ciaramella worked under CIA Director John Brennan when President Obama made Biden his point man on Ukraine in 2014, the same year Burisma hired Hunter. The next year, the CIA detailed Ciaramella, a longtime advocate for aid to Ukraine, to the White House, where he worked closely with Biden and his staff as a top adviser on key Ukrainian policies. After Biden left office, he stayed on at the GOP White House until mid-2017 even though he’s a Democrat, working as a Ukrainian and Russian analyst on Trump’s National Security Council. Co-workers there accused him of trying to sabotage Trump, including allegedly leaking sensitive information to the press.

RealClearInvestigations has reviewed more than 2,000 pages of newly disclosed archived emails from the former vice president’s office related to Ukraine, of which more than 160 contained references to Ciaramella. They reveal that his role advising Biden’s office potentially intersects with the current impeachment inquiry in several areas. Chiefly, Ciaramella focused on aid to Ukraine and anti-corruption reforms in the country. In that capacity, he:

• Hosted, cleared into the White House, and met face-to-face there with senior Ukrainian prosecutors.
• Gave a “readout” of the meeting to his superiors, who in turn pushed for Shokin’s firing.
• Traveled with Biden to Kyiv during the 2015 trip during which Biden demanded Shokin’s firing.
• Wrote media “talking points” for Ukrainian officials.
• Huddled with the top Biden officials involved in discussions concerning the $1 billion aid package and Shokin, including: Amos Hochstein; Victoria Nuland; Geoffrey
• Pyatt; Bridget Brink; and Michael Carpenter.
• Corresponded with Biden officials coordinating responses to negative media reports about Hunter’s cushy and controversial Burisma job.

Former Obama-Biden administration officials have confirmed in recent closed-door congressional testimony that Ciaramella was a key part of Biden’s process for making policy in Ukraine. In 2016, for instance, a White House photo shows him taking notes at a White House meeting Biden held with then-Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk to discuss Ukraine’s anti-corruption reforms and other issues.

Ciaramella also worked directly with top Obama and Biden administration diplomats on Ukraine, including senior State Department official Victoria Nuland. “Eric was regularly the clearing authority to get me into the White House for interagency meetings on Ukraine,” Nuland revealed in a 2020 Senate deposition. Asked if she ever discussed Ukraine policy and Shokin with Ciaramella, Nuland testified: “Of course, I did. He was part of the interagency process. He was also on my negotiating team for the six, seven rounds of negotiations I did with the Russians on [the disputed Ukraine region] Donbas.”

Ciaramella was directly involved in talks concerning the massive U.S. aid package to Ukraine that Biden conditioned on the removal of Shokin, who at the time had seized the assets of the corrupt Burisma oligarch employing Hunter Biden. He also arranged and participated in White House talks with Ukrainian prosecutors visiting from Shokin’s office.

White House visitor logs confirm Ciaramella escorted Shokin’s deputy prosecutor, David Sakvarelidze, into the White House for a January 2016 meeting. A White House agenda for the meeting lists Ciaramella as “point of contact” for the Ukrainian delegation. He also checked in Andriy Telizhenko, the Ukrainian Embassy official who says they discussed Burisma and Hunter Biden during the meeting and struggled to understand why his U.S. counterparts were suddenly hostile to Shokin after praising him in earlier talks.

Emails from the time show Ciaramella appeared surprised to hear about the linkage between the $1 billion loan to Ukraine and the dismissal of Shokin. Though Biden maintains he insisted Kyiv oust Shokin because he was too soft on weeding out fraud in entities that included Burisma, Ciaramella suggested he didn’t share the view that Shokin was corrupt. “We were super impressed with the group,” Ciaramella added, “and we had a two-hour discussion of their priorities and the obstacles they face.”

On Jan. 21, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt emailed Ciaramella and other White House aides an article from the Ukrainian press – “U.S. loan guarantee conditional on Shokin’s dismissal.”

“Yikes. I don’t recall this coming up in our meeting with them,” Ciaramella replied, referring to the White House meeting he hosted with top Ukrainian prosecutors.

Read the full article.

In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Pavel Durov, Russian-born Emirati–French entrepreneur and the founder of the popular instant messaging app Telegram, made shocking revelations about the U.S. government’s attempts to infiltrate the application widely known for its strong stance on user privacy.

Durov claimed that the FBI expressed interest in creating a ‘backdoor’ into the Telegram app, ostensibly to spy on users.

This, according to Durov, was a significant factor in his decision to reconsider establishing the company’s headquarters in San Francisco, opting for a global, decentralized approach to avoid U.S. government pressure.

“We received too much attention from the FBI, the security agencies, wherever we came to the US,” Durov recounted, noting how Biden’s FBI intensified their focus whenever his team was in the U.S.

“Last time I was in the U.S., I brought an engineer working for Telegram, and there was an attempt to secretly hire my engineer behind my back by cybersecurity officers,” he said.

Carlson pressed on, asking whether the U.S. government aimed to employ Durov’s engineer to crack Telegram or write code for them.

“They were trying to persuade him to use certain open-source tools that would be integrated into Telegram’s code, which, in my understanding, would serve as backdoors,” Durov said.

This revelation brings to light the U.S. government’s purported efforts to undermine the privacy and security that Telegram promises its users.

According to Durov, such a backdoor would not only enable the U.S. to spy on Telegram users but potentially other governments as well.

“FBI wanted to establish a relationship to control Telegram better. But for us, running a privacy-focused social media platform, that probably wasn’t the best environment to be in,” he said.

After the FBI’s interference, Durov abandoned the idea of establishing his company in San Francisco.

WATCH:

Telegram founder @durov explains to @TuckerCarlson how the US government tried to secretly hire his engineer to create “back doors” for officials to spy on users.

“For us running a privacy focused social media platform that probably wasn’t the best environment to be in.” pic.twitter.com/d8sFvmDuk4

— Tucker Carlson Network (@TCNetwork) April 16, 2024

Durov also told Tucker Carlson that he was contacted by the Democrats after January 6th because “they wanted the data of people who were demonstrating in Washington or wherever they were doing.”

“After the events of January 6th, we received a letter from, I believe, congressmen of the Democratic side. They requested we would share all the data we had in relation to what they called this “uprising.” We checked it with our lawyers, and they said, “You better ignore it.” But the letter seemed very serious, and the letter said, “If you fail to comply with this request, you will be in violation with the US Constitution,” or something like that,” Durov said.

He continued, “Two weeks after that letter, we got another letter, a new letter from the Republican side of the Congress. And there we read that if we give out any data according to the previous request, we would be in violation of the US Constitution. Constitution. We got two letters that said, Whatever we do, we’ll be violating the US Constitution in a way. That was my understanding of these letters.”

“The same way we respond to most such requests, we decided to ignore them because it’s such a complicated matter related to internal politics in the U.S.,” he said.

WATCH:

Telegram founder @durov tells @TuckerCarlson he was contacted after January 6th: “They wanted the data of people who were demonstrating.” pic.twitter.com/96pFYdAUyF

— Tucker Carlson Network (@TCNetwork) April 16, 2024

Durov emphasized his intention for Telegram to remain politically neutral. “We want the platform to remain neutral and not take any sides,” he said.

This stance, however, has not shielded the app from controversy. Telegram recently made headlines following the deadly Moscow terror attack, with investigations revealing that the attackers were recruited via the messaging platform.

Durov’s commitment to privacy has been a cornerstone of Telegram’s philosophy since its inception in 2013. Founded by Pavel and his brother Nikolai Durov, Telegram has soared in popularity, particularly in regions like Asia, Africa, and Europe, due to its strong encryption protocols and user-friendly design.

Telegram has gained significant traction as a privacy-centric platform, especially in regions where freedom of speech is under threat. The app’s rise in popularity was notably accelerated by the increased censorship and account bans on other social media platforms, like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, for content that contradicted their narratives.

Watch the full interview:

Ep. 94 The social media app Telegram has over 900 million users around the world. Its founder Pavel Durov sat down with us at his offices in Dubai for his first on-camera interview in almost a decade. pic.twitter.com/NEb3KzWOg8

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) April 16, 2024

Iran’s president has warned that the “tiniest invasion” by Israel would bring a “massive and harsh” response, as the region braces for potential Israeli retaliation after Iran’s attack over the weekend.

President Ebrahim Raisi spoke Wednesday at an annual army parade that was relocated to a barracks north of the capital, Tehran, from its usual venue on a highway in the city’s southern outskirts.

Iranian authorities gave no explanation for its relocation, and state TV did not broadcast it live, as it has in previous years.

Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel over the weekend in response to an apparent Israeli strike on Iran’s embassy compound in Syria on April 1 that killed 12 people, including two Iranian generals.

Israel, with help from the United States, the United Kingdom, neighboring Jordan and other nations, successfully intercepted nearly all the missiles and drones.

Tensions in the region have increased since the start of the latest Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, when Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two militant groups backed by Iran, carried out a cross-border attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others.

Israel responded with an offensive in Gaza that has caused widespread devastation and killed over 33,800 people, according to local health officials.

A viral video from Monday showed Florida police taking immediate action when anti-Israel activists blocked city streets, placing them on their backs on the sidewalk.

WATCH:

In Florida, we drag these people out of the road and arrest them. pic.twitter.com/XU6ZUUf9xX

— Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) April 15, 2024

In 2021, Florida passed the “Combatting Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act,” championed by GOP governor Ron DeSantis, which states that it is a crime to willfully obstruct the public streets.

“Some of the crimes that may occur during a riot and are explicitly listed in the new legislation are: Willfully obstructing the free, convenient, and normal use of a public street, highway, or road by impeding, hindering, stifling, retarding, or restraining traffic or passage by standing on or remaining in the street, highway, or road, endangering the safe movement of vehicles or pedestrians,” WFLA reported in 2021.

The act states that it is a “3rd degree felony to obstruct traffic during an unpermitted protest, demonstration or violent or disorderly assembly; driver is NOT liable for injury or death caused if fleeing for safety from a mob.”

“In Florida, we are taking an unapologetic stand for the rule of law and public safety. We are holding those who incite violence in our communities accountable, supporting our law enforcement officers who risk their lives every day to keep us safe and protecting Floridians from the chaos of mob violence. We’re also putting an end to the bullying and intimidation tactics of the radical left by criminalizing doxing and requiring restitution for damaging memorials and monuments by rioters,” DeSantis stated in 2021.

In contrast to Florida, on Monday anti-Israel activists blocked the Golden Gate Bridge and parts of Interstate 880 in Oakland, California; all southbound lanes of Highway 101 were blocked at 7:30 a.m. The California Highway Patrol closed off the northbound lanes and stopped pedestrian and bicycle traffic across the bridge. The lanes didn’t open for almost five hours.

In lower Manhattan on Monday, anti-Israel activists stormed the Brooklyn Bridge, bringing traffic to a halt. Anti-Israel activists also blocked a road to arrivals and departures at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington.

A North Carolina high school student was charged after he allegedly slapped his teacher multiple times during a viral profanity-laced classroom rant earlier this week.

The rage-filled youngster, identified only as a minor, confronted the educator inside Parkland High School in Winston-Salem, where he violently attacked her, according to video posted to social media.

After the initial impact, the teacher seemed unfazed by the slap as the student continued to run his mouth.

“Do you think that affected me anyway,” the unidentified teacher said, sitting back in her chair, legs crossed.

“Want me to hit you again,” the juvenile asked as he menacingly approached the teacher.

“I don’t want it,” the teacher answered before being hit again, this time from the right side.

The second blow knocks the sitting instructor’s glasses off her face.

“The f–k’s wrong with you, what you gonna do, still sit in that chair ’cause you a bitch. Ain’t nobody even coming, you got slapped,” says the student, seemingly singing and dancing.

“Bitch go back to teaching.”

Students behind the camera reacted to the slaps with laughter amid the classroom assault.

North Carolina HS student charged after slapping female teacher in profanity-filled classroom tantrum in front of laughing classmates pic.twitter.com/s4TKk3h6SN

— This Is Vani (@ThisThat14456) April 17, 2024

The school district condemned the student’s behavior.

“This behavior will not be tolerated. At no time is it acceptable for students to put their hands on a teacher in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools,” Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Tricia McManus said, according to WXII.

“My focus now is on making sure that our teacher is taken care of and has the support needed to navigate through the lasting effects of this incident.”

On Tuesday, a secure custody order was issued for three misdemeanor charges against the student for assault on a government official.

He was charged with one count of communicating threats and two counts of misdemeanor assault, the Forsyth Sheriff’s Office announced.

“While we all agree that this incident was deplorable and outrageous to the community, and community organizations. All of us should be outraged when those who educate us can be assaulted,” Sheriff Bobby F. Kimbrough Jr. said.

“We should hold those who teach and educate our children to the highest regard. Our hope and our prayer at the FCSO is that we recognize that we as a community must bring order not only to our community but our children. We are praying for wholeness for those students who witnessed this and the educator involved.”

Parkland High School Principal Noel Keener warned the student would face disciplinary action along with the criminal charges.

Keener also reiterated that the behavior didn’t display the school’s expectations of its students.

“Please know this video is not reflective of our expectations of students at Parkland High School. We are working with district staff to address this immediately and ensure behavior like this is not tolerated in our school and district.”

Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neil said within the hour it was posted, he was investigating the now-viral video for any criminal behavior.

“Both Sheriff Kimbrell and myself spent the morning at Parkland High School speaking with the teacher, because we want one message to be delivered today: ‘This isn’t about the color of your skin, this isn’t about your political affiliation, today is about one thing. Sending a message to the teachers out there, that law enforcement and the District Attorney’s Office support you, we care about the job you do.’”

“Nobody goes to work and expects to get assaulted.”

Seven New Yorkers have so far been picked to serve as jurors on former President Trump’s hush money trial, the first criminal case of any U.S. president in history.

The judge, along with prosecutors and Trump’s defense team, whittled down an initial group of 96 potential jurors starting Monday afternoon. They answered a questionnaire asking them about everything from where they lived to what news they consumed.

More than half of that initial group was immediately dismissed after raising their hands to indicate they could not be fair or impartial, in a show of the trial’s political divisiveness.

The jurors who serve on the trial are to be anonymous to the press and to the public, but general descriptions of each one are public, thanks to reporters posted up in and around the courtroom who witnessed the juror selection process.

There will be a total of 12 jurors picked, with at least six alternates to serve on the trial, which is expected to last six to eight weeks.

Here’s a look at who has been chosen to serve on the trial so far.

First juror, foreperson: A man who is originally from Ireland and now lives in West Harlem. He works in sales and gets his news from The New York Times, the Daily Mail, Fox News and MSNBC. He will serve as the foreperson.

Second juror: A woman who is a native New Yorker and has been an oncology nurse for 15 years. She spends her free time with family and friends and taking her dog to the park.

Third juror: A young to middle-aged Asian man who lives in Chelsea and grew up in Oregon. He is a corporate attorney.

Fourth juror: A middle-aged man born in Puerto Rico who has lived on the Lower East Side for more than 40 years. He told the court he has “no spare time” for hobbies and is self-employed. His wife is a writer and child works in sales and research.

Fifth juror: A younger Black woman and Harlem native who has taught English Language and Arts for eight years. She has never been married and has no children, and she said she considers herself a creative at heart.

Sixth juror: A Disney employee who was previously a student. She has three roommates and is unmarried without children.

Seventh juror: Lives on the Upper East Side but is originally from North Carolina. He is a civil litigator married with two children. He gets his news from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, The Washington Post, WNYC and listens to podcasts “SmartLess” and “Car Talk.”

The court will reconvene Thursday to consider the selection of the remaining jurors. The judge indicated that process could wrap up by the end of this week.

He told the first set of jurors not to return until Monday, suggesting that day would be the start of opening statements.

On Tuesday, the GOP-led House transmitted impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the border crisis to the Democrat-controlled Senate.

The House managers tasked with prosecuting the case were introduced in the Senate chamber and Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green (R-TN), who is the lead manager, read aloud the text of the impeachment resolution.

WATCH: House impeachment managers deliver articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the U.S. Senate. pic.twitter.com/dNCsJ3Qgeu

— CSPAN (@cspan) April 16, 2024

A trial is expected to begin Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET with senators sworn in as jurors. Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray (D-WA) has been selected to preside over the proceedings.

GOP lawmakers are concerned that Democrats, who have long called the impeachment inquiry a “political stunt,” will try to cut short the process before a vote on whether to convict or acquit Mayorkas.

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has so far not said whether there will be an effort to table or dismiss the impeachment charges.

Last week, after the House delayed the delivery of the articles, Schumer said the Senate is “ready to go whenever the House is. We want to address this issue as expeditiously as possible.” The top Democrat also said impeachment “should never be used to settle policy disagreements. That sets an awful precedent.”

House Republicans are “demanding” a full trial, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said in a post to X on Tuesday, adding that Mayorkas is the “worst” Cabinet secretary in U.S. history.

Forty-three GOP senators signed onto a letter sent to Schumer that called on the Senate to “uphold its constitutional responsibility to properly adjudicate” the impeachment articles. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said he would “strenuously oppose any effort” to table the charges, noting the upper chamber has never agreed to do so in the past.

After months of investigation, the House narrowly passed two impeachment articles in February. They accuse Mayorkas of “willfully and systemically” refusing to comply with federal immigration laws and allege he “breached the public trust” with false statements and obstructing lawful oversight of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Mayorkas has pushed back against what he called “false accusations” levied against him. A DHS spokesperson reacted to the successful House impeachment vote by saying, “House Republicans will be remembered by history for trampling on the Constitution for political gain rather than working to solve the serious challenges at our border.”

If a full trial does get held, a two-thirds vote will be required for a conviction, which would lead to removal from office. That appears unlikely, however, particularly given not every Republican senator appears to favor the impeachment effort.

The Senate currently has 49 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and three independents who caucus with the Democrats.

One GOP defector could be Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), who told Axios he does not “believe there’s a constitutional standard met.” Romney also said he would be “open” to tabling the impeachment articles if there is at least some debate on them.

A majority of Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical Tuesday of the government’s broad reading of a statute used to charge hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants, as well as former President Donald trump.

Joseph Fischer, the defendant in the case Fischer v. United States, argued that the statute he was charged under, Section 1512(c)(2), was expanded beyond its intended purpose of targeting crimes of evidence tampering. Multiple conservative justices pressed Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar on whether the government’s interpretation of the statute, which enabled it to charge Fischer and others for obstructing Congress’ certification of the 2020 election, would sweep in a range of other protest activities.

“Would a sit in that disrupts a trial or access to a federal courthouse qualify?” Justice Neil Gorsuch asked. “Would a heckler in today’s audience qualify or at the State of the Union address?”

The statue threatens to levy up to 20 years in prison against anyone who corruptly “obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding.”

The Supreme Court’s decision could impact not only hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants, but also Trump’s election interference case. Two of the charges in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s indictment of Trump center on the statute.

Smith’s indictment argued that Trump employed “knowingly false claims of election fraud to obstruct the federal government function by which those results are collected, counted, and certified.”

Multiple Jan. 6 defendants charged under Section 1512(c)(2) have already been granted early release in light of the Supreme Court taking up the case, including Kevin Seefried, Alexander Sheppard and Thomas B. Adams Jr., according to The Washington Post.

Gorsuch asked whether pulling a fire alarm before a vote would also qualify for 20 years in prison under the statute, a likely reference to Democratic New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s September decision to pull a fire alarm before a House vote on a GOP funding package to prevent a government shutdown.

Bowman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor violation of D.C. code related to the offense in October.

Prelogar said “multiple elements of the statute” might not be satisfied by Gorsuch’s scenarios, noting the government would need to prove the defendant acted corruptly and with the intent of obstructing the proceeding.

Things aren’t going so well for Biden’s case in reference to Jan 6th. Justices Gorsuch & Alito just destroyed the entire foundation of Biden’s DOJ case against J6 protesters 🫤 Listen in….it’s beautiful.💯 pic.twitter.com/BY7L0sxGc6

— 🇺🇸The_Badged_Patriot🇺🇸 (@Badged_Patriot) April 16, 2024

Justice Samuel Alito similarly questioned whether the statute could be used to charge someone in the courtroom who shouted during oral arguments, delaying the proceeding by five minutes.

“We don’t think that 1512(c)2) two picks up minimal, de minimis minor interferences,” Prelogar said.

Of nearly 1,387 Jan. 6 defendants, over 353 have been charged with “corruptly obstructing, influencing, or impeding an official proceeding,” according to the DOJ.

Justice Clarence Thomas asked when the government has applied the statute to other protests in the past.

Preloager said the DOJ has not limited the statute’s use solely to crimes of evidence impairment, but noted she is not aware of a similar circumstance “ever happening prior to Jan. 6.”

Justice Amy Coney Barrett seemed amenable to a more middle of the road solution. Barrett questioned whether the statute could be used to charge defendants for trying to “obstruct the arrival of the certificates arriving to the Vice President’s desk for counting,” noting they would still be interfering with evidence in that hypothetical.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson likewise suggested the government may still be able to charge defendants if they limited the statute in this manner, clarifying that it applies to conduct that would obstruct an official proceeding “insofar as it is directed to preventing access to information or documents or records or things that the official proceeding will use.”

Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan appeared more sympathetic to the government’s position. Kagan noted there has never “been a situation like this with people attempting to stop a proceeding violently.”

“So I’m not sure what a lack of history proves,” she said.

House Republicans’ dissatisfaction with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is rapidly growing as Reps. Scott Perry (R-PA) and Jim Banks (R-IN) are sharing their frustrations about what Banks called “insanity” in Johnson’s foreign aid framework, which includes over three times as much money for Ukraine as it does for Israel while neglecting the U.S. Southern border.

Perry took to X Tuesday to share an image of the framework, showing the bills allocate $48.83 billion to Ukraine, $14.1 billion for Israel, $2.4 billion for “Red Sea Operations,” $2.58 billion for “INDOPACOM,” and $3.3 billion for a “Submarine Industrial Base.”

Notice anything missing? @SpeakerJohnson failed to incorporate any border security into any of the FOUR of the bills he’s going to ram down our throats this week.

On more than half a dozen occasions in the last six months, he promised the American People this wouldn’t happen. pic.twitter.com/0QJJyw90hQ

— Rep. Scott Perry (@RepScottPerry) April 16, 2024

“Notice anything missing?” wrote Perry. Speaker Johnson “failed to incorporate any border security into any of the FOUR of the bills he’s going to ram down our throats this week.”

“On more than half a dozen occasions in the last six months, he promised the American People this wouldn’t happen,” Perry added.

Sharing Perry’s tweet, Banks called the package “Insanity,” emphasizing the plan would send three times as much money to Ukraine as it does Israel while simultaneously neglecting the U.S. Southern border.

Perry and Banks’ criticism of the four bills comes as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who filed a motion to vacate against Johnson ahead of Easter break, and Andy Biggs (R-AZ) signaled opposition to the multiple-impact reentry vehicles rule (MIRV) that Johnson seeks to merge the bills.

“Israel funding should not be held hostage by Ukraine funding. The American people deserve to know where their senators stand on each funding component,” Biggs wrote in a post on X

“MIRV—the process used to merge the bills—is about as ridiculous as ranked choice voting. The least popular option is the one that wins,” he added.

Greene declared she would vote against the rule, and with just a one-seat majority and growing Republican opposition, Johnson would need help from Democrats to get the rule passed to unlock votes for the aid.

Meanwhile, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) became a cosponsor of Greene’s motion to vacate the chair on Tuesday and urged the speaker to resign in the morning.

I just told Mike Johnson in conference that I’m cosponsoring the Motion to Vacate that was introduced by @RepMTG.

He should pre-announce his resignation (as Boehner did), so we can pick a new Speaker without ever being without a GOP Speaker.

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) April 16, 2024

After Massie announced on X that he advised Johnson to resign and that he was behind Greene’s motion to vacate, American Tribune co-founder Jason Robertson asked Massie, “What was the straw that broke the Camel’s Back? FISA? Foreign War Funding? Spending more than Nancy Pelosi? All of the above?”

Whoa. What was the straw that broke the Camel’s Back?

FISA? Foreign War Funding? Spending more than Nancy Pelosi?

All of the above?

— Jason Robertson (@JRobFromMN) April 16, 2024

“All of the above,” Massie replied. “This camel has a pallet of bricks.”

However, a defiant Johnson declared he would not step down in the afternoon.

“I am not resigning, and it is, in my view, an absurd notion that someone would bring a vacate motion when we are simply here trying to do our jobs,” Johnson declared.

As Greene’s motion to vacate is not privileged, the House does not need to take it up immediately. Greene can make it privileged whenever she likes, which would force the House to consider it within two days.

There were shocking scenes on the streets of New York City on Monday as Palestinian activists set fire to an American flag being held by Israel supporters while chanting ‘Death to America!’ right under the noses of the NYPD.

There were audible gasps as the Stars and Stripes being held by a pro-Israel counter-protestor was set alight and then waved in the air – as bright yellow flames could be seen coming from the flag.

Police officers stationed at the protest outside the New York Stock Exchange could be seen wrestling the flag and stamping out the fire as it was brought to the ground.

Moments later, a fellow protestor could be heard yelling ‘Death to America’.

Police officers appeared oblivious to what was happening right in front of them and in video footage appears to have little drive to chase down the man who shouted the offending phrase.

Watch:

🚨NY🚨 Someone sets an American flag on fire & a pro-Hamas supporter chants “Death to America.” pic.twitter.com/NNmJtMTuHV

— Stella Escobedo (@StellaEscoTV) April 16, 2024

The shocking sights were part of a day of planned protest across the country that saw activists block the Brooklyn Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and roads to the Chicago O’Hare Airport in a coordinated attempt to bring America to its knees and cause maximum inconvenience.

Outside Brooklyn Borough Hall, another protester burned an American flag to cinders amid cheers of jubilation on Monday. In the background, a man chants: ‘America falls today. America falls now. America will forever fall.’

On Monday afternoon, more anti-Israel protestors took to the Brooklyn Bridge and were seen walking through traffic, chanting, banging drums and igniting flares.

New York Police made numerous arrests, saying 150 protesters were initially involved in the march around 3:15pm, but that number quickly grew. The bridge was fully reopened by 5pm.

Pro-Palestinian protesters used Monday’s tax day as a way to make a statement in a nationwide ‘A15’ protest.

The economic blockade was scheduled in solidarity with Palestine and called for an arms embargo and an end to US taxpayer funding for Israel.

Other protests broke out on Monday morning on a Philadelphia intersection and on Highway 880 in Oakland, California.

NOW: A protester sets an American flag on fire outside Brooklyn Borough Hall as protesters rally on the steps pic.twitter.com/aZy7ZzqDzP

— katie smith (@probablyreadit) April 15, 2024

Videos shared on X showed protestors with keffiyeh scarves on their necks and head as they shouted: ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!’

Some of the demonstrators were seen holding up signs while others marched and waved colored smoke in the air. Cars stuck on the bridge honked at them as the protestors walked in front of vehicles.

Demonstrators were also seen igniting flares before they tossed them into the east river. Police on bicycles managed to arrest some of the participants on the pedestrian walkway.

Nerdeen Kiwanis, an organizer from Within our Lifetime, told Abc7: ‘We don’t want our tax dollars to fund genocide. There’s a strike happening all across the country today.’

Other videos showed the New York protestors flooding subways, streets and Borough Hall as they waved Palestinian flags around.

Video of the dramatic scene in the Bay Area showed a large group of police standing in front of the stuck vehicles as protestors held up a large sign that said: ‘Stop the world for Gaza.’

Lines of backed up cars were seen as drivers hopped out and leaned against their vehicles during the travel nightmare that blocked the bridge for about five hours.

Some people were seen being arrested by police on the bridge, but it is unclear if they were involved in the protest. Others chained themselves to vehicles.

The multiple protests come just after Iran attacked Israel in a 350-missile airstrike early Sunday.

The attack has since been described as a ‘declaration of war’ as Israel’s president Isaac Herzog insisted that Israel did not want a war, but suggested they would retaliate after Iran’s audacious airstrike.

On Monday, around 8.23am, protestors sat in the middle of the Kennedy Expressway, linked to each other with PVC pipes and blocked the highway leading to O’Hare airport.

Frustrated travelers hopped out of their vehicles and trekked 20 minutes to make their flights in time.

Dramatic footage of the blockade showed dozens chanting ‘Palestine will be free! Free, free Palestine!’ with a loud drum roll in the background.

All lanes on I-90 were blocked between Bessie Coleman Drive and the airport, but according to O’Hare International Airport, inbound traffic later resumed.

‘Allow extra time if traveling to the airport this morning,’ the airport said in a post on X at around 8.30am on Monday.

The demonstrators stalled rows of traffic as some drivers were seen sitting on top of their cars. Law enforcement vehicles were present at the scene.

Many of the protestors were seen wearing keffiyeh scarves as they chanted and waved signs that read ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘Stop Genocide.’

As they chanted, angry drivers started to blast their horns, while other got out of their vehicles and hopped the guardrail to make it to their flights.

The protest, which was organized by Chicago Dissenters, said that they decided to block the airport because it is ‘one of the largest in the country’ that should not be in business ‘while Palestinians suffer at the hands of American funded bombing by Israel.’

They decided to target the airport in an attempt to ‘disrupt Boeing’s operations,’ because the airplane manufacturer is ‘sending fighter jets and bombs to support Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.’

‘ON THIS TAX DAY, THERE WILL BE NO BUSINESS AS USUAL WHILE GAZANS ARE DYING,’ the group said in an Instagram post.

One angry female traveler raised her middle finger at the protestors as walked to the airport and shouted: ‘F*** you!’

Another passenger was seen pushing a protestor as he hurled his bags over the guardrail.

As people walked out of the cars, the protestors guided them to the side of the road, and instructed them to exit that way.

‘We have protestors putting their body on the line, they will not move until they are physically removed,’ an organizer said in a video.

The group also posted a picture of a map that showed the congestion on the road as they blocked traffic and said: ‘It’s day 191 of the genocide in Gaza and we are shutting sh** down.’

People took to social media and commented on the protest as one said: ‘It’s past time to criminalize obstructing interstate highways. 30 days in county jail is more than appropriate,’ and tagged Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.

Others commented on police officers doing ‘nothing.’

A person commented: ‘Why do the cops just stand there, every time, and allow these upsets? Every. Single. Time.’

Around 8.15am, protestors were arrested in Philadelphia after they took over the intersection of Market Street and Schuylkill Avenue in Center City.

Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour said in a Tuesday interview that he thinks all 787 jets should be grounded to allow for proper safety checks of the plane, which has come under fire in recent months following a slew of incidents.

The new interview — which will air in full Tuesday on “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” — comes one day before Salehpour’s scheduled testimony before Congress about the safety concerns at Boeing that he laid out in a complaint filed with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) earlier this year.

“The entire fleet worldwide, as far as I’m concerned right now, needs attention,” Salehpour said in a preview of the interview NBC News released Tuesday, when asked about the 787 plane model specifically.

EXCLUSIVE TONIGHT ON #NN: Sam Salehpour, a current Boeing engineer, tells @tomcostellonbc that he became alarmed by what he was seeing in the production of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Boeing has insisted that the 787 is safe and shows zero signs of fatigue. pic.twitter.com/JizQtc6l9C

— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) April 16, 2024

“And the attention is, you need to check your gaps and make sure that you don’t have potential for premature failure,” he added.

In a letter addressed to FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker in January, attorneys for Salehpour said the Boeing engineer “repeatedly reported to Boeing management serious concerns about Boeing’s current production and quality control processes, which he believes are creating potentially catastrophic safety risks.”

The letter outlined problems with the production of the company’s 787 and 777 jets, saying specifically that sections of the fuselage of the 787 Dreamliner are improperly fastened together and could break after thousands of trips. Salehpour told the agency these issues were the result of changes to the fitting and fastening of sections in the assembly line and alleged that the concerns were brushed off.

“I have come forward, and I have extended my neck,” Salehpour said in the interview. “But you know, I’m at peace with myself. Because this is going to save a lot of people’s lives.”

A Boeing spokesperson pushed back on Salehpour’s allegations, telling The Hill that Salehpour’s claims about the 787 were “inaccurate” and not representative of the “comprehensive work” that Boeing does to ensure the safety of the aircraft.

“We are fully confident in the 787 Dreamliner,” a Boeing spokesperson said in a statement. “The issues raised have been subject to rigorous engineering examination under FAA oversight. This analysis has validated that these issues do not present any safety concerns and the aircraft will maintain its service life over several decades.”

The spokesperson also said that while there have been changes to the 787 manufacturing process over the years, they were not the cause of the issues that Salehpour alleged.

The Senate Commerce Committee will hear testimony on Wednesday from Salehpour and three aviation experts, some of whom were involved in a February report that criticized Boeing’s safety culture as “inadequate and confusing.”

The report outlined 50 recommendations to Boeing and said the manufacturer should review and come up with a plan to address the issues within half a year. The experts said the plan should be shared with the FAA, which published the report.

The Israeli military and Lebanon’s Hezbollah exchanged fire on Tuesday, with the terror group launching two attack drones at northern Israel as two top commanders behind recent attacks were killed in separate airstrikes.

Three people were lightly hurt in the Hezbollah drone attack, according to media reports and local authorities.

The Israel Defense Forces said the two explosive-laden drones struck areas near the northern community of Beit Hillel.

Hezbollah claimed to have targeted an Iron Dome battery in the area. The terror group has made similar claims in recent months, which have been dismissed by the IDF as empty boasts.

The IDF said it was investigating why sirens did not sound during the attack.

Footage circulating on social media purported to show one of the drones flying over the Galilee Panhandle.

Footage circulating on social media shows a drone flying over the Galilee Panhandle, with initial reports saying it exploded in the Beit Hillel area. The IDF has not yet commented on the incident. pic.twitter.com/xeKURvg3vF

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) April 16, 2024

Shortly after the drone attack, Lebanese media reported that one person was killed in an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in the town of Ain Baal, near Tyre, about 15 kilometers (nine miles) from the Israel border.

The IDF later confirmed it had carried out the strike, saying it targeted and killed the commander of Hezbollah’s coastal region.

Ismail Yousef Baz, whose rank is equivalent to a brigade commander, was “a senior and veteran official in the military wing of Hezbollah,” holding several positions, the latest being the commander of the coastal region, the army said.

“As part of his position, he was involved in advancing and planning rocket and anti-tank missile launches towards the State of Israel from the coastal area in Lebanon,” it said.

بالفيديو – السيارة المُستهدفة في بلدة عين بعال pic.twitter.com/2Kr3DpDf5W

— Al Jadeed News (@ALJADEEDNEWS) April 16, 2024

“During the war, he organized and planned a number of terror attacks against Israel,” the IDF added.

Hezbollah announced Baz’s death, saying he was killed “on the road to Jerusalem,” its term for operatives slain in Israeli strikes. The terror group did not refer to him as a commander.

Since October 8, Hezbollah has attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a daily basis with rockets, drones, anti-tank missiles and other means, saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there. The group is an Iranian proxy in Lebanon, and Palestinian terror groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are backed by Iran.

Baz was the sixth Hezbollah officer with a rank equivalent to a brigade commander to be killed by Israel in recent months, according to the IDF. The military has said that more than 30 Hezbollah commanders have been killed in its strikes in the past six months.

Hours later, another drone strike was reported by Lebanese media on a vehicle in the town of Chehabiyeh, killing two members of Hezbollah.

The IDF later took responsibility for the strike, saying it had targeted a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force.

Muhammad Shahouri, according to the IDF, was the commander of Radwan’s western district rocket unit.

Shahouri was killed while driving in the village of Kfar Dounine, adjacent to Chehabiyeh, the military said, publishing footage of the strike.

Guerra en el frente norte, Líbano
🇮🇱🔥🇱🇧
Ismail Yousef Baz, Comandante de la Brigada de la Costa, de Hezbollah, fue sorprendido y eliminado mientras conducía un automóvil en la localidad de Ain Baal, cerca de la Ciudad de Tiro. pic.twitter.com/Fv6OBunGGT

— Israel Defensa (Ñ) 🇮🇱 (@Defensa_Israel) April 16, 2024

The IDF said Shahouri was “responsible for the planning and execution of many rocket [attacks] toward the Israeli home front,” from the western and central areas of southern Lebanon.

Alongside Shahouri, another Hezbollah commander, Mahmoud Fadlallah, was killed in the strike. The IDF said he was also a member of Hezbollah’s rocket unit.

Hezbollah announced both their deaths.

السيارة المستهدفة بالغارة بين بلدتي الشهابية وكفردونين pic.twitter.com/frKV6MLpdv

— 🇱🇧BASSEM DHAYNI🇱🇧 (@BassemDhayni) April 16, 2024

The IDF said Tuesday it had also carried out strikes against buildings used by Hezbollah and where operatives were gathered in the towns of Ain Baal, Aalma ash-Shab, Hanine, and Yaroun.

The IDF said several rockets were fired at northern Israel throughout the day, causing no injuries.

It added that troops had shelled the launch sites with artillery.

Israel has threatened to go to war to force Hezbollah away from the border if it does not retreat and continues to threaten northern communities, from where some 70,000 people were evacuated to avoid the fighting.

So far, the skirmishes on the border have resulted in eight civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 10 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.

Hezbollah has named 278 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon, but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 54 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and at least 60 civilians have been killed.

Torrential rain and violent thunderstorms have brought apocalyptic scenes to Dubai with parts of the UAE brought to a standstill by heavy flooding.

Video shows luxury cars submerged in deep water and waves buffeting the traffic while high-end muscle cars and Teslas were seen struggling through the floods as city authorities advised people to stay home.

More than 4.7ins (120mm) of rain has already fallen today – the typical yearly average in the city – with more expected in the coming hours.

Nearly 50 flights in and out of Dubai have been cancelled since this morning, with shocking video showing several jets cutting through murky water at Dubai International Airport, the busiest for international travel.

Flood water cascaded through luxury underground malls while shoppers in designer clothes waded through water.

Above ground, howling winds blew furniture off tower-block balconies while the skies turned black with apocalyptic videos showing lightning strikes every few seconds.

Unstable weather conditions are expected to continue in the region through to Wednesday, UAE’s National Center of Meteorology said.

A clip shared on Twitter/X showed an entrepreneur trapped in his Rolls Royce in Dubai as deep water flooded the road.

‘My Rolls Royce got flooded and we’re stuck in the middle of the road in Dubai,’ he wrote.

‘Just like all my friends in crypto… today I am underwater,’ he posted in a follow-up.

my rolls royce got flooded and we’re stuck in the middle of the road in dubai 🙃 pic.twitter.com/3A9BPjusua

— Jordan Welch (@jrdnwelch) April 16, 2024

Underground, video showed water crashing through the ceiling of a Flying Tiger as shops began to flood and infrastructure buckle under the pressure.

This Flying Tiger looks like a Swimming Tiger #Dubai pic.twitter.com/PCYn5PuyWE

— What? (@thedamnwhat) April 16, 2024

Products were blasted out across the shop floor as water poured from the ceiling, bystanders helpless to act.

Bus services were promptly set up after water rushed into the Onpassive Metro station, causing severe disruptions.

Video shared online showed people wading through ankle-deep water, many removing their shoes to trudge through the flooded station.

Above the city, Dubai’s skies – usually electric blue and cloudless – darkened to night-like conditions in mid-afternoon as a second storm front blew in.

Lightning flashed across the sky earlier today, occasionally touching the tip of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.

And patio furniture was seen falling from high-rise buildings as strong winds rocked the city through Tuesday.

Authorities sent tanker trucks out into the streets to pump away the water. but some inland areas of the desert country recorded more than 80 millimetres (3.2 inches) of rain, approaching the annual average of about 100 mm.

Rain is not common in UAE, but occurs periodically during the cooler winter months. Many roads and other areas lacks drainage for managing floods.

The weather board ‘urged residents to take all the precautions… and to stay away from areas of flooding and water accumulation’ in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

A total of 17 inbound and outbound flights were cancelled during the morning and three were diverted, Dubai Airports said in a statement.

Operations at Dubai International Airport (DXB) were later suspended for 25 minutes on Tuesday due to an intense storm, the airport said in a statement this afternoon.

The airport later confirmed intentions to continue operating departures as normal – but said arrivals would be temporarily diverted until weather conditions improve.

Some residents were told to shelter if they felt in danger or were asked by authorities to do so.

Police and the military were sent out to help evacuate citizens in the hardest-hit province of Ash Sharqiyah North, state media reported.

The Asian Champions League football semi-final between the UAE’s Al Ain and Saudi side Al Hilal, due to be hosted in Al Ain, was postponed for 24 hours because of the weather.

Bahrain was also hit by heavy rain and flooding after being pummelled by thunder and lightning overnight.

‘I like to play in the rain, but for the first time it scares me,’ said nine-year-old Ali Hassan, as he helped his mother clear water from outside their house in Manama.

‘I was terrified by the sound of thunder and the sky was lit by lightning. I had never seen anything like this, so I hid with my mother… the sound of rain scared me.’

The country’s Interior Ministry issued public safety warnings late Monday amid thunder, lightning and high winds.

In Kuwait, the Meteorological Department warned of impending thunderstorms and advised the public to remain vigilant.

Saudi Arabia’s equivalent centre warned that significant rainfall and thunderstorms were to be expected until Wednesday.

Wind and hail are expected in Al Qassim, Riyadh and Al Sharqiya, where temperatures can push past 40C in summer.

The storms descended on the UAE, Bahrain and areas of Qatar after passing over Oman, where they caused deadly floods and left dozens stranded.

Both the Emirati and Omani governments have previously warned that climate change is likely to lead to more flooding.

Individual weather events are often difficult to link to climate change, but scientists say that it increases both the likelihood and strength of extreme weather events.

The Foreign Office separately issued a fresh warning for travellers to multiple destinations on Friday, including Egypt, the UAE (including Dubai), Jordan, Israel, Morocco, Oman and Tunsia, citing the ‘rising tension between Iran and Israel’.

Iran closed down its nuclear facilities amid fears of an Israeli attack, the United Nations has revealed.

Inspectors were blocked from the sites on Sunday, Rafael Grossi, the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency chief, said.

The shutdown came as Israel’s war cabinet was locked in talks over how to respond to Iran’s first direct attack on its territory.

Experts have warned Iran is on the “threshold” of becoming a nuclear power and could build a bomb in six months to a year. Uranium enrichment is accelerating as the regime faces calls to create a deterrent.

There is limited evidence the Islamic Republic wants to create a nuclear bomb, and Israel is not understood to be preparing an imminent attack on nuclear facilities.

But Mr Grossi said UN inspectors in Iran “were informed by the Iranian government that… all the nuclear facilities we are inspecting every day would remain closed on security considerations” following the Iranian strikes.

He added that the facilities reopened on Monday but the inspectors would not be coming back there until some time on Tuesday.

The UN inspections are a legacy of the now defunct Iran nuclear deal, which exchanged sanctions relief for curbs and monitoring of the nuclear programme to prevent Tehran getting the bomb.

Inspectors this year found Iran was scaling up production of nuclear fuel approaching weapons grade uranium.

They also found newly installed equipment, ever faster speeds of uranium enrichment, and a planned expansion to double output.

The country’s Atomic Energy Organisation also used the term “deterrence” in relation to its nuclear programme earlier this year.

Kelsey Davenport, the director for Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association, said, “Iran is sitting on the threshold of nuclear weapons; it can build a bomb more quickly than at any point in its history.”

Ms Davenport warned that Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities would be “counter-productive”.

“A strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities should be off the table,” she said. “Targeting Iranian nuclear sites in reaction to a drone and missile attack that did minimal damage to Israel would be a reckless and irresponsible escalation that increases the risk of a wider regional war.

“A large-scale attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities is more likely to push Tehran to decide that developing nuclear weapons is necessary to deter future attacks.”

Iranian officials have always insisted that Tehran is pursuing its nuclear programme for civilian needs.

But the Islamic Republic has warned of a “severe” and “painful” response to any Israeli retaliation as the regime’s supporters urged it to build the weapons of mass destruction.

Abolfazl Amoei, the spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, said: “We are prepared to use weapons we haven’t used previously, and we have strategies for every possible scenario. The Zionists should be careful.”

On social media, Madhi Mohammadi, an adviser to the speaker of the Iranian parliament, posted: “In addition to its missile programme, Iran also has a nuclear programme.”

Ebrahim Raisi, the president of Iran, said in a call on Monday with the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani: “We firmly declare that the slightest action against Iran’s interests will definitely be met with a severe, extensive and painful response.”

Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday summoned the Israeli war cabinet for the second time in less than 24 hours, amid pressure from Joe Biden, the US president, and European allies to show restraint.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg filed a motion Tuesday to hold former President Trump in contempt of court, claiming he violated the gag order imposed upon him by publishing three social media posts relating to two known witnesses in his criminal trial — Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels.

Bragg is urging Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan to also warn Trump that “future violations” of the gag order can be punished “not only with additional fines, but also with a term of incarceration of up to thirty days.”

Merchan last month imposed a gag order on Trump, due to his “prior extrajudicial statements.” Merchan said they established “a sufficient risk to the administration of justice.”

Merchan ordered that Trump cannot make or direct others to make public statements about witnesses concerning their potential participation or about counsel in the case — other than Bragg — or about court staff, DA staff or family members of staff.

Merchan also ordered that Trump cannot make or direct others to make public statements about any prospective juror or chosen juror.

During the first day of the criminal trial and start of jury selection, Manhattan prosecutors suggested Trump had violated the order on three separate occasions on social media. Prosecutors said Trump should be fined $3,000 for the three alleged violations of the gag order — $1,000 for each violation.

On Tuesday, Bragg’s team filed a motion to hold the former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee in contempt of Court.

The first statement Bragg’s team said was in violation of the order was a social media post on April 10 about Michael Avenatti, a lawyer who formerly represented adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Avenatti was later convicted of stealing from Daniels.

Trump, earlier this month, re-posted a statement from Avenatti, which said: “We can’t be hypocrites when it comes to the 1st Amendment. It is outrageous that Cohen and Daniels can do countless TV interviews, post on social, & make $$ on bogus documentaries—all by talking sh*t about Trump—but he’s gagged and threatened with jail if he responds.”

Trump, after re-posting Avenatti’s statement, added: “Thank you to Michael Avenatti –for revealing the truth about two sleeze bags who have, with their lies and misrepresentations, cost our Country dearly!!”

Bragg’s office also pointed to another post from April 10, in which Trump shared a picture of a document titled “Official Statement of Stormy Daniels,” which was dated Jan. 30, 2018.

“Over the past few weeks I have been asked countless times to comment on reports of an alleged sexual relationship I had with Donald Trump many, many, many years ago,” the statement from Daniels says. “I am not denying this affair because I was paid ‘hush money’ as has been reported in overseas owned tabloids. I am denying this affair because it never happened.”

Trump posted, along with the photo, “LOOK WHAT WAS JUST FOUND! WILL THE FAKE NEWS REPORT IT.”

Separately, Daniels had denied the allegation in a Jan. 10, 2018 statement as well.

“I recently became aware that certain news outlets are alleging that I had a sexual and/or romantic affair with Donald Trump many, many, many years ago. I am stating with complete clarity that this is absolutely false,” Daniels wrote in that Jan. 10, 2018 statement. “My involvement with Donald Trump was limited to a few public appearances and nothing more.”

Daniels wrote in the letter that when she met Trump, he was “gracious, professional and a complete gentleman to me and EVERYONE in my presence.”

“Rumors that I have received hush money from Donald Trump are completely false,” the letter read. “If indeed I did have a relationship with Donald Trump, trust me, you wouldn’t be reading about it in the news, you would be reading about it in my book. But the fact of the matter is, these stories are not true.”

Bragg’s office also pointed to a third statement, in which Trump blasted former Manhattan prosecutor Mark Pomerantz.

“Has Mark POMERANTZ been prosecuted for his terrible acts in and out of the D.A.’s Office,” Trump posted on April 13. “Has disgraced attorney and felon Michael Cohen been prosecuted for LYING? Only TRUMP people get prosecuted by this Judge and these thugs! A dark day for our Country. MAGA2024!!!”

Cohen, in 2018, pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations, making false statements to Congress, making false statements to Congress and tax evasion. He was sentenced to three years in prison.

As for Pomerantz, he and his colleague Carey Dunne resigned from the Manhattan district attorney’s office in 2022 after Bragg took over as district attorney. At the time, Bragg had stopped pursuing charges against Trump and suspended the investigation “indefinitely,” according to a letter written by Pomerantz and obtained by Fox News Digital last year.

Pomerantz and Dunne, who had been leading the investigation under Bragg’s predecessor, former Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance, submitted their resignations in February 2022 after Bragg began raising doubts about pursuing a case against Trump.

After Pomerantz resigned, he wrote a tell-all book based on the investigation, which was still ongoing. The book seemingly made the case to charge Trump.

Meanwhile, Bragg’s team, in their Tuesday motion, said that fines may not be enough to prevent future issues and violations of the gag order.

“This Court should warn defendant that future violations of the Court’s restrictions on his extrajudicial statements can be punished not only with additional fines, but also with a term of incarceration of up to thirty days,” the motion states.

The contempt motion comes as part of the historic criminal trial of Trump. He is the first U.S. president to stand criminal trial.

Bragg charged him with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree related to alleged hush money payments made to Daniels in 2016 ahead of the election.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts.

Follow live updates.

NPR has suspended veteran editor Uri Berliner after he detailed his employer’s “absence of viewpoint diversity” last week in a stunning rebuke of the news organization.

NPR media reporter David Folkenflik reported the five-day suspension without pay began on Friday.

Berliner penned a bombshell piece in the Free Press that criticized NPR’s coverage of Russiagate, the COVID lab leak theory, Hunter Biden’s scandalous laptop, embrace of the theory of systemic racism and accused the organization of downplaying antisemitism following Oct. 7.

Berliner also wrote that registration records in 2021 showed an astonishing disparity between Democrats and Republicans in the NPR newsroom and said staffers didn’t want to help former President Trump, among other things, to indicate an “open-minded spirit no longer exists” at NPR.

“It angered many of his colleagues, led NPR leaders to announce monthly internal reviews of the network’s coverage, and gave fresh ammunition to conservative and partisan Republican critics of NPR, including former President Donald Trump,” Folkenflik wrote.

Folkenflik also spoke to Berliner directly, and the suspended editor told him embattled new CEO Katherine Maher is not the right person for the job after a plethora far-left social media posts she wrote before being hired were unearthed by NPR critics.

“We’re looking for a leader right now who’s going to be unifying and bring more people into the tent and have a broader perspective on, sort of, what America is all about,” Berliner told Folkenflik. “And this seems to be the opposite of that.”

Folkenflik also reported that Berliner “repeatedly to make his concerns over NPR’s coverage known to news leaders and to Maher’s predecessor as chief executive before publishing his essay.”

A former high-level NPR executive who worked with Berliner recently told Fox News Digital that it would be hard for Berliner to remain at the company.

“It seems to me that it would be very difficult for him now at NPR. I’ve seen stuff on the internet that he’s come under attack by people who are still at NPR,” he continued. “I think he did this out of a sense of principle.”

Reached for comment about Berliner’s claims, an NPR spokesperson last week directed Fox News Digital to a memo to staff by editor-in-chief Edith Chapin, where she said she and her team “strongly disagree” with the veteran editor’s assessment of the quality of NPR’s journalism and integrity.

“We’re proud to stand behind the exceptional work that our desks and shows do to cover a wide range of challenging stories. We believe that inclusion — among our staff, with our sourcing, and in our overall coverage — is critical to telling the nuanced stories of this country and our world,” she wrote as part of a lengthy memo.

Chapin also said she was proud of the organization’s work and lauded NPR as “one of the most trusted news organizations in the country.”

“Let’s not forget that the reason we remain one of the most trusted news organizations in the country is that we respect people’s ability to form their own judgments,” she added.

The California Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would create a new state agency for implementing the state’s reparations task force recommendations and determine which individuals qualify as descendants of American slaves.

SB 1403, authored by State Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, would establish the California American Freedmen Affairs Agency.

The bill would direct CAFA to implement suggestions from the state’s reparations task force, a body created by the state legislature, which recommended that eligible black residents of California could be owed up to $1.2 million, according to CalMatters.

Chief among the task force’s recommendations was the creation of CAFA as a cabinet-level agency to implement any of the Task Force’s recommendations that are enacted by the state legislature and signed by the governor.

CAFA would also create a “Genealogy Office” charged with developing a process for determining and assist with determining individuals’ eligibility for “descendant” status.

After passing the Judiciary Committee, the bill kept its provision defining descendant as including “descendants of a free Black person living in the United States prior to the end of the 19th century,” but amended its section that had included “African American descendants of a chattel enslaved person [living in the United States]” to now more widely include “descendants of an African American chattel enslaved person in the United States.”

According to analysis shared by the National African American Reparations Commission, lineage-based reparations programs such as these could result in white Americans becoming the majority of those qualified for reparations.

“California is 6.5 percent Black and 72 percent white. Imagine even half those Black people could prove their ancestry was tied to slavery. A large-scale DNA study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics concluded that, nationwide, about 3.5 percent of people who identify as white—including around 5 percent of white Californians—have at least one percent African ancestry,” wrote Michael Harriot.

“If the task force incorporates the suggestion that lineage can be proven by establishing ‘negative evidence,’ it is entirely possible that white people could claim the bulk of reparations.”

Based on the current definition, it is unclear the extent to which one must descend from an enslaved African American to qualify for reparations.