Terrorist sympathizer’s close ties to the White House exposed
FIRST ON FOX: The head of a prominent “social justice” group that published an essay calling for “decriminalizing Hamas,” along with defunding the police and eliminating immigration agencies, visited the White House multiple times earlier this year.
Joyce Ajlouny, listed as the general secretary of American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), is shown on official logs visiting the White House twice in March 2024 for a total of three meetings with members of the Biden administration.
Ajlouny and a delegation of religious leaders “met with Biden administration staff from the National Security Council, the Domestic Policy Council, and the Office of Public Engagement to demand an end to the genocide in Gaza,” according to a statement issued by Ajlouny at the time in a press release.
“I joined with people representing many different churches and denominations to call for an immediate and permanent cease-fire and full access for humanitarian aid,” she continued. “The Biden Administration has the power to make this happen.”
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AFSC has pushed a variety of far-left causes, including a September 2019 essay written by author Jonathan Kuttab, a “Palestinian human rights lawyer,” titled, “Decriminalizing Hamas.”
Kuttab called “to end the demonization of Hamas, bring it into the political process and begin the long road to peace and freedom,” the Washington Free Beacon reported this past week.
AFSC, a self-described “Quaker org” based in Philadelphia, has been a fierce critic of Israel, blaming it as the “root cause” of the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel last October.
At the height of the George Floyd riots in 2020, the group also posted a call to defund the police.
“In the wake of ongoing police killings of Black people, AFSC joins a growing number of groups calling on cities and states to invest money in schools, health care, and transformative justice approaches, rather than funding the police,” the post stated.
In another post shared by the group, which is titled, “A Quaker call to defund the police,” the essay says, “Defunding the police is a demand from the Black Lives Matter movement.”
“At this point we need to follow and support the calls and demands from the Black people and grassroots organizations offering profound leadership,” the essay continued. “It is not for us to mute or critique the demands that Black folks are making right now.”
AFSC repeatedly called for defunding the police and abolishing ICE and border patrol on their official X account.
The Marguerite Casey Foundation, a radical far-left organization that has repeatedly supported abolishing police and ICE, is one of several left-wing foundations that has donated tens of thousands of dollars to AFSC, which includes the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a billionaire-fueled fund that keeps popping up in the financials for anti-Israel groups.
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AFSC’s media relations director responded to Fox News Digital’s inquiry about their controversial positions by saying, “AFSC is a Quaker organization that values the life and dignity of every single person.”
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“For more than a century we have worked to end wars and alleviate suffering in the U.S. and around the world,” Layne Mullett said. “In 1947, the Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to AFSC and the British Friends Service Council, in recognition of the work of Quakers worldwide to heal rifts, tend to the wounded, and oppose war.”
“We have a long history in Israel and Palestine and began doing relief work in Gaza in 1948,” she continued. “We continue to do vital humanitarian work there today. We have been outspoken advocates to end the occupation of Palestinian and to build lasting peace with justice between Israelis, Palestinians, and all people for decades.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Harris campaign for comment but did not receive a response.
VP Harris roasted for latest word salad about ‘duality’ of democracy
Vice President Kamala Harris was ridiculed on social media Sunday after delivering a long-winded monologue on the “duality to the nature of democracy” at a campaign event in Pennsylvania.
Harris spoke to supporters at an event in Rochester on Sunday alongside her running mate Tim Walz before the pair head to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention this week, where she will be nominated as the party’s nominee. In a seemingly off-script moment during the event, Harris regaled attendees with a lecture about the dual nature of democracy, describing it as both “incredibly strong” and “incredibly fragile.”
“Our election is about understanding the importance of this beautiful country of ours in terms of what we stand for around the globe as a democracy,” Harris said. “As a democracy, we know there’s a duality to the nature of democracy. On the one hand, incredible strength when it is intact. What it does for its people, to protect and defend their rights. Incredibly strong.
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“And incredibly fragile,” she continued. “It is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it. And that’s what this campaign is about.”
A clip of the comment was widely shared online, reigniting attacks against the vice president for her rambling statements that critics have termed “word salads.” Republicans said the comment offered voters an insight into the true Harris when the teleprompter is turned off.
“They took Kamala off the teleprompter today in Pennsylvania. It didn’t go well,” Outkick.com founder Clay Travis wrote alongside the clip.
“Kamala is uniquely awful. She’s not smart, charming, or talented. The more voters hear her voice, the less they’ll want to support her,” radio show host Buck Sexton wrote on X. “All downhill from here. Keep the faith.”
“THIS is why Comrade Kamala isn’t allowed to speak off script Holy crap. Anybody know what the HELL she’s talking about here??!” Video journalist Nick Sortor replied.
“This is the best the democrats could get?!” he wrote in a follow up post.
Conservative commentator Carmine Sabia quipped, “Is this a Harris and Walz rally or a 10 year old’s birthday party? No free concert and she draws dozens off fans.”
Podcast host Alec Lace called Harris “The Wizard of Word Salad,” adding, “if you’re wondering why they don’t like to let Kamala Harris go off teleprompter, this is why.”
Assistant professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, J.D. Haltigan, replied alongside the clip, “Utterly delusional incoherence. At least when Trump riffs, there is a thread. This is just a confetti of word salad.”
GOP communicator Matt Whitlock posted, “In case you were wondering why they’ve kept Kamala away from interviews and only in front of teleprompters…”
Harris has made a similar comment in the past, according to The Hill. In October 2022, Harris told a crowd, “I think of democracy as… there are like two sides to it. There’s a duality to it… when a democracy is intact, it is extraordinarily strong in the power it gives the people. The duality is that on the other hand, it is extremely fragile this democracy, It is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it. What gives me hope, is I know we are prepared to fight for it.”
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Harris continues to take heat over her refusal to hold a formal press conference or regularly engage with the press since emerging as the party’s nominee.
She has not sat for a formal sit-down interview with the media in the nearly 30 days since Biden endorsed her and she officially clinched the nomination in a subsequent “virtual” roll-call vote less than two weeks later.
Architect of Obama’s victory issues a specific confidence warning to Democrats
Ex-Obama adviser David Axelrod cautioned against overconfidence in Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday, saying former President Trump may still be in the lead in the swing states that will decide the race.
“This is still a very competitive race. If the election were today, I‘m not sure who would win, and I think it may well be President Trump because it’s an Electoral College fight,” Axelrod said.
A recent survey conducted by Ipsos found Trump and Harris are close or effectively tied in seven swing states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada. Harris receives 42% of the vote share in the seven swing states, compared to Trump’s 40% and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy’s 5%.
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“I’ve said several times here that for a Democrat to win those battleground states they have to have a significant lead in the Electoral College,” he said.
“It’s good to be enthusiastic. That enthusiasm is really, really important for the Democratic Party, but you have to turn that into energetic action in order to win the election,” Axelrod continued.
Hillary Clinton defeated Trump by two points in the national popular vote in 2016 but still lost the Electoral College and the election. In 2020, Biden won by about four points in the popular vote, but Trump still came close to winning the election due to Biden’s razor-thin margins in the decisive states of Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia.
Axelrod, who irked Biden’s inner circle with his criticisms of the president while he was the nominee, said that Harris’ campaign has made rapid and “extraordinary progress” with voters, especially when compared to how the race looked during the Republican National Convention (RNC) last month.
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“We were all in Milwaukee a month ago and there was euphoria there and a sense that this race was over, that they were going to win by a landslide, perhaps sweep in big majorities in the House and Senate and things have changed dramatically,” he said, referring to the RNC in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Approximately 52% of respondents in the swing states said that inflation is the most important issue facing the country, while 32% said immigration is the most pressing matter, per an Ipsos poll conducted between July 31 and Aug. 7.
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The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Economists sound the alarm on kitchen table issues as DNC kicks off
Whoever wins the White House in November will need to put three policy items at the top of the “To Do” list, according to 132 of the nation’s top economists.
“A majority of panelists identifies budget deficits and immigration reform as the top two policy issues facing the next administration,” said National Association for Business Economics (NABE) President Ellen Zentner, chief economic strategist and global head of thematic and macro investing for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.
NABE’s August survey, released Monday, also listed the overall economy as the third priority.
Fifty-nine percent of participants listed budget deficits as the number one issue. The U.S. borrowed over $1.5 trillion over the first 10 months of the fiscal 2024 year, including more than $240 billion last month, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s Monthly Budget Review.
Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, urged the next president not to waste time in confronting these issues.
“Our fiscal trajectory cannot be left on autopilot – the stakes are far too high and the consequences far too steep to leave our national debt climbing in perpetuity,” she warned in the report’s release.
U.S. NATIONAL DEBT TRACKER
The national debt, which measures what the U.S. owes its creditors — stands at over $35 trillion through last week, according to the U.S. Treasury Department. Four decades ago, it averaged just over $900 billion.
“Considering the sheer size of the challenges we already face – interest costs on course to exceed our defense and Medicare budgets, deficits barreling toward $2 trillion, and no plan in the works to turn things around – how can we afford to sit idle any longer?” she also added.
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On Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled her economic plan coined “Agenda to Lower Costs for American Families.” The broad plan included $25,000 for first-time homebuyers, multiple housing affordability measures and an expansion of the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, among other initiatives.
Following the release, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) found that these plans would increase federal budget deficits by $1.7 trillion over the next decade.
Prior to her plan, she unveiled a first-ever federal price-fixing plan for corporations as part of a sweeping initiative intended to reduce grocery prices and other everyday expenses as inflation remains stubbornly high. Still, as FOX Business reported, economists are skeptical such a plan could work.
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Vice President Harris also followed former President Trump’s promise to eliminate federal taxation on tips. The CRFB noted her plan may increase deficits to as much as $200 billion, while former President’s Trump plan would up them by as much as $250 billion. Other factors that could have an impact, such as how employers and workers reclassify this income, remain “uncertain”, the CRFB noted.
As for immigration, no respondents said policies “are fine as they are” the survey detailed.
However, over 60% said the volume of those entering the country legally should increase in tandem with upping high-skill and low skill visa programs and still, border enforcement needs to be stepped up.
On the economy, the group remains optimistic, putting the chance of a U.S. recession at 25% next year, slightly higher than the 22% polled in February’s survey.
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On Friday, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell will deliver the keynote speech at the Kansas City Federal Reserve’s Economic Policy Symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he is expected to lay out more details on the expected interest rate cut in September.
Talk show host pioneer and Marlo Thomas’ husband Phil Donahue dead at 88
Talk show legend Phil Donahue has died at the age of 88.
Donahue passed away on Sunday night following a long illness, his family told NBC’s “Today.” He was surrounded by his family, including his wife of 44 years, Marlo Thomas.
Donahue hosted “The Phil Donahue Show” from 1967 to 1996 and is considered an icon of the daytime talk show industry. Donahue, long dubbed “the king of daytime talk,” was the first to incorporate audience participation in a talk show.
He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Biden earlier this year.
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“Phil Donahue is a journalist and television pioneer who pioneered the daytime issue-oriented television talk show. Donahue was the first daytime talk show to feature audience participation and one of the most influential television programs of its time,” the White House said when Donahue was awarded the prestigious honor.
Donahue was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1935. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in business administration in 1957 and started his broadcasting career with various entry-level positions before joining Dayton’s WLWD television station in 1967.
Donahue won 20 Emmy Awards over his historic career, along with a Peabody in 1980. He regularly touched on hot-button issues, such as feminism, homosexuality, consumer protection and civil rights. Along the way, he interviewed everyone from Muhammed Ali and Ronald Reagan to John Wayne and Farrah Fawcett. In 1987, Donahue interviewed Donald Trump to help promote “The Art of the Deal.”
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The show also had a radio-style call-in bit where Donahue greeted with his signature, “Is the caller there?”
Donahue is responsible for several of the most iconic talk show moments of all time, such as when Katharine Hepburn didn’t know his name, or the time controversial rap group 2 Live Crew performed on his program, and is beloved by industry heavyweights. He paved the way for successful hosts in the format, such as Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams and Ellen DeGeneres.
“One of the true trail-blazing icons of American television. He hosted over 6,000 talk shows, and was the first to interact with a studio audience. Interviewing him for CNN a few years ago lived up to every expectation… such a clever, interesting man,” Piers Morgan posted on X.
Donahue married Thomas on May 21, 1980, and in 2020 the couple released a book near their 40th anniversary titled, “What Makes Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life.”
Donahue returned to television in 2002, hosting the short-lived “Donahue” on MSNBC. He also partnered with Soviet journalist Vladimir Posner for an innovative television discussion series during the Cold War in the 1980s.
Donahue also co-directed the 2006 documentary “Body of War,” which was nominated for an Oscar.
Donahue had five children, four sons and a daughter, from a previous marriage.
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In lieu of flowers, Donahue’s family asked that donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Phil Donahue/Notre Dame Scholarship Fund, according to NBC.
Popular playground for the rich and famous has a dark side hidden in plain sight
BRIDGEHAMPTON, N.Y. – The biggest risks for recreational boaters include drinking behind the wheel, inexperience and operator error, authorities say.
The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office in New York brought Fox News Digital along for a ride with its harbor patrol unit in the waters off the Hamptons earlier this month.
It turned out to be a quiet day on the water — no arrests, no emergencies. That also meant no drownings.
“I would say the biggest misconception with the sheriff’s office is that we’re not out to ruin a good time,” said Sgt. Michael Letscher, a 24-year veteran of the force, nearly half of them on the water. “We want to make sure everybody’s operating the boat safely, that they have their safety equipment. We’re not out there to ruin your day. We want to make sure everybody’s safe and has a great day by getting home safely.”
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Letscher’s crew had been prepared for boardings and other enforcement procedures, which he says are designed to promote safety, not “ruin” anyone’s day.
Worst case scenarios could involve emergency rescue operations. Letscher said he’s seen some tragic ones in his 10 years with the marine patrol, including a deadly plane crash and child drownings.
While intoxicated boating can be a safety risk, authorities told Fox News Digital that the biggest danger is unfamiliarity with the conditions at sea and inexperience on the water and how to navigate the channels.
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“Roadways and waterways differ in that the roads are more confined, there’s obviously lines on the road — in the water, there’s not,” Letscher said. “There’s simply buoys to navigate to and from. And if people aren’t familiar with the waterways, for example, and people are coming to our East End waterways from the west… it’s just inherently more dangerous.”
Letscher said the sheriff’s office also assists when foreign boats arrive in Hamptons waters.
“There’s a lot of boats coming from the Bahamas, large yachts that are typically operated by captains,” he said. “They need a cruising permit to enter the New York waters, and they announced themselves to the New York vector, and the sheriff’s office will actually check on that… hand in hand with Customs Border [Protection] agents.”
According to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), alcohol was the leading factor in fatal boating accidents last year, accounting for 79 deaths across the country and 17% of total boating fatalities. Other primary causes of accidents included inexperience, inattention and equipment failures.
Still, the number of boating deaths declined more than 11% last year compared to 2022.
USCG statistics show 75 percent of recreational boating fatalities involved an operator who hadn’t taken a course on boater safety.
“Anyone can buy a boat — whether or not they take the safety course… to become a better boater, that’s not always the case,” Letscher said.
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Three-quarters of all recreational boating deaths were the result of drowning, and 87% of the victims weren’t wearing life jackets.
Former NFL star arrested over disturbing in-flight incident involving passenger
Former NFL player Gosder Cherilus was arrested on Saturday after he was accused of urinating on a passenger during a flight.
The 2008 first-round pick was on a Delta flight headed to Dublin when the airline said he acted in an “unruly” manner.
The flight was routed back to Logan Airport in Boston, and he was taken into custody after the plane had landed.
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Police told Boston 25 News that Cherilus was arrested for disorderly conduct.
“Delta flight 154 from Boston to Dublin on August 17 returned to Boston Logan due to an unruly customer and was met by law enforcement,” a Delta spokesperson told the Boston outlet. “Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful behavior and will cooperate with law enforcement to that end. We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel.”
The other passengers boarded a plane to Ireland on Sunday night – he is scheduled to be arraigned in a Boston court Monday.
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Cherlius starred as an offensive lineman during his time at Boston College – he redshifted in 2013 and then became the 17th overall pick in 2008 by the Detroit Lions.
In his first eight seasons, out of the 117 games he played, he started in 113 of them.
He spent his first five seasons in Detroit before signing a deal with the Indianapolis Colts in free agency ahead of the 2013 season – his $35 million contract made him the highest-paid right tackle at the time.
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However, he only lasted two seasons there, despite signing for five years. He then spent his final two years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring in 2017.
Researchers identify two surprising new risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease
Two surprising new risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease are noted in a new study.
Untreated vision loss and high levels of LDL cholesterol have been linked to a greater chance of developing the common dementia type.
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is sometimes called “bad cholesterol,” is associated with negative health effects when present in high amounts.
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Researchers from University College London led the study, published in The Lancet on Aug. 10.
The findings were also presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) in Philadelphia on July 31.
Vision loss and high LDL cholesterol join a list of 12 other risk factors the researchers previously identified in 2020.
Those 12 are hearing loss, lower education, smoking, hypertension, obesity, physical inactivity, depression, diabetes, excessive alcohol consumption, air pollution, traumatic brain injury and social isolation.
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To identify the two new risk factors, the researchers analyzed dozens of recent studies on vision loss and high cholesterol.
The 14 total factors are responsible for roughly half of dementia cases globally, the researchers stated, which means eliminating them could potentially prevent many cases.
“Some dementia risk factors, such as alcohol consumption and physical exercise, can be managed by changing your lifestyle, but many must be addressed on a societal level,” Fiona Carragher, chief policy and research officer at the Alzheimer’s Society in the U.K., said in a press release.
(The study was partly funded by the Alzheimer’s Society.)
“Social isolation, education inequalities and air pollution are beyond individuals’ control and require public health interventions and joint action between government and industry.”
“I tell patients all the time, ‘if it’s healthy for the heart, it’s healthy for the brain.’”
Dr. Earnest Lee Murray, a board-certified neurologist at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, Tennessee, was not involved in the study but said it “substantiates a lot of things we have known about dementia for several years.”
He told Fox News Digital, “The study in Lancet shows higher levels of LDL (the bad cholesterol) — which is often related to diet and lifestyle choices — is related to a greater chance of developing a dementia process.”
“Genetic factors can play a role in elevated levels of LDL — however, even in these patients, diet modifications can be beneficial as well.”
The neurologist was also not surprised by the link between vision loss and development of dementia.
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“We have known for years that patients who have higher levels of education and are ‘well-read’ often develop dementia at a much later age,” Murray said.
“We rely heavily upon eyesight to be able to engage in our surroundings as well as stimulate cognitive thought.”
Reducing the risk
In his practice, Murray said, he is often asked about ways to prevent or reduce the risk of developing dementia at a later age.
“Patients have a good understanding of what a heart-healthy diet and lifestyle look like,” he told Fox News Digital.
The brain is a “very vascular organ,” the doctor pointed out — which means it is closely linked to the heart.
“I tell patients all the time, ‘If it’s healthy for the heart, it’s healthy for the brain,’” Murray said.
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“This not only includes dietary changes, such as lower fat/lower cholesterol diets, but also lifestyle modifications, such as smoking and alcohol cessation.”
There is also evidence that the Mediterranean diet can be beneficial in delaying the onset of dementia, Murray noted.
“Regular exercise is beneficial from a vascular standpoint, and can also help from a mental standpoint,” he added.
Participating in cognitively stimulating activities is also known to delay the potential onset of dementia, according to Murray.
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“I tell my patients to find some cognitively challenging activity they enjoy, whether that’s working puzzles or reading challenging books,” he said.
“These activities can maintain a higher level of cognitive abilities and retard the onset of dementia.”
To prevent vision loss, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting regular eye exams, wearing protective eye wear in high-risk environments and wearing sunglasses to prevent exposure to UV rays.
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Knowing your family’s eye health history, eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, maintaining healthy blood sugar levels and avoiding smoking can also prevent vision loss, the agency added.
Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers and the Alzheimer’s Society for additional comment.