Trump holds meeting on postwar Gaza with Tony Blair and Jared Kushner

President Donald Trump was being briefed Wednesday on ideas for a post-war Gaza by his son-in-law and former Middle East envoy, Jared Kushner, and Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, according to reports.

Kushner and Blair met with the president to discuss what to do with the devastated enclave, which is currently facing a famine after three years of war started by the October 7, 2023 terror attacks by Hamas, Axios reported.

Trump, Blair and Kushner were discussing all aspects of the Gaza issue, including escalating food aid deliveries, the hostage crisis, post-war plans and more, White House officials told Reuters.

Trump has previously suggested an American takeover of the strip using U.S. troops as a way to bring an end to the war and satisfy Israeli demands that neither Hamas nor the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority have any say in Gaza governance.

Trump in February also posted an AI-generated video depicting a post-war Gaza as a lavish tourist destination.

During a February press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said Palestinians could be relocated to one large or multiple smaller sites that would be constructed and funded by “neighboring countries of great wealth” and located in “other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts.”

“It’s been very unlucky,” he continued. “It’s been an unlucky place for a long time. Being in its presence just has not been good, and it should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people that have really stood there and fought for it and lived there and died there and lived a miserable existence there.”

Pressed on what authority would permit the United States to take over Gaza — which is considered occupied territory under international law — Trump replied that he saw the United States taking “a long-term ownership position” that would bring “great stability to the Middle East” region. He also said the US could send troops to Gaza to accomplish this.

“Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent — in a really magnificent area,” he said.

The comments drew widespread criticism around the world, with Saudi Arabia saying it “unequivocally rejected” the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, and Hamas branding the idea “ridiculous and absurd”.

Trump later appeared to back down from his plan to take over Gaza, but on Tuesday his roving special envoy, Steve Witkoff, told Fox News that the administration was formulating a “very comprehensive plan” on “the next day” in Gaza.

“Many people are going to see how robust it is and how well meaning it is and it reflects President Trump’s humanitarian motives here,” he said.

Axios has also reported Witkoff as having met with Blair last month when Netanyahu visited with Trump at the White House.

The former Labour prime minister later met with Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas to discuss what he’d talked about with Witkoff, while Kushner separately briefed Netanyahu.

Critics of Netanyahu accuse him of prolonging the war for political reasons. Netanyahu blames Hamas, which still holds around 20 living hostages, and says criticism of Israel’s wartime conduct is only making the militant group more intransigent.

Trump says he wants the war to end and the hostages to come home. But Witkoff walked away from ceasefire talks last month, blaming Hamas, and the president has exerted no public pressure on Israel to change course since it ended a ceasefire in March that he helped broker.

Meanwhile, a United Nations official told the Associated Press Wednesday that if Israel’s military goes ahead with a planned offensive in Gaza City, then “all hope is gone that we’re ever going to see the end to this.”

But Israel says the evacuation of Gaza’s most populated city is “inevitable,” adding to international alarm for hundreds of thousands of people there as famine — documented and declared — threatens to spread after 22 months of war.

“You’ve got a population that’s living in abject fear, in abject cruelty, abject humiliation, that has no control whatsoever over their day-to-day, their minute-to minute lives,” said Sam Rose, the acting director of Gaza operations for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. “Just think for a minute about what that means for any human being, but what it means for parents, what it means for children who’ve grown up knowing nothing but this.”

— with Associated Press

The haunting Ruben Amorim image that could define Man United nightmare

One of the enduring images of Ruben Amorim’s troublesome reign at Manchester United so far came in the penalty shootout loss to Grimsby in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.

Amorim has created the wrong type of history with the club’s first-ever loss to a fourth-tier team in the competition’s 65-year history and questioned his own players afterwards.

But the huge upset at Blundell Park came with more scrutiny surrounding the Portuguese’s role during the shootout, which saw him sat in the dugout, instead of observing in close proximity to his players on the pitch.

Amorim was seen staring at the ground with some accusing him of hiding during one of United’s most painful moments over the last decade.

There have even been comparisons on social media to Steve McClaren’s “wally with a brolly” moment, as his time in charge of England unravelled against Croatia in the pouring rain at Wembley Stadium to dash hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008.

But Amorim remained defiant after being questioned over his decision to not watch the shootout, with new signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo missing in the 12-11 loss.

“The penalty shootout was not important,” Amorim replied when asked by ITV why he didn’t watch it. He went on to explain: “If I’m there trying to see if we win the game, it doesn’t matter. The beginning of the game, during the game that’s what mattered.

“If we win this game, it’s so unfair on these guys, the opponents. So today, the football was fair, congratulations to them. We move on to the next game and then we have time to decide things.”

Amorim also mentioned needing ‘time to think’ and ‘decide things’ about where he can take the team from this low point and hinted that the international break cannot come soon enough for his players.

“In the penalties, I was not thinking about the penalties, to go to the next stage,” Amorim said, “I think the players spoke really loud about what they want today. It’s really clear, I think it’s really clear to everybody what happened today.

“I just want to apologise to our fans, we’ll have a game now [against Burnley in the Premier League] and then time to think.”

Starmer to replace third top aide in less than a year in latest Downing Street reset

Sir Keir Starmer is replacing the top civil servant in his Downing Street office – the third senior staff member to leave their role in less than a year.

Nin Pandit, who is the principal private secretary in No 10 and runs the PM’s team, has only been in the role for ten months. It is understood she will be leaving that role in September, and taking up a different position in the Downing Street operation.

Her departure comes after chief of staff Sue Gray was forced out in October, while Matthew Doyle – the previous director of comms for Sir Keir – stood down in March.

Serving as the principal private secretary (PPS) to the prime minister is one of the most significant roles in the civil service, acting as gatekeeper between the PM and the official government machine, controlling the flow of information to the prime minister and shaping their diary.

People often hold that role before running major government departments or running the civil service in its entirety.

It is understood there is an internal process ongoing to recruit for her replacement.

A Downing Street source said: “The prime minister is taking direct oversight on how his priorities are delivered in No 10. Nin has been asked to lead on that work based in Downing Street from September. He trusts and backs Nin to lead on that important work.”

Ms Gray was sacked as chief of staff last year after losing a power struggle with election strategist Morgan McSweeney, following a difficult start to government plagued by infighting and a row over freebies.

Mr Doyle departed earlier this year as the PM sought to reshuffle his top team of advisers following complaints that he had failed to get his message across on thorny issues like the ditching of winter fuel payments.

And now, amid further questions over the direction of government and mounting criticism over its handling of the migrant crisis, Ms Pandit’s departure has triggered speculation the PM is attempting to conduct another reset within Downing Street.

He is also expected to reshuffle his junior ministers when parliament returns in September.

When Ms Pandit was appointed, it was announced by No 10 in the same press release that marked the departure of Ms Gray.

Ms Pandit worked previously as the director of the Downing Street Policy Unit from November 2022. Prior to that she led the No10 Delivery Unit’s health and social care team.

White House fires CDC director weeks after she was confirmed by Senate

Susan Monarez, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has been ousted as her lawyer claims she was targeted for “protecting the public over serving a political agenda.”

“Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” Health and Human Services wrote on X Wednesday evening. “We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people.”

Attorneys for Monarez said in a statement she has “neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she has been fired.”

What HHS officials left unsaid, according to sources speaking toThe Washington Post, was that her ousting came after she refused HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s push to change vaccine policy.

At the heart of the matter was whether Monarez would support rescinding certain approvals for Covid-19 shots, according to the sources.

Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, has already made efforts to roll back Covid-19 shots.

In May, he said Covid-19 vaccines were no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. And earlier this month, he canceled $500 million in vaccine development projects that use mRNA technology, which is used to fight respiratory viruses, including Covid-19.

Monarez would not commit to supporting the vaccine policy change without consulting her advisers, the sources said. This made Kennedy press her to resign for “not supporting President Trump’s agenda,” according to one person who spoke to The Washington Post.

Mark S. Zaid, a lawyer for Monarez, shared a statement on X Wednesday night suggesting she had been politically targeted and indicated she neither resigned nor received a termination notice.

“When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda. For that, she had been targeted.

Dr. Morarez has neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she has been fired, and as a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign,” the statement read.

White House Spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement to The Independent Morarez was indeed fired: “As her attorney’s statement makes abundantly clear, Susan Monarez is not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again.

“Since Susan Monarez refused to resign despite informing HHS leadership of her intent to do so, the White House has terminated Monarez from her position with the CDC.”

The Independent has reached out to HHS for comment.

Monarez was named acting director in January and then tapped as the nominee in March after President Donald Trump abruptly withdrew his first choice, David Weldon.

She was sworn in on July 31, less than a month ago, making her the shortest-serving CDC director in the history of the 79-year-old agency.

During her Senate confirmation process, Monarez told senators that she values vaccines, public health interventions and rigorous scientific evidence. But she largely dodged questions about whether those positions put her at odds with Kennedy.

The Washington Post reported at least three senior CDC officials resigned shortly after Monarez’s removal, including Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

Daskalakis wrote in a resignation email obtained by the publication, “I am not able to serve in this role any longer because of the ongoing weaponizing of public health.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Police name shooter after two children killed in attack on US Catholic school

Police are working to decipher a video “manifesto” believed to be posted by the suspected shooter who opened fire at a Catholic school on the south side of Minneapolis.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara identified Robin Westman, a 23-year-old transgender woman, as the assailant who shot through the stained-glass windows at Annunciation Catholic School at about 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday as pupils were celebrating Mass at the start of the academic year.

Two children, aged eight and 10, were shot dead in the pews of the church while 17 others, including 14 children and three parishioners in their 80s, were injured, police said.

O’Hara said Wednesday afternoon that investigators were scouring through a video “manifesto” which was posted to YouTube to “try and develop a motive,” which has not yet been found.

The now-removed videos show weapons etched with racial slurs and a death threat against President Donald Trump. In another clip, Westman, who legally changed her name from Robert to Robin in 2019 and identified as a woman, shared their reverence for other mass shooters.

Trump offered condolences to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz while a distraught Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey lamented the devastating attack.

Make the most of London this summer with this stadium experience

Whether you’re experiencing London for the first time or you’re a family with kids keen to create unforgettable memories during the holidays, a visit to this world-famous stadium in North London is a must.

After 90 years at their beloved Highbury stadium, Arsenal’s ambitions outgrew their original home and in 2006, the club opened the Emirates. With a seating capacity of over 60,000, the Emirates stadium is one of the largest in England. The sheer scale of this field of dreams must be seen to believed — and thanks to its easy-to-reach location, you can hop on a bus or train and get there in no time.

Once there, Arsenal’s award-winning tours open the doors to parts of the stadium that are usually off-limits to the public. For sightseers who prefer to go at their own pace and for those with little ones who tire easily, the club’s self-guided audio-visual tour is a great option.

Fans and families can take their time to soak in the atmosphere and stroll in the footsteps of footballing legends, imagining the roar of the crowd as you step into the players’ tunnel. Afterwards, feel the tension rise in the dugout and experience the best seats in the house in the directors’ box.

It’s a rare opportunity to glimpse the inner workings of a prestigious football club and explore normally restricted areas that also include the home and away dressing rooms, the media lounge and the exclusive members-only Diamond Club.

Available in seven languages on a state-of-the-art handheld device, the tour is narrated by Arsenal presenter David Frimpong, otherwise known as ‘Frimmy’, as well as featuring commentary from Arsenal legends Alex Scott and David Seaman.

As well as audio, the tour recreates the electric atmosphere of matchday using 360-degree augmented footage and includes brand new interactive elements. You can also take souvenir photos with iconic Arsenal trophies, including that of the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

The Arsenal Legend Stadium Tour is a more bespoke alternative to the self-guided tour, where visitors can explore the stadium for 90 minutes alongside an Arsenal hero. Tour guides include Nigel Winterburn and Perry Groves, as well as former women’s captain Faye White MBE.

During the tour, the Arsenal legend will share memories, anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories from their time on the pitch, offering a unique insider’s perspective on life at the club. Expect plenty of humour, fascinating insights and a chance to hear back-room gossip straight from the legends themselves. There’s also a chance for a Q&A and photo opportunity with your Arsenal legend of choice.

Included with every tour ticket is entry into Arsenal’s interactive museum situated right next door to the stadium. Chart the club’s evolution from humble origins in Woolwich in 1886 to its modern powerhouse status with a global following of over 100 million fans.

The museum features two impressive video theatres, showing highlights from the club’s origins to the present day as well as twenty major displays of Arsenal’s proud history. Feast your eyes on silverware from the club’s most successful eras, Michael Thomas’s boots from Anfield 1989 and Jens Lehmann’s goalkeeper gloves worn for every league match of the unbeaten Invincibles season in 2003/4.

For lifelong Gooners, it’s a trip down memory lane. For families and tourists, it’s an eye-opening lesson in why football matters so much to the UK and is the perfect outing to experience London at its most authentic.

This content is brought to you by Living360, a digital lifestyle destination keeping you up to date with health and fitness, food and drink, homes and gardens, beauty, travel, finance trends and more.

Met Office issues weather warning as Hurricane Erin rain reaches UK

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for rain in Wales amid reports of bad weather in the aftermath of Hurricane Erin moving across the Atlantic.

The warning is in place until 4pm on Thursday and covers the areas of Bridgend, Powys, Swansea and Neath, among others.

The forecaster said people should expect some flooding in households, businesses and on the roads, as well as possible power cuts and issues with public transport.

Heavy showers are expected to continue through Thursday morning and the early afternoon, feeding in from the Bristol Channel. The Met Office said the conditions will ease up later in the day as the wind direction changes from south-westerly to westerly.

The Met Office has reminded people to check if their homes are at risk of flooding, and prepare a food plan and an emergency kit if so.

It said: “People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.

“Be prepared for weather warnings to change quickly: when a weather warning is issued, the Met Office recommends staying up to date with the weather forecast in your area.”

It also reminded people to check driving conditions to avoid potential road and traffic delays.

The weather comes as the UK now faces the aftermath of Hurricane Erin, which struck the US last week. The hurricane strengthened into a Category 5 storm – the most major and catastrophic category – on 16 August, with sustained winds of 160 miles per hour. Its intensification was one of the fastest on record.

The Met Office has warned that up to 10 to 20mm of heavy rain and gusts in excess of 50mph are expected in some areas this weekend, particularly along the coast and on high ground.

Met Office chief meteorologist Steve Willington said: “A westerly regime is now in charge of the UK’s weather and will help fuel periods of wet and windy weather over the next few days, with showers and some longer spells of rain likely for much of the UK on Thursday and Friday.

“While many areas may welcome some rain after fairly prolonged dry weather, there’s a potential that over the next few days some parts of Wales, northwest England and western Scotland could see some impacts at times, which we’ll be keeping an eye on.”

The hurricane marks the end of a dry spell for much of the UK after record-breaking temperatures have put the nation on track for the hottest summer on record.

Monday’s bank holiday saw temperatures reach 29.1C in the village of Hawarden in Flintshire and 24.5C in Magilligan, Londonderry, the Met Office said.

The previous record for Wales was 26.5C dating back to 1991, and 23.8C for Northern Ireland.

Here is the weather forecast for the coming week, according to the Met Office.

Sunshine and scattered showers for many, these heavy and thundery at times with the possibility of hail. Breezy, especially in the west, and feeling cooler here, but warmer in sunny spells in the east.

Becoming largely dry with clear spells across the east and southeast. Elsewhere, showers likely to become more organised in the southwest and northwest. Breezy for most.

More rain across the southwest with heavy and thundery showers. These moving eastwards across southern counties. Elsewhere any showers easing in the afternoon with temperatures around average.

Staying unsettled this weekend with further spells of rain and showers. Widely wet and windy on Saturday, but with some brightness returning on Sunday. Temperatures remaining around average.

Reform council accused of ‘attack on local democracy’ after Nottingham Post ban

Reform UK have been accused of a “massive attack on local democracy” after a local council leader banned his councillors from engaging with a leading local newspaper.

Earlier this week, the Nottingham Post said they had been told by Nottinghamshire County Council’s Reform administration that it would no longer engage with them or the team of BBC-funded local democracy journalists that the paper manages.

The move, which comes despite the party’s claim to defend free speech, has been met with outrage. The editor of the paper – which includes the Nottingham Post and its online edition Nottinghamshire Live – said it was a “worrying sign of potentially things to come if Reform wins the next election”.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats said the move was “straight out of Donald Trump’s playbook”. They called on Mr Farage to step in and urge Reform’s council leader Mick Barton to reverse the “dangerous and chilling” decision.

And Michael Payne, the Labour MP for Gedling, accused Reform of “rank hypocrisy”.

Speaking to the Guardian, Nottingham Post editor Natalie Fahy said: “It’s a massive attack on local democracy. I’ve been a journalist for 20 years. We have had our ups and downs with all kinds of councils.

“We managed to get along fine, because most elected officials accept this is par for the course. You are going to get some negative press. What you don’t do is shut the shop up.”

She added: “This is a worrying sign of potentially things to come if Reform wins the next election.

“What you’re seeing here in Nottinghamshire is probably a microcosm of how it will be across the whole of the UK if Nigel Farage becomes prime minister. You are just going to see this kind of shutting down of questioning.

“They need to be answerable to the people who elected them. We don’t take a political stance. We’re not anti-Reform. We’re just trying to find out what’s going on.”

The row began after a clip of an interview with a local councillor – which showed them appearing to have a limited grasp of their brief – went viral in June.

The ban was then put in place after a story published by the local news outlet looked at plans for a reorganisation of local government, and made allegations about internal disagreements within Reform’s group of councillors.

Reform MP Lee Anderson has said he will join the boycott, after previously describing journalists at the outlet as “lefty out of touch low level so-called journalists”.

Max Wilkinson, Lib Dem culture, media and sport spokesperson said: “Reform’s move to block local journalists from reporting on their work is straight out of Donald Trump’s playbook. It’s a cornerstone of our democracy that politicians of all stripes are held to account — but for some reason Farage’s cronies think they can make themselves exempt.

“This move sets a dangerous and chilling precedent for if Reform were to win power nationally and goes against our deeply rooted British values of freedom of the press. We must stand up to Reform’s assault on those principles.

“Nigel Farage pretends to champion free speech: I’m calling on him to take some responsibility for once in his political career and demand that Nottinghamshire County Council Leader Mick Barton reverses this decision.”

Mr Gedling added: “Reform told us throughout the election, and continues to tell us, that they’re the party of free speech and transparency. But it’s clear from this decision in Nottinghamshire that free speech and transparency only applies to everybody else and not to themselves.”

The ban means that none of the 41 Reform councillors will speak to Nottinghamshire Live and local democracy reporters, while press officers have been ordered to remove the outlet from media distribution lists. This means its journalists won’t receive press releases or be invited to events.

The outlet has claimed they have been told they will only receive statements from Reform councillors during an emergency situation, such as flooding.

Reform UK has been contacted for comment.