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Greg Bovino and ICE thugs "In Your Face" outside Newsom presser
Further

Nabbing the Worst Of the Worst Strawberry Sellers

After much stellar trolling of "THE LOWEST POLLING PRESIDENT IN RECENT HISTORY" with "NEW, MORE BEAUTIFUL MAPS" that will end his reign - "YOU WON’T LIKE IT!!" - Gavin Newson, "AMERICA’S FAVORITE GOVERNOR!!" urged California voters to support vital redistricting at a presser promptly crashed - bullies gonna bully - by armed, masked ICE thugs sent by the presiding "WEAK LITTLE MAN!!!” Still, Newsom declared, "We will not be complicit." The thugs, "making L.A. safer," arrested one worker. SAD.

Newsom's appearance at L.A.'s Japanese American National Museum, in the city's Little Tokyo neighborhood, was to unveil a new initiative asking California voters to approve early Congressional redistricting in a November special election aimed at offsetting a sleazy ploy by Texas Republicans to eliminate five Democratic seats in next year's elections Trump feels "entitled" to. Directly warning Trump, "You have poked the bear, and we will punch back," Newsom said his Election Rigging Response Act would in turn target five House GOP seats in his state if Texas goes ahead with its morally dubious, possibly illegal move; his ingenious "flipping the script" on the GOP would allow Californians to temporarily redraw their Congressional map before ultimately returning that authority to the independent commission it's long used for the task.

Leading up to his own theatrical, unprecedented, expedient proposal, Newsom - or his brilliant media team led by Camille Zapata - undertook a savage campaign mocking the dark bluster and lowbrow idiocy of the mad king himself in his many gonzo diatribes. "DONALD TRUMP, IF YOU DO NOT STAND DOWN, WE WILL BE FORCED TO LEAD AN EFFORT TO REDRAW THE MAPS IN CA TO OFFSET THE RIGGING OF MAPS IN RED STATES," his office screeched online. "THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!" Then, praise for "CALIFORNIA’S BEAUTIFUL MAPS. PEOPLE ARE SAYING THEY ARE THE GREATEST MAPS EVER CREATED — EVEN BETTER THAN CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS...THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.”

Then, “DONALD TRUMP, THE LOWEST POLLING PRESIDENT IN RECENT HISTORY, THIS IS YOUR SECOND-TO-LAST WARNING!!!" followed by the helpful clarifier for history's dumbest president, "(THE NEXT ONE IS THE LAST ONE!).” Then, "DONALD 'TACO' TRUMP, AS MANY CALL HIM, 'MISSED' THE DEADLINE!!! CALIFORNIA WILL NOW DRAW NEW, MORE 'BEAUTIFUL MAPS,' (that will end his PRESIDENCY when DEMS TAKE BACK THE HOUSE!!) YOU WILL NOT LIKE IT! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!" And, "PRESS CONFERENCE COMING — HOSTED BY AMERICA’S FAVORITE GOVERNOR, GAVIN NEWSOM. HISTORY WILL BE MADE. Newsom even stole Trump's, and Ice Barbie's, favorite, outlandish name, calling it, "LIBERATION DAY FOR AMERICA."

In his speech, Newsom skipped the comedy to gravely address the "serious moment" facing America. "We're here with the clarity of our purpose and conviction, to recognize that we need to reconcile the world we’re living in," he said. "We do have agency. We can shape the future, and that’s what we intend to do." Citing Trump's Jan. 6th attempt to "light Democracy on fire," he noted, "Here he is again, trying to rig the system" by demanding a Texas governor ‘find me five seats'...He doesn't play by a different set of rules - he doesn’t believe in the rules. As a consequence, we need to disabuse ourselves of the way things have been done, (and) meet fire with fire." At this key juncture, he declared, "We will not be complicit." In other words, many cheered, the governor of the country's most populous state and the world's fourth largest economy in the world "brought a gun to a gunfight."

It remains unclear how successful his bold, rare redistricting move will be: Polls suggest less than 40% of voters support returning that authority to state lawmakers, and a majority is needed to pass a statewide ballot initiative. But at least one member of the commission urged voters to "set aside the good work of California" as a "one-time occurrence" to address the current crisis. And at the launch, Newson was flanked by Dem allies who likewise urged action, including Sen. Alex Padilla, who in June was assaulted and handcuffed for trying to ask a question at another presser held by ICE.Barbie. Given the repressive times, he again pointedly asked voters, "Are we ready to stand up for our democracy?"

The event might have been largely dismissed as a symbolic launch if its fragile, thin-skinned schoolyard bully of a target hadn't again overplayed his hand and, demonstrating his usual lack of strategy or subtlety, sent in a beefy battalion of masked, armed, camoed, rifle-and-zip-tie-toting goons to hulk outside in clumsy bunches looking alternately scary, dumbfounded, overdressed and comic-book-villainous. The San Francisco Chronicle proclaimed they'd "crashed" the event led by Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino, famously last seen pointlessly sweeping MacArthur Park for imaginary bad guys. "We’re here making Los Angeles a safer place," he snarled. "Since we don’t have politicians who will do that, we do it ourselves.”

Bovino claimed he had no idea the governor was in the building behind him, insisting the action was part of "routine roving patrols" - which have, in fact, already been struck down as unconstitutional "racial profiling" by multiple courts and may now go to SCOTUS. But meh, who needs the law: One MAGA moron freaked out at the audacity of the wholly aimless venture with, "HOLY SHT Bovino just EXPOSED Gavin Newscum right outside his venue: ABSOLUTE MIC DROP." Newsom was less impressed, calling the move "sick and pathetic." Who sends thugs, he asked: "Someone who is weak, who's broken," whose weakness is masquerading as authoritarian strength. "You think it's coincidental?” Newsom asked. "Wake up, America.”

Meanwhile, his team kept trolling: "BORDER PATROL HAS SHOWED UP AT OUR BIG BEAUTIFUL PRESS CONFERENCE! WE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED!" Mayor Bass charged a regime that's "run amok" and is "the source of the disorder" came to "thumb their nose in front of the governor’s face.” Kristi Noem, simultaneously live on Fox, defended the "in your face" move, blathering ICE operations are "built on information, on investigative work. Remember, we're focusing on the worst of the worst. So I don’t know specific to what information that they had for that operation but it was based on the investigative work that all law enforcement officers do for every single operation they conduct" - to uncover, lest we forget, "the worst of the worst."

Ultimately, Bovino said, "We did make an apprehension of one person." Video shows a short brown guy in jeans and t-shirt, hands cuffed behind him, being hauled away by several thugs as Bovino slaps the back of one and says, "Well done, brother." Around them, fellow residents of the city Bovino says he's keeping "safer" loudly express their gratitude. People in cars are furiously honking and yelling "Fuck you!"; people on the sidewalk are filming and screaming, "They are arresting our people!", "What the fuck is wrong with you?", "Where is your warrant?", "Go arrest criminals!", "These are working people!", "Fucking cowards!" and "Fucking fascists go home!" Their victim: "Angel was just doing his normal delivery," said his friend Carlos. “It’s pretty sad, because I’ve got to go to work tomorrow and Angel isn’t going to be there.” They were selling strawberries.

Later, amidst widespread outrage and mockery of Trump's "stupid" authoritarian moves, Newsom's account was still churning. "DONALD IS FINISHED...FIRST THE HANDS (SO TINY) AND NOW ME — GAVIN C. NEWSOM — HAVE TAKEN AWAY HIS 'STEP.' MANY ARE SAYING HE CAN’T EVEN DO THE “BIG STAIRS” ON AIR FORCE ONE ANYMORE — USES THE LITTLE BABY STAIRS NOW. SAD!...YOU’RE WELCOME FOR LIBERATION DAY, AMERICA!" On Friday, a new tack. "MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING — AND I AGREE — THAT I, GAVIN C. NEWSOM (AMERICA’S FAVORITE GOVERNOR) DESERVE THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE. WHY? BECAUSE OF THE “MOST INCREDIBLE MAPS IN THE HISTORY OF MAPPING” (EVEN COLUMBUS)...PEACE THROUGH MAPS — NO ONE HAS EVER THOUGHT OF THIS BEFORE..THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!"

"The devil, the prowde spirit...cannot endure to be mocked." - Thomas More

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Cheers Erupt as Tucson City Council Unanimously Kills Massive Amazon-Linked Data Centers
News

Cheers Erupt as Tucson City Council Unanimously Kills Massive Amazon-Linked Data Centers

A Wednesday evening city council meeting in Tucson, Arizona ended with boisterous cheers from attendees after lawmakers voted unanimously to kill a massive Amazon-linked data center project amid concerns over its impact on the city's water supply.

As reported by The Tucson Sentinel, the Project Blue data centers being spearheaded by development firm Beale Infrastructure went down in defeat during a lengthy meeting in which representatives from the company tried to assuage locals' concerns about the project's impact on their community and environment.

Although the company behind the proposed data centers had initially been a mystery, the Sentinel reported that documents mistakenly released by Pima County revealed that Amazon Web Services was the project's "final customer."

Opposition to the project grew over the summer after city officials released estimates showing the two planned data centers under Project Blue would use 2,000 acre-feet of water per year, which would be more than the annual use of four golf courses. Even though city officials emphasized that the project would be "net water positive" because its developers would invest in projects that would "offset their consumptive use, gallon-for-gallon," this wasn't enough to satisfy many Tucson residents.

During the Wednesday meeting, Councilmember Nikki Lee said she decided to oppose the construction of the data centers after listening to the constituents in her ward who were vehemently opposed.

"Project Blue represents a lot of things to a lot of people right now, more than just the data center and the project itself," she explained, according to The Tuscon Sentinel. "It's a distrust in government. It's a distrust in corporations. It's a very large distrust in tech companies, a distrust in technology and privacy in general, and a fear of artificial intelligence and how fast things are moving and how little control we have."

Councilmember Lane Santa Cruz also expressed a general distrust with corporate America in justifying her opposition to the project.

"What I've learned is simple, giant corporations prefer to operate in the shadows," explained Santa Cruz. "Cities across the country are being sold the same story, promises of jobs, innovation, and progress, but what's not being talked about is who really benefits and what it will cost us."

Local resident Vivek Bharathan, who campaigned against the initiative, told Arizona Luminaria that he was grateful that pressure from community organizations such as No Desert Data Center had pushed the council to scrap the project.

"I had hope but zero expectations," he told the publication. "This is a huge win."

Local resident Maria Renée, who had helped with No Desert Data Center's campaign, told Arizona Luminaria that she felt as though "a weight has totally lifted" after the project's demise, although she vowed to continue her advocacy for "policy that puts guard rails on large water users" in the community.

Video taken of the event by KVOA journalist Eric Fink showed that people attending the Wednesday city council meeting erupted in cheers after the council voted to scrap the project.

Arizona Luminaria also reported that Project Blue isn't entirely dead despite the council's vote, as Beale Infrastructure could still build out data centers in locations that are close to Tucson.

"Beale and Pima County entered into a purchase and sale agreement for 290 acres of unincorporated land in June," the publication explained. "The project developer was interested in having that land annexed into Tucson to access city water supplies, but could consider other locations to build outside Tucson city limits."

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President Trump Makes Announcement On The Economy
News

Trump Names 'Utterly Unqualified' Project 2025 Economist as New Labor Stats Chief

Less than two weeks after firing the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, baselessly claiming that she had released manipulated jobs data, President Donald Trump on Monday appeared to have found a "solution" to the problem of weak economic numbers that have been plaguing his administration: a new nominee to lead the agency who, according to one conservative economist, is "as partisan as it gets."

The president announced on his Truth Social platform that he was nominating E.J. Antoni, the chief economist for the right-wing Heritage Foundation's Hermann Center for the Federal Budget, to lead the BLS, saying Antoni "will ensure that the Numbers released are HONEST and ACCURATE."

"Our economy is booming," he declared.

The announcement was made days after Trump demanded the firing of Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner who served under both him and former President Joe Biden. McEntarfer, Trump suggested, had released a false jobs report saying that only 73,000 jobs were added to the economy in July and that previous estimates had overstated the new job numbers by 258,000.

Economists say the discrepancy between the actual job numbers and the earlier projections was not unusual and likely explained by "seasonal adjustments and more complete survey responses," as Axios reported. There is no evidence that McEntarfer manipulated the data to harm Trump politically, as the president suggested, or that she did the same during the Biden administration "in the hopes" of getting Democratic nominee Kamala Harris elected president.

But experts wondered if Americans can trust that Antoni, should he be confirmed to lead the BLS, won't manipulate jobs data to support the appearance of what Trump calls a "booming" economy—one in which grocery prices have once again jumped, according to the consumer price index (CPI) numbers that the bureau released Tuesday. Tariffs imposed by the president have driven up the cost of imported goods.

"Antoni has repeatedly and unfairly attacked the agency he'd be set to run, contributed to the right-wing Project 2025 policy blueprint, and in his role at the Heritage Foundation has stretched the truth about the economy to make partisan political claims," said Josh Bivens, chief economist at the Economic Policy Institute.

Antoni, who earned his Ph.D. in economics in 2020, is listed as the fifth contributor to Project 2025, the right-wing policy agenda that calls for the gutting of the federal government. He has called for the U.S. Labor Department to be staffed by far more political appointees instead of career civil servants.

He said on former Trump aide Steve Bannon's podcast that the absence of a Trump appointee in the top position at the BLS is "part of the reason why we continue to have all of these different data problems," but Brian Albrecht, chief economist at the International Center for Law and Economics, highlighted on the social media platform X a number of instances of Antoni "completely not understanding economic statistics, being partisan hack, or both."

For example, in February Antoni used data showing the total population growth of native-born Americans to claim that foreign-born workers have benefited from "all net job growth"—but as economist Jeremy Horpedahl of the Arkansas Center for Research in Economics noted, using data on working-age, native-born Americans would have rendered a far more accurate analysis.

"The working-age, native-born population hasn't been growing for the past decade," said Horpedahl at the time. "If you use the working-age populations, you will see that native-born Americans have higher employment rates, which are also at record highs."

Having called the CPI an "Orwellian trick" used to mask high inflation, Antoni is unlikely to put much stock in the index numbers that were released Tuesday, which Yale University economist Ernie Tedeschi said straightforwardly show that "the prices of consumer goods are higher right now than they would be without tariffs."

Antoni has long been critical of the agency he's been nominated to lead, saying last week, "There are better ways to collect, process, and disseminate data—that is the task for the next BLS commissioner, and only consistent delivery of accurate data in a timely manner will rebuild the trust that has been lost over the last several years."

The nominee "has never worked in statistics collection," said Joseph Politano, who writes about monetary policy at Apricitas Economics. "He is five years out of his Ph.D. He's only ever written one economics paper. His explicit, only qualifications are that he works in ultraconservative think tanks and believes Trump's conspiracies about the BLS. Grim stuff."

The criticism of Antoni was bipartisan, with Stan Veuger, a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, calling him "utterly unqualified and as partisan as it gets."

Bivens warned that Trump's selection of Antoni "makes it clear that he expects the BLS commissioner to only release data that shows the economy is booming—even if it means the data must be manipulated or changed by political appointees."

"This move is undemocratic—and economically dangerous," said Bivens. "The economy runs on reliable data... Trump's attempt to politicize BLS means that policymakers and the public wouldn't be able to trust the data. If this happens, confidence in U.S. data will collapse and reasonable economic decision-making will be impossible. This manufactured chaos will reduce business investment and consumer spending, making a recession—and soaring unemployment—far more likely in coming months. Between illegal firings of public servants, starving data agencies of needed resources, and now political intimidation, the U.S. looks set to run into the next economic downturn flying blind."

"The cost of this incompetence," he added, "will be felt by working people first."

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'You Have Poked the Bear': Defiant Gavin Newsom Puts Trump on Notice in Speech Pushing New Maps
News

'You Have Poked the Bear': Defiant Gavin Newsom Puts Trump on Notice in Speech Pushing New Maps

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday struck a defiant tone during a political rally in Los Angeles aimed at promoting a ballot initiative that would allow the state legislature to redraw the Golden State's electoral maps.

During his speech, Newsom emphasized his preference to having an independent commission draw up districts in California and across the country. However, he said that U.S. President Donald Trump's push to have Texas Republicans redraw their state's map in the middle of the decade to gain five more Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives has left him with no choice but to return the favor.

"You have poked the bear, and we will punch back," Newsom said during the speech, addressing Trump directly.

The California governor then explained why doing nothing in response to Trump's pressure on Texas is not an option.

"[Trump] doesn't play by a different set of rules—he doesn't believe in the rules," Newsom said. "And as a consequence, we need to disabuse ourselves of the way things have been done. It's not enough to just hold hands, have a candlelight vigil, and talk about way the world should be. We have got to recognize the cards that have been dealt, and we have got to meet fire with fire!"

Newsom also pointed out that several Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials had stationed themselves nearby where California Democrats were holding their rally, which he called a deliberate attempt at intimidation.

However, Newsom said that instead of subduing lawmakers and advocates with the mass deportation force, Trump was only exposing his weakness.

"He is a failed president," Newsom declared. "Who else sends ICE at the same time while having a conversation like this? Someone who is weak. Someone who's broken. Someone whose weakness is masquerading as a strength. The most unpopular president in modern history."

Newsom encouraged voters in his state to approve a ballot initiative this coming November 4 that would allow the redrawing of California's congressional map on a temporary basis before returning to the independent commission that has long been used in the state starting in 2030.

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'We Are Fighting to Stop It': DC Attorney General Sues to Block Trump Takeover of City Police
News

'We Are Fighting to Stop It': DC Attorney General Sues to Block Trump Takeover of City Police

Washington, DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb on Friday filed a lawsuit to block United States Attorney General Pam Bondi from taking over the US capital city's police department.

The lawsuit accused the Trump administration of violating the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, a 1973 law that delegated certain powers over the city once held by the federal government to local government officials.

Schwalb argued in the lawsuit that the Home Rule Act gives the president of the United States a very limited set of powers over the governance of the city's police force, as it states that the president may commandeer the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) if he "determines that special conditions of an emergency nature exist" that require the MPD to help fulfill "federal purposes."

Schwalb further noted that the timeframe for this authority is extremely limited. In all, the president can take command of MPD for just 48 hours unless he sends proper notice to the US Congress, after which he will have command over it for a maximum of 30 days.

"For the president to obtain MPD's services for longer than 30 days—even in the face of an ongoing emergency—Congress must pass a joint resolution permitting the extension," Schwalb argued.

The DC attorney general then poked holes in Trump's claims that a federal takeover of MPD was necessary due to a crime emergency.

"The president did not identify any new or unusual exigency that justified the invocation of [emergency powers]," Schwalb alleged. "Instead, he claimed that violent crime in the district is 'increasing,' when, in fact, it has fallen 26% since 2024. The president also did not limit the scope of his order to specific 'federal purposes,' instead directing the mayor to provide any services the attorney general deemed necessary to 'maintain law and order in the Nation's seat of Government.'"

Schwalb also claimed that the Trump administration flatly broke the law when it appointed Terrance Cole, the current administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), to serve as MPD's "interim commissioner." He said that this action would greatly harm MPD's ability to enforce the law and maintain public safety.

"Imposing a new command structure 'effective immediately' will wreak operational havoc within MPD," he wrote. "The new command structure will create confusion for MPD personnel, who are required under district law to respect and obey the chief of police as the head and chief of the police force."

He emphasized that "this will also inevitably lead to delays and confusion as MPD personnel... are forced to run their directives by an 'Emergency Commissioner' who is unfamiliar with MPD procedures and the local communities MPD serves," before warning that "there is no greater risk to public safety in a large, professional police force like MPD than to not know who is in command."

Schwalb concluded his complaint by asking the court to vacate Bondi's order of the federal takeover of MPD, and also to permanently block DEA Administrator Cole from assuming "any position of command" within the department.

In a statement separate from the lawsuit itself, Schwalb charged that "the administration's unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call DC home" and "this is the gravest threat to home rule that the district has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it."

"By declaring a hostile takeover of MPD," said Schwalb, "the administration is abusing its limited, temporary authority under the Home Rule Act, infringing on the district's right to self-governance and putting the safety of DC residents and visitors at risk."

Public Citizen co-president Lisa Gilbert praised Schwalb's lawsuit and said it was a necessary step "for standing up to this administration's wild and unprecedented abuse of power."

"Declaring a fake emergency and placing our capital city under what looks like a military occupation has furthered the dystopian reality of this moment," Gilbert emphasized. "Donald Trump is an authoritarian president who is intent on dismantling the core safeguards of power-sharing in our democracy, and his actions must be resisted by every American of conscience."

Norm Eisen, executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund, said that his organization "stands shoulder‑to‑shoulder" with the DC attorney general in opposing Trump's takeover.

"Appointing the DEA head as 'emergency police commissioner' with full command over MPD is brazen overreach, unprecedented, and directly counter to the principles of democratic accountability and local autonomy enshrined in law," Eisen added.

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Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich holds a map of an area near the settlement of Maale Adumim
News

With Reported Trump Backing, Israel to Approve Settlement Aimed at 'Burying' Potential for Palestinian State

One of Israel's biggest proponents of breaking international law by expanding settlements in the West Bank claimed Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Trump administration have both given their approval for an expansion scheme that has been blocked for decades and that threatens the possibility of ever establishing a Palestinian state.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich held up a map showing a corridor known as E1, which would link Jerusalem to the settlement of Maale Adumim, at a press conference in the illegal settlement where he proclaimed that the proposal "buries the idea of a Palestinian state."

"This is Zionism at its best—building, settling, and strengthening our sovereignty in the Land of Israel," said Smotrich. "This reality finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state, because there is nothing to recognize and no one to recognize. Anyone in the world who tries today to recognize a Palestinian state will receive an answer from us on the ground."

The announcement followed recent statements from leaders in France, the United Kingdom, and Canada saying they were prepared to join the vast majority of United Nations member states in recognizing Palestinian statehood.

In a statement with the headline, "Burying the Idea of a Palestinian State," the finance minister said Israel plans to build 3,401 homes for Israeli settlers in the E1 corridor.

The plan still needs the approval of Israel's High Planning Council, which is expected next week. After the project is approved, settlers could begin housing construction in about a year.

The Israeli group Peace Now, an anti-settlement watchdog, said Thursday that "government is driving us forward at full speed" toward "an abyss."

"The Netanyahu government is exploiting every minute to deepen the annexation of the West Bank and prevent the possibility of a two-state solution," said Peace Now. "The government of Israel is condemning us to continued bloodshed, instead of working to end it."

Smotrich, whose popularity in Israel has plummeted in recent months, claimed U.S. President Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee, Trump's ambassador to Israel, reversed the United States' longstanding opposition to the E1 plan, which would cut off Palestinian communities between Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley, including an historic area called al-Bariyah.

The proposed settlement would also close to Palestinians the main highway going from Jerusalem to Maale Adumim.

"The Israeli government is openly announcing apartheid," Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher at the Israeli rights group Ir Amim, told Middle East Eye. "It explicitly states that the E1 plans were approved to 'bury' the two-state solution and to entrench de facto sovereignty. An immediate consequence could be the uprooting of more than a dozen Palestinian communities living in the E1 area."

Netanyahu and the Trump administration have not confirmed Smotrich's claim that they back the establishment of E1, but the White House has signaled a lack of support for the longstanding U.S. policy of working toward a two-state solution.

Huckabee said in a June interview with Bloomberg News that the U.S. is no longer seeking an independent Palestinian state.

"The Israeli government is openly announcing apartheid. It explicitly states that the E1 plans were approved to 'bury' the two-state solution and to entrench de facto sovereignty."

Smotrich said Thursday that Huckabee and Trump believe "a Palestinian state would endanger the existence of Israel" and that "God promised [the West Bank] to our father Abraham and gave [it] to us thousands of years ago."

He added, using the biblical term for the West Bank, that Netanyahu "backs me up in everything concerning Judea and Samaria, and is letting me create the revolution."

The U.S. State Department was vague in its response to questions from The Times of Israel about the E1 settlement on Thursday.

"A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with the Trump administration's goal to achieve peace in the region," said the agency. "We refer you to the government of Israel for more information."

Countries including the U.K., New Zealand, Canada, and Australia imposed sanctions on Smotrich in June for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, the rate of which has doubled over the last year.

In a statement, the Palestinian foreign ministry called the new settlement plan "an extension of crimes of genocide, displacement, and annexation."

Tatarsky said Smotrich's announcement on Thursday showed how international supporters of Palestinian statehood must "understand that Israel is undeterred by diplomatic gestures or condemnations" and take "concrete action" to stop the expansion of illegal settlements.

Speaking to The Guardian Wednesday, Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, said countries that have recently signaled plans to recognize Palestinian statehood must also focus on ending Israel's assault and blockade in Gaza, which has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians so far—including at least 239 people who have starved to death.

“Of course it's important to recognize the state of Palestine," Albanese said. "It's incoherent that they've not done it already."

"Ending the question of Palestine in line with international law is possible and necessary," she added. "End the genocide today, end the permanent occupation this year, and end apartheid. This is what's going to guarantee freedom and equal rights for everyone."

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