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Eric Trump opens up on his "unconventional" childhood with his father

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Eric Trump opens up on his "unconventional" childhood with his father

Eric Trump has opened up about his upbringing with his father, former President Donald Trump, talking about how he was made to work on construction sites at a young age to save money and was warned about drinking and taking drugs at age four.

The executive vice president of the Trump Organization reminisced on his childhood in an interview with former news anchor turned Republican candidate Kari Lake.

In the hour-long interview posted online titled “The Kari Lake Show Ep. 3” Eric revealed what some may say is a startling entry point into the world of work and how, at times, he hardly saw his father.

Lake started the discussion by saying that media coverage of the Trump family has been unfair.

She said that “none of the stuff that has been written about the Trump family is true. We know that the witch hunts on your dad have been outrageous.”

The pair then discussed politics and Eric’s role in the Trump Organization.

During the interview, they talked about his upbringing, with Lake asking: “Did you have dinner together every night and talk? Or was he pretty busy working?”

Eric replied: “Yeah, he was unconventional. We probably spent less time out there throwing baseballs around.” However, he spent “a tremendous amount of time in his office.”

He also said that Donald “was amazing” growing up and recited how he would walk into his father’s room every morning and kiss him before school at around the age of four. Donald would say: “‘Eric, no drinking, no drugs, no smoking’ every single day at four years old.”

Eric shared that his father was “strict” and had “high expectations” and made him work “very very hard.”

He said: “I was on construction sites when I was 11, 12 years old doing demo, breaking down walls, concrete, sheet rock, plumbing, stuff I literally still do for myself these days.”

Although he earned only a “minimum wage,” he defended his father, saying that it showed that he cared about “work ethic.” Eric had to work for items he wanted, adding that he had little “free time” growing up as he worked to buy himself a bike, for example.

Eric also divulged that he was the first to support his father when he said he would run for the presidency.

The interview has been a talking point for social media users across the whole political spectrum.

One fan on X, formerly Twitter, said: “You guys need a magazine cover!!!! It’s been too long. Such an amazing family.”

Another said: “Thank You Kari! I Loved this interview.. We only get to see them In 5 min clips in TV Interviews.. I just Loved it! Do Melania and each child…This was great!”

Others were less complimentary and referenced comments about Donald by his ex-wife, Ivana Trump, in previous interviews.

“He wasn’t non-conventional,” one commenter said of Donald. “He was non present. According to Ivana, the ex, TFG didn’t want anything to do with the children until they were old enough to join the family business.”

“TFG” is an abbreviation that stands for “The Former Guy” and is used to refer to the former president as a way to avoid mentioning him by name in online posts. The term is typically used by people who oppose Trump to indicate disrespect for him, prevent additional attention and avoid responses from his supporters.

Another social media user stated: “There’s absolutely no love in the Trump family. If there is, they must hide it because they certainly don’t show any affection in public. It’s only ‘he’s great’ or ‘she’s the best.’ It’s more like interactions between country club members.”

“Unconventional = I mostly knew my father from the front pages of tabloids,” a different commenter said.

“Pretty diplomatic way of saying he was a complete absentee father,” said another.

Newsweek has reached out to the Trump Organization for via email for comment.

Greg Abbott’s dream of defunding public schools moves one step closer

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Greg Abbott’s dream of defunding public schools moves one step closer

The Texas Senate passed a controversial bill earlier this week that would give state money to parents to spend on private schools, supporting Governor Greg Abbott‘s long-held pledge to push for “school choice” for Texan families.

For months now, the Republican governor has been rallying to pass a measure that would allow parents to decide “which education option is best” for their kids by giving them enough money to take the children out of public school.

While the kind of measure Abbott has been pushing for has been criticized by many, including teachers, who accused him of trying to defund public schools and run them to the ground, the Republican governor said “nothing could be further from the truth.”

“It’s just factually incorrect,” he said, as reported by Fox 26 Houston in April. “Per-student funding for public schools is at an all-time high and this session we are going to add even more money for public education, as well as teacher pay rises.”

Abbott added that his leadership is funding public schools “better than ever before.”

On Thursday, the Texas Senate—which, with 19 Republicans and 12 Democrats, is controlled by the GOP—passed a bill that would create the school voucher program Abbott has been calling for. This program would use state funds to create education saving accounts that would allow parents to access $8,000 of taxpayer money to move their kids into private schools, including paying for fees, uniforms, textbooks, and more.

The legislation—Senate Bill 1—will now move to the Texas House, where it’s expected to receive a little more scrutiny, but if passed it’s sure to be signed into law by Abbott. An almost identical bill, Senate Bill 8, passed the Senate in April but was killed by the House.

On the same day, the Senate also passed Senate Bill 2, which would infuse $5.2 billion into school districts to help teachers with rising costs.

During an event on Thursday at the conservative think tank Texas Public Policy Foundation, Abbott said he will add teacher pay raises to his agenda for an incoming special session to “provide a carrot to make sure this legislation gets passed.”

While supporters of the voucher program think parents should be given the opportunity to send their kids to private schools if the public system doesn’t meet their needs, opponents say the measure will harm the already struggling public school schools.

Republican Senator Brandon Creighton, who authored SB 1, said the measure won’t hurt public schools, adding that the money to fund the program will come from general revenue and not the Foundation School Program which funds Texas’ K-12 public schools.

But public school funds in Texas are based on the number of students enrolled in them, which means schools are likely to miss out on significant sums if parents start taking their kids away.

An amendment included in SB 1 would give school districts with less than 5,000 children $10,000 for every student removed by their parents thanks to the voucher program for three years.

Newsweek contacted Abbott’s press office for comment by email on Friday.

Laughter as hotel guest shocked by the room she was given: "I’m screaming"

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Laughter as hotel guest shocked by the room she was given: "I’m screaming"

A video of a hotel guest who found that the suite she was given was not exactly the room she had originally booked has gone viral on TikTok.

The clip was posted on October 1 by the Princess (@_itspiedy) and has received over 261,000 views. A caption shared with the video reads: “This has to be a joke…a conference room? @hilton this is not what i booked.” A later comment by the poster says that the footage was taken at a Hilton hotel in Blue Ash, a suburb of Cincinnati. The woman enters the room to find a long conference table surrounded by several office chairs, with a television on the wall and an adjacent bedroom.

The latest post comes as the demand for hotels in the U.S. is expected to surpass the levels seen in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. This is according to the 2023 State of the Hotel Industry report by the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

The U.S. hotel industry is projected to achieve 1.3 billion occupied room nights in 2023, marking a 56.9 percent improvement from 2020’s low of 831.64 million, the report said.

The rise in “bleisure travelers,” who blend business and leisure trips, and “digital nomads,” who make the most of remote working policies, represented a “significant shift in consumer attitudes and behaviors,” the report found.

Hotel spaces used for meetings and events were projected to “come back strong” in 2023. A report by AHLA Platinum Partner Encore showed that 70 percent of planners surveyed were either booking or actively sourcing new events, and 61 percent were expected to have larger budgets this year.

‘I’m Screaming’

The footage in the latest viral clip begins a person opening the door to the hotel room. The door has a sign saying “Sycamore Suite”. A note with Doubletree by Hilton signage reads: “Book event space with us. Visit the front desk to speak with a dedicated member of our sales team.” Another label below the note says: “Not In Use.”

Giggling could be heard in the background as a voice in the clip says: “I’m screaming.” The camera later pans to a bedroom next to the conference room.

In later comments, the poster said she laughed immediately upon seeing the room and has been cracking up all weekend.

In another later comment, the poster wrote: “I was cracking up because we booked a double king suite with a pull-out [sofa bed] and i was like wait.”

TikTok user Cherica Jai wrote: “Worked at a hotel, it’s always the last room to sell & we let them know before they go in.” The original poster replied: “She didn’t even mention it all, which is why i was so confused…”

In a follow-up video, the poster said: “They gave me the wrong room… I booked a king suite with a pull-out sofa. A table is not a pull-out sofa…

“It was 3 am when my delayed flight finally arrived, i was sleepy so it was even funnier but they fixed it when i woke up,” the poster added in another comment.

The woman later shared another follow-up video, saying the hotel “finally did put me in the room that I actually booked.”

‘When You Mix Business With Pleasure’

The latest viral clip has led several TikTok users in stitches, with some even saying a room like this would be quite useful for work trips.

Annelise simply wrote: “When you mix business with pleasure.”

Dex posted: “Well, we got some table space for a get-together now??? I’m screaming.”

User @padrixe commented that the table is “for the morning after debrief with the girls duh.”

Timmy added: “As someone who travels for work with a team of 3 I would LOVE this. So convenient…” The original poster replied: “We actually did end up having a team meeting yesterday via zoom IRONICALLY.”

User @its_jojo_rainbow wrote: “wait, i’d loooooove this for conventions having meals with my group…”

Newsweek has contacted the original poster via TikTok and Hilton via email for comment. This video has not been independently verified.

Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.

Cruise ship sets sail and does the "unthinkable" due to strict maritime law

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Cruise ship sets sail and does the "unthinkable" due to strict maritime law

Wonder what traveling on a huge cruise ship with no guests is like?

As odd as it may seem, some cruise ships do set sail with zero guests on board.

Toronto-based Kabir Bageria, a 28-year-old former cruise director for Royal Caribbean, told Newsweek: “Usually ships never sail with no guests. It happens on extremely rare occasions. It’s similar to an airline—if the ship is sailing empty, there’s no revenue.”

Bageira, who worked for several major cruise lines since 2015, including Carnival, said one of these rare sailings took place in May while he was working as the cruise director of Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas cruise ship.

In a viral video posted on May 4 from his TikTok account @travelwithkabircd, Bageria said: “For the first time ever in my career as a cruise director, my ship did the unthinkable. We operated a cruise with no guests. And the reason was because we had to relocate from Galveston [Texas] to Fort Lauderdale [Florida].”

Guests are not allowed on such ships due to a law that “prevents non-U.S. flagged ships from traveling between two U.S. ports,” he said in the clip.

Bageria, who now works as a realtor and creates content about cruise ships and travel via his social media channels on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, told Newsweek that “cruise lines do sell cruises in which ships will reposition.”

Several cruise lines typically offer such cruise journeys at a discounted price.

Bageria said the transatlantic cruise season is between April and May, with ships going eastbound from the Caribbean to Europe. The season then returns from September to early November, with ships going from Europe back to the Caribbean.

The cruise industry ground to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issue a “no sail order” for cruise ships in March 2020 because the federal body had “reason to believe that cruise ship travel may continue to introduce, transmit, or spread COVID-19.”

The CDC said that month that the largest cluster of COVID-19 cases outside mainland China at the time occurred on the Diamond Princess cruise ship during the period between February 7 to 23, 2020.

A July 2023 study published by Elsevier said “the fall in cruise tourism was disastrous” in the wake of the pandemic. However, the cruise industry was reported to be “rebounding faster” this year, according to a 2023 report from the Cruise Lines International Association.

Cruise passenger volume is projected to reach 106 percent of 2019 levels in 2023, with 31.5 million passengers sailing, the report said.

Why Do Cruise Ships Sail With No Guests?

Some cruise ships in the U.S. are operated with no guests due to the Passenger Vessel Services Act. The PVSA applies the same restrictions imposed by the Jones Act on the “coastwise movement of people,” according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Under the Jones Act, the transportation of merchandise between U.S. points is reserved for only “U.S.-built, owned, and documented vessels.” The PVSA “prohibits commercial vessels such as cruise ships from allowing passengers to board at one U.S. port and debark at another U.S. port,” says the CBP.

The PVSA was first established in 1886, and its restrictions have been enforced by the CBP since 1898. However, federal laws protecting the U.S. shipping industry date as far back as the First Congress in 1789.

These coastwise laws, including the PVSA, aim to protect U.S. shipping interests by providing a “legal structure that guarantees a coastwise monopoly to American shipping,” according to the CBP. “American shipping in the United States coastwise trade has been protected from foreign competition, in order to encourage the development of an American merchant marine, for both national defense and commercial purposes.”

What Happens on a Cruise With No Guests?

Bageria told Newsweek that cruise ships are constantly being “meticulously” maintained.

“When we don’t have guests on board, it’s a great opportunity to handle things that would otherwise be a challenge to do with a full ship. That includes maintenance in prominent passenger areas, guest staterooms,” he said.

The rest times for the cruise ship crew take place when the guests are off the ship in port, he added.

In the viral clip, the former cruise director said rehearsals also take place on cruises with no guests. The footage shows staff members practicing a dance routine. It also revealed some of “the most exclusive spaces on board,” including lofty lounge areas with floor-to-ceiling glass windows and plush sofas.

Bageria said in the clip that parties and events are also held for crew members, who are given access to the tubs and pools. The footage shows an evening scene on the ship, with some people gathered near the pool.

Due to the pandemic, Bageria stopped working on cruise ships from 2020. He began working for Royal Caribbean this year before heading back to Toronto in August, according to a TikTok video he shared this week announcing he’d left his cruise director role.

“Going back to sea was a culture shock. It was a ton of work, long hours and not enough downtime. I loved it because I got to share my experience and that was the silver lining. Working on ships was great for a time, but this last contract confirmed that it was the right time to move on. I am hoping to work on my own content and focus on my real estate business—I love the people part of it,” he told Newsweek.

Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.

Starbucks faces boycott calls over union Palestinian support: "Disgusting"

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Starbucks faces boycott calls over union Palestinian support: "Disgusting"

Starbucks has been hit with calls for a boycott due to a pro-Palestine statement allegedly released by worker-led labor union Starbucks Workers United amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The union is a separate entity and not linked to Starbucks, with the latter releasing a full statement on the matter on its website.

The popular coffee chain was bashed by Florida Senator Rick Scott after the deleted post was purportedly shared online by Starbucks Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union.

The union allegedly expressed “Solidarity with Palestine!” in a deleted social media post, The Washington Free Beacon reported, in response to an image of a bulldozer “operated by Gaza resistance” tearing down an “Israeli occupation fence.” Individual union members also allegedly posted about the conflict online, as well.

The controversy comes days after Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history on October 7. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest-ever airstrikes on Gaza. As of Friday, at least 1,300 people had been killed in Israel, the Associated Press reported, citing the Israeli military. Roughly 1,500 people had been killed in Gaza, according to authorities there, the AP said.

Newsweek reached out to Starbucks Workers United via email for comment.

Senator Scott shared the Washington Free Beacon article on X, formerly Twitter, writing: “This is disgusting. Every American should condemn the atrocities that Iran-backed Hamas terrorists committed in Israel. Boycott Starbucks until its leadership strongly denounces and takes action against this horrific support of terrorism.”

Many of his supporters replied to his post by backing the boycott.

“Boycott Starbucks. Mind you their coffee is absolutely rank,” an X user posted.

Another said: “Time to Boycott Starbucks! Employee Union celebrates Hamas! Ignorant Woke A********!”

“If there was ever a time to end Starbucks it is now. Boycott Starbucks,” one person wrote.

“The Israel-Gaza conflict is a highly contentious and complex issue, and opinions on it can vary widely. It’s important to note that Starbucks is a global corporation, and individuals may choose to express their views or take actions related to various political matters in different ways, including boycotts,” one social media account pointed out on X.

Starbucks itself released a statement distancing itself from the union: “We unequivocally condemn acts of terrorism, hate, and violence, and disagree with the statements and views expressed by Workers United and its members. Workers United’s words and actions belong to them, and them alone.”

It went on to say: “Workers United, its local affiliates, union organizers and those who identify as members of ‘Starbucks Workers United’ do not speak for Starbucks Coffee Company and do not represent the company’s views, positions or beliefs.

“There is no legal entity known as ‘Starbucks Workers United.’ Rather, it is a subset of partners that are represented by Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) with more than two million members working across a range of industries in the U.S. and Canada. “

Caitlyn Jenner lashes out at Fox News

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Caitlyn Jenner lashes out at Fox News

Caitlyn Jenner has lashed out at Fox News, accusing the news organization of publishing a “clickbait” headline regarding former stepdaughter Kim Kardashian‘s sex tape with Ray J.

Kardashian and Ray J, both 42, dated from 2002 to 2006 and reportedly filmed the sex tape during Kardashian’s birthday celebrations in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in 2004. It was released under the name Kim Kardashian, Superstar in 2007.

Vivid Entertainment, which distributed the film, said at the time of the tape’s release that it was purchased from a “third party” for $1 million.

Before the release of the tape, Kardashian sued Vivid Entertainment for invasion of privacy and for the profits from and ownership of the tape. However, she dropped the suit weeks after the tape’s 2007 release and settled for $5 million.

Given the notoriety of the tape, it has continued to be a talking point over the years, with Kardashian’s mother Kris Jenner, who was previously married to Caitlyn Jenner, denying that she had a hand in the release of the film.

Caitlyn Jenner was thrust into the conversation earlier this week, when a post shared by Fox News’ digital arm on X, formerly Twitter, purported to show that she had knowledge of how the sex tape came to see the light of day.

“Caitlyn Jenner discusses Kim Kardashian sex tape and how it got leaked,” read a headline that was shared on the platform.

TV personality Caitlyn Jenner, who is an on-air contributor for Fox News, hit back in a since-deleted post: “Click bait from my own network where I am a contributor for almost 2 years—literally said I knew nothing and went golfing.”

“And my own network didn’t even reach out for comment from me?” Jenner, who has criticized Fox News in the past, continued. “Cmon @FoxNews why are you guys buying into this clickbait headline for one of your own?”

On Wednesday, Us Weekly shared an X post that read: “If you think Caitlyn Jenner has any inside info about the 2007 leak of Kim Kardashian’s sex tape, then think again.”

“Thank you @usweekly this is correct,” Caitlyn Jenner wrote in response. “I know nothing and said nothing indicating I knew anything. I said I went golfing and made light of the situation and my lack of knowledge.”

In the Fox News article, which was published on October 10, it was reported that Caitlyn Jenner had discussed the tape while appearing on the three-part docuseries House of Kardashians.

Per the outlet, when Caitlyn Jenner was asked about the tape, she responded: “Whatever’s going on, I don’t know what it is and I’m gonna go to the golf course.”

“To be honest with you, I just stayed out of it,” Caitlyn Jenner went on. “Kris never talked to me about it. I never talked to Kimberly about it. I don’t know what happened, why it happened.”

Responding to questions over whether Kardashian and Kris Jenner had “worked together” to release the sex tape, Caitlyn Jenner said: “I have no idea. I never, ever once had that conversation—nor did I want to have that conversation.”

Newsweek has contacted representatives of Fox News via email for comment.

In 2017, Steve Hirsch, president of Vivid Entertainment, stated that the deal was not brokered by Kardashian or Jenner and maintained that Kardashian fought against its release.

“It was that these people had the footage and were looking to sell it,” he told Page Six, though he did not reveal the identity of the party looking to sell the tape.

Hirsch called rumors that Jenner orchestrated the release “nonsense” but author and another ex of Ray J, Karrine Steffans, also quoted in the same article said both Kardashian and Ray J would have had to sign off for the tape to ever be release.

“In order for that tape to come out, Kim would have had to have signed off on it, period. That’s just the way that works … Steve Hirsch would never have gone against that if he didn’t have signatures.”

Celebrities’ most problematic responses to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

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Celebrities’ most problematic responses to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Since Hamas launched surprise air, land and sea attacks on Israel on October 7, many famous faces have spoken out on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The conflict has a complex history and posting about such a contentious issue is bound to cause backlash, with some celebrities—both intentionally and unintentionally—sparking uproar online.

Here’s some of the most controversial posts shared by stars on the conflict so far.

Jamie Lee Curtis

The 64-year-old is no stranger to dividing opinions on the internet, with the Halloween star regularly posting about politics and causes close to her heart.

On October 9, Curtis shared a picture of Gazan children looking up at missiles flying through the sky, along with the caption “Terror from the skies.” However, the graphic featured the Israeli flag, making it appear as though it was Israeli children in the image.

Curtis removed the graphic, but it still caused backlash on social, with one user accusing the Oscar-winner of “performative activism.”

“This would be a perfect time for celebs to say nothing,” said another, poster while a third user commented: “Just because you have the platform and can doesn’t mean you should.”

Justin Bieber

On October 11, Justin Bieber made a similar mistake to Curtis. The singer posted a graphic of a destroyed city to Instagram, emblazoned with the caption “Praying for Israel.” However, the image was actually of the Gaza Strip.

After fans pointed out the error, Bieber quickly deleted the image. Still, that didn’t stop people from poking fun at the 29-year-old, with one social media user wondering: “Where is the PR team?!?”

“This is so embarrassing,” wrote another commentator, while a third added: “Really wish these celebrities would stop taking sides on issues they probably know very, very little about.”

After X user Katie Halper posted about Curtis and Bieber’s mistakes, fans took issue with the stars’ choosing to delete their posts when they realized the images were of Gaza, not Israel.

“It’s crazy that they delete it instead of correcting the post,” said armaknee1992.

“Oh so they didn’t deserve prayers, okay,” wrote serogt.

“These are mostly innocent people caught in the crossfires of a corrupt system,” commented justandresito05.

“They think violence against Israeli civilians is unacceptable, and violence against Palestinian civilians is maybe unfortunate, sometimes,” said ryguy1986. “Then try to lecture people about empathy.”

Noah Schnapp

He’s best known for starring as Will Byers in Stranger Things, but Noah Schnapp was trending for a more controversial reason this week.

On October 11, the 19-year-old actor told Instagram followers: “You either stand with Israel or you stand with terrorism.”

Schnapp’s comment was part of a larger statement on the Israel-Hamas conflict, in which the actor wrote: “As a Jewish American, I am afraid. Afraid for my brothers and sisters in Israel, who have been senselessly attacked by Hamas.

“I am truly heartbroken to see the brutal murders of innocent children, women and soldiers fighting to defend themselves.”

Schnapp slammed pro-Palestinian followers who supported Hamas, but acknowledged that the organization does not represent all Palestinians, calling for peace on both sides.

“We must recognize that we are all on the side of the fight against terrorism,” he said. “Choose humanity over violence.”

However, the comment sparked outrage on social media, with X user livv calling Schnapp a “disgusting vile person.”

“Noah schnapp telling people that if they don’t stand for ethnic cleansing and colonialism that they stand for terrorism. Go to hell,” said @inlovewithyeri.

Ash agreed, commenting: “Noah schnapp saying ‘let’s not choose sides’ then in the same post saying ‘you either stand with israel or stand with terrorism.’ B*** go f*** urself.”

This isn’t the first time Schnapp’s praise for Israel has caused controversy online. The teen was trolled on social media during a visit to the country this summer. After posting to Instagram to declare his love for the country while staying in Tel Aviv, Schnapp was accused of “white-washing apartheid” and “endorsing a Zionist regime.”

Kim Kardashian

On October 11, Kardashian shared a lengthy statement to her Instagram account in support of Israel.

“A message to my Jewish friends and family. I love you. I support you. I have heard about how scared you feel during this time, and I want you to know you are not alone in this,” she wrote.

“Brutal terrorism has taken innocent lives and now both Israeli and Palestinian civilians are suffering and paying the greatest price there is.”

Kardashian also said she is “particularly sensitive to these issues” due to her Armenian heritage. The 41-year-old’s paternal grandparents were born in Russia and Turkey (in areas formerly known as Armenia) and emigrated to the U.S. before her father, Robert Kardashian, was born.

In September, the reality star spoke out about the turmoil in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Taking to X, Kardashian warned of the risk to the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh (referred to as Artsakh by Armenians), now that Azerbaijan has regained control of the area and restored its sovereignty after more than 30 years of unrest.

“I have been talking about the Armenian Genocide for years, and now, after months of blockade with minimal media coverage and no external support, Armenians are the victims of an ethnic cleansing themselves in Artsakh,” she continued.

“They are in this moment also suffering from an extreme humanitarian crisis, and there are still prisoners of war being held captive or missing.”

However, social media users called out Kardashian for supporting Israel, despite the country supplying weapons to Azerbaijan during its attempt to retake Nagorno-Karabakh.

“As an advocate against the Armenian genocide, is Kim Kardashian aware that Israel is the largest arms dealer supplying weapons to Azerbaijan, supporting them in carrying out attacks against Armenians?” asked X user sara m. saleh.

“I was a bit shocked at the cognitive dissonance in her post…” said Jennetta Quinn-Bates, while Khouloudjalelly wrote: “selective empathy and double standards.”

Newsweek has reached out to Jamie Lee Curtis, Justin Bieber, Noah Schnapp and Kim Kardashian by email for comment.

Putin’s military in Donetsk is running out of body bags: Russian volunteer

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Putin’s military in Donetsk is running out of body bags: Russian volunteer

A volunteer working for Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s forces in Ukraine made a public call for body bags in a video she posted online.

“If anyone could help purchasing bags for corpses, they are really badly needed right now. I’ve no f****** idea where to get them,” the female volunteer said in the clip.

WarTranslated, an independent media project that translates materials about the war into English, shared the woman’s video on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday. Newsweek could not independently verify the video and contacted Russia’s Ministry of Defense via email for comment.

No information was provided by WarTranslated about when the video was recorded or what kind of work the volunteer does in Putin’s forces, though she wears combat-style camouflage clothing. According to the project, the footage was recorded in the village of Andriivka in the Donetsk region, which has been the site of intense fighting in recent weeks.

“Please help, buy the bags if you can. They’re badly needed. There’s a horrible deficit in Donetsk,” the volunteer said.

The female speaker, whose name was not given, added a request for other supplies, which contained a warning that hinted someone could sabotage food if it’s not properly sealed.

“Also, if anyone could help with clothes and food,” she said, per WarTranslated’s rephrasing. “Food should only be in closed packages just in case that no one could add or spoil it in some way, you know what I mean.”

She also referenced the heavy amount of wounded soldiers Russia has suffered from conflicts in the Donetsk region.

“Let’s help, let’s provide strong assistance now to the guys in hospitals, there’s loads of them, really loads, and they really need the help right now,” the volunteer said.

Though small, Andriivka—which sits approximately 56 miles south of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region—is considered to be a symbolically and tactically important settlement due to its railroad lines and its location on the front lines of the war.

Russian forces have recently been unleashing heavy artillery fire on Andriivka, and Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported earlier this week that officials in the area said Putin’s troops appeared to be attempting to encircle the village, which Kyiv announced last month had been recaptured from Russian control.

Despite the efforts by Russia’s forces, the Institute for the Study of War think tank reported earlier this week that Moscow did not make any “claimed or confirmed” advances in the area around Andriivka or nearby village Klishchiivka.

The People of Israel Live

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The People of Israel Live

I write, of all places, from picturesque Northern Italy. I am here for a wedding where, as the case may be, both bride and groom come from Israeli families. This is thus the second time, following last Saturday evening’s celebration of Simchat Torah (a festive annual occasion marking the completion of one cycle of Torah reading and the commencement of the next cycle) back home in Florida, where I am asked to rejoice with my co-religionists following last Saturday’s catastrophic Islamist pogrom in Israel, the single deadliest day for the Jewish people since the defeat of Nazi Germany 78 years ago.

The emotional paradox is acute, but Jewish law and custom are straightforward: The show must go on. It is in these moments, some of our rabbis have taught, where our simcha (gladness, joy) can actually serve as an avoda (work, service). The logic is sound, indeed compelling; we cannot, after all, “let the terrorists win.” The duality of this long-standing conflict is even encapsulated by this stark dichotomy: Just as the Islamists and jihadists love death and despair, so do the Jews love life. Am Yisrael Chai—the people of Israel live.

And so we sing and dance around the Torah; we raise our glasses to wish the newlyweds a big mazel tov. We do this while the blood of the decapitated babies, the children burned alive, the Holocaust survivors wantonly slaughtered, and the other thousand-plus Israelis viciously murdered is still fresh. We do this while the Jewish state declares all-out war for the first time in 50 years, fighting yet another existential conflict against an implacable enemy and steeling itself for a two- or even three-front conflict—one that must not merely once and for all eradicate the Hamas tumor from Gaza, but also defend against a likely annihilationist incursion from the Iranian terrorist proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon and perhaps another from Bashar al-Assad‘s Syria.

We do this because, as painful and as difficult as it is, we do not know any other way.

But the Jewish people are hardly the only ones devastated by last weekend’s genocidal rampage at the hands of today’s new Nazis, the Islamist Reich. At least 25 American citizens have also been killed, and there are enough American citizens among the estimated near-150 hostages currently held by Hamas inside Gaza so as to make this, on its own terms, the single worst American hostage crisis since 1979. The explicit culprit back then, and the only slightly-less-than-explicit culprit now, is the fanatical regime that is the world’s No. 1 state sponsor of jihad: The Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Hamas pogrom, reported by both The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post to be orchestrated by the Iranian regime, is undoubtedly an act of war—a casus belli—against the Jewish state, at least when such a conclusion is corroborated (as it will be) by Israeli intelligence. Given the American death toll and hostage crisis, it is perhaps something only slightly less than that against America itself.

Whether this grim reality leads the hapless, Iranian spy-infiltrated (see Malley, Robert) Biden administration, previously eager to continue the Obama administration’s prior attempted appeasement of the indefatigable Iranian regime, to change course remains to be seen. The time is also now to revise the U.S.’s deeply problematic status with the wealthy emirate of Qatar, which was laughably designated just last year as a “major non-NATO ally” despite the fact it disseminates Islamism via its Al Jazeera state TV network and houses Hamas leadership in five-star luxury hotels in Doha.

Meanwhile, across America, so-called pro-Palestinian groups, Black Lives Matter chapters, and Students for Justice in Palestine campus radicals have celebrated the most dead Jews in a single day since Hitler, perversely placed the blame for the pogrom on Israel itself, and appropriated the image of the paraglider jihadi—a reference to the Hamas terrorists who mowed down 260 people at an overnight rave near the Gaza border—as a new symbol of “resistance.” In the streets of major cities such as New York and Chicago, and in the halls of towns with large Arab populations such as Dearborn, Michigan, masses have gathered to fly the Palestinian flag—the new Nazi swastika—and double down on calls for genocide of the Jews of Israel “from the river to the sea.” In Sydney, Australia, a large Muslim gathering started chanting, “gas the Jews.”

Many young people ask themselves how the Holocaust possibly happened. How, in Germany, the most advanced nation in the world at the time, did the people let the Nazi Party attain such power? How, across Europe, did hundreds of millions of people simply look the other way?

Those young people now have their answer. “Never again” is right now. Only this time, the Jews have a state—and a powerful military to defend it.

Everyone the world over now faces a decision: Are you with the Islamist savages who committed unspeakable Nazi-level atrocities, or are you against them? Some conflicts are not so black-or-white; some have a third way. But there is really no third way here. One must choose a side.

In the meantime, the Jews do what we have always done: Live. Am Yisrael Chai.

Josh Hammer is Newsweek senior editor-at-large, host of “The Josh Hammer Show,” a syndicated columnist, and a research fellow with the Edmund Burke Foundation. Subscribe here for “The Josh Hammer Report,” a Newsweek newsletter. X: @josh_hammer.

The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.

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Persecuted Christians Around the World Need the U.S. To Be a Safe Haven

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Persecuted Christians Around the World Need the U.S. To Be a Safe Haven

More than a decade ago, when I still called Iran home, I was imprisoned for more than 200 days, interrogated, and eventually sentenced to death. My crime? I had converted to Christianity and was publicly sharing my faith.

By the grace of God and through international advocacy efforts, my sentence was overturned, and I was able to find true refuge in the United States in 2011. America welcomed me, along with other persecuted Christians with open arms. And with the support of World Relief, a global Christian humanitarian organization, I was resettled into a new community that embraced me. Over time, I had the privilege of becoming a U.S. citizen.

Many today are not so fortunate. Since the time of my imprisonment, persecution in Iran and around the world has worsened and Iran has become classified as one of the top 10 most dangerous countries for Christians. Still, opportunities to seek refuge in the United States have narrowed. Since 2016, there has been a 70 percent decrease in the amount of Christians resettled as refugees from the top countries perpetuating religious persecution. And last year, a mere 112 Christian refugees from Iran were resettled in the U.S.

Under Sharia Law, Muslims who convert to Christianity are considered apostates and can face the death penalty or life imprisonment. To avoid international pressure, the Islamic regime in Iran now arrests and imprisons Christian converts under the guise of political crimes. Additionally, Christians have their financial assets seized by the state, along with being banned from attending schools and owning businesses, blacklisted by employers, and lose custody rights.

As the number of converts in Iran increases, more Christians are fleeing into Turkey with the hope of gaining U.N. refugee status and being resettled in a third country. Turkey now hosts 3.7 million refugees and counting—including Christians—many of whom are mistreated, abused, ostracized, and deported. Some are even targeted and attacked by the regimes they fled. And now, they face increasingly lower chances of being granted acceptance into any third country in Europe or North America.

A recently released report by Open Doors US and World Relief revealed that, for many, the United States no longer serves as the safe haven it once was for the persecuted. As a result of public health provisions and decreased refugee processing during and even preceding the COVID-19 pandemic, refugee resettlement numbers were dramatically reduced between 2016 and 2020. While the resettlement of Christians has begun to slowly rebound since hitting its low point in 2020, it is still down 70 percent from what it was in 2016. And the number of Christians resettled from Iran is down 95 percent.

The United States has a long history of defending religious liberty and protecting freedom—particularly for people like persecuted Christians, but the decrease in avenues to safety for those fleeing persecution show a concerning departure from that legacy. To truly live up to its history, the United States must protect victims of religious persecution, starting with expanding refugee resettlement numbers—especially as doors to resettlement continue closing.

This year, the Lautenberg Amendment—a bipartisan program that provided historically persecuted religious minorities easier access to the refugee resettlement program, was not included as part of the House of Representatives Foreign Operations bill.

As recent headlines show, there is a genuine need for our country and its leaders to address comprehensive immigration reform. Inarguably, strong border security is important, but Congress has a responsibility to ensure that efforts to reform the border also protect due process for persecuted religious minorities who need asylum.

By reauthorizing the Lautenberg Amendment and supporting immigration bills that dually prioritize border security and compassion for those fleeing persecution, the United States has an opportunity to demonstrate that it still stands with victims of persecution around the world.

These solutions, along with expanding the number of refugees who can enter the United States, can strengthen our immigration system while simultaneously promoting the freedom our country stands for to those who desperately need it. While I continue to pray for the restoration of religious liberty in Iran, Christians suffering persecution in Iran and around the world must have opportunities to find refuge now.

In the same way that I once did, persecuted Christians need access to the hope and safe haven the United States offers. I pray this great country does not close its door to their cries for help.

Maryam Rostampour-Keller is the coauthor of Captive in Iran: A Remarkable True Story of Hope and Triumph amid the Horror of Tehran’s Brutal Evin Prison.

The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.

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