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Germany reveals new weapons aid in winter boost for Ukraine: Full list

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Germany reveals new weapons aid in winter boost for Ukraine: Full list

Ukraine received a fresh pledge of military aid from NATO ally Germany this week in a winter boost for its ongoing counteroffensive.

On Tuesday, Germany’s defense ministry announced a support package for Ukraine worth around 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion), including an array of new weapons.

“Germany will continue to support Ukraine with what it needs most urgently—air defense, ammunition and tanks,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said.

“With this new ‘winter package’ we are further increasing the operational readiness of the Ukrainian armed forces in the coming months.”

Pistorius said Germany is “making the Ukrainian special forces even more combat-effective with a comprehensive support package consisting of vehicles, weapons and personal equipment worth more than 20 million euros.”

Germany’s defense ministry said in a press release that in the next few weeks, another Leopard 1A5 main battle tank, three more Gepard anti-aircraft gun tanks, 15 protected transport vehicles and nearly 20 protected medical vehicles will arrive in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, thanked Germany for the fresh support package, in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Germany’s increasing military aid and air defense systems number for Ukraine,” Yermak, who heads the Ukrainian presidential office, said. “The new aid package will include Patriot, IRIS-T, and Gepard systems.”

“This ‘winter’ aid package is crucial as Russian terrorists are attacking our cities from the air,” Yermak added. “Thank you to our allies.”

Germany’s announcement came ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on Wednesday, where the issue of military aid for Ukraine is expected to be among the topics of discussion.

The U.S. has provided Ukraine with the most assistance throughout Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s full-scale invasion of the country, followed by Germany, according to the latest data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

Zelensky also said he was grateful to Berlin for the latest support package.

“As winter approaches, this is exactly the support we need and the one we discussed with [Chancellor Olaf Scholz] in Granada,” Zelensky said in a post on social media.

In another post, the Ukrainian president said Kyiv “must win the winter battle against terror.”

“We can win it. And along with it, we can win the battle for how and on whose terms this war will end. Ukraine can survive. It will survive. However, it is important to take the weapons out of the hands of our enemy.”

Do you have a tip on a world news story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about the Russia-Ukraine war? Let us know via worldnews@newsweek.com.

Kremlin threatens returning Russian citizens with exile—in Russia

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Kremlin threatens returning Russian citizens with exile—in Russia

The Kremlin has threatened returning Russian citizens who fled the country due to the war in Ukraine with exile in Russia’s far east.

Two days after Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said citizens who left Russia after Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 wouldn’t face repercussions, he walked back his comments, saying they didn’t apply to all returnees.

He made the comments during a press briefing on Wednesday, when asked by reporters to respond to Russia’s State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin’s suggestion that Russians who support Ukraine should be sent to the Magadan region, known for its Stalin-era Gulag prison camps, if they return.

Volodin was referring to those who “took a pronounced anti-Russian position and sided with the Kyiv regime,” said Peskov.

“Yes, indeed, we are not on the same path with these people,” Putin’s spokesman said.

Peskov said “the vast majority” were always welcome to return to Russia, however.

“Of course, these people always, no matter what, have their homeland—Russia. And she’s always waiting for them,” Peskov added.

The governor of Magadan, Sergei Nosov, said that the region will not accept “traitors” and “vile people.”

Nosov was quoted by state-run news agency RIA Novosti as saying that the Magadan region is developing dynamically today “on instructions from the president and government” of the country.

“That’s why we need literate, educated and professional people here,” he added.

Newsweek has contacted Russia’s Foreign Ministry via email for comment.

Another member of Russia’s State Duma suggested this week that Russians living abroad should be fined remotely for “discrediting” the army and criticizing Russian authorities.

Ayrat Farrakhov of the ruling United Russia party proposed introducing the amendments to existing legislation, reported Russian publication Kommersant.

Farrakhov said that “on the territories of foreign states, various public leaders and activists are carrying out activities directed against the interests of the Russian Federation.”

Russia’s parliament passed legislation in March 2022 imposing jail terms of up to 15 years for intentionally spreading “fake” news about Russia’s army. The Kremlin has used the law to crack down on those inside the country who veer away from Putin’s narrative of the war.

At the moment, it is “impossible to apply preventive measures to relocants,” the State Duma deputy wrote.

Do you have a tip on a world news story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about the Russia-Ukraine war? Let us know via worldnews@newsweek.com.

Michigan rally sees hundreds of pro-Palestinian supporters condemn Israel

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Michigan rally sees hundreds of pro-Palestinian supporters condemn Israel

Hundreds gathered in a theater in Dearborn, Michigan, on Tuesday night to share their support for the Palestinian cause and condemn the Israeli government.

Palestinian militants fighting for Hamas stormed into Israel on Saturday, killing over 1,000 people and taking dozens hostage in a multi-pronged offensive. Hamas said the attack was retribution for worsening conditions for Palestinians under Israeli occupation.

Israel formally declared war on Sunday and has been pummelling the sealed-off and densely populated Gaza Strip with airstrikes. U.S. Palestinian health authorities in Gaza said on Tuesday that 830 Palestinians in the territory had been killed since Saturday. Israel has also stopped entry of food, fuel and medicine into Gaza, worsening the already abysmal humanitarian conditions in the tiny territory of 2.3 million people—half of them children.

Videos on social media showed supporters waving Palestinian flags and chanting “free, free Palestine” inside the packed Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn.

A poster advertising the rally said the event condemned “racist ethnic cleansing” and an “inhumane blockade.”

Speakers at the event said support for Palestinians should not be viewed as antisemitic or extreme, but criticism of Israeli foreign policy and Zionism.

“Now, if you’re expressing support to Palestinians, automatically you’re pro-Hamas, that’s not true,” Imad Hamad, the executive director of the American Human Rights Council. “I’m talking about Palestinians, I’m talking about innocent people. I’m talking about millions of lives.”

Palestinian Americans at the rally said their frustration has grown after not being able to contact family members and after international leaders ignored past and current calls for support, The Detroit News reported.

Mohammed Abdul Salam, who works with the Palestine Aid Society, told the crowd that “we are not here to celebrate anything,” according to the newspaper.

“We mourn this destruction. 900 civilians, including 260 children and 230 women, along with 200,000 displaced living in United Nations Schools. The root cause of all wars and problems in Palestine is the occupation. Therefore, the only solution is to end the occupation.”

Salam also criticized President Joe Biden.

“People of Gaza are human beings, too, with dignity, and not as the Israel prime minister calls them, animals,” he said. “We will hold the Biden administration accountable for the restriction of water, food and medical supplies to Gaza. We condemn death on both sides. We do not accept that Jewish lives are superior. For Mr. Biden, we will remember next November.”

David Finkel, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace-Detroit, told the audience that the group “stands with the Palestinian community in the struggle for justice.”

He said: “Stop the siege of Gaza. End the occupation and Israeli apartheid. Free Palestine.”

On social media, many were critical of the rally.

Gabriel Noronha, a fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, called it “celebratory.”

“A celebratory rally was held in Dearborn, Michigan this evening – they asked children to come on stage,” Noronha wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Others expressed support, with one person writing: “Dearborn is a wonderful city, this shouldn’t be surprising, I applaud what they are doing and I support the fight of the Palestinian people for freedom.”

Update 10/11/23, 8:40 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to add additional information.

Jedidiah Murphy’s last words before Texas execution

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Jedidiah Murphy’s last words before Texas execution

A Texas man who had raised questions about evidence used to persuade a jury to sentence him to death for killing an elderly woman decades ago was executed on Tuesday night.

Jedidiah Murphy, 48, was pronounced dead after a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville for the October 2000 fatal shooting of Bertie Lee Cunningham in Garland, a suburb of Dallas. Cunningham, 80, was killed during a carjacking.

“To the family of the victim, I want to say I sincerely apologize for all I did,” Murphy said, according to a transcript of his final statement that was provided to Newsweek by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. “I hope this brings you closure.”

Murphy then began a lengthy recitation of Psalm 34, which ended with him saying: “The Lord redeems the soul of his servants, and none of those who trust in him shall be condemned.”

After telling the warden he was ready, Murphy turned his head toward a friend watching through a window a few feet from him, The Associated Press reported.

He told her: “God bless all of y’all. It’s OK. Tell my babies I love them.”

He then shouted out: “Bella is my wife!”

Murphy took two barely audible breaths as the lethal dose of pentobarbital took effect and appeared to go to sleep, according to the AP. He was pronounced dead at 10:15 p.m.

Murphy was put to death hours after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned an order that had stopped the execution from taking place. The court also turned down another request to stay the execution over claims the lethal drugs were exposed to extreme heat and smoke in a recent fire at the Huntsville prison unit where they were stored, making them unsafe and leaving Murphy at risk of pain and suffering.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday had upheld a federal judge’s order delaying the execution after Murphy’s lawyers filed a lawsuit seeking DNA testing of evidence presented at his 2001 trial. In their ruling, the panel said that another case before the court brought by a different Texas death row inmate raised similar issues and it was prudent to wait for a ruling in that case.

The Texas attorney general’s office appealed, with the Supreme Court ruling in the state’s favor.

Murphy’s attorneys had raised questions about the evidence used by prosecutors during the penalty phase of his trial, according to the AP.

Murphy admitted that he killed Cunningham but long denied he committed the robberies or kidnapping that his attorneys argued were the strongest evidence prosecutors had to show Murphy would be a future danger, a legal finding needed to impose a death sentence in Texas. They said the evidence linking Murphy to the crimes was problematic, including a questionable identification of Murphy by one of the victims, and argued that DNA testing would help show he did not commit the crimes.

Prosecutors argued against the DNA testing, saying state law only allows for post-conviction testing of evidence related to guilt or innocence and not to a defendant’s sentence.

Murphy was the sixth inmate put to death in Texas in 2023. Three more are scheduled in the state this year.

Murphy’s execution took place on World Day Against the Death Penalty, an annual day of advocacy by death penalty opponents.

Pro-Israel protesters in NYC demand Gaza flattened: "Kill all Palestinians"

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Pro-Israel protesters in NYC demand Gaza flattened: "Kill all Palestinians"

Several people at a pro-Israel protest in New York City called for the Gaza Strip to be “flattened” and for genocide against Palestinians, according to a viral video.

“At a Pro-Israel protest in New York City, Zionist activists spoke with me and explicitly called for Arab/ Palestinian genocide,” reporter Jeremy Loffredo wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, alongside the video on Tuesday. It has since amassed more than 8 million views on the platform.

Israel has been conducting airstrikes on the sealed-off and densely populated Gaza Strip, after Hamas gunmen attacked towns, killing people and taking dozens of Israelis and some foreigners hostage in the deadliest Palestinian militant attack in Israel’s history. Hamas, which is funded and armed by Iran, is sworn to Israel’s destruction and its replacement with an Islamic state. It has said the attack was retribution for worsening conditions for Palestinians under Israeli occupation.

Israel’s embassy in Washington said the death toll from the weekend Hamas attacks had surpassed 1,000, Reuters reported. The outlet reported that Gaza’s health ministry said Israel’s airstrikes had killed at least 830. Israel has also stopped the entry of food, fuel and medicine into Gaza, a tiny territory of 2.3 million people—half of them children. Over half the population lives below the poverty line, according to the IMF.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said what Israel “will do to our enemies in the coming days will reverberate with them for generations.”

Pro-Palestine and pro-Israel rallies clashed in New York and in other cities that day.

According to Loffredo’s video, a number of Israel supporters who gathered in Midtown Manhattan expressed support for the killing of Palestinians and destruction of Gaza.

“F*** Palestine! Palestine to my d**k!” one man tells Loffredo in the video.

Asked what the man thinks the response should be from Netanyahu and the Israeli military, the man says: “Kill all Palestinians, all of them! Not one left. From the river to the sea Palestine will be deceased!”

Later in the clip, the same man says: “I’m not stopping. Until all Arabs are wiped out.”

A second man at the protest is seen holding up a phone with photos showing what Gaza looks like today and another portraying the area flattened.

“Now Gaza like this… Gaza need to do like this,” he said, pointing at the images.

Asked what Israel’s response should be to Gaza, a third man in the video says: “We gotta wipe them off the f***ing map. I’m talking about blowing every f***ing… flatten them like a parking lot. Flatten them out once and for all and get rid of them.”

A fourth man agrees, saying there “nothing else you can do.”

“They have proved to us there’s nothing else you can do. We tried,” he says. “That will be the last war in Gaza,” he says later in the clip.

Another man tells Loffredo that he believes that “now is the time that we need to erase Gaza.”

Noting that Hamas has taken Israelis hostages, he adds: “There is people inside… our people inside that are kidnapped. And now we need to kill all of them and free Israel. All of the Arab beliefs is killing Jewish and killing and murdering our people.”

A woman in the video also tells Loffredo: “Flatten it. Flatten Gaza.”

At the demonstration on Sunday, pro-Palestinian protesters also faced off against pro-Israel protesters. The pro-Palestinian protesters held banners including “Israel go to hell!” and “NYC stands with Gaza.”

The pro-Palestinian rally dwarfed the pro-Israel side in terms of numbers, Politico reported. The demonstration in support of Palestinians was condemned by Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who described it as “abhorrent and morally repugnant.”

Update 10/11/23, 9:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.

Full list of US universities staging pro-Palestinian protests

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Full list of US universities staging pro-Palestinian protests

Groups at several U.S. universities are staging protests in support of Palestinians in Gaza as Israeli airstrikes continue.

Israel’s military action follows the deadliest attack on the country in decades. Hamas militants streamed into Israel early on Saturday morning, killing hundreds of people and taking dozens hostage in a multi-pronged offensive.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel’s operation against Hamas “will be remembered by them and Israel’s other enemies for decades to come.”

On the same day, Israel announced a full siege of Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas’ political wing. Food, fuel and other supplies are being blocked in the enclave of 2.3 million people.

More than 1,200 people have been killed in Israel since Saturday, Reuters reported, citing the Israeli military. Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza have killed 1,055 people, the news agency said, citing Palestinian officials.

The violence in the region has led to tensions rising on college campuses across the U.S. Here Newsweek rounds up where students are expressing support for the Palestinian cause.

Harvard

More than 30 student groups at Harvard signed a statement blaming Israel for the violence.

The students “hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence,” said the statement, issued by the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups.

Saturday’s attack “did not occur in a vacuum,” the letter said. “For the last two decades, millions of Palestinians in Gaza have been forced to live in an open-air prison.”

The “apartheid regime is the only one to blame,” the statement added. “Israeli violence has structured every aspect of Palestinian existence for 75 years.”

The letter was rebuked by some on social media, including former Harvard president Larry Summers, who was Treasury secretary in the Bill Clinton administration.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Harvard president Claudine Gay said she “condemn[ed] the terrorist atrocities perpetrated by Hamas.”

“Such inhumanity is abhorrent, whatever one’s individual views of the origins of longstanding conflicts in the region,” she said.

She added that while Harvard students “have the right to speak for themselves, no student group—not even 30 student groups—speaks for Harvard University or its leadership.”

Indiana University

The Palestinian Solidarity Committee announced a peaceful counterprotest at the same time supporters of Israel were rallying on the Indiana campus in Bloomington on Monday.

The two groups waved their flags and yelled at each other for about 20 minutes while separated by a police line, according to the Indiana Daily Student newspaper.

“We just stand for peace, it’s an emotional conflict,” a member of the Palestinian Solidarity Committee at the university told the newspaper.

“We don’t represent Hamas, and we don’t condone the actions of Hamas. But we also don’t condone the actions of the Israeli military. We do not want to see Palestinian children or Israeli children killed in this siege. It is a tragic event, and we hope things deescalate as soon as they can.”

Arizona State University

The group Students for Justice in Palestine at Arizona State University held a meeting on Sunday.

In a post on Instagram, the group said the event in Tempe Beach Park was used to “learn about the Palestinian liberation struggle against the U.S. and Israeli war machine.”

A rally is planned for Thursday outside the college’s student union.

California State University Long Beach

Dozens of students from the university attended a rally in support of Palestinians on Tuesday.

They gathered on the campus quad, then marched through campus chanting “Free Palestine” and “Occupation is a crime,” the Long Beach Post reported.

Multiple student clubs at the university, including the La F.U.E.R.Z.A Student Association, promoted the protest on social media.

They sparked a backlash for a flyer that featured a paraglider—Hamas employed paragliders to get some militants over the border between Gaza and southern Israel.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The UNC Students for Justice in Palestine group has used a similar flyer to promote a protest on the campus on Thursday.

The rally will take place in front of the Wilson Library at 11 a.m., according to a post on the group’s Instagram page.

Donald Trump ally accuses Joe Biden of beating his dogs

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Donald Trump ally accuses Joe Biden of beating his dogs

President Joe Biden has been accused of beating his dogs by the head of a conservative activist group who helped break the story that the president’s pet German shepherd, Commander, had bitten several Secret Service agents.

Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, who obtained emails and records that detailed how Commander bit at least 10 Secret Service agents between October 2022 and January 2023, claimed that a source told the group that Biden physically abuses his dogs, which may explain the “dangerous nature” of the attacks.

Fitton—a top Donald Trump loyalist the former president is alleged to have preferred to take legal advice from over his attorneys in the classified documents case—made the claim in an interview on the Just the News show on right-wing streaming, cable and satellite television channel Real America’s Voice.

The White House previously confirmed that Commander was removed from the grounds of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue following a series of biting incidents and attacks, one of which required a hospital visit by an injured law enforcement officer. There is no evidence to suggest that Commander was abused by Biden.

Commander is the second of Biden’s dogs to be removed from the White House following biting incidents. The president’s German shepherd named Major was sent to live with friends in Delaware in 2021.

Fitton suggested that there may actually have been “upwards of two dozen people being bitten without consequence” by Commander, while citing a recent CNN report that the animal was involved in more biting incidents than previously reported.

“And only after all that came out was the dog removed from the White House complex,” Fitton said. “Now we had a separate source who told us that Biden beat his dogs. So it helped maybe explain the dangerous nature of the dogs attacks.

“I tend to think it’s a big story when a dozen or so federal law enforcement officers, who are trying to protect the President’s life and his family’s life and the White House, are being attacked by the dog and the White House lying about the Secret Service not doing anything about it.”

“Biden was allowing his dog to bite agents with impunity,” Fitton added. “It just highlights the devil-may- care attitude or maybe the mafia-like attitude that takes to public office.”

The White House has been contacted for comment via email.

Judicial Watch revealed how Commander had bitten at least 10 Secret Service personnel after submitting Freedom of Information Act requests, with reports of an 11th incident arriving in September.

A Secret Service spokesperson told Newsweek that the latest incident had occurred at around 8 p.m. on September 25 and that an “officer was treated by medical personnel on complex.”

Jonathan Wackrow, a former Secret Service Agent on then-first lady Michelle Obama‘s detail, said the attacks by Commander had become a serious issue for Biden.

“Imagine you’re the owner of a business, a CEO of a company, you bring your dog in, and your dog keeps biting employees. You’re creating an unsafe work environment. And that’s what’s happening now,” Wackrow told CNN last week.

In a statement confirming Commander is no longer at the White House, Elizabeth Alexander, first lady Jill Biden‘s communications director, said: “The President and First Lady care deeply about the safety of those who work at the White House and those who protect them every day. They remain grateful for the patience and support of the U.S. Secret Service and all involved, as they continue to work through solutions.

“Commander is not presently on the White House campus while next steps are evaluated.”

Jim Jordan’s past comes back to haunt him as Ohio State wrestlers speak out

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Jim Jordan’s past comes back to haunt him as Ohio State wrestlers speak out

Four former wrestlers from Ohio State University who accuse Rep. Jim Jordan of failing to act on allegations of sexual abuse when he was the team’s assistant coach said the congressman shouldn’t become the new House speaker.

Jordan has long denied accusations that he was aware of any abuse allegations aimed at OSU team doctor Richard Strauss while the Republican worked as a coach between 1986 and 1994. The allegations against Jordan first emerged in 2018, with six former wrestlers telling CNN in 2020 that Jordan knew of complaints from students about Strauss, but failed to take any action.

The allegations surrounding Jordan’s apparent knowledge of the widespread abuse have been brought up again in the wake of rep. Kevin McCarthy‘s historic removal from the role of House speaker in a 216-210 vote on October 3. Jordan, along with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, are the only two candidates to confirm their plans to compete for the position, with the Ohio congressman getting the backing of former president Donald Trump.

Speaking to NBC News, four of the former Ohio State University wrestlers who have accused Jordan of failing to protect them from Stauss in the 1980s and 1990s have said that Jordan is not a suitable candidate for the role of House Speaker, a position which is second in line for the presidency after the vice president.

In a statement to Newsweek, Jordan’s spokesperson Russell Dye told Newsweek: “Chairman Jordan never saw or heard of any abuse, and if he had, he would have dealt with it.”

“He doesn’t deserve to be House speaker,” said Dunyasha Yetts, one of the former OSU wrestlers. “He still has to answer for what happened to us.”

Mike Schyck, who is one of the hundreds of OSU students who say they were abused by Strauss, added: “Do you really want a guy in that job who chose not to stand up for his guys? Is that the kind of character trait you want for a House Speaker?”

In 2019, an independent report from OSU found that Strauss, who died by suicide in 2005, had sexually abused “at least 177 male student-patients” between 1979 and 1998, mostly under the guise of performing medical examinations such as hernia checks.

In July 2022, the university announced it had reached settlement agreements of more than $60 million with 296 of Strauss’ alleged victims.

Schyck dismissed Jordan’s suggestions that he wasn’t aware of any abuse allegations against Strauss.

“His locker was just a few spots away from mine and mine was near Dr. Strauss’,” Schyck said. “And we were always talking about Dr. Strauss. There’s no way he didn’t know what was going on.”

Schyck added that he believes Jordan has “no choice but to stick to this story that he had no idea what Dr. Strauss was doing, even though it’s a lie,” while he is running for House speaker.

Rocky Ratliff, another one of Strauss’ alleged victims who is also a lawyer representing some of the plaintiffs suing OSU, said the accusations surrounding Strauss were an “open secret” at the university while Jordan was there.

“Everybody talked about Strauss,” Ratliff told NBC News. “Everybody knew if you went to him, the first thing he would do is take down your pants. Everybody knew he was taking unnecessary showers with the team. His locker was near Jimmy’s locker.”

Another former OSU wrestler, identified only as John Doe, said he can’t support Jordan for House speaker as the Republican has been “playing with words instead of supporting” the alleged victims.

“None of us used the words ‘sexual abuse’ when we talked about what Doc Strauss was doing to us, we just knew it was weird and Jimmy knew about it because we talked about it all the time in the locker room, at practices, everywhere,” he said.

Elsewhere, House Republicans are refusing to get drawn into the allegations.

“Hasn’t this already been dealt with?” Florida rep. Byron Donalds said on Tuesday, according to a Roll Call report. “What I’m going to do right now is find a speaker of the House. I’m not getting into stuff like that from years ago.”

South Carolina rep. Nancy Mace, one of the eight Republicans who voted to remove McCarthy, was criticized for saying she wasn’t aware of the allegations that have dogged Jordan for the past five years.

“I’m not familiar or aware with that,” Mace told CBS News’ Face the Nation. “He’s not indicted on anything that I’m aware of. I don’t know anything and can’t speak to that.

“What I do know is that I’ve been a very strong voice for women, I’ve talked to Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise about that. I’ve been a very strong advocate for rape victims,” Mace added.

Update 10/12/23, 2:11 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Jim Jordan’s spokesperson Russell Dye.

Republican Group blasts MAGA for threatening "national security"

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Republican Group blasts MAGA for threatening "national security"

A Republican group has accused “MAGA extremists” in the GOP of threatening national and foreign security with their actions, resulting in key positions not being filled.

The Lincoln Project, a Republican PAC consisting of Donald Trump critics, hit out at GOP members of the House and the Senate for engaging in “political stunts” rather than trying to govern effectively.

The group cited the recent ousting of Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker, despite there being no clear candidate in line to replace him as an example, as well as Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who has reportedly been stalling the nominations of several U.S. ambassadors for countries such as Israel. The Republican National Committee and Cruz’s office have been contacted for comment via email.

The lack of a U.S. ambassador to Israel has been highlighted since the Islamist militant organization Hamas launched a large-scale attack against Israel on Saturday, resulting in a war breaking out between Israel and the Palestinian group. The violence has killed at least 2,200 people on both sides, according to The Associated Press.

“GOP instability threatens our national security, national defense, & our allies. With two US allied countries in active war zones looking to America, MAGA extremists are blocking the government’s ability to carry out basic functions & provide leadership & assistance,” The Lincoln Project posted on X, formerly Twitter.

“The House still has NO speaker—House GOP is still trying to ‘out MAGA’ each other because they’re beholden to Trump. Key ambassador positions are waiting. We have NO confirmed ambassadors to Israel or Egypt because of political stunts pulled by MAGA senators like Ted Cruz.”

According to NBC News, Cruz has not yet spoken to Jack Lew, the Biden nominee for ambassador to Israel, who was put forward by the president for the role in September. In a statement, a spokesman for Cruz said the senator held concerns about Lew.

“Sen. Cruz has said since the summer that it was becoming impossible to expeditiously advance Biden administration nominees because those nominees keep lying to Congress and the American people, testifying publicly that they are committed to countering Iran and deepening the U.S.-Israel relationship then implementing the opposite policies in secret once confirmed,” the spokesman said.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has announced that Lew’s confirmation hearing will begin on October 18.

Elsewhere in their X posts, The Lincoln Project noted how Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville has indicated he has no plans to back down on his ongoing block of military promotions, despite war breaking out between Israel and Hamas.

“Key military positions are vacant. MAGA Senator Sen. [Tommy] Tuberville has refused to put national security over his extremist beliefs and is holding up 300 nominees for top military officials, including those who are instrumental for making military decisions,” the group added. “MAGA extremists are withholding aid to Ukraine because they don’t stand for democracy, they revere Putin.

“The future of American & global democracy is on the ballot in 2024. The dysfunctional & authoritarian MAGA Republican party does not deserve the sacred responsibility of upholding an oath to the Constitution.”

Amber Heard fans spot disturbing detail amid ‘Aquaman 2’ firing rumors

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Amber Heard fans spot disturbing detail amid ‘Aquaman 2’ firing rumors

Five years since the first movie became a global success, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is hitting cinemas on December 20. The much-anticipated sequel has been long beset by delays and rumors of drama behind the scenes, with Amber Heard’s continued presence in the franchise seemingly a source of contention both on and off set.

The 37-year-old actress plays Mera in Aquaman and the upcoming sequel alongside lead Jason Momoa. However, her defamation lawsuit against ex-husband Johnny Depp put her already tenuous role at risk, with newly-released documents from the highly-publicized trial stunning social media users.

In September, notes from Heard’s sessions with her therapist were leaked online. Depp fans had covered the court fees for the documents’ release, although the memos were ultimately excluded from the trial.

The notes recount Heard’s alleged experience on set, including her thoughts on Momoa and the film’s director, James Wan.

Although the documents contained some shocking claims—including drunken behavior from Momoa and a lack of support from Wan—the fact that Depp’s legal team subpoenaed the files to begin with appalled fans of Heard, many of whom spoke out on social media.

“Hell isn’t hot enough for these monsters,” @crisisgrl wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in response to a Variety article about the revelations.

“That is a legit insane thing to do,” @raya4 wrote.

“It’s not a ‘he said, she said,'” @mouseabolition posted. “It’s a ‘she said something to her therapist & people who wish her ill will made it public.'”

“That’s insanely gross,” said Ligerbusa, while @RichardOcelot called Depp’s fans “a bunch of ghastly, creepy, scavenging ogres.”

However, some social media users Depp defended the 60-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean star, with @icononlyx writing: “This is propaganda 101.”

X user @Dancing2NoMusic, who identified themselves as a Depp fan in their bio, posted footage from Heard’s appearance on Dateline in June 2022, in which the Justice League star shared the therapy notes with host Savannah Guthrie.

“I’ve seen several viral tweets today saying that these allegations against Jason Momoa are coming from Amber Heard’s therapy notes, sharing them is an invasion of her privacy and they’re only public cuz us ‘deppies’ want them to be,” she wrote alongside the video. “Well let’s hear what Ms Heard thought in 6/2022.”

Recorded on a legal pad, the handwritten notes suggest that Momoa’s clothing and behavior reminded Heard of Depp.

However, they do not say that the similarities were intentional on the actor’s part, nor an attempt to antagonize Heard. Although, they do claim that Momoa showed up to work inebriated.

“Jason drunk — late on set. Dressing like Johnny. Has all the rings too,” the notes read.

Heard was also convinced that her co-star wanted her removed from the film, telling her therapist: “Jason said he wanted me fired.”

A representative for DC defended Momoa, telling Variety that the actor “conducted himself in a professional manner at all times on the set of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.” However, a source close to Heard said the notes were a legitimate record of the session and confirmed the star was discussing the Aquaman 2 set.

Heard was almost fired early in the production, according to Variety, with Wan allegedly wanting to cut Heard before the trial with Depp had even begun.

Wan reportedly sent a letter to Heard’s attorney, Karl Austen, citing a “lack of chemistry” between her and Momoa as the reason for her removal.

However, Heard’s ex-boyfriend Elon Musk apparently jumped in, having his legal team write creator Warner Bros with a “scorched-earth letter” with threats “to burn the house down” if they dropped the actress.

Although she managed to hold onto the part of Mera, her role is said to have been greatly reduced in the sequel.

During the trial, Heard was asked if the negative publicity brought by the court case had affected her role in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

“They released me from my contract,” she said. “And I fought to stay in it, and they kept me in it. I just don’t know how much I’m in, actually, of the final cut.”

Newsweek reached out to Amber Heard, Johnny Depp, Jason Momoa, Elon Musk and Warner Bros for comment via email.

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