Archive

2024

Browsing

A member of Vice President Kamala Harris’ national finance committee says that her social media posts questioning if former President Donald Trump is colluding with Israel, Russia and Saudi Arabia to boost his election hopes are ‘absolutely valid,’ and she denies being a ‘conspiracy theorist.’ 

DNC National Finance Committee member Lindy Li has posted to X several times in recent days, speculating about potential coordination between the GOP presidential nominee and numerous foreign governments.

‘Did Trump collude with Netanyahu to block a ceasefire to help him win the election? Did Trump conspire with the Saudi Crown Prince to jack up gas prices to help him win? Did he and Putin agree to delay ending the war in Ukraine til after the election?’ Li posted on Tuesday. ‘Americans deserve answers.’

Li is a Philadelphia-area Democratic activist and strategist who serves as a national finance committee member for the Harris-Walz campaign. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro appointed her last year as a commissioner for the state to serve on the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Affairs, and Li is considered one of the top ‘influencers shaping the 2024 election,’ according to Wired. 

Li denied she was promoting any conspiracy theories and told Fox News Digital in a phone interview that she is simply asking questions.

‘I’m not a conspiracy theorist,’ Li said, noting that ‘there have been media articles on each of’ the points she made in the X post. 

She added, ‘Trump himself has admitted to speaking with Putin. He even admitted it on a debate stage, literally, in June. … And then there’s been extensive reporting about Trump speaking with MBS. And then, when asked what they were talking about, he refused to say. But there’s also been reporting that before every election, the Saudis will do everything in OPEC to jack our prices.’

To support her case, Li cites what she views as Trump’s history of leveraging issues to help his election hopes, accusing Trump of helping to scuttle a bipartisan immigration bill to keep illegal immigration ‘a salient campaign issue.’ 

‘Given Trump’s widely reported destruction of the bipartisan immigration deal in order to keep it a salient campaign issue, I think it’s absolutely valid to ask if he would the same thing with a ceasefire deal, especially given how close Netanyahu and Trump are,’ she said. 

While Trump opposed the border deal, Senate Republicans mobilized against the deal, arguing it would allow 5,000 migrants into the country each day and hand Democrats ‘more authority, more funds, and frankly, more flexibility’ on handling the border.

Li’s post followed news this weekend that Hamas terrorists killed six hostages Saturday as Israel Defense Forces launched an operation in Gaza. Among the bodies recovered was Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who had been held by the Hamas terrorists since Oct. 7, when war first broke out between Hamas and Israel. 

Protests erupted in Israel this week over the six hostages’ deaths, with residents demanding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu solidify a cease-fire deal and bring home the remaining hostages. Netanyahu said this week he will ‘not give in to pressure’ for a cease-fire, saying Israel needs control of the narrow section of land along Gaza’s border with Egypt. 

Li added in a follow-up message on X that ‘Nixon delayed ending the Vietnam War to finagle his way into office’ while building the argument that Trump might be working with world leaders to bolster his odds of winning back the White House.

‘Trump, who considers Nixon to be his spiritual predecessor, would stop at NOTHING to win, even if it means continuing the immense suffering in Gaza to boost his own electoral chances,’ she wrote.

Li argued that President Ronald Reagan also leveraged a world event to bolster his election effort. 

‘Reagan made a deal with Iran to DELAY the release of U.S. hostages til AFTER the election,’ Li posted. ‘Nixon made a deal with the Vietnamese to delay ending the war til AFTER the election.’

‘Trump likely made a deal with Netanyahu to block a ceasefire til AFTER the election. Same damn playbook.’

Li said that her questions and posts are ideas already put forth by other media pundits, pointing Fox Digital to a Steven Beschloss post from Monday and a New York Times op-ed penned by Thomas Friedman, titled, ‘How Netanyahu Is Trying to Save Himself, Elect Trump and Defeat Harris.’

The ongoing war in Israel has increased pressure on the Biden-Harris administration to lock down a cease-fire, as Trump accuses Harris of being weak on foreign policy. 

‘The Israeli attack was made because we are perceived as being weak and ineffective and with a really weak leader,’ Trump said during a campaign rally in Iowa the day Hamas first attacked Israel in October. 

‘All over the world things are not what they were just three years ago,’ he added.

Trump has gone on to say that if he were in office, wars in both Israel and Ukraine would not have occurred. 

‘I will end every single international crisis that the current administration has created, including the horrible war with Russia and Ukraine, which would’ve never happened if I was president and the war caused by the attack on Israel, which would’ve never happened if I was president,’ Trump declared during his nomination acceptance speech at the RNC in July. 

‘Iran was broke. Iran had no money. Now Iran has $250 billion. They made it all over the last two and a half years. They were broke. I watched the other day on a show called Deface the Nation. Has anyone seen it? And they had a Congressman who was a Democrat, say, ‘Well, whether you like him or not, Iran was broke dealing with Trump.’’

Fox Digital reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign for comment on Li’s X posts but did not receive a response.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

As we have discussed many times, financial markets are fractal. Different timeframes produce similar price structures. This is a very valuable phenomena for the study and practice of trading. When tracking the intraday time frame; Wyckoff structures of Accumulation, Markup, Distribution and Markdown repeat over and over. This creates a laboratory for study and analysis. Below is just such a case study. By paying attention to the intraday charts, the Wyckoffian often identifies setups brewing in the larger timeframes. The market’s intention in the larger picture is often first revealed in the intraday.

S&P 500 Index, Intraday 30-Minute Timeframe

Chart Notes

1.      The upward stride of the $SPX (30-minute timeframe) accelerated into Preliminary Supply (PSY) creating a local climactic event.

2.      The continuation of momentum carried the index into a Buying Climax (BC). Note the poor quality of the rally from the PSY to the BC. Supply is present!

3.      The Automatic Reaction was sudden and deep with expanding volume. Large sellers were present and motivated to reduce their holdings.

4.      The BC is critical Resistance and the AR is Support in the newly formed range-bound structure.

5.      A Cause was being built from the PSY to the Last Point of Supply (LPSY) that had the character of Distribution. Volatility on weakness to the Support line tipped off the presence of active selling and supply. Volume expanded during the second half of the Distribution structure. More Supply, Supply, Supply!

6.      A Last Point of Supply (LPSY) completed the Distribution which was confirmed by the immediate gap reversal and expanding spread on the return to the Support line. This volatility supported the conclusion that Distribution was complete and Markdown was the next phase. The decline below Support confirmed Markdown in progress.

7.      Downtrends, even small versions, are typically volatile with large up and down swings. They are ideal for study purposes, while only the most accomplished traders should consider campaigning them.

S&P 500 Index, 1-Box Method, 15 Minute Data, ATR Scale (12.51 pts)Distribution is a Cause building process for the next trending move of the index, which is expected to be downward. A 15-minute Point & Figure chart with ATR Scaling is used to estimate the potential for the extent of the subsequent decline. With this 1-Box reversal PnF chart we identifed two count segments. Counting from right to left the count was taken from the Last Point of Supply (LPSY) to the Buying Climax (BC) and to the Preliminary Supply (PSY). Two count estimates were generated: 5,366.75 and 5,291.73.

Chart Notes

1.      Using the vertical chart of the Distribution and the chart analysis and then identifying those points on the PnF, two counts were taken. The lower objective estimate suggested that the decline could take back the rally from August 14th to the BC high on August 22nd. So, volatility could ensue as there is little natural support to those lower objective levels.

2.      Volume was quite high into the PSY and the BC, which indicated active selling on a scale up by the Composite Operator (C.O.) community. Thereafter, C.O. selling was persistent at the 5,642.01 Resistance level. Note that volume expanded throughout the second half of the Distribution. This further confirmed the Distribution hypothesis.

3.      Supply engulfed the index as it fell out of the Distribution, and this can be seen in the very high downside volume. A rally into the underside of the prior Support zone is possible. Selling would be expected to continue from under the old Support zone.

4.      How, and if, the index approaches the PnF price objectives will tell much about the subsequent intention of the $SPX index. The stock market is always an unfolding picture.

This intraday structure is a Tempest in a Teapot for its small size in time and potential extent of the move. This is valuable training and good practice for a Wyckoffian. Please take the time to zoom out to the larger daily and weekly charts to study the greater picture. As they are fractal, your practice will speed the learning curve. And your path to mastery.

All the Best,

Bruce

@rdwyckoff  

Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The ideas and strategies should never be used without first assessing your own personal and financial situation, or without consulting a financial professional. 

Wyckoff Resources:

Distribution Definitions (Click Here)

Wyckoff Power Charting. Let’s Review (Click Here)

Additional Wyckoff Resources (Click Here)

Wyckoff Market Discussion (Click Here)

Event Announcement:

TSAA-SF Annual Conference (to learn more CLICK HERE)

Old School / New School.

Conference Themes will range from Artificial Intelligence to Reminiscences of a Stock Operator.

In-person in San Francisco and Livestreaming for dues paying members.

Saturday September 14th at Golden Gate University

The TSAA-SF annual conference will be held on Saturday Sept 14th 2024 at Golden Gate University. It is an all day hybrid event, held both in person and via zoom. This year’s speakers include:

 * John Bollinger, CFA, CMT – Creator of Bollinger Bands, Author, Investor

 * Linda Raschke – Author of “Trading Sardines” Trader/Investor

 * Damon Pavlatos – CEO of Future Path Trading LLC & PhotonTrader

 * Dave Landry – Trader, Author, Speaker, Educator, Founder of DaveLandry.com

 * Robert Schott – Expert in Global Investments, Strategy, Risk, Derivatives, & ALM

 * Patrick Dunawila, CMT – Technical Analyst, Co-Founder of The Chart Report

 * Mike Jones – Data Engineer & Analytics Consultant

The 2024 NFL season begins Thursday with an electric matchup with two of the league’s best quarterbacks, and two of the best teams from a season ago.

Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will host Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night at Aarowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

It will be a rematch of the AFC championship game between both clubsearlier this year, which the Chiefs won 17-10 on Jan. 28.

The Chiefs have won two straight Super Bowls, and vying for an elusive three-peat during the 2024 season. They have won three of the last five Super Bowls behind a core of Mahomes, star tight end and Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce, and coach Andy Reid.

The Ravens, led by Jackson and longtime coach John Harbaugh, will begin their season hoping to avoid another loss to the Chiefs. They’ve lost five of their last six matchups, and haven’t won at Kansas City since 2012.

PLAY TO WIN $5K: USA TODAY’s Pro Football Survivor Pool is free to enter. Sign up now!

How to watch Ravens vs. Chiefs game on Thursday night?

The Ravens and Chiefs will kickoff at 8:20 p.m. ET, and the game will be available on NBC, Peacock and Fubo.

Ravens vs. Chiefs betting odds

The Chiefs are the moneyline favorite (-155), while the Ravens are +130 underdogs. The over/under is set at 46.5 points with a three-point spread, according to BETMGM.

What happened during their last matchup?

The Chiefs prevailed in a defensive slugfest in the AFC championship game: Kelce caught 11 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown from Mahomes, while running back Isiah Pacheco scored a touchdown in the second quarter to propel Kansas City to victory in Baltimore.

Patrick Mahomes vs. Lamar Jackson, spotlight on quarterbacks

Thursday’s matchup will also be between two-time NFL MVPs.

Mahomes won league MVP in 2018 and 2022, while Jackson won in 2019 and 2023. Aaron Rodgers (2020 and 2021) is the only other player to win MVP since Mahomes and Jackson have.

Mahomes is also 4-1 vs. Jackson, including the playoffs, during their careers.

Ravens vs. Chiefs player to watch: Derrick Henry

New Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry could be a difference maker in this matchup.

The Ravens only ran the ball eight times (outside of eight carries by Jackson) during the AFC title game last season.

Henry, who finished the last two seasons as the NFL’s second-leading rusher, could become a vital part to the Ravens offense this season.

Predictions for Thursday’s Ravens-Chiefs game

Here are the USA TODAY Sports staff’s predictions for Thursday’s opener:

Jarrett Bell: Ravens 24-23
Chris Bumbaca: Ravens 26-23
Nate Davis: Chiefs 27-17
Safid Deen: Ravens 26-23
Tyler Dragon: Chiefs 24-23
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz: Chiefs 28-17
Lorenzo Reyes: Ravens 23-17

NFL Week 1 picks

DISCLAIMER: We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

When she was struggling earlier this year, Jessica Pegula wasn’t sure if some of the dramatic changes she made in pursuit of better results were going to ultimately pay off. 

But at this year’s U.S. Open, those doubts have been answered. Pegula isn’t just playing the best tennis of her life, she’s now gone further at a Grand Slam than ever before — with a real chance to take home the trophy. 

But this is a different Pegula, who split with longtime coach David Witt in February after a disappointing second-round exit at the Australian Open. Pegula missed the clay court season this year with a rib injury, returned at Wimbledon where she also lost in the second round and didn’t seem likely to be a factor for the rest of 2024. 

But Pegula found her form after the Olympics, defending her title at the Canadian Open and reaching the final the following week in Cincinnati. All told, she has won 14 of her last 15 matches heading into Thursday’s semifinal matchup against Karolina Muchova. 

Still, Pegula was considered an underdog to Swiatek, the 2022 U.S. Open champion. Swiatek led their head-to-head rivalry 6-3 coming into the match.

But from the very beginning Wednesday, Pegula was dialed in tactically and playing confident tennis both on her forehand and backhand. Pegula’s hard, flat ball strike appeared to rush Swiatek, who never got into a good rhythm and made uncharacteristic mistakes off standard groundstrokes. She finished with 41 unforced errors to just 12 winners. Pegula played a much cleaner match, making 65 percent of her first serves and just 22 errors. 

Only one Grand Slam champion remains among the final four in the women’s draw. No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka is a two-time Australian Open champion and lost last year’s U.S. Open final to Coco Gauff. She will face American Emma Navarro on Thursday. 

Regardless of what happens from here, Pegula, the No. 6 seed, will leave the U.S. Open as the top-ranked American woman. 

“I just kept losing but to great players,” Pegula said on ESPN about her previous quarterfinal struggles. “I know everyone keeps asking me about it, I just didn’t know what else to do. I just needed to get there again and win the match. Finally I’m able to say I’m a semifinalist.”

Follow Dan Wolken on social media @DanWolken

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

El SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Chargers are entering a new era in every sense this year.

The Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh to be the franchise’s new head coach, they opened a brand-new team facility and have 23 new players on their roster going into Week 1. One of the constants, however, is starting quarterback Justin Herbert.

Herbert is going into his fifth NFL season with the Chargers, and it might the first time since his rookie campaign that expectations about him or the team aren’t high outside of their new headquarters.

‘We got the players. We just got to put our best foot forward and show what we can do,’ Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston said to USA TODAY Sports. ‘We got all the pieces that we need in this locker room. We just got to go out and show it.’

The Chargers’ success this season will in large part be contingent upon Herbert’s effectiveness and health.

PLAY TO WIN $5K: USA TODAY’s Pro Football Survivor Pool is free to enter. Sign up now!

Herbert was placed on injured reserve and missed the final four regular-season games last year after he fractured his right index finger. The Chargers lost their final four games without Herbert and fired then-head coach Brandon Staley in the process of limping to a 5-12 finish.

In preparation for this season, Herbert was diagnosed with plantar fascia in his right foot, which caused him to miss much of training camp and all of the team’s preseason. But Herbert said he’s recovered and feeling 100% as the team gets ready for its opener against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1.

‘It’s feeling much better,’ Herbert said. ‘We’re through it and we’re moving forward.’

Harbaugh’s been effusive in his praise of Herbert since becoming the Chargers head coach. When Herbert returned to practice from his injury last month Harbaugh joked that he heard voices of angels.

When USA TODAY Sports asked Harbaugh on Wednesday how Herbert has evolved as a leader entering his fifth season, Harbaugh described the quarterback’s work ethic and then referred to the August elevator incident when Herbert along with multiple Chargers players and traveling staff members where stuck in an elevator.

‘One of the best leaders I’ve ever been around. From day one, he’s a rock in every way. He’s the hardest worker, a tone setter, the strategist, the performer and producer,’ Harbaugh said. ‘He leads from the front. Going back to the elevator incident, it was no surprise that when 15 people got out of the elevator, who would be the last one to get off the elevator. Who let 14 other people go in front of him. He was the last guy to get off, it was Justin Herbert. Any and every way, he’s probably the best leader I’ve ever been around.’

Herbert’s 17,223 career passing yards are the most ever for a quarterback in their first four seasons. In his fifth season, the Chargers are embarking on a new chapter. But he’s still the main character, and his performance and health will undoubtedly greatly influence the team’s success this season.

‘I think it’s a great opportunity,’ Herbert said. ‘We know how last year went. We are well aware of where we went and how we got here. But we got to learn from it. You got to move on and attack this next year.’

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Let me introduce the beautifully symphonic college football game of get yours.

Money coming in, money going out. And all that green has to land somewhere. 

Coaches and players, conferences and universities. 

Agents and advisors, middle men and parents (of course they’re still getting theirs).

A simpatico circle of feast while you can, and how you can. For as long as you can. 

But instead of pointing at the boogeyman of player empowerment and coaching greed as the reason college football has drastically changed in the last three years, let’s not stray too far from the obvious. 

Financial stupidity. 

Or as Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts told me in May: “We don’t have a revenue problem in college sports. We have a budgetary problem.”

It is here where we introduce Appalachian State coach Shawn Clark, a beloved alum and a tough and gritty offensive lineman in the 1990s. A two-time All-American long before NIL and shared television revenue crossed over from the unthinkable to the standard.

Clark has a career coaching record of 36-18 since 2020. A strong resume from a coach on the lower rungs of the Bowl Subdivision.

His team annually plays a school from the Power Five conferences, and this Saturday travels to Clemson to play a team still shellshocked at the very thought of anything Georgia.

“It’s a big task for us,” Clark said during his weekly press conference. “We almost have to play perfect football.”

Here’s one more thing: Clark will get $20,000 just for showing up. 

Because deep in the legalese of Clark’s contract is the candy jar — and it’s a sugar rush of reach these thresholds, earn this cash. Or in this case, just show up and get 20 stacks.

That’s right, every game against a Power Five conference team — the guarantee games with the seven-figure paydays that keep athletic departments alive — is easy money for Clark.  

But he’s not alone, and he’s on the low end of get yours. How low, you ask?

Here’s Lane Kiffin, an elite coach who has overhauled Ole Miss from irrelevant to College Football Playoff contender in four short years. Last year, the Rebels won 11 games for the first time in school history.

If anyone deserves to get paid, it’s Kiffin.

Ole Miss began this season by scoring 12,000 points last weekend on FCS opponent Furman, and is one of a handful of legit national championship favorites. Kiffin is also — potentially — in line for the largest single-season payout in college coaching history by reaching every benchmark in his newly restructured contract. 

If Ole Miss wins the national title this season, Kiffin will have reached every performance benchmark in his contract and earn an extra $4.25 million dollars. I’m no mathematician, but a $9 million annual salary supplemented by a $4.25 million bonus-enhanced national title run equals monetary history.

Unless, that is, Georgia (insert: Clemson shudder) coach Kirby Smart — he of the $13 million annual contract — reaches his the benchmarks of his bonus pool. At which point, it’s safe to say we’ve reached peak stupidity.   

BOWL PROJECTIONS: Big changes to College Football Playoff after Week 1

That $13-plus million salary is NFL-level money, and more than any coach has pulled from one season (sorry, Jimbo, not including you or any other coach cashing fat walkaway checks).

These performance-enhanced contracts have been around for decades, but the numbers and the incentives keep growing. Don’t blame Smart or Kiffin or super agent Jimmy Sexton for getting every dime they can. 

If universities are going to pay it with the hundreds of millions earned from ever-expanding media rights deals, why wouldn’t coaches take it? If players are going to move from team to team and get millions to do so, why wouldn’t they take it?

Louisville, when it pried hometown hero Jeff Brohm from Purdue after the 2022 season, had an incentive clause that added two years and $14 million to Brohm’s contract if he wins 10 games.  And wouldn’t you know it, Brohm last year took the suddenly moribund program and won 10 games in his first season. Then added the $14 million to his original deal. 

Again, if universities are doling it out, why not take it? 

So the next time you hear a coach complain about NIL, or revenue sharing, or declare the current NIL system is “unsustainable” — it’s not; in fact, it’s booming — don’t fall for it. That’s just code for we’re not the reason your college football doesn’t look the way it once did, players are. 

Which, of course, is utterly preposterous. 

Players are earning and moving from team to team. Some are thriving and some are learning hard life lessons ― just like, you know, coaches

Some players get a couple of million to quarterback State U, and some coaches get half a million to run a MAC school. It’s all based on market demand, and what everyone is willing to pay. 

The land of the free, and the home of get yours. 

Last year, in the middle of the most controversial championship run in decades, then-Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was peeling off performance-based incentives even though he was suspended for six games for two separate NCAA investigations. 

By the end of the season, by the time the Wolverines won their first national title since 1997 and Harbaugh had done what he promised he would do, he had earned an extra $3 million in incentives. That pushed his annual salary to $11.2 million ― for winning nine games as the Michigan head coach.

Hey, all that green has to go somewhere.

Why not straight to the land of financial stupidity?

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Network. Follow him on X at MattHayesCFB.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Lawyers entered a not guilty plea on behalf of former President Trump in federal court in Washington, D.C., Thursday related to charges from special counsel Jack Smith’s new indictment after the Supreme Court ruled a president is immune from prosecution for official acts in office.

Trump did not appear in court Thursday, but his lawyers entered a not guilty plea during the status hearing before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan. 

According to a court filing obtained by Fox News, Trump signed an entry of not guilty plea. In the document, filed on Tuesday, Trump also waived his right to be present at his arraignment.

‘I authorize my attorneys to enter a plea of not guilty on my behalf to each and every count of the superseding indictment, Doc. 226,’ the document says. ‘I further state that I have received a copy of the superseding indictment and reviewed it with my counsel.’

The case pertains to Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Last week, the former president was indicted and issued revised criminal charges by Smith, who alleges Trump pressured former Vice President Pence to reject legitimate electoral votes, in addition to mounting fake electors in key states that went to President Biden and to attest to Trump’s electoral victory.

The new indictment keeps the prior criminal charges but narrows and reframes the allegations against the Republican presidential nominee after a Supreme Court ruling that conferred broad immunity on former presidents.

Specifically, the indictment has been changed to remove allegations involving Department of Justice officials and other government officials. It clarifies Trump’s role as a candidate and makes clear the allegations regarding his conversations with then-Vice President Pence in his ceremonial role as president of the Senate.

The new indictment removes a section of the previous indictment that had accused Trump of trying to use the Justice Department to undo his 2020 loss. The Supreme Court recently ruled in a 6-3 decision that Trump was immune from prosecution for official White House acts.

Trump has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights. Those charges, to which Trump pleaded not guilty, remain. 

Smith alleges Trump participated in an effort to enlist slates of fake electors in key states won by Biden to attest that Trump had in fact won and that Trump pressured Pence to reject legitimate electoral votes.

The special counsel’s office said the updated indictment, filed in federal court in Washington, was issued by a grand jury that had not previously heard evidence in the case. The new grand jury has only heard this new information.

Sources familiar with the matter tell Fox News that discussions surrounding the superseding indictment will likely not speed things up, and it is unlikely it will go to trial before the November election. 

Fox News’ David Spunt and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday morning dismissed reports that negotiators were close to agreeing a cease-fire deal.

‘It’s exactly inaccurate,’ Netanyahu told ‘Fox & Friends’ co-host Brian Kilmeade during an interview. ‘There’s a story, a narrative out there that there’s a deal out there … that’s just a false narrative.’ 

Netanyahu stressed that Israel has agreed to several deals proposed by the negotiators from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar, but that each time the deal lapsed because Hamas ‘has consistently said no to every one of them.’

‘They don’t agree to anything: Not to the Philadelphi Corridor, not to the keys of exchanging hostages for jailed terrorists, not to anything,’ Netanyahu said, adding that the terrorist group ‘just want us out of Gaza so they can retake Gaza and do as they vowed to do.’ 

Netanyahu made headlines last week when The Times of Israel reported that the prime minister told Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant that he prioritized an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) presence along the 7.8 mile long Philadelphi Corridor over saving the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza.

The IDF over the weekend recovered the bodies of six hostages who were killed by Hamas terrorists. 

Netanyahu lamented the ‘horrible’ condition of the bodies and detailed his visit to the families of the victims, whom he said were ‘broken’ by the news. 

‘We have worked so hard to get them out,’ Netanyahu insisted. ‘I made a deal a few months ago where we got more than half of our hostages out and more than half of the living hostages. And we’re doing everything we can to get the remainder.’

‘But Hamas consistently refuses to make a deal, so it’s not, you know, the report that there’s a deal out there that the only thing holding it up is the Philadelphia tunnel is not merely not true, it’s just a direct falsehood,’ Netanyahu said. 

Netanyahu maintains that the best way to ensure the return of the remaining roughly 100 hostages – over half of whom are believed to still be alive – relies on keeping control of the Philadelphi Corridor. 

‘It prevents Gaza from becoming this Iranian terror enclave again, which can threaten our existence, but it’s also the way to prevent them from smuggling hostages that they keep through the cease-fire into Egypt, into the Sinai, where they could disappear, and then they’ll end up in Iran or in Yemen, and they’re lost forever,’ Netanyahu argued. 

‘So if you want to release the hostages and you want to make sure that Gaza doesn’t pose a threat to Israel again, you’ve got to keep the Philadelphia corridor … and that’s what we’re really doing right now.’ 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

America First Legal (AFL) is suing New York State Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan for refusing to turn over his financial disclosures amid questions about his daughter’s work at a Democratic firm, Fox News Digital has learned. 

AFL sued Merchan, who presided over former President Donald Trump’s six-week-long trial in New York v. Trump, stemming from the yearslong investigation out of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office. They also sued the New York State Unified Court System’s Ethics Commission.

Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump has appealed the ruling and called on Merchan to overturn the verdict. 

The lawsuit comes after the AFL sent a demand letter last week for Merchan’s financial disclosures, threatening legal action. The AFL previously requested those records in June. 

Under New York law, judges are required to file annual financial disclosures, which are required to be made available upon request. 

‘The law is clear that judicial financial disclosures must be released to the public,’ AFL Vice President Dan Epstein told Fox News Digital. ‘New York’s highest court has stated that such disclosures are necessary for parties before the courts to get a fair shake.’ 

Epstein said the public ‘needs to know what Judge Merchan is hiding or even if he failed to file financial disclosures at all.’ 

‘This is especially important given the fact that Merchan appears to have engaged in unlawful campaign contributions and is on the precipice of criminally sentencing the former president of the United States,’ Epstein said. ‘Fundamental fairness dictates a resolution of America First Legal’s suit in its favor.’ 

The AFL is seeking the records amid longstanding concerns of a conflict of interest in Merchan’s role in the trial amid his daughter’s political work. 

Loren Merchan sits as the president for Authentic Campaigns — a company that has done political work for top Democrat clients like President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. 

‘Clearly, Justice Merchan’s daughter and her clients stand to profit handsomely from lawfare against President Trump,’ the AFL wrote in its lawsuit. 

They also noted that Judge Merchan has donated to Democratic causes, including to Biden’s campaign and a group called ‘Stop Republicans.’ 

In July 2023, the Commission on Judicial Conduct cautioned Merchan for his ‘improper political donations to the Biden campaign and ‘Stop Republicans,’’ the lawsuit states. 

‘Given the magnitude of the Criminal Matter and Justice Merchan’s readily apparent political bias, conflict, and partiality, public-interest organizations such as AFL have a keen interest in obtaining the Requested Disclosures and shining light on his finances,’ the lawsuit states. 

Republicans have accused Judge Merchan of political bias over his daughter’s political work. Trump’s legal team asked Merchan to recuse himself before the trial began, which he did not.

A New York state ethics panel backed Merchan’s decision in a June 2023 decision.

The House Judiciary Committee, last week, subpoenaed Authentic Campaigns after the company refused to provide information and records related to the prosecution of former President Trump in New York v. Trump. 

Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said that Judge Merchan’s ‘impartiality’ has come into question over his daughter’s work and his ‘refusal to recuse himself from the case in light of his apparent conflicts of interest and biases.’ 

The CEO of Authentic reacted to the subpoena last week, saying the allegations against the company are ‘completely false and purely politically motivated.’ 

‘This is a blatant attempt to intimidate us and divert attention from Donald Trump’s conviction,’ CEO Michael Nellis said. ‘We refuse to be bullied, and we will not allow House Republicans or MAGA extremists to spread lies about our work.’ 

Meanwhile, Trump’s sentencing has been set for Sept. 18. He has requested that it be delayed until after the November presidential election. 

Merchan has yet to make a decision on the matter. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has found a new job in the private sector.

Haley, who previously served as ambassador to the United Nations under former President Donald Trump, is headed to global communications firm Edelman.

‘Politics has become a critical consideration for clients in brand marketing, employee engagement and reputation management,’ CEO Richard Edelman wrote in an announcement of the company’s new hire.

‘In her time as Governor, Haley had great success in attracting foreign companies to South Carolina and as Ambassador to the UN, helped lead important work on global issues,’ he continued.

Edelman is hoping Haley’s long career in politics will allow her to offer perspective and guidance regarding the intersection of politics and business.

Haley dropped out of the 2024 Republican presidential race earlier this year after a series of state primaries broke in favor of Trump and rendered her path to the White House nearly impossible.

She has since endorsed Trump after he received the Republican nominee in July.

Haley told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier last month on ‘Special Report’ Republicans and Trump should focus on policy and messaging instead of crowd sizes at rallies, Vice President Kamala Harris’ race, or attacks on her intellect.

‘You can’t win on those things. The American people are smart. Treat them like they’re smart,’ she said. ‘It’s not about her. It’s about the American people. Talk to them and let them know you need their vote.’

‘In a time of growing complexities in business, policy, and politics — brands need to anticipate what’s coming next,’ Haley said of her new position at Edelman in the company announcement. ‘Whether managing a crisis or celebrating a success, industry leaders must be ready to communicate clearly and share their vision forward. I’m excited to join the team at Edelman to help their clients navigate the challenges ahead.’

She is expected to begin working next month.

Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS