Trump’s plan for Gaza ‘takeover’ sparks worldwide outcry; president to signal order focusing on trans athletes: Live

Donald Trump: U.S. will ‘take over’ and ‘own’ Gaza

President Donald Trump sent shockwaves around the world by saying the U.S. will “take over” Gaza and “own” the territory during a press conference with Benjamin Netanyahu that left even the Israeli Prime Minister surprised.

Trump added that Palestinians could be resettled away from their homes in the war-torn enclave and into “areas where the leaders currently say no,” leaving the land free to become “the Riviera of the Middle East.”

Speaking to reporters, the president said: “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site.”

He added: “I do see a long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East.”

Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt have already rejected Trump’s proposal while the Palestinian ambassador to the UN said “our homeland is our homeland.”

Gaza has suffered huge destruction in the 15-month conflict between Israel and Hamas, with more than 47,000 people killed.

Today, Trump will sign an executive order targeting transgender athletes and will meet with Governor Greg Abbott of Texas and Governor Gavin Newsom of California.

Here we go again?

On February 5, 2020, the Senate voted to acquit President Donald Trump, concluding the third presidential trial in American history. Though a majority of senators expressed unease with Trump’s pressure campaign on Ukraine that resulted in the two articles of impeachment, just one Republican, Mitt Romney of Utah, broke with the GOP and voted to convict.

Now, here we are five years later (and one other impeachment of Trump), and Democratic Texas Rep. Al Green says he will file articles of impeachment against President Trump over his plan for Gaza.

“The movement to impeach the President has begun. I rise to announce that I will bring articles of impeachment against the President for dastardly deeds proposed and dastardly deeds done,” said Green on the House floor.

Oliver O’Connell5 February 2025 16:22

Hearing scheduled over blocking releases of FBI agent names

A judge has scheduled a hearing tomorrow morning on a motion for a temporary restraining order that would block the release of FBI agent names targeted for retaliatory purges because of their work on January 6 cases and investigations into Donald Trump.

Here’s what you need to know about the case:

Alex Woodward5 February 2025 16:17

What to expect from Trump’s executive order on trans participation in sports

The Trump administration will implement a series of actions on Wednesday targeting the participation of transgender girls and women in school sports, according to a White House official.

President Donald Trump will sign an executive order instructing federal agencies, including the Department of Justice and the Department of Education, to interpret Title IX, a law that prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded education programs, as banning the participation of transgender girls and women in female sports, the official stated.

The White House will also instruct the State Department to scrutinize visa applications from transgender individuals for “fraud,” and plans to raise the issue internationally, including at the United Nations and within the private sector, the official added.

The official said the U.S. intends to use “all of our authority and our ability” to enforce the order concerning International Olympic Committee events taking place on U.S. soil.

According to the official, the order aims to protect girls and women in schools, citing what they described as thousands of complaints from individuals worried about the inclusion of transgender athletes in sports.

It represents a restrictive interpretation of Title IX, claiming that it is a sex-based law that only protects people born as women, not those born as males who undergo surgery or hormone treatments, the official noted.

With reporting by Reuters

Oliver O’Connell5 February 2025 16:13

RFK Jr had dinner with Pfizer CEO as he prepares to become health secretary, report says

The $150 billion company CEO revealed the pair conversed over a meal after being introduced by President Trump, as revealed in an earnings call Tuesday, heard by Business Insider.

While the exact date of the meeting was not disclosed, Bourla said he and the health secretary nominee chatted civilly, conversing on topics they agreed on rather than straying to more divisive topics like “vaccines”.

Madeline Sherratt has the story.

Oliver O’Connell5 February 2025 16:10

Displacing Palestinians would be moral abomination, says Human Rights Watch

Displacing Palestinians would be a moral abomination, Human Rights Watch Israel and Palestine director said on Wednesday in response to a proposal from President Donald Trump for the United States to take over Gaza.

“It would be a moral abomination,” Omar Shakir, from the international non-government organization that advocates for human rights, told Reuters.

“International humanitarian law forbids the forced displacement of the population of an occupied territory. When such forced displacement is widespread, it can amount to a war crime or a crime against humanity,” added Shakir.

Reuters5 February 2025 16:06

Full story: USPS reverses order suspending packages from Hong Kong and China

The USPS initially issued the suspension notice on Tuesday before changing course on Wednesday morning. Now, parcels from China and Hong Kong will still be processed, and the USPS will work with Customs and Border Protection to implement a Chinese tariff collection process to limit delivery disruptions, the agency said in a statement.

Katie Hawkinson and James Liddell report.

Oliver O’Connell5 February 2025 16:04

Inside USAID as Elon Musk works to dismantle humanitarian agency

Richard Hall writes:

The emails began arriving soon after Inauguration Day, and the intention was clear.

Jason Gray, an acting administrator installed by Donald Trump atop the U.S. Agency for International Development, delivered a flurry of orders to staff in late January aimed at radically overhauling the agency in the president’s image.

“We were inundated with a barrage of hostile, threatening messages,” one staffer told The Independent. “I think they were designed to instill fear.”

Continue reading…

Oliver O’Connell5 February 2025 16:00

If forced out by Trump, where could Palestinians from Gaza go?

Donald Trump believes neighboring countries — already home to millions of Palestinian refugees — would take people from Gaza.

Tom Watling looks at the likelihood of that happening…

Oliver O’Connell5 February 2025 15:50

What’s on Trump’s schedule today?

Today, President Donald Trump will meet with Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, at 2:30 p.m. in the Oval Office.

At 3 p.m. the president will sign the “No Men in Women’s Sports Executive Order” into law.

And at 4 p.m., he will meet with Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor of California, also in the Oval Office.

Oliver O’Connell5 February 2025 15:50

USAID staff place on leave from Friday and told to return to U.S.

The Trump administration on Tuesday revealed plans to place all directly hired employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development worldwide on leave and to recall thousands of personnel stationed abroad.

“On Friday, February 7, 2025, at 11:59 pm (EST) all USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally,” said an announcement on the USAID website, which has been down since the weekend.

Some personnel “responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs” were excepted from the move, it said.

According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), USAID has a workforce of more than 10,000, with about two-thirds of that staff serving overseas. The agency has more than 60 country and regional missions.

The announcement said that Washington, in coordination with the State Department, was preparing a plan for USAID staff overseas and would pay for their return travel to the United States within 30 days. It added that USAID leadership would consider case-by-case exceptions based on personal hardship or concerns over mobility and safety.

“Thank you for your service,” the announcement finished.

The shocking overhaul, which threatens to upend the lives of thousands of staff and their families, comes as President Donald Trump moves to merge USAID, Washington’s main humanitarian agency that distributes billions of dollars in aid abroad, with the State Department, effectively dismantling the agency as an independent entity.

With reporting from Reuters

Oliver O’Connell5 February 2025 15:44

Source: independent.co.uk