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Gabbard retracted intelligence report on Venezuela: report

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Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard reportedly retracted intelligence on the Trump administration’s dealings with the Venezuelan government.

Special envoy Richard Grenell was listed as a subject in the memo, which detailed in depth conversations with his counterparts overseas, according to The New York Times

Grenell, who also oversees the Kennedy Center, reportedly negotiated with top officials in the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in an effort to secure benefits for American energy companies, The Time reported.

“The report is accurate and in accordance with all [National Security Agency (NSA)] policy, directives and guidance; however, the D.N.I. directed N.S.A. to recall the report,” the recall notice said, according to the outlet. 

The Times said the report was ultimately retracted to protect Grenell, which is frequently done to preserve the identity of Americans in intelligence reports. 

Grenell’s conversations, documented by the spy agency, were steered toward formulating an agreement that would have boosted Chevron’s oil operations in Venezuela, which in part serves as a large funding source for the government, per the Times. The agreement would have been in exchange for hostages.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly opposed the deal and opted for a militaristic approach to the Maduro regime. 

The White House did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.

DNI deputy chief of staff Alexa Henning told The Hill’s sister station NewsNation that the retraction “has nothing to do with the contents and is about the unmasking of Americans, and protection of civil liberties, something the previous administration abused and used as a political tool.”

“Making administrative edits to existing reports is an extremely commat against on practice,” a senior administration official with the NSA told The Hill. “This report is still available to the intelligence community – calling it a ‘retraction’ is sensationalism.”

The reported retraction comes as the U.S. has increased its presence in the Caribbean, turning up the heat against drug cartels in the region. Maduro described the deployment of several U.S. ships, a submarine and Marines as “an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat.”

Analyst Report: Equity Residential Properties

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Analyst Report: Equity Residential Properties

Diplomacy in ruins after Israel strikes Hamas leaders in Qatar

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Almost exactly a year ago I interviewed the Hamas leader and chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya in Doha. I met him in a house not far from the building that Israel attacked on Tuesday afternoon.

From the beginning of the war in Gaza, al-Hayya had been the chief Hamas negotiator, sending and receiving messages to the Israelis and Americans via Qatari and Egyptian intermediaries.

At moments where ceasefires were thought likely, al-Hayya, along with the men who were also targeted this afternoon, were only a short distance from the Israeli and American delegations. When they were attacked, al-Hayya and the other top Hamas leaders were discussing the latest American diplomatic proposals to end the war in Gaza and free the remaining Israeli hostages.

Israel’s swift declaration of what it had done immediately fuelled speculation on social media that the latest American proposals were simply a ruse to get the Hamas leadership in one place where they could be targeted.

On 3rd October last year, as Khalil al-Hayya walked into the venue for our meeting in a modest, low-rise villa, I was surprised that he had so little security. We had to give up our phones, and a couple of bodyguards came with him into the house.

Outside plain clothes Qatari police sat smoking in an SUV. That was it. A hundred bodyguards could not have stopped an air strike, but al-Hayya and his people were relaxed and confident.

The point was that Qatar was supposed to be safe, and they felt secure enough to move around relatively openly.

A few months earlier, on 31 July 2024, Israel had assassinated Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political leader in Tehran, where he was attending the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian.

With the war in Gaza raging, I had wondered whether it might be dangerous to sit in the same room as Khalil al-Hayya. But like him, I thought Qatar was off limits.

In the last few decades Qatar has tried to carve itself a position as the Switzerland of the Middle East, a place where even enemies could make deals.

The Americans negotiated with the Afghan Taliban in Doha. And in the almost two years since the attacks on 7th October 2023, Qatar has been the centre of the diplomatic efforts to negotiate ceasefires and perhaps even an end to the war.

The peace efforts, driven by President Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, were faltering badly. But now they are in ruins. In the words of one senior western diplomat “there is no diplomacy.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told Israelis that their enemies will never be able to sleep easy and are paying the price for ordering the 7th October attacks.

The Israeli offensive in Gaza is gathering pace. A few hours before the attack on Doha, the Israeli military, the IDF, told all Palestinians in Gaza City to leave and move south. It’s thought something like one million civilians could be affected.

In his televised comments Netanyahu told Palestinians in Gaza “don’t be derailed by these killers. Stand up for your rights and your future. Make peace with us. Accept President Trump’s proposal. Don’t worry, you can do it, and we can promise you a different future, but you’ve got to take these people out of the way. If you do, there is no limit to our common future.”

If Palestinians in Gaza are able to hear his words, they will ring very hollow. Israel has destroyed the homes of hundreds of thousands of them, as well as hospitals, universities and schools.

With Gaza already gripped by starvation, famine in Gaza City itself and a humanitarian catastrophe across the territory the forced movement of many more people will only increase Israel’s lethal pressure on civilians.

Israel has already killed more than 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza, the majority of whom were civilians. Netanyahu himself faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for war crimes, and Israel is being investigated by the International Court of Justice for genocide.

The attack in Doha is a sign that Netanyahu and his government will press forward as hard as they can all fronts, not just Gaza. They are confident that with American support, their military can enforce their will.

The Doha attack earned a rare rebuke from the White House. Qatar is a valuable ally, that hosts a huge US military base and is a major investor in the US.

But Netanyahu appears to be calculating that Donald Trump, the only leader he feels he must listen to, will content himself with the diplomatic equivalent of a rap over the knuckles.

Israel’s offensive in Gaza continues. And as the planned recognition of Palestinian independence at the UN later this month by the UK, France, Canada, Australia and other western countries approaches, Netanyahu’s ultra nationalist cabinet allies will redouble calls to respond with the annexation of occupied Palestinian territory in the West Bank.

Live updates: MAHA strategy on kids unveiled; White House criticizes Israel's strike in Qatar

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The Department of Health and Human Services’s Make America Healthy Again Commission released its strategy aimed at the nation’s children on Tuesday afternoon. The highly anticipated report lays out the Trump administration’s planned health strategy around priorities including vaccines, childhood nutrition, water fluoridation and exposure to chemicals. 

At the White House, press secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar, saying President Trump did not believe the attack would “advance Israel or America’s goals.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Tuesday reported the U.S. economy added 911,000 fewer jobs over the 12 months ending in March than initially reported. The BLS reevaluation of employment data was widely expected. But the scale of the BLS’s estimated revision could draw even more ire from President Trump.

Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee on Monday night kept the Jeffrey Epstein saga alive as it released records related to the late financier and convicted sex offender, including the infamous “birthday book” with a page that appears to be from Trump. House Democrats immediately released the page allegedly bearing Trump’s signature. The White House has sought to cast doubt on the validity of the letter.

The president has few events on his Tuesday public schedule, with a proclamation announcement set for late afternoon.

Virginia and Boston voters head to the polls on Tuesday. Voters in the district of the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) will choose his replacement. The Boston electorate will narrow the field in the mayoral race.

Follow along here for updates.

Daily Spotlight: Good Year for Global Stocks

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Daily Spotlight: Good Year for Global Stocks

Macron names ally Sébastien Lecornu as new French PM

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President Emmanuel Macron has named close ally Sébastien Lecornu as new French prime minister, 24 hours after a vote of confidence ousted François Bayrou as head of his government.

Lecornu, 39, was among the favourites to take over the job, and has spent the past three years as armed forces minister, with a focus on France’s response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

In a statement the Elysée Palace said he had been given the task of consulting political parties with the aim of adopting France’s next budget.

Bayrou had visited the president hours earlier to hand in his resignation, paving the way for Lecornu to become the fifth prime minister of Macron’s second term as president.

Lecornu will face the same challenges as his predecessor, including getting a cost-cutting budget past parliament without a majority.

France has a spiralling public debt, which hit €3.3tn (£2.8tn) earlier this year and represents 114% of the country’s economic output or GDP.

Bayrou had proposed €44bn in budget cuts, and his decision to put his plans to a vote of confidence was always going to fail. In the end France’s National Assembly decided to oust his government by 364 votes to 194.

Lecornu’s appointment has already been condemned by parties on both the left and right, an indication of the difficulties he will face.

On Friday, the credit agency Fitch will reassess France’s debts and could make its borrowing costs higher if it lowers its rating from AA-.

More immediately, a grassroots movement called Bloquons Tout – “Let’s Block Everything” – is planning widespread anti-government protests on Wednesday and authorities are planning to deploy 80,000 police.

Kansas lawmakers 'horrified' as more nurses testify against Board of Nursing

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TOPEKA, KAN. (KSNT) — Worries and fears about the Kansas Board of Nursing are piling up, and calls to defund the board are getting attention.

In July, a Government Oversight Committee Meeting uncovered some issues with the Board of Nursing. Several nurses testified that they had been wrongfully accused of “Unprofessional Conduct.”

Now, after the committee met again, several more nurses have stepped forward, claiming they are struggling to find jobs due to the “Unprofessional Conduct” demerit. These nurses say they were given this label for simple mistakes, such as a computer error while renewing their licenses or renewing their licenses a few days late.

However, they are now struggling to find jobs as Kansas continues to deal with a nursing shortage.

One of these nurses, Amy Siple, testified during Monday’s meeting, asking the legislature to take action.

“Do not let my efforts and the efforts of my colleagues be in vain,” said Siple. “We are here at great personal risk because we are trying to represent the next generation of nurses.”

State lawmakers responded by saying they are “horrified” by what’s happening. They have officially asked the Board of Nursing to evaluate their official rules and regulations. Additionally, some lawmakers on the committee have expressed interest in defunding the Kansas Board of Nursing altogether.

We spoke with Kansas Rep. Troy Waymaster, who said this is essentially meant to be a wake-up call to the Board.

“Usually when we use the term to defund the board or defund the agency, it’s to get their attention on a particular item,” said Waymaster. “I think we have done that.”

Carol Moreland, the executive director for the Kansas Board of Nursing, warned lawmakers against any effort to defund the board.

“The Board of Nursing affects public protection; it affects the nursing workforce in the state of Kansas,” Moreland said. “I hear all the time about shortages of nursing. Let me tell you, you could make it a whole lot worse.”

Lawmakers have expressed interest in other solutions, such as establishing a grace period for nurses who may have forgotten to renew their license. Additionally, Waymaster has expressed interest in a Constitutional Amendment, which would give the Kansas legislature oversight over the rules and regulations of the Board.

“I believe we could go back and rewrite the rules and regulations that were put in place in 1982 by the Board of Nursing and say no, you’re not going to classify a license being lapsed as unprofessional conduct,” said Waymaster.

Getting Ready for a Rate Cut

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Getting Ready for a Rate Cut

Starmer to meet Israel’s president in Isaac Herzog in No 10

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Brian WheelerPolitical reporter and

James LandaleDiplomatic correspondent

EPA/Shutterstock Isaac Herzog, in a dark suit, white shirt and blue tie, stares impassively at the camera. He has an earpiece in his ear.EPA/Shutterstock

Isaac Herzog is due to make a three-day visit to the UK

Sir Keir Starmer has condemned Israeli strikes targeting senior Hamas leaders in Doha, ahead of talks with Israel’s president Isaac Herzog.

The UK prime minister, who will host Herzog in Downing Street on Wednesday, said on X the strikes “violate Qatar’s sovereignty and risk further escalation across the region”.

“The priority must be an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and a huge surge in aid into Gaza. This is the only solution towards long-lasting peace.”

Sixty MPs and peers, including members of Labour, the Greens and the SNP, are calling on the government to deny Herzog entry to the UK to avoid the risk of being complicit in genocide in Gaza, under the terms of a UN treaty.

Israel says it is working to destroy the Palestinian armed group Hamas and get back hostages they have taken. It has strongly denied allegations of genocide, claims which are also being examined by the International Court of Justice.

Isaac Herzog’s office has said he is visiting the UK “to show solidarity with the Jewish community, which is under severe attack and facing a wave of antisemitism”.

But Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said he must answer allegations being levelled at the Israeli government over its actions in Gaza.

“I think he needs to answer the allegations of war crimes, of ethnic cleansing and of genocide that are being levelled at the government of Israel,” he told Times Radio.

“I think he needs to explain how, when we have seen so much evidence of the atrocities being perpetrated by the Israeli army, how he can possibly claim that the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) is the most moral army in the world.

“I think he should explain that, if it is not the intent of the government of Israel to perpetrate genocide or ethnic cleansing, how on earth does he think his Israeli government is going to achieve its stated aim of clearing Palestinians out of Gaza without the war crimes, without ethnic cleansing, or even without genocide?”

Downing Street underlined Sir Keir’s “revulsion” at the suffering in Gaza, but stopped short of repeating Streeting’s calls for Herzog to answer for alleged Israeli war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

But a spokesman said Sir Keir will raise the “intolerable situation in Gaza” and the “action Israel must take to end the horrific suffering we’re witnessing” with the Israeli president.

Lammy letter

In a letter to a select committee published last week, sent when he was foreign secretary, David Lammy said the UK had not concluded that Israel is committing genocide, as set out in a United Nations treaty.

But Downing Street insisted on Tuesday this did not represent a shift in the UK’s position, which was still that it is for international courts to determine whether Israel “has or has not” committed genocide in Gaza.

In the letter, sent before he was replaced as foreign secretary in Friday’s cabinet reshuffle, Lammy said: “As per the Genocide Convention, the crime of genocide occurs only where there is specific ‘intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group’.

“The government has not concluded that Israel is acting with that intent,” it added.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said Lammy’s letter “reflects the UK’s position that we’ve not come to any conclusion as to whether genocide has or has not been committed in Gaza”.

The spokesman said the government was clear that it was for “international courts to make these determinations”.

Foreign Office sources said the government had merely considered whether there was a “serious risk of genocide” – as it was obliged to do as a signatory of the Genocide Convention.

That assessment, the sources said, was required under its arms exports licensing criteria and reflected a one-off judgement based on the information at the time. And it was then that the government did not conclude that Israel was acting with genocidal intent.

Lammy, who was made justice secretary and deputy prime minister in the reshuffle, had been responding to a letter from the Labour chair of the development committee, Sarah Champion.

In her letter to Lammy, dated 12 August, Champion raised concerns that the UK’s decision to exempt F-35 fighter jet components from suspended arms exports to Israel breached its duty to prevent genocide under the UN treaty.

EPA/Shutterstock Sir Keir Starmer and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas pose for a picture outside the door to 10 Downing StreetEPA/Shutterstock

Sir Keir Starmer hosted Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas in Downing Street

In a statement, campaign group Amnesty International said Sir Keir Starmer “must not provide diplomatic cover for a state committing genocide,” when he meets Herzog.

“This visit is a test of leadership and principle: polite handshakes and warm words will demonstrate neither.”

The new Green Party leader Zack Polanski called for the arrest of Herzog when he visits the UK, accusing him of being part of the “Israeli government engaged in an ongoing genocide”.

On Monday night, Sir Keir hosted Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas in Downing Street.

Abbas welcomed Sir Keir’s pledge to recognise a Palestinian state ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York later this month if Israel does not change course.

Both leaders agreed there will be “absolutely no role” for Hamas in the future governance of Palestine, a Downing Street spokesman said.

“They discussed the intolerable situation in Gaza, and the prime minister reiterated the need for an urgent solution to end the horrific suffering and famine – starting with an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and a huge surge in humanitarian aid.”

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey also met Abbas, and called on the UK government summon the US ambassador to demand the reversal of what he called President Trump’s “reckless and callous” block on Palestinian visas ahead the UN meeting.

“He [Trump] can’t be allowed to act as a block on progress towards a two-state solution,” added Sir Ed.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 64,605 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

Trump downplays Epstein 'hoax'; Massie speculates ties to intel community 

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We don’t know why the Trump administration suddenly reversed course this summer on its promise to release extensive new documents in the Jeffrey Epstein case. What we do know is that every time the public has demanded answers, we’ve gotten half-measures in return — moves that look good on paper, but ultimately protect the powerful more than the truth.  

That’s why Republican Congressman Thomas Massie (Ky.) stepped forward with a measure that would force the Department of Justice to release *every* *single* Epstein document that exists. And he’s just two GOP votes away from making that happen.  

The White House immediately fired back, warning that any Republican who supports Massie’s petition is committing a “hostile act.” Let’s pause there. If the administration is truly committed to full transparency, why fight so hard against it?   

Massie seems to know the answer; he said on ABC News’s “This Week” on Sunday, “I think it’s going to be embarrassing to some of the billionaires, some of the donors who are politically connected to his campaign.”  

And then he went further: “There are probably intelligence ties to our CIA and other foreign intelligence, and the American people would be shocked to know that our intelligence agency was working with a pedophile who was running a sex trafficking ring. These are the reasons I think that they’re resisting this, but we can’t avoid justice just to avoid embarrassment for some very powerful men.”  

This is where things get even murkier. The acting deputy chief of the Justice Department, Joseph Schnitt, was caught on hidden camera saying the government will “redact every Republican” from an Epstein client list. That video was released by O’Keefe Media Group — a far-right outlet — but the point is undeniable: the Epstein case is splitting the Trump administration and its MAGA base right down the middle.  

And yet, instead of showing concern for survivors, the president himself downplayed the scandal last week: “It’s really a Democrat hoax,” said President Trump, “because they’re trying to get people to talk about something that’s totally irrelevant to the success of the nation since I’ve been president.”  

It may be “irrelevant” to the president’s idea of success, but it’s not irrelevant to survivors of sexual abuse. One survivor made that crystal clear:  

“Mr. President Donald J Trump … I am registered Republican, not that that matters because this is not political; however, I cordially invite you to the Capitol to meet me in person so you can understand this is not a hoax. We are real human beings, this is real trauma.”  

That’s the heart of this issue. Sexual violence isn’t partisan — it’s a national crisis. More than 423,000 people ages 12 and up are sexually assaulted in the U.S. each year. Nearly 70 percent are between the ages of 12 and 34. Behind those numbers are children, teenagers and young adults whose lives are derailed by trauma while too many abusers walk free.  

Yet even now, the Justice Department is fighting to keep names secret. Just days ago, they asked a federal judge to block the unsealing of Epstein associates who received six-figure payments from him in 2018. Their reason? “Privacy concerns.” Privacy for Epstein’s associates. Not for his victims.  

So we’re left asking: Why does our system protect predators more fiercely than it protects survivors? Why are powerful names still hidden while survivors have to plead to be seen?  

If we are serious about justice, then full transparency is not optional. Survivors deserve to be believed, heard and protected. And no one — no matter how rich, powerful or politically connected — should ever be above accountability.  

America has to stop protecting predators and start putting survivors first. 

Lindsey Granger is a News Nation contributor and co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising.” This column is an edited transcription of her on-air commentary.