• Palestinians Begin Return Home As Ceasefire Takes Effect
  • Oct. 11, 2025, 8:48 AM EDT / Updated Oct. 11, 2025,…
  • Inside the scramble to save lives as deadly…
  • Trump says he will impose a 100% tariff…

Be that!

contact@bethat.ne.com

 

Be That ! Menu   ≡ ╳
  • Home
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Contact Us
  • Politics Politics
☰

Be that!

‘Israel would have my full backing’ to destroy Hamas

admin - Latest News - September 29, 2025
admin
13 views 17 secs 0 Comments



President Donald Trump says Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would have his “full backing to finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas” if Hamas rejects his peace deal.



Source link

TAGS:
PREVIOUS
Sept. 29, 2025, 1:52 PM EDTBy Angela YangA comedy festival in the capital of Saudi Arabia has become a cultural flash point as major comedians face criticism for accepting seemingly lucrative deals to perform in a country that was virtually impossible to visit until 2019 and a pariah in much of the West for its human rights record.The Riyadh Comedy Festival, which began Friday and runs through Oct. 9, features a variety of big names such as Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, Pete Davidson, Andrew Schulz, Jo Koy, Bill Burr, Jessica Kirson, Jimmy Carr and Louis C.K.These comedians, most of them American, are now encountering resistance from some fans, human rights advocates and fellow comics in the industry.Marc Maron, host of the “WTF” podcast, blasted the festival in a recent stand-up clip, joking that it was easy for him to “take the high road on this one” considering he was not invited to perform.“I mean, how do you even promote that?” Maron said. “Like, ‘From the folks that brought you 9/11, two weeks of laughter in the desert. Don’t miss it.’ I mean, the same guy that’s gonna pay them is the same guy that paid that guy to bone-saw Jamal Khashoggi and put him in a f—ing suitcase.”The Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C., declined to comment. Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, which announced the festival in July, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.“The festival is the largest of its kind globally, bringing together a selection of award-winning comedy stars known for their outstanding performances on international stages and streaming platforms,” the Saudi Press Agency wrote in its announcement for the General Entertainment Authority. “It reflects the efforts to amplify Riyadh’s status as a leading destination for major cultural and artistic events.”Saudi Arabia, the oil-rich home of Islam’s two holiest sites, was for years among the most socially conservative nations on Earth with a morality police enforcing a strict interpretation of Shariah. In recent years under the rule of de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country expanded its cultural and political influence by diversifying its economy and investing in sports, entertainment and tourism to improve its global image. Along with this, the crown prince oversaw a sweeping crackdown on dissent — imprisoning disgruntled royals, women’s rights advocates, and reforming clerics as well as adherents to previously government-sanctioned proponents of strict Wahhabi Islam.Celebrities and influencers have often been criticized for performing in the country or participating in tourism campaigns, and FIFA drew condemnation last year for selecting Saudi Arabia to host the 2034 World Cup.Shane Gillis, who said he was offered an invite, claimed that the organizers “doubled the bag,” or the amount of money offered, after he declined to participate.“It was a significant bag, but I’d already said no,” Gillis said on his podcast. “I took a principled stand.”On TikTok and Instagram, verified accounts that appeared to belong to Turki Al-Sheikh, a royal court adviser who has emerged as a powerful figure in sports and entertainment as part of Saudi Arabia’s push into the global culture industry, posted videos of Chappelle and Hart.In a news release last week, Human Rights Watch wrote that the Saudi government is using the festival “to deflect attention from its brutal repression of free speech and other pervasive human rights violations” and called on the performers “to publicly urge Saudi authorities to free unjustly detained Saudi dissidents, journalists, and human rights activists.”The nonprofit watchdog organization noted that some of the events land on the seventh anniversary of the assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul by intelligence operatives with close ties to the crown prince. The festival also takes place just months after Saudi authorities executed Turki al-Jasser, a journalist known for exposing corruption within the Saudi royal family.“The seventh anniversary of Jamal Khashoggi’s brutal murder is no laughing matter,” Joey Shea, Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. “And comedians receiving hefty sums from Saudi authorities shouldn’t be silent on prohibited topics in Saudi like human rights or free speech.”Other listed performers for the festival include: Sebastian Maniscalco, Maz Jobrani, Tom Segura, Whitney Cummings, Jimeoin, Russell Peters, Andrew Santino, Bobby Lee, Chris Distefano, Mark Normand, Gabriel Iglesias, Hannibal Buress, Sam Morril, Jeff Ross, Omid Djalili, Ali Siddiq, Zarna Garg, Chris Tucker and Ben Hart.These performers did not respond to requests for comment.The Saudi government has been censured by dozens of countries, and in 2024 it was denied a second attempt at scoring a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council. In the U.S., relatives of victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks have accused the Saudi government of having potential ties to the attack. (A direct link has not been proven.)But it has also made significant inroads with some powerful figures in the West, most notably the Trump family. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner worked with the Saudis to secure a $2 billion investment in his firm and recently partnered with the country’s public investment fund to strike a $55 billion deal to take the video game giant Electronic Arts private. Trump has maintained a close relationship with the crown prince throughout the Saudi royal’s fraught tenure. View this post on Instagram A post shared by TURKI ALALSHIKH تركي آل الشيخ (@turki) The festival and subsequent fallout has also provided a rare window into these events and, in particular, the money and self-censorship often involved.One comedian, Atsuko Okatsuka, posted screenshots to Threads of what she said was her invite to the festival, including a section on “Content Restrictions” that prohibited the artists from performing material that “may be considered to degrade, defame, or bring into public disrepute, contempt, scandal, embarrassment, or ridicule” the country, its royal family or any religion.“A lot of the ‘you can’t say anything anymore!’ Comedians are doing the festival 😂” Okatsuka wrote. “they had to adhere to censorship rules about the types of jokes they can make.”Mike Birbiglia and Leslie Liao were among the comics who responded to her post, sharing that they had rejected the offer as well.Stavros Halkias similarly revealed in a podcast episode with Distefano, who did agree to perform, that he didn’t take the deal. Distefano told Halkias that while he “didn’t want to do it either,” his fiancée had ultimately urged him to “take that f—ing money.”At least one comedian, however, appears to have changed his mind despite initially agreeing to perform. Nimesh Patel, who was slated to get on stage Sunday, posted a TikTok video over the weekend sharing that he recently canceled his appearance after “having a change of heart.” That video has since become unavailable.“I’ll just do 40 shows that I had not planned on doing here in the perfectly clean, moral, above-everyone-else, United States of America — I’m tired just thinking about it — to make up for the lost bag,” Patel said.Meanwhile, comedian and podcaster Tim Dillon said in an episode of his podcast that he was dropped from the festival for making a joke about the country “having slaves.”“I’m gonna get fired again from people that are not even Saudis. I’m gonna get fired by people who don’t chop hands off. I’m gonna get fired by reasonable people. I’m gonna get fired by people that don’t practice Shariah law,” Dillon said. “This is the most controversial the people who fire me will ever be. Let me relish in this. Let’s take this win.”The Saudi Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation about the cancellation of Patel’s and Dillon’s shows.Angela YangAngela Yang is a culture and trends reporter for NBC News.Natasha Lebedeva contributed.
NEXT
Netanyahu says ending conflict in Gaza can be done 'the easy way' or 'the hard way'
Related Post
October 10, 2025
Israel Says Ceasefire Is in Effect as Troops Pull Back From Gaza
October 8, 2025
Oct. 8, 2025, 2:06 PM EDTBy Daniella SilvaSome 500 National Guard members have arrived in the Chicago area and are mobilized for an initial period of 60 days, despite an ongoing lawsuit challenging their deployment there, according to a statement Wednesday morning from U.S. Northern Command, a part of the Defense Department.About 200 members from multiple units in the Texas National Guard and some 300 members from multiple units in the Illinois National Guard have been activated and sent to Chicagoland, the statement said. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has denounced the deployment as an unconstitutional invasion. The troops are stationed at the Army Reserve center in Elwood, outside of Joliet, Illinois, about an hour southwest of Chicago. “These forces will protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other U.S. Government personnel who are performing federal functions, including the enforcement of federal law, and to protect federal property,” U.S. Northern Command said in its statement. On Monday, the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago sued to block the Trump administration from deploying federalized National Guard troops on the streets of Chicago.In a statement Sunday, ahead of the National Guard’s arrival, Pritzker said, “We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion.”“It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state’s military troops,” he said in the statement.​“The brave men and women who serve in our national guards must not be used as political props,” he said. “This is a moment where every American must speak up and help stop this madness.”President Donald Trump said in a post to Truth Social on Wednesday that Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson “should be in jail” in an escalation of his conflict with the two Democratic officials.“Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers!” he said in the post. “Governor Pritzker also!”Trump has threatened for weeks to send troops to Chicago as part of a crime-fighting and immigration effort, and Democrats have pushed back and said any deployment would be politically motivated against his perceived enemies and an overreach of authority. NBC News has reached out to the White House for further comment.Pritzker responded to the president in a post to X, saying, “I will not back down.”“Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power,” he said. “What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?”Reached for comment, Johnson said that “this is not the first time Trump has tried to have a Black man unjustly arrested.”“I’m not going anywhere,” he added.The Trump administration is also seeking to send the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, but a judge granted a temporary restraining order this week to block the move as the case is considered in court. A Pentagon spokesperson said that the troops would have worked to support ICE and other federal personnel, as well as protect federal property.On Tuesday, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek directed U.S. Northern Command to demobilize Oregon’s 200 National Guard troops and return another 200 California National Guard members to their state.Referencing the judge’s decision temporarily blocking Trump from sending the National Guard into Portland, Kotek said in a statement, “Judge Karin J. Immergut’s orders are a clear and forceful rebuttal to President Trump’s misuse of states’ National Guard.”“Thus, I am directing Northern Command to send Oregon’s citizen-soldiers home from Camp Rilea immediately,” Kotek said. “Let’s remember that these Oregonians are our neighbors and friends, who have been unlawfully uprooted from their family and careers — they deserve better than this.”It was unclear if Kotek’s letter to U.S. Northern Command would have any effect. The governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment from NBC News regarding legal standing for directing U.S. Northern Command to send troops home. NBC News also reached out to U.S. Northern Command for comment.Daniella SilvaDaniella Silva is a national reporter for NBC News, focusing on immigration and education.
October 2, 2025
Savewith a NBCUniversal ProfileCreate your free profile or log in to save this articleOct. 2, 2025, 11:52 AM EDTBy Sahil Kapur and Ben KamisarWASHINGTON — The U.S. government is shut down, and Americans are more inclined to blame President Donald Trump and Republicans for it, according to four independent, national polls conducted just before or during the funding lapse.But there is fluidity in the political fight, as the surveys show a significant share of voters aren’t sure who to blame. The shutdown is only in its second day, as Republicans and Democrats sharpen their messages, and it’s not clear how long the impasse will last.‘I have no idea’ how long government shutdown will last, House Democrat says21:49A Washington Post poll conducted on Oct. 1, the first day of the shutdown, found that 47% of U.S. adults blame Trump and Republicans in Congress, while 30% blame Democrats and 23% said they’re not sure.The survey found that independents blamed Trump and Republicans over Democrats by a wide margin of 50% to 22%. And one-third of Republicans were either unsure who to blame (25%) or blamed their party (8%).A New York Times/Siena poll taken in late September found that blaming both sides equally for a shutdown was the most popular answer, chosen by 33% of registered voters. Another 26% would blame Trump and Republicans, while 19% would blame Democrats, and 21% said they hadn’t heard enough to say.A poll by Marist, PBS News and NPR in late found that 38% would blame Republicans, while 27% said they’d blame Democrats. Another 31% said they’d blame both parties equally and 5% said they’d blame neither or were unsure who was at fault.In a Morning Consult poll taken in late September, 45% of registered voters said they’d blame Republicans in Congress for a shutdown, while 32% said they’d blame Democrats. Another 16% had no opinion, while 7% chose “other.” Independents blamed Republicans over Democrats by a margin of 41% to 24%.We’d like to hear from you about how you’re experiencing the government shutdown, whether you’re a federal employee who can’t work right now or someone who is feeling the effects of shuttered services in your everyday life. Please contact us at tips@nbcuni.com or reach out to us here.The shutdown began at 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 1 after Congress and Trump failed to reach a deal to fund the government. Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, but they need 60 votes in the Senate to pass a funding bill, and they only control 53 seats. That means they need Democratic votes on any measure to reopen the government.In exchange for their votes, Democrats have demanded an extension of expiring Affordable Care Act funds, a repeal of the Medicaid cuts and changes in Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” and assurances that Trump won’t unilaterally withhold money directed by Congress in a government funding law as his administration has done a handful of times in recent months.Republicans say they won’t grant any concessions to Democrats simply to keep the government open. They’re willing to negotiate on the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, which will cause health insurance premiums to skyrocket if they are not renewed — but only once the government is funded, Senate Republican Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said. Many GOP lawmakers want the subsidies to end entirely, however.Polling on the health care subsidies is sparse at the moment, but the Washington Post survey found that 71% of U.S. adults want the ACA subsidies to be extended, while 29% said they should expire on schedule at the end of this year.Both parties appear dug in on the shutdown. A clear majority of poll respondents who want to extend the subsidies say Congress should demand that extension, even if it forces the shutdown to drag on, while a clear majority of those who want the subsidies to expire also want their side to stick to that demand, even if it prolongs a shutdown.Sahil KapurSahil Kapur is a senior national political reporter for NBC News.Ben KamisarBen Kamisar is a national political reporter for NBC News
October 8, 2025
Johnson and Senate Democrats argue about government shutdown and health care
Comments are closed.
Scroll To Top
  • Home
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Contact Us
  • Politics
© Copyright 2025 - Be That ! . All Rights Reserved