UN chief warns Trump against ‘ethnic cleansing’ as White House refuses to rule out US troops in Gaza: Latest

The Central Intelligence Agency offered its entire workforce a buyout this week, as President Donald Trump seeks to overhaul the federal government in his vision.

It is unclear how many CIA employees have accepted the buyout. The exact number of CIA employees is not public information.

Several Fox News hosts on Wednesday heaped praise on Donald Trump’s proposal to “take over” Gaza and forcibly relocate nearly 2 million Palestinians to build the “Riviera of the Middle East,” saying the plan — that’s been labeled “ethnic cleansing” by many — shows the president is playing “four-dimensional chess.”

Justin Baragona has the story.

Donald Trump has signed a sweeping executive order to force schools and athletic organizations to ban transgender girls and women from competing in women’s sports.

The order — which falsely categorizes trans women as “men” — fulfills the president’s campaign promise to end “the dangerous and unfair participation of men in women’s sports” by directing federal law enforcement agencies to take “immediate action” against schools and associations that “deny women single-sex sports and single-sex locker rooms,” according to a White House document shared with The Independent.

Without ruling out military intervention, Trump declared that the U.S. will “own” the war-torn territory, which has seen vast destruction and around 47,000 deaths in the 15-month conflict between Israel and Hamas. He also suggested millions of displaced Palestinians resettle in “areas where the leaders currently say no.”

By some, Trump has been accused of propagating the idea of “ethnic cleansing,” while several of his MAGA faithful have praised his plans to “Make Gaza Beautiful Again.”

Here are the key reactions to Trump’s divisive comments from lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle.

[Karoline] Leavitt’s statement that any relocation of Palestinians currently in Gaza would not be a permanent displacement was a 180-degree reversal from what Trump had said during a press conference on Tuesday alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

It was a scene few had ever witnessed. As the opening words of “The Star-Spangled Banner” were sung by Elizabeth Irving in Vancouver’s Rogers Arena before a Tuesday night hockey game between the Canucks and the Colorado Avalanche, the crowd erupted in boos. Those boos continued throughout the song, and only abated when she began her rendition of “O Canada.”

On the same night, a similar scene played out as the NBA’s only Canadian franchise — the Toronto Raptors — hosted the New York Knicks.

Ben Stiller has denied social media reports that his humanitarian trip to Ukraine was funded by USAID, dismissing the claims as Russian “lies.”

The site also hosted several viral posts related to the agency, including one that included a fake E! News video and claimed that US tax dollars had been spent sending celebrities to Ukraine. The post claimed Angelina Jolie’s visit had cost taxpayers $20 million, Sean Pean’s had cost $5 million and Ben Stiller’s cost $4 million.

On Tuesday afternoon, Schumer led chants of “We will win!” in front of the Treasury building to display disapproval for Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency which, despite being an unofficial organization, has rapidly amassed authority.

However, some people did not find Schumer’s chant to be an effective form of action. He was mocked online for chanting about “winning” just months after losing the presidential election and control of both houses of Congress. Tim Ryan, a former Democratic representative from Ohio, took note as well calling it “depressing.”

The federal department of Health and Human Services is investigating four top U.S. medical schools after receiving allegations of antisemitic incidents during their 2024 commencement ceremonies, it announced this week.

“Every student deserves access to educational opportunities free from discrimination and harassment,” Anthony Archeval, Acting Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the department, said in a statement.

The investigation will reportedly target Harvard, Columbia, Brown, and Johns Hopkins, The Wall Street Journal reports, each institution among America’s most prestigious medical schools.