Bindi Irwin is recovering after an unexpected surgery that forced her to miss the annual Steve Irwin Gala over the weekend.Days after the 26-year-old was forced into emergency surgery after showing signs of "discomfort" and "pain," Irwin took to social media to share details of the procedure."Hey, guys. Bindi here. I just want to say thank you so much for your incredible well-wishes," Irwin, who was lying in her hospital bed, said in an Instagram video shared on Monday.BINDI IRWIN UNDERGOES EMERGENCY SURGERY AFTER SHOWING SIGNS OF 'DISCOMFORT' AND 'PAIN'"I just got out of surgery about an hour ago. I had my appendix removed. I also had 14 new endometriosis lesions that had to be removed, and they kindly stitched up my hernia," she added. "Sorry if Im a little out of it in this video, but I just wanted you to know that Im on the road to recovery, one step at a time. I am so lucky to have so much love in my life from my beautiful family."In the caption, Irwin thanked her medical team before revealing the details of her emergency surgery.APP USERS CLICK HERE TO VIEW POST"I am so thankful that I got the help I needed with Dr. Seckin and Dr. Chu at Lenox Hill Hospital. After many months of a grumbly appendix, I finally had to seek help the day of our Steve Irwin Gala. After consulting with Dr. Seckin, we agreed that if I flew to New York, he could also check for endometriosis again," she wrote. "Surgery was a success. My appendix was removed, along with another 14 lesions (after having 37 endometriosis lesions and a cyst removed two years ago). I also had a repair to a large hernia I acquired through childbirth four years ago.""Thankfully, I am on the road to recovery. I appreciate all the kind messages Ive received, and the support for our Gala in Las Vegas," she continued. "Credit to Robert for hosting the evening, he did such an incredible job raising funds and awareness for Wildlife Warriors. And thanks to my family for always being there for me. I have so much love for dear Chandler & sweet Grace. Thank you to Mum for being there with me every step of the way. And rest assured, Ill see you at the next Steve Irwin Gala in Brisbane this November. One day at a time. Time to heal now. Sending my love to you all."LIKE WHAT YOURE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSOn Saturday, her brother Robert Irwin revealed that Bindi underwent immediate surgery due to a ruptured appendix."She's going to be OK, but surgery out of all the things we were ready for, that was not one of them," Robert told People at the event in Las Vegas. "Shes just come out the other side of endometriosis and now the appendix goes. Health is so important it really is. Bindi has become an incredible advocate for women's health, particularly, and I think its really important to prioritize getting help.""She came to Las Vegas and was ready to come to the gala, put on a brave face in a lot of discomfort and a lot of pain and said, 'Nope, Im just going to tough it out, Im going to go for it,'" he added."But the surgeon said, 'No, your appendix is going. That things gotta come out.' Health has to come first. Shes very sad. Shes devastated that she and Mom cant be here, but I know shell make a speedy recovery."In 2023, the mom of one revealed an endometriosis diagnosis that also required surgery.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER"My life now looks completely different than it did before I had my surgery," Irwin told Fox News Digital at the time. "Over the 10 years that I was really battling with endo[metriosis] without knowing it, I would get progressively worse every week and in the end, before my surgery, I was barely able to get out of bed."Irwin, who described the pain she experienced as a "stabbing feeling" and "really scary," revealed in March that she had endured the painful condition for 10 years and struggled for a proper diagnosis.

The White House may be courting controversy with President Donald Trump's plans to accept a luxury jumbo jet from the Qatari government, worth $400 million, as the potential new Air Force One but his administration wouldn't be the first to welcome lavish gifts from foreign leaders.The practice goes all the way back to the founding of the country in 1776, with U.S. leaders receiving all manner of exotic and expensive gifts from royalty and heads of government around the world.Abraham Lincoln politely declined a gift of a herd of elephants from the King of Siam, modern-day Thailand, in 1862. But he kept "a sword of costly materials and exquisite workmanship," a photo of the monarchs family and two elephant tusks, according to a letter Lincoln sent to King Mongkut.QATAR OFFERS TRUMP JUMBO JET TO SERVE AS AIR FORCE ONEIn 1880, Queen Victoria sent an intricately carved, 1,300-pound wooden desk to President Rutherford Hayes that was constructed from the oak timbers of the HMS Resolute, an Arctic exploration vessel. The desk was still in use in the Oval Office under the Biden administration but was temporarily removed in February for refinishing, according to reports.British Prime Minister Winston Churchill presented Franklin D. Roosevelt with a painting he did of Marrakechs Koutoubia Mosque in 1943. Hollywood actor Brad Pitt bought the work in New Orleans for $2.95 million as a gift for his then-wife Angelina Jolie, who sold it a decade later for $11.5 million.Richard Nixon accepted a gift of two giant pandas from China in 1972 following the U.S. presidents visit to the Communist country. Female panda Ling-Ling and her male mate Hsing-Hsing were given to the National Zoo in Washington D.C.In 1997, President Clinton and wife Hillary received the gift of a handmade rug with their pictures woven into the tapestry as a gift from Azerbaijans leader, Heydar Aliyev. The six-by-five-foot rug was completed in a single day by a team of 12 women, according to reports.President George W. Bush received 300 pounds of raw lamb in 2003 as a goodwill gesture from Argentinas then-president, Nestor Kirchner. Bush also received a puppy from Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov. At the end of his presidency, Bush and his wife Laura then bought the two-month-old Bulgarian Goran shepherd, named Balkan of Gorannadraganov, from the government and gave it to friends in Maryland.His father, George H.W. Bush, was gifted a Komodo dragon by the President of Indonesia in 1990.FREE RIDE: ALLIES, EVEN LAURA LOOMER, TURN ON PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR ACCEPTING LUXURY JET FROM QATAROne of the most lavish and controversial gifts was a gold and diamond snuff box given to Benjamin Franklin after his nine-year diplomatic tour of duty in France.In 1785, King Louis XVI gave the Founding Father the elaborate parting gift, which featured a miniature image of the monarch encrusted with 408 diamonds "of a beautiful water."It raised questions about corruption and foreign influence on officials in the newly formed American government, wrote Fordham Law professor Zephyr Teachout in her 2014 book, "Corruption in America: From Benjamin Franklins Snuff Box to Citizens United."Despite the hand-wringing over whether the gift entailed undue foreign influence, Franklin insisted upon keeping the box. The incident later contributed to the passage of the Emoluments Clause in the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits federal government officials from accepting any gift from the representative of a foreign state without the consent of Congress.Franklins daughter Sarah, who inherited the snuff box, gradually removed the diamonds to sell or give to family members. Hundreds of years later, only one diamond remained. The box is now at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia.Federal law requires executive branch officials to disclose any gift from a foreign government valued at $480 or more. Presidents are allowed to keep gifts to display at a presidential library, but cannot keep them for personal use unless they pay the fair market price.Trump has said that the $400 million new Air Force One plane would be donated to his presidential center or library after his term.Despite his administrations insistence that the jet is a gesture of goodwill to the U.S. government, ethics watchdogs have raised concerns about transparency and foreign influence, particularly given Qatars efforts to bolster its profile in Washington over the past decade.More recently, Trump received a sword, dagger and three robes lined with white tiger and cheetah fur from Saudi Arabias royal family on his first trip abroad as president in 2017.The president held onto the items until he left office and did not disclose them as gifts but gave them to the General Services Administration. The pieces were later seized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which found that the fur was fake, according to reports.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Tuesday a "hold on all DOJ political nominees," as he is demanding answers from the Trump administration over a jumbo jet gift from Qatar's royal family, which the Democrat is calling a "grave national security threat.""News of the Qatari government gifting Donald Trump a $400 million private jet to use as Air Force One is so corrupt that even Putin would give a double take.This is not just naked corruption, it is also a grave national security threat," Schumer said on the Senate floor."So, in light of the deeply troubling news of a possible Qatari-funded Air Force One, and the reports that the Attorney General personally signed off on this clearly unethical deal, I am announcing a hold on all DOJ political nominees, until we get more answers," he added.A White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital in response that "Senator Schumer and his anti-law-and-order party are prioritizing politics over critical DOJ appointments, obstructing President Trumps Make Safe Again agenda," and that "Cryin Chuck must end the antics, stop Senate stonewalling, and prioritize the safety and civil rights of Americans."ALLIES TURN ON PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR ACCEPTING LUXURY JET FROM QATARTrump has defended the U.S. preparing to accept a jumbo jet gift from Qatar's royal family to serve as a temporary Air Force One as Boeing failed to roll out a new Air Force One fleet in a timely manner. "We're very disappointed that it's taking Boeing so long to build a new Air Force One," Trump said Monday morning. "You know, we have an Air Force One that's 40 years old. And if you take a look at that, compared to the new plane of the equivalent, you know, stature at the time, it's not even the same ballgame." Reports spread Sunday morning that the Trump administration was expected to accept a $400 million Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatar's royal family. ABC News reported that Trump would use the jet until the end of his term, when it would be given to his presidential library.TRUMP DEFENDS QATAR JUMBO JET OFFER AS TROUBLED BOEING FAILS TO DELIVER NEW AIR FORCE ONE FLEETIn his speech Tuesday, Schumer said he is calling on the Justice Departments Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) Unit to disclose all actions by those working as Qatari foreign agents in the U.S. "that could benefit President Trump or the Trump Organization.""Since Attorney General Bondi took charge, the Department of Justice has not been doing its job when it comes to FARA. The FARA Unit needs to enforce the law, and inform the public about all activities not just on this luxury plane deal, but all deals involving foreign countries in the Middle East and President Trump, his family, and the Trump organization," he said."Second, with regards to this half-a-billion-dollar private jet deal, the American people deserve to know the facts. President Trump has told the American people that this is a free jet. Does that mean the Qataris are delivering a ready-on-day-one plane with all the security measures already built in?" Schumer continued."If so, who installed those security measures, and how do we know they were properly installed? Why would we take the risk of trusting any foreign country to do this sensitive work? If not, what security modifications would be needed to ensure a foreign-sourced Air Force One is safe to use? If this is, as President Trump promised, a free jet, will the Qataris pay for those highly sensitive installations or will American taxpayers have to cover those costs?" Schumer wondered aloud on the Senate floor."The Attorney General must testify before both the House and Senate to explain why gifting Donald Trump a private jet does not violate the emoluments clause which requires congressional approval or any other ethics laws," Schumer declared. "Until the Attorney General explains her blatantly inept decision and we get complete and comprehensive answers to these and other questions, I will place a hold on all political nominees to the Department Of Justice."Fox News Emma Colton contributed to this report.

A Tennessee pastor who was kidnapped at gunpoint from his church in South Africa just before Easter is speaking out about his experience and the miracle that saved his life.Joshua Sullivan, a 34-year-old Fellowship Baptist Church pastor and missionary working in Motherwell, was kidnapped by several armed, masked men who broke into his church in the Eastern Cape Province on the evening of April 10, took cellphones from parishioners and drove away with Sullivan in his own truck."We do our prayer time before service, and I got up to preach, and about one minute into the sermon, four masked gunmen entered the building. We originally thought, you know, South Africa is not the safest place. We've been robbed before. So, we originally thought they were just going to come in and take some phones. I preached from an iPad. I thought they were going to take it, but once he hit me over the head with his gun and then grabbed my wife, I knew something was different about this," Joshua said in an interview with Fox News' Madison Scrapino.The pastor recalled doing "whatever they wanted" him to do when they broke into his church, fearing they might kidnap his wife Meagan, too.AMERICAN PASTOR'S KIDNAPPING IN SOUTH AFRICA FUELED BY SOARING ARMED ROBBERY INCIDENTS IN RECENT YEARS"They got me up, and they took me into my own vehicle. They got the keys from my vehicle, put me in it. All four of those men and me were inside of that vehicle. He immediately started to tell me, 'So I know who you are. I know you're American. I know you have money, and we're going to kidnap you, and we're going to get,' he said, 5 million Rand, which is about $260,000," Joshua said. "That's what they were wanting. And he asked if my car had a tracker device. I said yes. They were prepared for that."The kidnappers drove about a quarter mile down the road before transferring the pastor into a different vehicle. Then, they left that vehicle and got into a third one before driving about 20 minutes to another location. They forced him to put up his hood and keep his head down.AMERICAN PASTOR KIDNAPPED AT GUNPOINT IN SOUTH AFRICA RESCUED AFTER DEADLY POLICE SHOOTOUTThe suspects took the pastor into the "very back bedroom" of a house, put him on a bed, tied his hands and kept him there for six days, Joshua said.There were three other men in the house with him, who soon realized they were "just babysitters" who didn't know who he was."Two of the men were there the entire time, and one of them was evil to me, would say evil things to me," he recalled. "The other one was like the chef. I guess he would come in and ask me what I wanted to eat, what I wanted to drink. You know, they kidnap me, they take me to the room, they tied me up. Twenty minutes later, he comes in and says, What you want for supper? Like I don't want anything for supper. I didn't eat for the first two days."TRUMP ADMIN SECURES RELEASE OF AMERICAN MISSIONARY HELD IN TUNISIA FOR 13 MONTHS: REPORTInitially, the men thought Joshua was from the U.K., and he explained that he was an American pastor."And I was able to tell them about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ giving them the gospel. They had never heard that message before," he said. "And so the one individual was very interested. He had never heard that Jesus loved him or cared for him, and he was very interested in it, listened to everything I had to say. The second individual just listened to me, just to hear what I had to say and didn't really mind too much, but at least I had the opportunity to do that."Meagan Sullivan described the six days her husband was gone as "torture."The couple and their six children, two of whom they adopted in South Africa, have lived in South Africa for seven years. They had both been robbed before and heard about kidnappings in the area where they live."There's not a lot that they can do," Meagan said of the local police. "So, they were very nonchalant about the whole thing. And I was just so broken, and over the, the next few days, I just remember the Lord telling me to wait."Meagan said she had to focus on surrendering to God and comforting her children, adding later that the "worst part" of her experience was not hearing anything from police."They were sobbing. They were terrified," she said of their kids, "but we prayed together. We gave it to the Lord and told him that we trust him."SLOWING THINGS DOWN IS KEY TO SAFE RETURN OF TENNESSEE PASTOR KIDNAPPED IN SOUTH AFRICA: RETIRED FBI AGENTThe kidnappers contacted Meagan via WhatsApp for several days, demanding their ransom for his release."I just crumbled to the ground when I was talking to them because they said, '5 million ransom and you'll get your husband back.' And they said cash. And I said, 'I don't have 5 million cash. Can you work with me?' And they said, You are not in any position to be making demands," she said. "And I said, 'OK, I'll get you your 5 million Rand, but it might take me a minute.' And so I was just really trying to figure out how I was going to make that happen."Six days into his kidnapping, Joshua experienced what he described as a "miracle." On April 16, the kidnappers moved Joshua into a vehicle. He didn't know where they were taking him but got the feeling they "had to get rid of" him.As they were taking him from the back bedroom of the house into a garage with his head covered, Joshua tripped on a step and fell down. He stood after a minute and then tripped on another step as the suspects tried to rush him out of the house and into a vehicle. Joshua could not see anything but sensed when they drove the vehicle out of the garage and sat in the driveway.9 NIGERIAN STUDENTS KIDNAPPED AT GUNPOINT IN REGION'S LATEST SCHOOL ABDUCTION"While we're sitting in the driveway, the guys just jumped out of the car and began firing their weapons," he said. "Of course, I don't know what's going on. And then [for] about five to seven minutes, I hear a gun battle. Nothing hits the car, nothing around the car. But I just hear guns going off, and I'm just laying back there praying. I didn't know what I should do. Should I run? Should I get out? I didn't know, so I just laid back there and prayed. Then I hear the battle is ended."He heard footsteps come toward the car and someone open one of the doors, and a man asked if he was "the American pastor," to which Joshua responded, 'Yes.""He takes my hood off my hood, and I see the police uniform, and he says, 'OK, we're the police.' And I just lost it. I just began crying and just, that's when the shock began. I just got thrown into shock. I just got on my hands and knees and praised the Lord. But the police were so surprised. They were in shock that I was in there," he said.Joshua later discovered that the police received a tip about a suspicious vehicle earlier that day. They went to chase down the lead to a different location, took a wrong turn and ended up in the driveway of the house where the pastor was being held captive to turn their vehicle around. It was then that the kidnapping suspects got out of the vehicle and began firing at the police.Three suspects died in the shootout with police.Joshua said the turn of events that led to his recovery was "undoubtedly a miracle.""Whether you're a believer or a nonbeliever, I know that doesn't matter. What happened to us, what happened to me, it was a miracle from God," he said. "The sovereign hand of God was on it because as we were speaking before the interview, things like this happen all the time and in this case what else could you say besides God performed a miracle in our lives? I think he did it to show the world."Meagan said it was "horrifying" to watch their children "scream and cry and for their daddy," but they "got to see that faith isn't just something that mom and dad talk about.""They got to experience it because they saw God work a miracle in their own lives," she said. "They prayed, and God answered their prayer."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe Sullivans said they both feel more strongly about their mission to teach Christianity in South Africa after Joshua's kidnapping.The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Africa said in a December 2024 report that the South African Police Services (SAPS) annual crime statistics show kidnappings increased by 264% from 4,692 in 2014 and 2015 to 17,061 in 2023 and 2024.Most kidnapping incidents over the 2023-2024 time period "were perpetrated during aggravated robberies, such as car or truck hijackings or armed robberies at businesses, homes, or in public spaces," the ISS Africa report reads.

NEWARK, N.J. - Large yellow barricades were at the front of Delaney Hall on Tuesday morning following protests at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on Monday and last week.An ICE officer told Fox News Digital that the barricades were placed following Mondays protests, as they went all the way up to the gate itself. In addition to the barricades, signs are up saying "private property, no trespassing, violators will be prosecuted."The facility is operated by the GEO Group, a private contractor, but law enforcement is also heavily present outside the building.WHO IS THE DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING AT AN ICE DETENTION CENTER?Two people were arrested at the protest on Monday, as a demonstration of clergy members were in attendance and said they would have "volunteered" to be taken into custody. They linked arms outside the main gate of Delaney Hall as they chanted and sang songs.This protest came after Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a Democratic candidate for governor, was arrested for trespassing last week.Baraka's arrest occurred during a protest at the facility attended by threemembers of Congress, who said they were in attendance to perform their congressionally-mandated oversight duties related to federal detention facilities. The three lawmakers were outside the facility with a group of protesters when the gates opened to allow an ICE bus in.The lawmakers then rushed through the gates and past security, according to officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).The lawmakers, including Rep. LaMonica McIver, said "ICE created chaos" that led to the incident, according to an X post."We're not asking for anything that's incorrect. We ask them to obey our laws," Baraka said after the incident. "To obey the policies and rules here in the city and the state of New Jersey, not to run roughshod over theConstitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights, the Fourth, the Fifth, the Fourteenth Amendment and everybody on this soil who deserves due process."NEWARK MAYOR SPEAKS AFTER BEING RELEASED FROM HSI FACILITYThe arrest came as activists had been calling for access to the facility for days, which is a privately run facility that was revamped as an immigration detention facility this year. ICE also used the building in the heavily industrial area of the city from 2011 to 2017 for migrant detentions, according to the Washington Post. DHS said that many of the detainees currently at the facility are facing criminal charges or are already convicted of crimes."Who do they want released from Delaney Hall? The child rapists, murderers, drug traffickers, MS-13 gang members or known terrorists?" Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin asked after Mondays demonstration."This was a cheap political stunt by the Democrats and by these protesters," she said. "We're not having it. They put law enforcement officers at risk. They put our staff in the facility at risk and put the detainees at risk. You saw that they didn't even let an ambulance through. This is not something that this administration is going to put up with. And that's part of the reason that this mayor was arrested. You can't just storm a detention facility and assault law enforcement officers with impunity."ALINA HABBA SWEARS TO PROTECT AMERICAN SAFETY FROM THOSE VIOLATING FEDERAL LAWMeanwhile, United States Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba said she is further looking into what happened on Friday involving the officials."My office is undertaking a thorough investigation in coordination with our Federal Agency partners of what transpired on Friday at Delaney Hall. As is true of every investigation this office handles, all available evidence will be thoroughly reviewed prior to making a determination on how to proceed. I do not take these matters lightly," Habba posted.Fox News Alec Schemmel, Anders Hagstrom, Alexis McAdams and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

Bill Belichick took the North Carolina Tar Heels football job in December and, aside from landing a few recruits and seeing players transfer, he was largely out of the spotlight and away from media scrutiny of any kind.Over the last few weeks, the light on Belichicks personal life has shined brighter than it ever has been before. Belichicks relationship with Jordon Hudson has been placed under the microscope and it has been picked apart routinely since the disastrous interview with CBS.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMFormer ESPN journalist Pablo Torre said last week that North Carolina had banned Hudson from football facilities amid the widespread scrutiny. The school subsequently denied the claim.An important date has been mentioned this week amid the firestorm Belichick and his girlfriend have been engulfed in. The date is June 1.Pro Football Talk noted that June 1 is the date that his buyout clause goes from $10 million to $1 million. Torre sounded the alarm in a podcast interview on Monday, predicting that the legendary New England Patriots head coach may not make it to the teams first game of the 2025 season against the TCU Horned Frogs.UNSUSPECTING MOTHER FLATTERED BY 'NICEST YOUNG MAN' TRAVIS HUNTER ON FLIGHT: 'I WANT HIS JERSEY'"I think theres a chance, an absolutely real chance that he doesnt (make it to Week 1)," he said on "The Dominique Foxworth Show." "And the reason I say that is because even before the Jordon Hudson thing became as public, even before it went from messy backstage to now, obviously messy everywhere, the date that matters the most is June 1."Torre suggested that because, based on his reporting, North Carolina officials are bringing the hammer down on Hudson and treating the coach as an employee rather than the boss he was in the NFL, then it would push Belichick out of the job completely."Thats before you even consider the fact that stuff is so crazy when it comes to how his family feels, how the people around the school feel, that theres this larger, Hy, so coach met this woman when she was 19 years old on an airplane and now shes kind of running his public image as his girlfriend,'" he said. "Is this something thats sustainable? Is that fireable? What does he have to do to get fired? These are all active questions."Hudson has reportedly been heavily involved in Belichick's professional life since he was hired to be UNC's football coach in December. One report said she struck down the idea of the Tar Heels program being featured in"Hard Knocks."She and Belichick both reportedly expressed concern about fan vitriol, particularly about their relationship, if UNC were to underperform. Apparently, Belichick had asked UNC staff to include Hudson in all emails moving forward.Fox News Ryan Morik contributed to this report.Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

A New Jersey mother argues Democrats in her state are so focused on fighting the Trump administration that they've left their own constituents behind as Garden State students struggle."It's really just infuriating," Christina Calvanico Greenberg, a mom of two, told "Fox & Friends" Tuesday."My children are 13 and 15. They've gone through the Keyport school system. Our high school has a 14% proficiency rate in science. Why are they not storming and saying, 'What is going on in these districts? You're receiving millions of dollars. You have millions going in. Why is that not a priority?"ICE FACILITY DEMOCRATS STORMED HOLDS CHILD RAPISTS, MURDERERS: OFFICIALSA trio of Democratic lawmakers said they were justified in "storming" an ICE facility in Newark last week, arguing that President Donald Trump's administration is "weaponizing law enforcement." Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was also present and was arrested and charged with trespassing."Why are detention centers where we're focusing? As a mother, it's incredibly infuriating," Greenberg responded.The Nation's Report Card indicates that only 38% of 8th graders in the Garden State are proficient in reading, while only 37% are proficient in math.In February, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy hinted at a brighter future for education by saying the state's budget would provide "the single largest investment" into New Jersey's public schools in history.PRESIDENT TRUMP'S APPROVAL RATINGS SLIDE, BUT DEMOCRATS' POLL NUMBERS HITTING NEW LOWS"With the funding, we're not merely investing in the success of our state students which we obviously are [but] we are also helping every working parent save more of their money because every additional dollar the state spends on public education is a dollar our families get to save in property taxes," he said at the time.But Greenberg failed to find the words convincing, arguing sky-high costs for educational funding have not yielded satisfactory results."I'm a little confused because Keyport is a very blue-collar town. We have a lot of amazing, hard-working people. We also have a very large senior citizen population here. A 20% raise to our taxes was going to be approximately $1,000 to $1,500 per household" she said, a price tag she says seems impossible for constituents footing the bill."I honestly don't know how he's putting his head on the pillow every night," Greenberg said of the governor. "I don't know how seniors in our town are affording this. And I don't know how middle-class families are shelling out that extra thousand dollars a year right now."Fox News' Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

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President Donald Trump will drop sanctions against Syria and meet with the nations new president Ahmed al-Shaara on Wednesday."I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness," Trump said in a speech in Saudi Arabia."In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that we must all hope will succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace," he went on. "So I say good luck, Syria."Trump is expected to meet briefly with al-Shaara in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.TRUMP CONDEMNS INTERVENTIONALISTS, PITCHES MORE HOPEFUL FUTURE IN MIDEAST SPEECHThe nation was cut off from the global financial system under ousted President Bashar al-Assad's government, amid 14 years of civil war.Trump called the sanctions "brutal and crippling" but "important at the time."In Syria, theyve had their share of travesty, war, killing many years. Thats why my administration has already taken the first steps toward restoring normal relations between the United States and Syria for the first time in more than a decade."Al-Shaara, who previously had a $10 million terrorist bounty on his head by the U.S., had been campaigning hard for a relationship with the U.S. and sanctions relief: he offered a Trump dower in Damascus, detente with Israel and U.S. access to Syria's oil and gas.His group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led Assad's ouster last year. Originally founded as an offshoot of al-Qaeda, has since worked to soften its image and lobbied to be delisted as a terrorist group.The announcement came on the sidelines of a whirlwind Middle East tour where Trump is traveling to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, whose government leaders were widely expected to press Trump to release the sanctions to help Syria's economy."Oh, what I do for the crown prince," Trump said.

President Donald Trump hailed progress toward peace across the Middle East in an address in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, urging the region to pursue economic development rather than Iran's "self-destructive" path.Trump made the comments during a speech in Riyadh shortly after meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Trump vowed to continue America's strong partnership with the Saudi government and also condemned Western "interventionalist" policies that have brought disaster in the Middle East."If the responsible nations of this region seize this moment, put aside your differences and focus on the interests that unite you, then all humanity will soon be amazed at what we will see here in the geographic center of the world, and the spiritual heart of its greatest faiths," Trump said."Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts and tired divisions of the past, and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos; where it exports technology, not terrorism; and where people of different nations, religions, and creeds are building cities together, not bombing each other," he added."It is crucial for the wider world to note, this great transformation has not come from Western interventionalists flying in with lectures on how to live or how to govern your own affairs. The gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called nation-builders, neo-cons, or liberal non-profits like those who spent trillions failing to develop Kabul and Baghdad," he continued.Trump's speech came after he and Salman signed several economic agreements totaling $600 billion in trade deals. The agreements could help create up to 2 million U.S. jobs, Trump said.TRUMP TARGETS MASSIVE INVESTMENTS IN FIRST MIDDLE EAST TRIPSeveral of the agreements tracked with previously stated ambitions by both Washington, D.C., and Riyadh, particularly when it comes to defensive deals.While the extent of the details of the agreements remain unclear, there were deals included that had not been previously flagged ahead of the president's visit to the Middle East, like the "cooperation agreement" between Saudi Arabia and the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Asian Arts, as well as an agreement established with the Smithsonian Institute National Zoo and Conservation Biology.AMERICAN CEOS ELON MUSK, SAM ALTMAN, LARRY FINK JOIN TRUMP AT SAUDI ROYAL COURTIn a statement immediately following the signing ceremony in Riyadh, the White House said, "Saudi Arabias $600-billion commitment to invest in the United States, building economic ties that will endure for generations to come."The largest investments detailed in the agreement included a $20 billion investment by Saudi Arabia's DataVolt in AI data centers and energy infrastructure in the United States, an $80 billion investment in "cutting-edge transformative technologies in both countries" by Google, DataVolt, Oracle, Salesforce, AMD and Uber, as well as a massive $142 billion defensive package.According to the White House, "The United States and Saudi Arabia signed the largest defense sales agreement in history nearly $142 billion, providing Saudi Arabia with state-of-the-art warfighting equipment and services from over a dozen U.S. defense firms."The defense sale will reportedly be completed in the fall and will include air force advancement and space capabilities, air and missile defense, maritime and coastal security, border security and land forces modernization, and information and communication systems upgrades.Fox News' Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.