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American officials in Mexico have issued the highest-level travel warning amid increased gun battles, kidnappings and IEDs in a town that sits on the Texas border. The State Department has put the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, which sits across the border from McAllen, Texas, under a "Level 4: Do not travel" advisory.

"As a precaution, U.S. government employees have been ordered to avoid all travel in and around Reynosa and Rio Bravo outside of daylight hours and to avoid dirt roads throughout Tamaulipas," the consulate wrote in a statement.

Authorities are urging Americans to avoid dirt roads, not to touch unknown objects near or on roads and to plan travel during daylight hours. Additionally, Americans are advised to notify family and friends of their whereabouts "for your safety."

The State Department’s Level 4 warning indicates that there is a "greater likelihood of life-threatening risks." Additionally, the department warns that the U.S. government "may have very limited ability to provide assistance, including during an emergency" to Americans in areas under its highest-level advisory.

"The Department of State advises that U.S. citizens not travel to the country or to leave as soon as it is safe to do so. We advise that you write a will prior to traveling and leave DNA samples in case of worst-case scenarios," the State Department’s website reads.

Last year, McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos told Fox News Digital that the American people were "exhausted" by lawmakers "just kicking the ball" on immigration.

BORDER ENCOUNTERS DROP SHARPLY AS TRUMP LAUNCHES CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Illegal immigration played a major role in the election, with both President Donald Trump and his opponent, then-Vice President Kamala Harris, making trips to the border.

Since taking office, President Trump has made major changes to US immigration policy and leaders in his administration are taking action. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joined an immigration enforcement raid in New York City on Tuesday.

KRISTI NOEM JOINS IMMIGRATION RAID TO CATCH 'DIRTBAGS' IN MAJOR SANCTUARY CITY

Noem posted footage and images of the raid, saying that "Criminal alien with kidnapping, assault & burglary charges is now in custody - thanks to [ICE.] Dirtbags like this will continue to be removed from our streets."

A DHS spokesperson said the dawn operation targeted "murderers, kidnappers, and individuals charged of assault and burglary."

Earlier this month, then-incoming border czar Tom Homan reiterated Trump’s pledge to "run the biggest deportation operation this country has ever seen," adding that it would focus on "public safety threats."

While Tamalipas, Mexico, remains under a Level 4 advisory, there are several parts of the country that are under lower-level advisories. The State Department keeps an updated interactive map on its website to help Americans understand risks when planning international travel.

An elephant in South Africa’s Kruger National Park trampled a tourist to death as he was trying to protect children, officials say. 

The incident Sunday involving 59-year-old Shaik Adam Shabir Ammed from the South African town of Mkhondo remains under investigation by law enforcement, according to South African National Parks. 

"Initial eyewitness accounts indicate that the family parked close to the Malelane reception area and children ran past the bridge into the bush whereupon an individual elephant from a nearby herd charged them. The deceased rushed to assist the children and that is when he was chased and trampled by one of the animals," the agency said. "He succumbed to his injuries on the scene." 

"On the day of the incident, the animal responsible for the death could not be identified as there were several of them in the vicinity and they immediately moved away while people were trying to save the life of the deceased," it added. 

COLORADO COURT RULES ELEPHANTS AT ZOO CANNOT PURSUE THEIR RELEASE BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT HUMAN 

South African National Parks also said it offers its "heartfelt condolences to the Ammed family and wishes them strength in this difficult time." 

The agency said on its website that "In most of the national parks there is a possible threat from dangerous animals" and "In such parks guests may only [leave] vehicles in designated areas. 

"No part of your body may protrude from a window or sunroof and doors should remain closed at all times," it warned. 

SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT SIGNS CONTROVERSIAL LAND SEIZURE BILL, ERODING PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS 

Park officials describe elephants as "usually peaceful animals" but note that they "may become aggressive when sick, injured or harassed." 

"Elephants may run at the threat in a demonstration or real charge. Most charges are mock charges which are broken off before the target is reached," South African National Parks said. 

"However, if an attack is followed through, an elephant is quite capable of killing another elephant, other animals (including humans) or wrecking cars," it added. 

With Iranian influence waning in the Middle East, the Iraqi government wants armed groups, including factions within the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), to lay down their arms and join the state security forces or integrate into the state-recognized Popular Mobilization Forces.

Iraq’s foreign minister, Fuad Hussein, recently told Reuters that armed groups operating inside Iraq and outside state control are unacceptable.

"Many political leaders, many political parties started to raise a discussion, and I hope that we can convince the leaders of these groups to lay down their arms, and then to be part of the armed forces under the responsibility of the government," Hussein told Reuters. 

US, IRAQI FORCES UNLEASH AIRSTRIKE ON ISIS TARGETS, KILL TERRORISTS HIDING IN CAVE

There is also fear around the region, with the power vacuum left by the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and a decimated Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, that Iraq may be next to fall.

Jonathan Schanzer, executive director at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that the collapse of the Assad regime was the precipitating moment for the Iraqi government to make its move against Iranian militias. 

"Right now, the Iraqis are wondering if they are next and everyone is fearful of the toxic influence and corrosive nature of Iranian influence in the state," Schanzer said.

Foreign Minister Hussein told Reuters that he does not think Iraq is the next domino to fall.

The IRI is a group of armed Islamic resistance factions under the umbrella of the Iran-backed "Axis of Resistance." These groups are the most difficult for the Iraqi government to manage and were responsible for the attack that killed three U.S. service members in Jordan in January 2024. The IRI is aligned with Iran and has been engaging in armed operations against Israel and U.S. coalition forces since Oct. 7.

WHO IS THE IRAN-BACKED COALITION ISLAMIC RESISTANCE IN IRAQ, RESPONSIBLE FOR DEADLY DRONE STRIKE ON US TROOPS?

Also operating in Iraq are the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The PMF was formed in 2014 after Iraq’s Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called for Iraqis to rise up and fight against the Islamic State. Tehran sent IRGC advisers, weapons and other military support to the PMF to combat ISIS, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency. 

The PMF are formally recognized as an official part of the Iraqi state security forces and report directly to the prime minister.

"Current discussions revolve around how to effectively manage the so-called Islamic Resistance factions, some of which have gained media prominence since Oct. 7 while conducting armed operations under the label of Islamic Resistance in Iraq," Inna Rudolf, who studied the PMF at King’s College London, told Fox News Digital.

Many of these resistance factions, Rudolf said, have also registered brigades within the state-recognized PMF umbrella. 

"The question for decision-makers remains how to neutralize these elements and mitigate the risk of dragging both the PMF and the Iraqi state into a poorly timed geopolitical escalation," Rudolf said.

NETANYAHU HAILS ‘HISTORIC’ FALL OF BASHAR ASSAD IN SYRIA, CREDITS ISRAELI ATTACKS ON HEZBOLLAH, IRAN

Rudolf pointed out that although Iranian proxies have been significantly weakened since Oct. 7, pressure has intensified in light of reports suggesting Israel could retaliate against Iranian groups inside Iraq. 

Many observers of the region think Iraq’s attempt to rein in armed factions at this moment is a sign of Iran’s diminished position in the region.

"The fact that major security sector reform in respect to the Popular Mobilization Forces is being conducted at this time is representative of Iran's weakened role in the country and an imperative amongst more moderate forces, as well as the U.S., to seize on this and create momentum," Caroline Rose, a senior analyst and head of the Power Vacuums Program at the New Lines Institute, told Fox News Digital.

Elections in Iraq are scheduled for this fall, and Prime Minister Sudani is attempting to negotiate an acceptable form of bilateral security cooperation with the U.S., including the status of U.S. forces inside the country. The U.S. currently has about 2,500 troops serving in Iraq as part of the anti-ISIS Operation Inherent Resolve effort.

Observers of the region agreed that if Iraq is unable to demonstrate its ability to rein in rogue groups conducting armed operations against the prime minister, sustaining security cooperation with the United States, especially under President Donald Trump, could be impossible.

A recent spat publicly carried out this weekend over social media between President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro has brought renewed attention to the former Marxist guerrilla turned top political figure.

The U.S. sat on the brink of a trade war with Colombia after Trump turned to his favored geopolitical tool and threatened to impose up to 50% tariffs on all imports from the Latin American country if it did not accept military planes full of deported Colombians as part of Trump’s deportation sweep.

The trade war was avoided after Petro apparently agreed to lift his ban on flights full of deported Colombians who had allegedly entered the U.S. illegally, though not before he issued a strongly worded statement in which he threatened to match Trump’s tariffs, criticized his "greed" and defended Colombia’s sovereignty.

COLOMBIAN LEADER QUICKLY CAVES AFTER TRUMP THREATS, OFFERS PRESIDENTIAL PLANE FOR DEPORTATION FLIGHTS

The Colombian president’s Sunday diatribe on X in response to Trump is not a new approach for Petro, who has reportedly made a name for himself by being outspoken on social media. 

Petro became Colombia’s first leftist leader in 2022 after he defeated conservatives by pledging changes that would focus on ending the country’s long history of violence, human rights abuses and poverty.

According to The Associated Press, Colombians had long been resistant to left-leaning politicians over concerns they were soft on violence.

Petro’s background as a former member of the M-19 guerrilla group before he turned to more traditional political paths, may have played in his favor at home. 

Though Petro’s election to high office was championed at home, it was met with trepidation by conservatives in the U.S.

Colombia was traditionally considered a top ally to Washington, D.C., in Latin America, and according to a Reuters report, the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement was responsible for a substantial $33.8 billion worth of trade in 2023 – accounting for a quarter of all of Bogotá's exports.

Despite Colombia’s reliance on American spending, Petro has pursued controversial diplomatic pursuits that often run counter to Washington’s geopolitical agenda.

COLOMBIA ELECTS FORMER REBEL GUSTAVO PETRO TO BECOME COUNTRY'S FIRST LEFTIST PRESIDENT

Since becoming president of Colombia, Petro has restored diplomatic relations with neighboring Venezuela, whose leader, Nicolás Maduro, has been criticized for his ties to top American adversaries, including China, Russia, Iranian proxies in the Middle East and Cuba. 

Petro has also taken a hard stance in opposition to Israel and chose the day after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 250 abducted into Gaza, to criticize Jerusalem for carrying out "neo-Nazi" acts against Palestinians. 

Petro continued his opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza over the next 15 months before a ceasefire was reached, in part, by officials now active in the Trump administration – which could indicate further headbutting between the nations' leaders.

"I think many Latin American countries have gotten used to a U.S. presidential administration that doesn’t mean what it says or do what is needed for national security," Joseph Humire, an expert on Latin America issues and the executive director of the Center for a Secure Free Society, told Fox News Digital. "President Petro seriously underestimated the resolve of President Trump to secure our border and end the weaponized migration that, for the past four years, has been undermining American sovereignty.

"If President Petro or any government tries to obstruct America’s sovereign right to deport criminals than I think they will see similar punitive measures," he added.

It remains unclear what relations going forward between Trump and Petro will look like or how the president was able to get Petro to reverse his position within hours of the Colombian president's furious post on X. 

Colombian foreign minister, Luis Gilberto Murillo, along with the nation’s ambassador to the U.S., Daniel Garcia-Pena, on Sunday announced plans to travel to Washington in the coming days to discuss agreements reached over the weekend to end the impasse and avoid a U.S.-Colombia trade war.  

The top European Union military official, Robert Brieger, said it would make sense to station troops from EU countries in Greenland, according to an interview with Germany's Welt am Sonntag published on Saturday, as U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed interest in acquiring the Danish territory.

"In my view, it would make perfect sense not only to station U.S. forces in Greenland, as has been the case to date, but also to consider stationing EU soldiers there in the future," the chairman of the European Union Military Committee said.

Ultimately, such a step would require a political decision, the Austrian-born general said. The military committee is the highest military office of the European Council, but it serves as a consultative body since the bloc has no dedicated army.

U.S.-led NATO is the main military alliance for the EU.

DANISH LAWMAKER ADDRESSING EU TELLS TRUMP TO ‘F--- OFF’ OVER GREENLAND BID

Although Greenland is not part of the EU as an overseas territory of Denmark, Europeans, as well as the U.S. have interests in Greenland, the general added, citing its raw materials and strategic location.

"However, with increasing ice melt as a result of climate change, this also creates a certain potential for tension with Russia and possibly China," he said.

Trump has expressed an interest in making Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, part of the United States. He has not ruled out using military or economic power to persuade Denmark to hand it over.

Greenland's strategic location along the shortest route from Europe to North America, vital for the U.S. ballistic missile warning system, has made it a priority for Trump.

Brieger said he hoped that the U.S. as a member of the United Nations would respect the inviolability of borders as stipulated in the U.N. Charter.

Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko extended his more than three decades in power in an orchestrated weekend election that the opposition and the European Union rejected as a farce.

The Central Election Commission declared early Monday that Lukashenko won the election with nearly 87% of the vote after a campaign in which four token challengers all praised his rule.

Members of the country's political opposition, many of whom are imprisoned or exiled abroad by Lukashenko's unrelenting crackdown on dissent and free speech, called the election a sham — much like the last one in 2020 that triggered months of protests that were unprecedented in the history of the country of 9 million people.

SECRETARY OF STATE RUBIO HAILS RELEASE OF US PRISONER IN BELARUS AS CONTROVERSY HANGS OVER NATION'S ELECTION

Since then, more than 65,000 people were arrested and thousands beaten, with the crackdown bringing condemnation and sanctions from the West.

The EU rejected Sunday's vote as illegitimate and threatened new sanctions.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the election offered no choice to voters, marking "a bitter day for all those who long for freedom and democracy."

"Instead of free and fair elections and a life without fear and arbitrariness, they experience daily oppression, repression and human rights violations," she said in a post on X.

Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 and has ruled the country with an iron fist. He has relied on subsidies and political support from Russian President Vladimir Putin, himself in office for a quarter-century, a relationship that helped him survive the 2020 protests.

Lukashenko allowed Moscow to use the country’s territory to invade Ukraine in 2022 and later hosted some of Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons.

Putin called Lukashenko on Monday to congratulate him on his "convincing victory." Chinese President Xi Jinping also sent congratulations.

Some observers believe Lukashenko feared a repeat of those mass demonstrations amid economic troubles and the fighting in Ukraine, and so scheduled the vote in January, when few would want to fill the streets again, rather than hold it in August.

Leading opponents have fled abroad or were thrown in prison. Activists say the country holds nearly 1,300 political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, founder of the Viasna Human Rights Center.

Since July, Lukashenko has pardoned more than 250 people. At the same time, authorities have sought to uproot dissent by arresting hundreds more in raids targeting relatives and friends of political prisoners.

Opposition leader-in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who fled Belarus under government pressure after challenging Lukashenko in 2020, denounced the election as a "senseless farce" and urged voters to cross off everyone listed on the ballot.

The first report on last month’s Jeju Air crash in South Korea confirmed the plane’s two black boxes stopped recording about four minutes prior to the crash that killed 179 people on board.

The preliminary accident report released by South Korea's Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board on Monday said the flight data and cockpit voice recorders on the Boeing 737-800 had stopped working, confirming what the country's Transportation Ministry initially said earlier this month. 

South Korean officials had sent the devices to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board for closer examination after discovering that some of the data was missing. It remained unclear why the devices stopped recording.

The report also found traces of bird strikes – feathers and bird blood stains – in both the plane's engines, though officials have yet to determine what caused the crash.

"The samples were sent to specialized organizations for DNA analysis, and a domestic organization identified them as belonging to Baikal teals," the report said, referring to a migratory duck.

SOUTH KOREA PLANE'S FINAL MOMENTS CAPTURED ON VIDEO BEFORE HITTING CONCRETE BARRIER, TRIGGERING EXPLOSION

The plane skidded off the runway at Muan International Airport on Dec. 29, 2024, after its landing gear failed to deploy, slamming into a concrete structure and bursting into flames. Only two of the 181 people on board survived.

The flight was returning from Bangkok and all the victims were South Koreans except for two Thai nationals.

RUSSIA BEING BLAMED FOR AZERBAIJAN AIRLINES PLANE THAT CRASHED HUNDREDS OF MILES OFF COURSE, KILLING DOZENS

Investigators earlier said that air traffic controllers warned the pilots about possible bird strikes two minutes before the aircraft issued a distress signal confirming that a bird strike had occurred, after which the pilots attempted an emergency landing.

The preliminary report said the pilots also noticed a group of birds while approaching the runway at the Muan airport and that a security camera had filmed the plane coming close to birds during an aborted landing.

The report said authorities will disassemble the engines, examine their components in depth, analyze the black box and air traffic control data, and investigate the embankment, localizer and bird strike evidence to ultimately determine the cause of the crash.

Officials said the report has been sent to the International Civil Aviation Organization, Thailand, the U.S. and France, adding that the aircraft was built in the U.S. and its engines in France.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Thousands of Palestinians are streaming back into the northern Gaza Strip on Monday after Israel lifted its closure as part of the ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas. 

Starting at 7 a.m. local time, Palestinians were allowed to cross on foot without inspection via a coastal road passing through part of a military zone bisecting the territory just south of Gaza City that Israel carved out early in the war. A checkpoint for vehicles opened later on Gaza's main north-south highway, where traffic was backed up for around two miles. 

"The transfer of militants or weapons via these routes to the northern Gaza Strip will be considered a breach of the agreement. Do not cooperate with any terrorist entity that may try to exploit you to transfer weapons or prohibited materials," Israel’s military warned in a statement, according to Reuters. 

Hamas is calling the return "a victory for our people, and a declaration of failure and defeat for the (Israeli) occupation and transfer plans," according to The Associated Press. 

ISRAEL, HAMAS REACH DEAL TO ALLOW PALESTINIANS TO RETURN TO NORTHERN GAZA 

Yasmin Abu Amshah, a mother of three, told the AP that she walked about four miles to reach her damaged but still habitable home in Gaza City, where she also saw her younger sister for the first time in more than a year. 

"It was a long trip, but a happy one," she said. "The most important thing is that we returned." 

Around a million people fled to southern Gaza in October 2023, while hundreds of thousands remained in the north, which had some of the heaviest fighting and the worst destruction of the war. In all, around 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced, the news agency says. 

Israel had delayed the opening of the crossing, which was supposed to happen over the weekend, saying it would not allow Palestinians north until a female civilian hostage, Arbel Yehoud, was released. Israel said she should have been released before four young female soldiers, who were freed on Saturday. 

ISRAELI VICTIMS OF TERROR CONCERNED WITH MURDERERS’ RELEASE FROM PRISON, RELIEVED 7 HOSTAGES BACK HOME

Hamas in turn accused Israel of violating the agreement by not opening the crossing. 

The gulf nation of Qatar, a key mediator with Hamas, then announced early Monday that an agreement had been reached to release Yehoud along with two other hostages. 

Hamas also handed over a list of information about the hostages to be released in the ceasefire’s six-week first phase. 

Under that phase, Hamas is to free a total of 33 hostages in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. So far under the truce, the terrorist organization has released seven hostages in exchange for more than 300 prisoners. Shiri Bibas and her children Ariel and Kfir were expected to be released over the weekend, but that did not happen. Shiri's husband, Yarden Bibas, is also among the hostages.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced Sunday that an agreement has been reached with Hamas to release additional hostages starting this Thursday, while also allowing Palestinians to return to the northern part of the Gaza Strip beginning Monday morning.

Qatar helped mediate the agreement, which is expected to ease the first major crisis of the fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.

"After firm and determined negotiations led by Prime Minister Netanyahu, Hamas has backed down and will conduct an additional phase of hostage releases this coming Thursday," Netanyahu’s office said. "As part of this phase, Israeli citizen Arbel Yehud, soldier Agam Berger, and one additional hostage will be released."

The statement also noted that three additional hostages will be released on Saturday as part of the agreement.

ISRAELI MILITARY CHIEF STEPS DOWN OVER OCTOBER 7 HAMAS MASSACRE: ‘WEIGHS ON ME EVERY DAY’

Israel confirmed Hamas handed over a list that specified the condition of the hostages expected to be released in the first stage. Local media also reported the list specified the number of living and dead hostages, though names were not included.

Israeli officials claim most of the 26 remaining hostages are alive, which coincides with the list Hamas provided.

Netanyahu’s office also said Israel will allow Palestinians to return to the northern part of the Gaza Strip beginning Monday morning under the agreement with Hamas.

CEASEFIRE DISPUTES BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH THROW REGION INTO TURMOIL

Netanyahu reiterated that Israel will not tolerate any violation of the agreement between the two parties, adding that he will continue to push for the return of all hostages, dead or alive.

Likewise, the White House released a statement on Sunday afternoon saying the arrangement between Israel and Lebanon will be monitored by the U.S. and will remain in effect until Feb. 18, 2025.

"The Government of Lebanon, the Government of Israel, and the Government of the United States will also begin negotiations for the return of Lebanese prisoners captured after October 7, 2023," the statement read.

HAMAS RELEASES 4 FEMALE HOSTAGES AS PART OF ISRAEL CEASEFIRE

The agreement between Israel and Hamas comes after the former accused the latter of changing the order of hostages it had planned to release. As a result, Israeli forces blocked thousands of Palestinians from returning to northern Gaza.

Israeli forces also announced Friday that they would not withdraw from southern Lebanon as the ceasefire requires until the Lebanese government fully implements its own responsibilities. According to the agreement, both groups were expected to make withdrawals by Sunday.

"IDF troops operating in southern Lebanon fired warning shots to remove threats in a number of areas where suspects were identified approaching the troops," the IDF wrote in a statement earlier Sunday.

BITTERSWEET REJOICING AS FIRST HOSTAGES RETURN TO ISRAEL AFTER 471 DAYS IN CAPTIVITY

The disputes came just after President Donald Trump called for Egypt and Jordan to accept refugees from Gaza to "clean out" the region.

"I’d like Egypt to take people," Trump said. "You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, 'You know, it’s over.'"

Trump said he applauded Jordan for accepting Palestinian refugees but that he told the king: "I’d love for you to take on more, because I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess."

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

The international airport in Goma was evacuated and commercial flights temporarily grounded on Sunday as fighting between Rwanda-backed rebels and government forces raged around eastern Congo's key city, leaving at least 13 peacekeepers and foreign soldiers dead and displacing thousands of civilians.

The M23 rebel group has made significant territorial gains along the border with Rwanda in recent weeks, closing in on Goma, the provincial capital that has a population of around 2 million and is a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts.

Goma’s international airport, which is east of the city, was evacuated by the military and commercial flights were temporarily grounded due to the fighting, an airport agent told The Associated Press. The agent spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak on the matter publicly.

ISRAEL TELLS UN IT'S SHUTTING DOWN ALL UNRWA OPERATIONS IN JERUSALEM: 'ACUTE SECURITY RISKS'

The United Nations on Sunday told its staff not to go to the airport and to shelter in place, according to an internal email seen by AP.

Congo, the United States and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which is mainly made up of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army more than a decade ago. It's one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich region, where a long-running conflict has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

Rwanda’s government denies backing the rebels, but last year acknowledged that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border. U.N. experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.

The Congolese Foreign Ministry said late Saturday it was severing diplomatic ties with Rwanda and pulling out all diplomatic staff from the country "with immediate effect."

Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told AP on Sunday that the decision to cut ties was a unilateral move by Congo "that was even published on social media before being sent to our embassy."

"For us, we took appropriate measures to evacuate our remaining diplomat in Kinshasa, who was under permanent threat by Congolese officials. And this was achieved on Friday, one day before the publication of this so-called note verbale on social media," he said.

In the last 48 hours, two U.N. peacekeepers from South Africa and one from Uruguay were killed, and 11 peacekeepers were injured and hospitalized, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’ spokesman said Sunday ahead of an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.

The U.N. chief reiterated his "strongest condemnation" of the M23 offensive "with the support of the Rwanda Defense Forces," and called on the rebel group to immediately halt all hostile action and withdraw its forces, U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said.

On Sunday morning, heavy gunfire resonated across Goma, just a few miles from the front line. Scores of displaced children and adults fled the Kanyaruchinya camp, one of the largest in eastern Congo, right near the Rwandan border, and headed south to Goma.

"We are fleeing because we saw soldiers on the border with Rwanda throwing bombs and shooting," said Safi Shangwe, who was heading to Goma.

"We are tired and we are afraid, our children are at risk of starving," she added.

Some of the displaced worried they will not be safe in Goma either.

"We are going to Goma, but I heard that there are bombs in Goma, too, so now we don’t know where to go," said Adèle Shimiye.

Hundreds of people attempted to flee to Rwanda through the "Great Barrier" border crossing east of Goma on Sunday. Migration officers carefully checked travel documents.

"I am crossing to the other side to see if we will have a place of refuge because for the moment, security in the city is not guaranteed," Muahadi Amani, a resident of Goma, told the AP.

Earlier in the week, the rebels seized Sake, 16 miles from Goma, as concerns mounted that the city could soon fall.

Congo’s army said Saturday it fended off an M23 offensive with the help of allied forces, including U.N. troops and soldiers from the Southern African Development Community Mission, also known as SAMIDRC.

In addition to the two South African peacekeepers, seven South African troops with SAMIDIRC have been killed in recent days, South Africa’s Ministry of Defense said.

Since 2021, Congo’s government and allied forces, including SAMIDRC and U.N. troops, have been keeping M23 away from Goma. The U.N. peacekeeping force entered Congo more than two decades ago and has around 14,000 peacekeepers on the ground.

In a move that some critics say was intended to influence the Trump administration and Congress, Karim Khan, controversial prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC), filed applications for arrest warrants against Taliban senior leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Taliban chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani for crimes against humanity.

The timing of the move came as the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on a bill to sanction the ICC over its request for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant. The House bill passed on Jan. 9 with bipartisan support.

Khan’s "move is no doubt a Hail Mary pass to deter the Senate vote," Richard Goldberg, a senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. He added that some in Washington "might fall for the charade… Khan and the ICC have already shown us who and what they are. They are still investigating Americans, they are seeking the arrest of Israelis, all red lines have been crossed and there’s no evading the consequences." 

LINDSEY GRAHAM DEMANDS ICC REVEAL DETAILS OF PROBE INTO PROSECUTOR KHAN'S MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS

The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act would sanction foreigners attempting to arrest, detain, prosecute or investigate citizens of the U.S. or its allies, including Israel. It would also attempt to regain funds designated to the ICC and stop further court contributions. The U.S. is not party to the Rome Statute.

Rebecca Hamilton, formerly a lawyer in the ICC’s prosecutorial division, wrote in Just Security about the double standard the U.S. is forced into by opposing the ICC following the Taliban arrest warrants. Given the timing of the Senate’s impending vote on a bill that "potentially threatens the ICC’s very survival," Hamilton wrote, "One might argue then, that the ICC Prosecutor’s announcement on Thursday was less about pursuing his mandate, and more about trying to save his job." 

In addressing the matter she added, "The discretion that the ICC Prosecutor has to determine when to go public with the announcement of an arrest warrant application is often used strategically, and surely has been in this case. But investigations of international crimes cannot be put together overnight."

Israel’s ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, told Fox News Digital, "Prosecutor Karim Khan has a myopic obsession over Israel with the war crimes charges leveled at Israel’s democratically elected prime minister and former defense minister. Equating the leaders of a democracy with leaders of the Hamas terrorist organization – and more recently, with the Taliban – is an insult to the principles of justice."

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT: 20 YEARS, BILLIONS SPENT, LIMITED SUCCESS AS US CONSIDERS SANCTIONS

Danon said, "The ICC has lost its credibility, and it’s about time for a review of the ICC’s – and Prosecutor Khan’s – true motivations for focusing so intensely – and so distortedly – on Israel."

Fox News Digital reached out to the ICC to ask why warrants against Taliban leaders have taken so long to issue, as well as about whether there is equivalence between the crimes for which the ICC seeks to charge Taliban leaders, and those for which the ICC has charged Netanyahu and Gallant. 

The Office of the Prosecutor told Fox News Digital that announcements in Afghanistan "marked the culmination of significant work between the Office and affected communities in seeking accountability for alleged crimes committed in Afghanistan." The office stated that its investigation into Afghanistan had only resumed on Oct. 31, 2022, after being deferred due to "an admissibility challenge by the former government of Afghanistan." 

Khan’s office said it follows the same protocol for the filing of all warrants, including those in Afghanistan and for Palestinians. It noted that in the past year, the ICC has "sought or obtained warrants for arrest in situations including Afghanistan, Ukraine, Myanmar/Bangladesh, State of Palestine, Libya and Mali as well as taking forward trials in the situations in Mali, Central African Republic and Darfur."

PENTAGON ‘FUNDAMENTALLY REJECTS’ ICC DECISION TO ISSUE ARREST WARRANT FOR NETANYAHU

A spokesperson from the European Union said that "the EU respects the court’s independence and impartiality." 

While the spokesperson did not speak to charges against Israeli officials, they said, "The EU and its Member States support initiatives that ensure accountability and regularly recall that systematic and systemic violations against women and girls in Afghanistan may amount to gender persecution, which is a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of the ICC of which Afghanistan is a state party." 

A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions about the equivalence between warrants for Taliban and Israeli leaders.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Tweeted on Jan. 24 that he plans to vote for the ICCA, explaining that "the ICC's treatment towards Israel and equivocating to Hamas was unacceptable. We should absolutely sanction the ICC."

Goldberg, a former national security advisor during President Donald Trump's first term, warned "the sanctions coming out of Congress will certainly make life difficult for the officials and groups who are waging lawfare against us, but to actually cripple ICC operations and end the lawfare, we will need the Trump administration to impose sanctions directly on the ICC. I’m not sure American service members are safe until that happens." 

President Donald Trump is calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to "make a deal" to end the "ridiculous" war with Ukraine, which started nearly three years ago. During his 2024 campaign, Trump often spoke about ending major world conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war, invoking former President Ronald Reagan’s "peace through strength" doctrine. Now that he’s in office, Trump is making it clear that it’s time for Putin to come to the table.

"I’m not looking to hurt Russia," Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. In the post, Trump threatens "high levels of taxes, tariffs and sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States." This threat comes days after reports that Putin was starting to get concerned about his country’s economy as the war with Ukraine continues.

TRUMP CALLS ON PUTIN TO MAKE A DEAL, END ITS WAR AGAINST UKRAINE OR FACE MORE ECONOMIC PRESSURE

Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Ukrainian human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize winner, believes now is the time for Trump to show strength and bring an end to the war.

"Russia’s relentless invasion demands lasting international security guarantees. Any peace deal must confront Russia’s hostility to safeguard Ukraine and the very foundations of freedom and democracy," Matviichuk said in a statement.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Matviichuk emphasized the need to not only end the war that began in February 2022, but also to block Putin from achieving his "geopolitical goal," as she believes the Russian leader has no interest in peace.

"When we design this peace process, we have to design security guarantees, which will make this [geopolitical] goal for Putin impossible to achieve," Matviichuk said.

On Thursday, Trump told reporters at the White House that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already told him he’s ready to negotiate an end to the war.

UKRAINE: HOW THE WAR SHIFTED IN 2024

In his first sit-down interview since returning to the White House, Trump told "Hannity" that Zelenskyy has "had enough." However, while Trump condemned Putin, he said that Zelenskyy is "no angel," chastising the Ukrainian leader for fighting instead of making a deal.

Reuters reported in November that Putin is open to discussing a peace plan. He reportedly could agree to freeze the conflict along the current lines.

Since Putin's 2022 invasion, civilians in Ukraine have had to adjust to life during war. Matviichuk, who is based out of Kyiv, describes it as living in "total uncertainty." However, her focus has been on exposing Russia's atrocities. Nearly three years into the war, she has cataloged approximately 80,000 Russian crimes. 

"We don’t want to live in Putin’s world," Matviichuk said. "We want to live in a world where democracy and rule of law and freedom are respected."

Ashley Carnahan and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.

The pristine German college town of Tübingen flourishes today, in stark contrast to its dark past.

The southwestern city of 90,000 was once home to Theodor Dannecker, a Nazi captain and one of the closest aides to Adolf Eichmann, known as the "architect of the Holocaust." In 1933, the University of Tübingen, where many of the infamous Nazi soldiers known as SS trained until 1945, proudly billed itself as "Jew free." These days, Tübingen is acknowledging its painful history in order to rise above it.

"We can only live here as Christians in this congregation if we take responsibility for the history of this city," Jobst Bittner, founder of both Tübingen’s TOS Church and the March of Life initiative, where descendants of Nazis organize marches against antisemitism with Christians and Jews throughout the world, told Israel’s Channel 11.

The television outlet's report showed a banner across the windows of the TOS church that read "Bring Them Home Now," a call to release nearly 100 Israeli and American hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. Inside the church is a store with merchandise and books about Israel. Downstairs is the "Museum of Guilt," which displays pictures of Nazis from Tübingen, with photographs of mass graves that were once hidden in cigar boxes as souvenirs of the Holocaust.

CLICK HERE FOR FOX NEWS DIGITAL'S COVERAGE OF ‘ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED’

Another segment in the report showed young people from the church singing "Am Yisrael Chai" ("The People of Israel Live") even though they barely know Hebrew. During the holiday of Sukkot, they build sukkahs (temporary huts) to celebrate the Israelites’ freedom from enslavement in Egypt.

Heinz Reuss, an elder at TOS Church and international director of the March of Life, described last year’s Sukkot celebrated in the Market Square in the center of town as "very beautiful." He said that the rabbis from the next town came to Tübingen to recite blessings, just like he does during Hanukkah when they light the menorah candles.

The musical, "A Ship Makes History," based on the story of a Holocaust survivor and Exodus, has also been performed during Hanukkah. Michaela Buckel, program director of the March of Life movement and author of the play, described how it teaches children about the Holocaust in a non-threatening way and that she was inspired by the resiliency of the Jewish people after the Holocaust.

"I wanted to focus the play on this willingness to live and to fight for new life, even though it's hard," she said.

Reuss said the Christians at his church celebrate some of the Jewish holidays as a gesture of friendship and to acknowledge "that’s where the blessing comes from, the Jewish roots."

Addressing the town’s antisemitic history, Reuss remembered a turning point in 2003, when a lot of congregants started to discover that their own family members had been Nazis.

"It was a powerful time of repentance and also of healing in some way," he said. 

TOS worship leader Kim-Sophie Kasch, 24, told Fox News Digital that when she was 7 years old, after her great-grandfather died, her family discovered that he was a Nazi. He had been part of the Wehrmacht armed forces of Nazi Germany and had been in European areas "where they committed crimes against the Polish-Lithuanian population (and) also the Jews who lived there."

Kasch described her father as being "really shocked when he heard about his grandpa."

Reuss said that when TOS church congregants found out there were eight concentration camps located around Tübingen, as well as the grim trails of death marches, "everything became visible. Everyone saw it." 

He described how they organized a prayer march with descendants of Holocaust survivors and descendants of Nazis, which became a three-day event. 

"It was very, very meaningful for us," said Reuss. 

Since 2007, March of Life events have been held in hundreds of cities in more than 20 countries, where Holocaust survivors and descendants of Nazis visit concentration camp sites and mass graves across Europe. 

In 2009, the movement expanded to the United States, where it became known as the March of Remembrance, a memorial walk every spring on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day.

"The message is remembrance, reconciliation and making a stand for Israel and against antisemitism," Reuss said. "It teaches the lessons of the Holocaust, and we encourage people to really face the history of antisemitism in their own families."

Reuss said his great-grandfather from the Netherlands, who was an Orthodox reform Christian, saved Jewish lives by refusing to sign a declaration stating that he was not Jewish because he didn’t want to betray his Jewish friends. He expressed disappointment that his German grandfather on his father’s side did not display the same courage and withdrew from Jewish people. 

"It's so important to really speak out and not be silent in your personal surroundings and your workspace, because this is antisemitism. It’s evil. It's something that doesn't stop with the Jews," Reuss said.

Reuss told Fox News Digital how this year, for Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27, survivor Irene Shashar, who was born on Dec. 12, 1937, as Ruth Lewkowicz, will be honored at the TOS church. She will speak the day before, telling congregants her story of survival in Warsaw.

The Nazis invaded Shashar’s homeland of Poland when she was 2 years old, and her father was murdered when she was 5. Shashar credits her mother’s ingenuity for helping her to survive by hiding her in closets and sewers with her beloved doll, Laleczka. Referring to her two children and seven grandchildren at a U.N. speech in 2020, she declared, "I survived … Hitler didn’t win and I have proof."

South Korean prosecutors have indicted impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of leading a rebellion after he briefly imposed martial law last month, according to the country’s opposition party, as well as several South Korean media reports. 

Yoon, a conservative, has presidential immunity from most criminal prosecutions, but the privilege does not extend to allegations of rebellion or treason. By law in South Korea, the leader of a rebellion can face life in prison or the death penalty. 

"The prosecution has decided to indict Yoon Suk Yeol, who is facing charges of being a ringleader of insurrection," Democratic Party spokesman Han Min-soo said at a press conference, according to Reuters. "The punishment of the ringleader of insurrection now begins finally."

The move announced Sunday makes Yoon the first sitting South Korean president to face an indictment and criminal investigation, according to the Washington Post. 

Yoon became the second conservative president to be impeached in South Korea when the opposition-led parliament voted to suspend his duties on Dec. 14. 

IMPEACHED SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT DETAINED WEEKS AFTER MARTIAL LAW CHAOS

He was arrested earlier this month over his Dec. 3, 2024, martial law decree that plunged Asia's fourth-largest economy and a key U.S. ally into political turmoil. Yoon has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, calling his martial law a legitimate act of governance meant to raise public awareness of the danger of the liberal-controlled National Assembly, which obstructed his agenda and impeached top officials. 

In declaring martial law, Yoon called the assembly "a den of criminals" and vowed to eliminate "shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces." 

He sent troops and police officers to the assembly, but enough lawmakers still managed to enter an assembly chamber to vote down Yoon’s decree unanimously, forcing his Cabinet to lift it. 

Though Yoon rescinded the decree after just six hours, the martial law imposition was the first of its kind in South Korea in more than 40 years and evoked painful memories of past dictatorial rules in the 1960s-80s. 

Yoon had resisted efforts by investigative authorities to question or detain him. After a days-long standoff between his security detail and authorities, Yoon was then apprehended on Jan. 15 in a massive law enforcement operation at his presidential compound, becoming the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested. Yoon, a former prosecutor himself, has been held in solitary confinement since then, according to Reuters. 

SOUTH KOREA’S IMPEACHED PRESIDENT AVOIDS ARREST ATTEMPT AFTER HOURSLONG STANDOFF

After a local court on Jan. 19 approved a formal arrest warrant to extend Yoon’s detainment, dozens of his supporters stormed the court building, destroying windows, doors and other property, according to the Associated Press. They also attacked police officers with bricks, steel pipes and other objects. The violence left 17 police officers injured, and police said they detained 46 protesters.

Separate from criminal judicial proceedings, the Constitutional Court is now deliberating whether to formally dismiss Yoon as president or reinstate him.

Leading Yoon’s investigation was the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, but since his detainment Yoon has refused to attend CIO’s questioning, saying it has no legal authority to investigate rebellion allegations. The CIO has said it can investigate Yoon’s rebellion allegation as it’s related to his abuse of power and other allegations. 

The CIO handed over Yoon’s case to the Seoul prosecutors’ office Friday and asked it to indict him on rebellion, abuse of power and obstruction of the National Assembly. 

In a statement Saturday, Yoon’s defense team urged prosecutors to immediately release Yoon and launch an investigation into the CIO.

South Korean media outlets, including Yonhap news agency, reported on Sunday that the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Yoon on rebellion charges.

Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several other military commanders have already been arrested over their roles in the martial law decree.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

As part of the second stage of the high-stakes ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, four female hostages who had been held by the terror group in Gaza for 477 days — Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag — were reunited with their families Saturday. 

In exchange, Israel released 121 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment for deadly terror attacks and an additional 79 prisoners serving lengthy sentences.

The release of Palestinian prisoners — some convicted of heinous terrorist acts — has stirred profound emotions and debate across Israel. While the deal has helped the return of hostages held in Gaza, it comes at a heavy cost. 

Families of victims of the released prisoners have expressed anguish, grappling with the pain of reopening old wounds while recognizing the importance of reuniting hostages with their loved ones.

HAMAS RELEASES 4 FEMALE HOSTAGES AS PART OF ISRAEL CEASEFIRE

Hillel Fuld, whose brother Ari was killed six years ago by a Palestinian terrorist, shared the personal toll of hearing the perpetrator might be freed. 

"It’s a punch to the gut, for sure, but I don’t think our personal loss changes our opinion on this deal," Fuld said. "It’s both terrible and beautiful — terrible strategically, but beautiful because the hostages’ families get to reunite with their loved ones."

Fuld also highlighted security concerns. 

"My understanding is that the terrorist who murdered my brother will be deported outside of Israel, to Turkey or Qatar," Fuld said. "I’m not overly worried about that, but those returning to Judea and Samaria are definitely a security concern. I hope the government has a plan for what comes next."

Orit Mark Etinger lost her father, Michael Mark, in a 2016 terrorist attack. Her younger brother, Fedya, who survived the attack that killed their father, was killed in Gaza. Two of her cousins were also victims of terror attacks. 

"When I first heard about the decision to release terrorist prisoners in exchange for hostages, I felt deep pain and anguish," Etinger told Fox New Digital, "Releasing murderers who destroyed entire lives is unbearable. No one can bring my father back. Meanwhile, the terrorist who murdered him may now walk freely on the street.

"One of my father’s murderers had already been released in the Shalit deal and returned to kill. We understand who we’re dealing with, which is why we fear the repercussions of releasing murderers with blood on their hands. But we cannot leave the hostages — innocent people — living in hell in Gaza. They must come home." 

Two of the prisoners released Saturday were involved in the terrorist attack that killed her father. 

Among the 1,900 prisoners to be released in the ceasefire agreement are individuals responsible for some of the deadliest attacks in Israeli history. Wael Qassem is serving 35 life sentences for orchestrating suicide bombings that killed 35 people. Majdi Za'atri, sentenced to 23 life terms, drove a suicide bomber to a Jerusalem bus stop in 2003, killing 23, including children.

Another terrorist released on Saturday, according to the Israelis, was Mardawi Tabat, who "was serving 21 life sentences for murdering 21 civilians and injuring 150 others in five suicide bombings and shooting attacks," according to a post on X.

Other high-profile prisoners include Ammar Al-Ziben, serving 32 life sentences for planning multiple suicide bombings, including the double bombing at the Mahane Yehuda Market in 1997 that killed 16. Ahmad Salah, serving 21 life sentences, was involved in two Jerusalem suicide bus bombings in 2004 that killed 19 people and injured over 100.

Israeli General Security Service Director Ronen Bar warned that 82% of the 1,024 prisoners released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit exchange returned to terrorism. 

"Many of the leaders of Hamas who orchestrated the Oct. 7 massacre were among those released in previous deals," Bar told the security cabinet, while still recommending going ahead with the deal.

BITTERSWEET REJOICING AS FIRST HOSTAGES RETURN TO ISRAEL AFTER 471 DAYS IN CAPTIVITY

Zohar Dvir, former commander of the elite Yamam counterterrorism unit, told Fox News Digital, "Arresting such a terrorist requires immense investment in intelligence, planning, creativity and a high level of risk for our forces, who often pay a heavy price. However, when it comes to the lives of many hostages, we are compelled to pay a heavy price by releasing terrorists.

"The chances of rescuing them alive diminish dramatically from one operation to the next, as time passes. The way to release hostages alive is through a deal. Talking from experience, the security establishment has a long memory and will settle accounts with everyone sooner or later, wherever they may be."

Israeli journalist Yair Cherki, whose brother was killed in a terrorist attack in Jerusalem, weighed in on the deal’s implications. 

"Israel succumbed to humanitarian pressure at the most critical moment, providing aid that effectively reinforced Hamas’s civilian control in Gaza," Cherki said. "Diplomatically, the strategy relied entirely on waiting for Trump, which proved to be a dead end. Like Biden’s "don’t," Trump’s gates of hell also worked both ways, leaving Israel without any diplomatic leverage.

"After 15 months, the time for the hostages has run out, and Israel is left with no choice but to accept the deal to bring the hostages home and begin healing a fractured society. Releasing these terrorists is not just a problem for the victims’ families, but for all Israeli society and future victims.

"This cycle of deals leading to murder and kidnapping must end. Releasing the hostages reflects our society’s commitment to life and mutual responsibility. This is our DNA."

Even those directly affected, like Fuld and Etinger, acknowledge the hostages must be prioritized. 

"Most families support the deal because they would do anything to bring their loved ones back," Etinger noted. "But we fear these released terrorists will harm others."

Cherki underscored the collective responsibility of Israeli society. 

"This deal is not just about individual families," Cherki said. "It’s about a society’s commitment to life and solidarity. Despite its flaws, this deal may serve as a key to healing a broken nation."

President Donald Trump said Saturday he wants Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations to accept more Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip, potentially moving out enough people to "just clean out" the area destroyed in the Israel-Hamas war, which is now under a ceasefire.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had a conversation earlier in the day with King Abdullah II of Jordan and would speak Sunday with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt.

"I’d like Egypt to take people," Trump said. "You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, 'You know, it’s over.'"

Trump said he applauded Jordan for accepting Palestinian refugees but that he told the king: "I’d love for you to take on more, because I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess."

HAMAS RELEASES 4 FEMALE HOSTAGES AS PART OF ISRAEL CEASEFIRE DEAL

A drastic displacement like this would contradict Palestinian identity and deep connection to Gaza.

"Palestinians in Gaza—like Palestinians in the West Bank and Israel—overwhelmingly trace their ancestry to cities and villages in the region that today comprises Israel and Palestine," former U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, who is Palestinian, wrote on X. "The idea that they are some kind of spillover from other countries in the so-called Arab world—that they are just interchangeable with other 'Arabs'—is a false but routinely employed rhetorical device to erase their history on the land."

"They are the descendants of Canaanites, Israelites, Phoenicians, and other ancient Levantine peoples," Amash, a libertarian, said. "Their ancestry overlaps with that of their Jewish neighbors, but they are converts to Christianity, Islam, and other religions. Any effort to force them out or to pressure them to leave under threat of force is simply ethnic cleansing."

But Trump said the part of the world that encompasses Gaza, has "had many, many conflicts" over centuries and that resettling "could be temporary or long term."

"Something has to happen," Trump said. "But it’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished, and people are dying there. So, I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations, and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change."

Senior Israeli officials said, according to Israel's Channel 12, that "Trump’s statement about the migration of Gazans to Muslim countries is not a slip of the tongue but part of a much broader move than it seems, coordinated with Israel."

On Monday, after he was inaugurated, Trump suggested that Gaza has "really got to be rebuilt in a different way."

"Gaza is interesting," he added. "It’s a phenomenal location, on the sea. The best weather, you know, everything is good. It’s like, some beautiful things could be done with it, but it’s very interesting."

SURVIVOR OF NOVA MUSIC FESTIVAL HAMAS TERROR ATTACK WINS SLOT TO REPRESENT ISRAEL AT EUROVISION

Trump also said Saturday that he ended former President Joe Biden's hold on sending 2,000-pound bombs to Israel that was in place during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which has been under a ceasefire for a week.

"We released them today," Trump said of the bombs. "They’ve been waiting for them for a long time." Trump said he lifted the ban on the bombs "Because they bought them."

Biden had halted the delivery of the bombs in May in an effort to prevent Israel from launching an all-out assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

The 15-month-long war in Gaza started when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, prompting military retaliation from Israeli forces. Nearly 100 hostages remain captive in Gaza.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump’s re-entrance into the White House has meant the complete overturning of Biden administration policies, the withdrawal of major international agreements and uncertainty that has left international partners waiting to see where they stand in the pecking order as some manage damage control while others vie for a seat at the table.

Trump’s actions came as no surprise this time around as the 47th president enters his second term. But what it means in terms of geopolitics remains unclear as adversaries and allies alike watch to see how these next four years will play out. 

TRUMP'S 'SHOCK AND AWE': FORGET FIRST 100 DAYS, NEW PRESIDENT SHOWS OFF FRENETIC PACE IN FIRST 100 HOURS

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni: Trump met with Meloni, leader of the conservative Brothers of Italy party, at his Mar-a-Lago residence earlier this month. The Italian leader, who has already voiced her support for Trump’s position on international issues like increasing NATO defense spending, attended Trump’s inauguration on Monday. According to reports this week, she has been deemed the "Trump whisperer" and the "preferred interlocutor in the EU" – a particularly important relationship amid concern that Trump could start a trade war with Europe.

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban: A long-time ally of Trump, Orban championed his return to the Oval Office this month and reportedly declared that with Trump in office he could launch the "second phase of the offensive that aims to occupy Brussels," which he claimed is "occupied by a left-liberal oligarchy." Orban, though invited, did not attend the inauguration due to a scheduling conflict. 

Argentina’s President Javier Milei: Once hailed by Trump as the leader to "make Argentina great again," Milei is looking to expand relations with the U.S. On Wednesday during the Davos World Economic Forum, he told Bloomberg he may be willing to leave the more than 30-year-old Mercosur trade bloc founded by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay in 1991, if it means securing a new trade deal with the U.S.

WASHINGTON POST COLUMNIST SUGGESTS TRUMP MAY USE HIS CRYPTO TOKEN TO TAKE FOREIGN BRIBES

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi: India is also scrambling to secure a trade deal with the U.S. amid concerns over international tariffs. Despite improved ties between India and China, and a meeting between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia last year, Reuters reported on Wednesday that Modi is looking to back off its reliance on Beijing – its largest trading partner – and instead lean in on relations with Washington. Modi is looking to meet with Trump in February. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: Trump and Netanyahu maintained a strong relationship during the president’s first term, and a similar dynamic is expected to remain during Trump’s second term. Netanyahu on Monday released a video message congratulating Trump on his inauguration and said that "the best days of our alliance are yet to come." He also thanked Trump for the role his administration played in helping to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which initiated the return of the hostages still held in Gaza. 

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer: The U.S.-U.K. partnership has often been described as a "special relationship," and London has long been one of Washington’s closest allies. But the ties between the U.S. and U.K. will be tested as Trump faces Labour leader Keir Starmer, who has previously been critical of Trump. 

Starmer, in 2023, condemned the U.K.’s Conservative party for "behave[ing] more and more like Donald Trump" rather than embodying the values championed by Winston Churchill. 

"They look at the politics of America and want to bring that here," he said. "Is there anybody in the government now who feels a sense of obligation to anything other than their own self-interest? To democracy, the rule of law, serving our country?" 

"It’s all woke, woke, woke. Wedge, wedge, wedge. Divide, divide, divide," he added.

Starmer has since pledged to work with Trump and to ensure the "special relationship" endures, though he is expected to face a tough road.

UN URGES DIPLOMACY AS IRAN HITS NUCLEAR 'GAS PEDAL,' CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR TELLS TRUMP ‘DO NOT APPEASE’

France’s Emmanuel Macron: The leader of the U.S.’s oldest ally is the only remaining European leader on the United Nations Security Council who was in office alongside Trump during his first term. Trump and Macron often butted heads during Trump’s first term and, despite an invitation to the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in December, reports indicate this time will likely be no different. 

While Macron was among the first to congratulate Trump on his second presidential victory, he also issued multiple statements of warning this week, first when he said that now is the time for a "European strategic wake-up call," emphasizing the need to lessen reliance on the U.S. for defense. 

The second warning came on Wednesday when it said "it is necessary more than ever for Europeans . . . to play their role of consolidating a united, strong and sovereign Europe" as it stares down stiff tariffs vowed by Trump. 

Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz: Scholz’s predecessor, Angela Merkel, often went head-to-head with Trump and reportedly believed that the U.S. president specifically had it out for Germany during his first term. Scholz, who leads the left-leaning Social Democrats, appears to be following in a similar no-nonsense approach when it comes to the second Trump administration and on Wednesday made it clear that Trump "will be, and so much is already clear, a challenge." 

Speaking alongside Macron on Wednesday, Scholz pledged to stand united with his European allies and said, "Our position is clear. Europe is a big economic power with around 450 million citizens. We are strong, we stand together. Europe will not duck and hide but will be a constructive and self-confident partner."

WORLD LEADERS REACT AS TRUMP RE-ENTERS THE WHITE HOUSE

European Union: Trump has made clear that the EU is in his crosshairs, telling reporters this week, "The European Union is very, very bad to us." But President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen made clear this week she is ready to work with the new U.S. president.

"No other economies in the world are as integrated as we are," she said, noting that the trade volumes between the U.S. and Europe account for 30% of all trade globally, reported Reuters. "Our first priority will be to engage early, discuss common interests and be ready to negotiate."

She made clear that the EU will not be bullied by Trump and said, "We will be pragmatic, but we will always stand by our principles. To protect our interests and uphold our values – that is the European way."

EU feelings toward Trump appear fairly divided as the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has backed Trump’s push to increase defense spending across the board in Europe. Right-wing Danish member of the European Parliament Anders Vistisen addressed Trump’s stated desire to acquire Greenland and in a public message did not mince words.

"Dear President Trump, listen very carefully: Greenland has been part of the Danish kingdom for 800 years. It is an integrated part of our country. It is not for sale," Vistisen said. "Let me put it in words you might understand. Mr. Trump, f*** off!"

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: Following a series of dramatic reports and resignations relating to Trudeau’s handling of Trump after he was newly elected and claimed that Canada should be the U.S.’s 51st state, Trudeau resigned from the top job this month.

It remains unclear who will replace Trudeau in a March 9 election, within his Liberal Party ahead of the general election later this year, where the party is expected to lose to the country's Conservatives.

Trudeau has said, "There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States," and government officials across the board are bracing for a trade war with the U.S. after Trump threatened to levy 25% tariffs on Canada, starting Feb. 1. 

Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said this week that Ottawa "will continue to work on preventing tariffs" but said that officials are also "working on retaliation." 

In the final hours of his term, President Joe Biden negotiated a prisoner exchange with the Taliban that released U.S. citizens Ryan Corbett and William Wallace McKenty from Taliban custody. 

Not included in the deal, however, were U.S. citizens George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi.

On Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X that he was "just hearing" of the detentions of additional Americans by the Taliban. 

"If this is true, we will have to immediately place a VERY BIG bounty on their top leaders, maybe even bigger than the one we had on Bin Laden," Rubio wrote.

2 AMERICANS RELEASED IN EXCHANGE FOR TALIBAN PRISONER

Dennis Fitzpatrick, who is coordinating efforts outside the U.S. government for Glezmann’s release, claimed Glezmann was "never a serious priority for the Biden White House." 

"President Biden and [former National Security Advisor] Jake Sullivan decided to leave George Glezmann in Kabul for no good reason," Fitzpatrick told Fox News Digital. "We are confident that President Trump’s clear-eyed leadership will secure George’s release to his family."

Fitzpatrick added that 66-year-old Glezmann is "a totally innocent man" who was "a hard-working, blue-collar airline mechanic before he was wrongfully detained. He doesn’t deserve to be used as a pawn."

Glezmann has been in detention since Dec. 5, 2022, when he was traveling to Afghanistan to "explore the cultural landscape and rich history of the country" according to a Senate resolution from July 2024 calling for his immediate release. 

The resolution states that Glezmann’s mental and physical condition were deteriorating as a result of his detention in a nine-foot square underground cell. He has only been allowed limited calls to family and has experienced "facial tumors, hypertension, severe malnutrition, and other medical conditions" as a result of his detention.

While the Taliban admit to holding Glezmann in custody, they insist they do not hold Mahmood Habibi. 

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Habibi’s brother Ahmad told Fox News Digital the family "know[s] that my brother is still in Taliban custody. I can't share too much about that because we don't want to put him or others at risk. But anyone accepting the Taliban's hollow suggestions that they do not have him is falling for their lies.

"We have multiple witnesses to his arrest by the [General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI)]. We have multiple witnesses who were held with him at GDI headquarters. The Taliban has always claimed they don't have him and don't know who he is. How do they explain the obvious contradictions to this?"

Ahmad also claimed the family "know[s] that the U.S. government has technical evidence that Mahmood was in GDI custody long after his arrest." 

He alleges the Biden National Security Council "micromanaged the State Department's effort to secure my brother's release" and "blocked [the State Department] from using the data in their discussions with the Taliban, even though we told them that it would have directly confronted the Taliban's claims that they never heard of my brother." 

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Neither the State Department nor the National Security Council responded to Fox News Digital’s requests for confirmation of Ahmad’s claims.

Fox News Digital also reached out to Taliban spokespersons Zabihullah Mujahid and Suhail Shaheen about Habibi’s detention and asked Mujahid what happened to Habibi after he was arrested by the GDI. Mujahid did not respond. Shaheen directed Fox News Digital to reach out to the GDI and claimed no knowledge of the situation.  

The Taliban have long sought the release of Guantanamo Bay detainee and al Qaeda facilitator Muhammad Rahim in exchange for the Americans they admitted were in their prisons. Ahmad Habibi told CBS News President Biden assured him in a Jan. 12 phone call that the U.S. would not release Rahim unless the Taliban released Habibi.

Former Principal Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Hugh Dugan told Fox News Digital the Trump administration could pursue multiple "lines of effort" to secure the release of Glezmann and Habibi. 

Dugan said this could involve "outright rescue by the military" at one level or continued "subtle diplomacy in the background."  

Dugan said he recognized that "to say we're doing everything we can … is not satisfying to a family member, frankly, or anybody, and they want to hear that you're continuing to identify what might have eluded us all along, or that there's a crack in the horizon that's opening. 

"And we need to realize that that might be another step in our path to recovery and a line of effort has to be amended to accommodate new realities at any given moment."

A film shows a large group of children walking out of Auschwitz concentration camp in the company of nuns. Regina Horowitz recognized her own child and begged the camera operator to give her the frames of the film depicting Ryszard. 

There are very few survivors left as the world commemorates the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz. The Horowitz family's tale of survival is one such documentation. 

The Kraków orphanage would send her Regina Horowitz to another address, where she miraculously found her five-year-old son, who was just as shocked to see his mom alive. And not just her, but also his sister Niusia and his grandmother . . . all three women saved by German industrialist Oskar Schindler. 

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Renowned photographer Ryszard Horowitz was born on May 5th, 1939, to a loving family in the historic city of Kraków, the former capital of Poland, but just four months later Nazi Germany invaded Poland, resulting in utter devastation.

The war would turn brutal and sinister, especially for Poland's Jews.

"When the Germans marched into Kraków," Horowitz told Fox News Digital, "my parents' first reaction was to run away. They packed their suitcases and left me with my non-Jewish nanny, Antosia. But soon they returned with my sister, because they did not want me to stay behind. So, we were reunited but eventually forced to relocate to the ghetto."

The Nazis segregated Jews from the rest of the population, forcing them into Krakow’s notorious ghetto. Life was bleak behind the fences, in constant fear of Nazi persecution. 

Fortunately for Ryszard, there was an older boy there, called Roman Liebling, known later as Roman Polanski, who attended his third birthday party. According to Polanski, although food was scarce, by some miracle Ryszard’s mother, Regina, managed to procure hot chocolate for the kids. Ryszard, however, did not care for hot chocolate and refused to drink it.

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By 1943, the Germans were liquidating Kraków’s ghetto, and the Horowitz family was forced to relocate to a Nazi concentration camp in Plaszow. It was run by a notorious Nazi commander, Austrian officer Amon Göth.

"It was a terrible camp, because the man in charge was an extremely brutal character. He created a tremendous sense of fear. He was shooting people right and left. He was like a God in terms of his power and made life there totally impossible," Horowitz recalled. 

Göth liked to throw parties in his villa, where two of Ryszard’s musician uncles were forced to play. 

One of the men attending the parties was German industrialist Oskar Schindler. His friendship with Göth enabled him to run a business that would ultimately become a lifeline for many of the camps Jews.

"Oscar Schindler got permission to open a factory producing utensils for the German army, and my family worked there." Horowitz explained.

Steven Spielberg introduced Oskar Schindler to the entire world in his 1993 movie "Schindler's List," and Horowitz shared some observations about the famed businessman.

 "Everybody will tell you something else about him. How good he was, how bad he was, how handsome he was, how many women he had, but the bottom line is . . . somehow, he felt this urge to save people. Once, he got into trouble when he kissed my sister when she gave him a cake for his birthday," Horowitz said. 

In 1944, the Germans decided it was time to dismantle Plaszow, disguise the traces of their atrocities, and close Schindler’s factory.  

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"Schindler managed to get permission to move a certain number of workers to his factory in Brünnlitz, in Czechoslovakia," Horowitz said. 

Brünnlitz was a German labor camp, and as Spielberg showed in his film, a list was created with names of those who would be relocated there. 

"There is no question that there was a list, and my family was on that list. I was not, because I was too small to work, but somehow, I managed to squeeze in. There were two transports, one of men and one of women. I was traveling with my father," Horowitz explained. 

Schindler’s men made it to Brünnlitz alive, but Ryszard’s life was about to unravel.

"We waited for the women to follow us to Brünnlitz. But, for some reason, we do not know why, they were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp instead," he said. 

Schindler hurried to Auschwitz to rescue his women and left Josef Leipold in charge of his factory. 

"Leipold was the exact opposite of Schindler." Horowitz said. "From the beginning, his idea was to finish us off. And he did not want children there. So, he packed us with our fathers and shipped us to Auschwitz."

Upon arriving at Auschwitz, Ryszard was selected to have concentration camp numbers tattooed on his forearm. Which meant he would stay alive, for a time.

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Oskar Schindler managed to rescue the women. They were aboard a train that was about to depart for Auschwitz.

Horowitz recalled these heartbreaking moments, "My cousin and I saw the train, and my mother was there, my sister, my grandmother . . . and they saw us. My mother was certain this was the last time she would see me. They went to Brünnlitz, and my father and I remained in Auschwitz."

In January 1945, with the Red Army approaching, German SS forces marched thousands of prisoners out of Auschwitz to different camps on German territory. Richard’s father, Dawid "Dolek" Horowitz, was forced to leave his son behind.

"I think that one of the reasons I survived was that a man in charge of a warehouse, Roman Gunz, agreed to look after me. Sometimes he would feed me, and when things got difficult, he would hide me in the warehouse or inside the infectious hospital ward," Horowitz said. 

Then one day, the nightmare of Auschwitz came to an end.

"When the Red Army came close to the camp, the Germans were in a panic. They rounded all the kids up and were ready to shoot us, but just then two German officers arrived on motorcycles screaming to drop everything and follow them, so they did," Horowitz remembered. 

A few hours later, Soviet troops entered Auschwitz.

"The Red Army arrived, most of them on horseback," he said. "They gave us food and sweets. They had cameras with them, and they recorded a lot of footage. The following day, nuns arrived and took us to an orphanage in Kraków. Polanski’s aunt Tosia found me there and took me to her apartment on Dluga Street. And Roman was already there."

In March 1945, Brünnlitz was liberated, and the Horowitz women returned to Kraków. 

"One day, my mom was out in the market Square, where they were showing a documentary movie about the liberation of Auschwitz, and she recognized me in it," Horowitz said. 

The Horowitz women moved in with Roman Polanski’s family. They were soon joined by Dawid Horowitz.

"We all lived under one roof for two years, until my father got us a nice apartment near Market Square," Horowitz said. 

After the war, Poles found their country in ruins with a hostile communist regime in charge. 

"Most of my closest friends and their families were anti-communists. Everybody’s dream was to get out of Poland as fast as possible," Horowitz explained. 

Dawid Horowitz managed to open a store selling tools and building materials, with Polanski’s aunt Tosia as his business partner. Life went on.

"For me and my friends, life was pretty good at the time, because we were not engaged in politics. We were artists, and we believed that we lived in a totally free society, so we did what we wanted to do, and we had this amazing outlet, a cabaret called "Piwnica pod Barnami" (The Cellar under the Rams). And we had jazz," Horowitz recalled. 

In 1958, American jazz pianist Dave Brubeck arrived in Kraków to perform. Ryszard Horowitz was there with his camera and documented it in pictures. Little did he know that photography was his future. And that future was on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

"I had this opportunity because my uncles here in New York were ready to offer me room and board. And I also received a scholarship from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn," Horowitz said. 

With his father’s encouragement and some U.S. dollars hidden in the heel of his shoe, Horowitz boarded the Polish ocean liner "MS Batory." 

Life as an immigrant in the Big Apple was a mixed bag. But at the Pratt Institute, Horowitz quickly exhibited a unique talent for photography.

"I created their first photography lab at Pratt, and I was asked to design their 75th anniversary yearbook, which I edited, and I pretty much took all the photographs for them. It was the first time in history that the New York Art Directors Club gave an award to a student. So, this became my portfolio," Horowitz explained. 

Ryszard connected with influential people who helped pave his way to success. Among them were photographer Richard Avedon, graphic artist Saul Steinberg and ballet choreographer Sergei Diaghilev, as well as his idol, disc jockey Willis Conover, who hosted the Jazz Hour on the Voice of America.

Through the lens of his camera, Horowitz saw the world somewhat differently. His photographs looked like computer-generated graphics, except that they predated the digital age. He became known as the pioneer of special effects photography. 

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"I found a way of reversing perspective and juxtaposing large objects to make them look small and vice versa," Horowitz said. 

Horowitz was a master of light. He learned to manipulate light to photograph expensive jewelry and new cars. 

"My art education in Kraków helped me – my devotion to the great masters of painting," Horowitz explained. 

His iconic commercial work captivated audiences in the world of advertising, bringing him fame and prestigious awards. He received honorary doctorates from the University of Warsaw and Wrocław in Poland, and in 2014, his hometown of Kraków made him an honorary citizen.

"Some of my photographs consist of different images taken in different parts of the world, and they are merged into a single unit that’s not jarring but believable. They appear as though they are an instance of a situation that never existed except in my head. That’s why I call myself a ‘photocomposer," Horowitz explained. 

He achieved success in his personal life as well. Since 1974, he’s been happily married to Anna Bogusz, and they have two grown sons: Daniel and Emil.

"I met Ania at a party. She was an architecture student from a Polish family living in Caracas, Venezuela. She was only passing through New York on her way to Paris to continue her studies. She never made it to Paris," Horowitz smiled, recollecting meeting the love of his life. 

So many years after he walked out of Auschwitz alive, Ryszard Horowitz feels blessed to live the American Dream with his family, and doing what he loves most – creating his photo compositions . . . and listening to jazz.

Argentinian President Javier Milei rallied against "the mental virus of woke ideology" during a fiery speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday.  

Milei credited the fundamental values of Western civilization, like respect for life and liberty, free speech and freedom of religion, for enabling the Industrial Revolution that lifted "90% of the global population out of poverty." He then slammed wokeism as the disease that will destroy everything dear to the West. 

"This is the great epidemic of our time that must be cured. This is the cancer we need to get rid of. This ideology has colonized the world's most important institutions – from the political parties and governments of leading Western nations to global governance organizations, even NGOs, universities and media outlets," said Milei, adding, "Western civilization – and even the human species – will not be able to return to the path of progress demanded by our pioneering spirit. It is essential to break these ideological chains if we want to usher in a new golden age."

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Milei did not hold back talking about gender ideology and criticized the left for their radically liberal policies. 

He castigated those leaders who are "attempting to impose the idea that women are men and men are women simply based on self-perception. And they say nothing about when a man dresses as a woman and kills his opponent in a boxing ring, or when a male prison inmate claims to be a woman and ends up sexually assaulting women in prison."

Milei used an example of a same-sex couple in Georgia who were jailed last month for abusing and pimping their adopted boys to a pedophile ring, according to a report by the New York Post. 

The Argentine leader said, "I want to be clear when I say abuse. This is no euphemism, because in its most extreme forms, gender ideology is outright child abuse. They are pedophiles," Milei declared.

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Calling Elon Musk a dear friend, Milei put up a furious defense of children against the dangers of transgenderism. 

"Healthy children are being irreversibly harmed through hormone treatments and mutilation, as if a 5-year-old child could possibly consent to such things, and should their family not agree to this, there will always be state agents ready to step in in favour of what they call the best interests of the child."

Musk’s biological son transitioned into a girl a few years ago, which led the billionaire to remark that his child was figuratively "killed" by the "woke mind virus."

Milei added, "Only now are we beginning to see the effects of an entire generation that has mutilated their bodies, encouraged by a culture of sexual relativism, and these people will have to spend their entire lives in psychiatric treatment to cope with what they have done to themselves. Yet no one dares to speak about these issues. Not only that, but the vast majority have also been subjected to the misguided self-perceptions of a tiny minority."

The libertarian Milei became president in 2023, and the chaotic economy of Argentina has stabilized under his leadership, according to The Associated Press. He was optimistic about his country's future, calling it a "new Argentina," but not so much about the state of the world unless wokeism is reversed.

"Believe me, the scandalous experiments in the name of this criminal ideology will be condemned and likened to those committed in the darkest periods in our history."

Milei ended with his often said slogan, "Thank you all very much and long live freedom, damn it."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.