Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has revealed what he says is his path to the White House as he faces increased pressure from the Biden and Trump campaigns targeting what some have described as his ‘spoiler’ candidacy.

‘All we need to do is get to 33% to win the election,’ Kennedy told Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo last week on his show ‘World Over,’ which appears on EWTN Global Catholic Network.

‘You don’t need 50%. It’s a three-way race — and it’s really a five-way race,’ he added, referencing independent candidate Dr. Cornel West and Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein.

Kennedy told Arroyo he was already close to that 33% ‘in a bunch of states,’ appearing to cite internal polling, and argued he has an advantage over President Biden and former President Donald Trump when it came to young voters.

According to a number of recent public polls, Kennedy is polling better than any third-party candidate has since Texas businessman Ross Perot’s back-to-back White House runs in the 1990s, and is doing particularly well with voters under the age of 35. He is, however, still trailing Trump and Biden in the demographic.

A Quinnipiac poll released last week found Kennedy with 16% support overall, with Trump and Biden each at 37%. He pulled significant support from Trump and Biden with voters aged 18-34, garnering 19% support, but still trailed the former president (34%) and president (30%).

The same poll taken last fall showed Kennedy leading Trump and Biden with voters aged 18-34, getting 39% to their 27% and 32% respectively. However, that poll did not include West and Stein.

One former Bernie Sanders pollster, Ben Tulchin, recently sounded the alarm over Kennedy pulling so much young support from Biden. Last week, he told The New York Times he was worried about Biden’s chances of winning re-election because of Kennedy’s appeal to the demographic, as well as Latino voters.

‘Young voters and Latinos respond really well to a hard-edge economic populist message — and that is not Biden’s message,’ Tulchin said. ‘They’re dissatisfied about the political and economic status quo. And I see in that mind-set the potential opening to support a third-party candidate,’ he said.

To prevent that from happening, the Democratic National Committee launched an effort to silence the threat to Biden’s re-election from third-party candidates, namely Kennedy, in the form of a team that is expected to actively combat them with legal challenges and opposition research.

Likewise, Trump recently railed against Kennedy as a ‘wasted protest vote’ in a post on Truth Social, and his campaign has launched a website targeting the latter as ‘radical f—–g Kennedy,’ describing him as a ‘friend of left-wing extremists.’

Additionally, Biden appeared alongside six members of Kennedy’s family as they endorsed him over their own, a clear snub in conjunction with the DNC’s efforts.

Both sides have also accused Kennedy of being a ‘plant’ in order to help boost the other side, something he vehemently denies.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is calling on President Biden to utilize the U.S.’s influence on the world stage to block the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) reported plan to issue arrest warrants for top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

If true, the warrants would be ‘baseless and illegitimate’ and prove a blow to U.S. national security, Johnson said in an impassioned statement Monday. 

‘If unchallenged by the Biden administration, the ICC could create and assume unprecedented power to issue arrest warrants against American political leaders, American diplomats, and American military personnel, thereby endangering our country’s sovereign authority,’ the speaker said.

‘Instead of wrongly targeting Israel, the ICC should pursue charges against Iran and its terror proxies, including Hamas, for engaging in horrific war crimes. The Biden administration must immediately and unequivocally demand that the ICC stand down and the U.S. should use every available tool to prevent such an abomination.’

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a response.

State Department deputy spokesman Vidant Patel would not confirm or deny whether the U.S. was aware of the ICC’s reported plans during a press briefing on Monday, but he told reporters, ‘On this investigation, our position is clear. We continue to believe that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over the Palestinian situation.’

Israeli officials are concerned that the ICC is preparing arrest warrants over Israel’s response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by the terrorist group Hamas, the New York Times reported early Monday.

Israel has been accused of blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza while waging a ground invasion and airstrike campaign in order to get Israeli hostages being held by Hamas back to their homes. But there’s been mounting criticism of Israel on the world stage over the severity of its response.

Like the U.S., Israel is not a member of the ICC, but the Palestinian territories were admitted in April 2015.

‘Under my leadership, Israel will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defense,’ Netanyahu said in a statement on X Friday. ‘The threat to seize the soldiers and officials of the Middle East’s only democracy and the world’s only Jewish state is outrageous. We will not bow to it.’

‘While the ICC will not affect Israel’s actions, it would set a dangerous precedent that threatens the soldiers and officials of all democracies fighting savage terrorism and wanton aggression.’

The U.S. found five units of the Israel Defense Forces responsible ‘for individual incidents of gross violations of human rights,’ the State Department announced on Monday – though whether funding to the American ally could be cut over such abuses under the so-called ‘Leahy Laws’ still hangs in the balance. 

At a press briefing, State Department principal deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters that the human rights violations happened all before the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas militants on southern Israel and none happened in Gaza. Four of the units have ‘effectively remediated,’ he said, while the U.S. continues ‘in consultations and engagements with the government of Israel’ on the remaining unit.

‘They have submitted additional information as it pertains to that unit. And we’re continuing to have those conversations consistent with the memorandum of understanding that we have with the government of Israel that was entered into in 2021,’ he said. ‘When conclusions are made under actions that fall under the auspices of the Foreign Assistance Act, we are required to consult with officials from the government of Israel, and that is ongoing. We are engaging with them in a process, and we will make an ultimate decision when it comes to that unit when that process is complete.’

He also noted that ‘the remediation standard is consistent and it is the same for all countries.’ 

When pressed by a reporter, Patel admitted that the fifth unit is still eligible to receive U.S. arms at this stage. 

‘When we’re talking about the Leahy Law, what we are talking about our unit and component restrictions, when they are found in violation, it is not have bearing on the broader security relationship that we may have with a country, especially a country like Israel, in which we have a longstanding security relationship. The provision of bulk assistance that’s gone back many, many years,’ Patel added. 

A senior State Department official told Fox News that Secretary of State Antony Blinken has raised the matter with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. 

The State Department says on its website that ‘the term ‘Leahy law’ refers to two statutory provisions prohibiting the U.S. Government from using funds for assistance to units of foreign security forces where there is credible information implicating that unit in the commission of gross violations of human rights.’ 

Former Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy had championed legislation that became the Leahy law in the 1990s, saying the U.S. needed a tool to block American military aid and training to foreign security units guilty of extrajudicial killings, rapes, torture and other flagrant human rights abuses. 

The law requires an automatic cutoff of aid to a military unit if the State Department finds credible evidence that it has committed gross abuses. A second Leahy law says the same for Defense Department training of foreign militaries. 

Rights groups long have accused U.S. administrations, including Biden’s, of shirking rigorous investigations of allegations of Israeli military killings and other abuses against Palestinians to avoid invoking such laws aimed at conditioning military aid to lawful behavior by foreign forces, according to The Associated Press.  

Israel, meanwhile, says its security forces investigate abuses and its courts hold offenders accountable. 

The development comes as Israeli officials are growing concerned that the International Criminal Court could soon issue arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials over charges related to the war in Gaza, reports say.  

The court may accuse the senior government figures of pursuing an excessively harsh military response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, the New York Times is reporting, citing Israeli and foreign officials.   

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The threats from the Chinese Communist Party continue to grow. From the market manipulation that is hurting American industry, to the fentanyl crisis ravaging our communities, and the persistent military threats against our partners and allies, the CCP has shown why Democrats and Republicans must continue to come together to oppose its malign activities. As Chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, here are five key areas where I believe the United States must focus our efforts to resist Beijing.

1. Safeguarding Taiwan and America’s allies

In February, I traveled to Taiwan with Select Committee Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., and other members of the committee. The meetings and on-the-ground experience there reinforced the urgent need to ramp up our defense industrial base to meet the challenges posed by the CCP’s growing military ambitions. The trip also made clear that we cannot assume economic measures alone will deter the Chinese military from invading Taiwan. We need to expand training programs for Taiwan’s military and eliminate bottlenecks that have left Taiwan waiting years to receive the weapons it needs to defend itself. 

2. Stopping the CCP from flooding our communities with fentanyl

China produces 97% of the world’s supply of fentanyl precursors, and as a bipartisan report from the Select Committee found earlier this month, the CCP shockingly subsidizes fentanyl exports and even warns traffickers about upcoming crackdowns by U.S. law enforcement. As a result, the CCP is not only complicit in the fentanyl crisis, but is the active source in this epidemic which kills nearly 100,000 Americans annually. We need to apply maximum pressure against the Chinese companies that produce fentanyl precursors and the Chinese officials that enable them. 

3. Preventing the CCP from dominating key parts of the global economy 

The CCP’s ambitions pose a threat to the world economy. In particular, the CCP has sought to dominate key supply chains in order to bend other countries to its will. Unfortunately, many of our nation’s critical supply chains are dependent on China, including electric vehicles and rare earth minerals. 

China already produces nearly 60% of the world’s lithium batteries, and rather than rebuilding our own domestic capacity, state and federal policies are incentivizing Chinese firms to use our own tax dollars for their U.S. ambitions. One of those Chinese companies is CATL, a firm that receives massive subsidies from the CCP, and which has party cells operating throughout the company. Now, as China floods markets around the world with cheap EVs, U.S. automakers are feeling the pressure to keep up and they are looking at partnerships with CATL.

We cannot trade American economic leadership for technology and supply chains controlled by Beijing.

4. Countering the CCP’s malign influence here at home 

The CCP has set its sights on communities across America, including in my home-state of Michigan.

One example of this is Gotion, a subsidiary of China-based Gotion High Tech which pledges allegiance to the CCP. Gotion is trying to build a battery component factory in my district, and numerous concerns have been raised over the past year and half.  There was even bipartisan agreement in January, when Leon Panetta and Mike Pompeo – former CIA directors for Presidents Obama and Trump, respectively – both testified about the dangers of allowing CCP-affiliated companies to build production lines in our country. 

These facilities grow U.S. dependence on Chinese technology, and could be used for other nefarious activities. Not only is the CCP using its economic leverage against us, but it is also intimidating, harassing, and influencing people on U.S. soil. The CCP has operated illegal police stations across the country to punish anyone who speaks out against it.

5. Resisting the CCP’s propaganda

The CCP seeks to influence our politicians, business leaders, and now our youth. Through TikTok and its algorithm, the CCP is able to manipulate what millions of young Americans see and do not see. 

In the past year, TikTok has promoted pro-Hamas content, convinced many Americans Usama bin Laden was admirable, and even forced children to call members of Congress when the House took action to protect Americans from the threat of TikTok. 

Our nation’s founding principles are the heart of our national strength and we need to leverage them to make a clear contrast between the U.S. and the CCP. Under my leadership, the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party will continue to work in a bipartisan manner to hold the CCP accountable for its military, economic, and ideological aggression against America and our allies. This is a competition we must win.

Republican John Moolenaar represents Michigan’s 2nd district in the United States House of Representatives where he serves as chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.

Republicans are significantly more enthusiastic about the 2024 election rematch between President Biden and former President Donald Trump than either Democrats or independent voters, according to a new national poll.

And a survey released Monday by the Monmouth University Polling Institute also spotlights that enthusiasm among all registered voters in the Biden-Trump rematch — while remaining well under 50% — has jumped 12 points over the past year – to 39%.

‘Enthusiasm for a 2020 rematch has increased slightly now that these two candidates are the presumptive nominees. But most voters are not looking forward to November,’ Monmouth University Polling Institute director Patrick Murray highlighted.

But the poll points to a glaring partisan divide in enthusiasm.

Sixty-three percent of Republicans questioned said they were very or somewhat enthusiastic about the second straight face-off between the Democratic incumbent in the White House and his GOP predecessor.

That figure plunges to 36% among Democrats surveyed, and down to 27% among independents.

The poll is also the latest national survey to point to a close contest between Biden and Trump. Forty-four percent said they will definitely or probably support Trump in the presidential election, with 43% saying the same thing about Biden.

Forty-nine percent offered that they would definitely not vote for the president, with 48% saying the same thing about the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.

Eighteen percent of those questioned said that they would definitely or probably cast a ballot for Democrat turned independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the longtime environmental activist and high-profile vaccine skeptic.  

‘Support for Kennedy is not particularly strong even among voters who dislike both Biden and Trump. If he can’t score a decisive win with these voters, it’s unclear what role he can play in this election other than as a spoiler,’ Murray highlighted. ‘The poll results suggest that the Kennedy effect is minimal. If the current situation holds, he would play a spoiler role only in a very close contest. Of course, everything is lining up for this election to be just that.’    

Inflation (38%) and economic growth and jobs (37%) top the list of most important issues in the presidential election, according to the poll, followed by immigration (33%) and abortion (33%).

Immigration (56%) and inflation (53%) are the top ranking issues for Republicans when it comes to shaping their vote in the presidential election, while abortion (44%) is the most prominent issue for Democrats.

‘When partisan voters name their top issues in this election, it is not about weighing the candidates’ positions. It’s more about which issues are motivating them to get out to vote. You have to focus on the small group of voters who are up for grabs to see which issue may actually sway voters. In this case, it appears to be inflation,’ Murray noted.

The Monmouth University Poll was conducted April 18-22, with 808 adults nationwide questioned by telephone. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.

With just over six months to go until Election Day, two new polls are spelling trouble for President Biden as he faces off against former President Trump in a 2024 rematch.

Biden trails Trump by six points, according to a CNN national survey.

And new numbers from Gallup indicate Biden had the lowest approval rating during the first quarter of his re-election year of any president in the past 70 years.

Trump leads Biden 49%-43% among registered voters in a head-to-head matchup, according to the CNN poll. 

And in a five-person race, the survey indicates Trump topping Biden 42%-33%, with Democrat turned independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at 16%, independent progressive candidate Cornell West at 4%, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein at 3%.

The CNN survey stands out from other national polls also conducted in mid-April by Quinnipiac University, Marist College, NBC News, and the New York Times/Siena College, which indicated a much closer contest between the Democratic incumbent in the White House and his Republican predecessor.

Trump, a longtime vocal critic of CNN, took to social media to write, ‘GOOD POLL NUMBERS, FROM CNN OF ALL PLACES’

Americans have a tendency to view past presidencies with more favorability over time, and that appears to be the case with Trump, whose combustible tenure in the White House ended over three years ago.

The CNN survey suggests that 55% of Americans now say they view Trump’s presidency as a success, with 44% seeing it as a failure, down 11 points from a CNN poll conducted soon after Trump left office and also following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

According to the new survey, 61% rate Biden’s presidency so far as a failure, with 39% calling it a success.

‘Opinions about the first term of each man vying for a second four years in the White House now appear to work in Trump’s favor, with most Americans saying that, looking back, Trump’s term as president was a success, while a broad majority says Biden’s has so far been a failure,’ CNN spotlights.

Biden remains deeply underwater in the new poll, with a 40% approval rating and 60% giving the president a thumbs down on the job he’s doing in the White House.

According to Gallup, Biden averaged a 38.7% job approval rating during his 13th quarter in office, which began on Jan. 20 and ended on April 19.

‘None of the other nine presidents elected to their first term since Dwight Eisenhower had a lower 13th-quarter average than Biden,’ Gallup highlighted in their poll.

Of the four other presidents who had approval ratings under 50% in the first quarter of their re-election year, according to Gallup polling – Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Barack Obama and Trump – only Obama won a second term in office.

The CNN poll was conducted by SSRS from April 18-23, with 1,212 adults questioned. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

A group of Republican senators shared concerns over ideological bias at National Public Radio (NPR), with the organization’s controversial CEO Katherine Maher following high-profile criticism from former senior editor Uri Berliner, who recently resigned from his role citing her ‘divisive views.’ 

‘We have deep concerns regarding the editorial direction under NPR’s national leadership,’ wrote a group of Republicans in a letter on Monday led by Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.

In the letter, also signed by Republican conference Chairman John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Bill Cassidy, R-La., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Eric Shmitt, R-Mo., they stressed that NPR’s ‘National leadership has allowed and cultivated an environment where ideological bias not only creeps in but takes center stage.’

Berliner first penned his essay for the Free Press on April 9, discussing why he believes the institution has lost public trust. He detailed his criticisms of the coverage of various events, including allegations of former President Trump’s collusion with Russia in the 2016 election, Hunter Biden’s laptop and the theory that COVID-19 actually began in a lab in China and was leaked. 

The 25-year NPR veteran further revealed that his research found there were ’87 registered Democrats’ in editorial roles in NPR’s Washington, D.C., headquarters and no Republicans. 

According to the senators, the ideological homogeneity at NPR is not just disappointing, but amounts to ‘an ethical failure.’

The ‘decidedly left-leaning editorial stance’ at the publication is a serious threat to ‘the integrity and diversity of thought,’ they added. 

‘If NPR’s goal was to become an echo chamber, mission accomplished. But as a publicly funded entity, you are responsible for providing impartial coverage that accurately informs all Americans, regardless of political affiliation,’ the letter continued. 

In closing, the Republicans called on Maher to begin a ‘course correction’ to remedy the exposed lack of diversity at NPR. 

Maher has come under particular scrutiny due to her lack of editorial background, as well as her opinionated and overwhelmingly Democratic personal views, which she has publicly shared on social media over time. In 2020, she criticized news outlets for their coverage of looting during the riots following the death of George Floyd. ‘I mean, sure, looting is counterproductive. But it’s hard to be mad about protests not prioritizing the private property of a system of oppression founded on treating people’s ancestors as private property,’ she said at the time. 

NPR did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

In the wake of Berliner’s public criticism of his then-employer, several Republican lawmakers have renewed calls to restrict funding of the organization that provides grants for NPR, giving the outlet federal money. Blackburn recently revealed she is looking at legislative options with the intent of introducing a bill to address funding for NPR, and there are multiple measures in the House already looking to do so. 

The Biden administration is denying that there was a secret internal plot to get rid of White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, a scheme first reported Thursday by the New York Post.

Deputy White House press secretary Andrew Bates forcefully rejected claims from multiple sources with knowledge of the plans, which included longtime Biden senior adviser Anita Dunn, supported by White House chief of staff Jeff Zients, recruiting prominent outside Democrats to urge Jean-Pierre to voluntarily make her exit. 

‘Not only are these claims wildly false, but the reality is the polar opposite. Karine was never approached by anyone with such a message. She spends four hours preparing every day. And neither Jeff nor Anita did any such thing; both have been unflinchingly supportive of her,’ Bates told the Post.

According to the Post’s sources, Jean-Pierre’s bosses were unhappy with her habit of reading prepared answers directly from her binder, which they viewed as falling short of making an adequate case for President Biden as he prepared to launch his re-election campaign.

‘Every press secretary uses the binder. Why is she being singled out?’ Bates added.

One of the sources told the Post that the effort included having outside people Jean-Pierre knew and trusted convince her it was the right time to move along and that it would make sense for her career to leave at around the same tenure as previous secretaries — about a year and a half.

The other source told the Post, ‘Jeff and Anita were trying to find Karine a graceful exit’ in an effort to avoid removing her against her will.

‘There’s a huge diversity issue, and they’re afraid of what folks are going to say,’ the source said, adding that although at least one person from outside the administration spoke to Jean-Pierre, that the plan had not yet, and was unlikely to, lead to her departure.

‘She has been pretty consistent in telling people from the minute she got the job that she was going to stay through the election,’ the source said. ‘I think Karine has decided to stay come hell or high water and that’s that.’

Both sources went on to tell the Post that the press secretary relied too much on her notes to be able to provide the quick-thinking pushback needed in the role, with one arguing that she ‘doesn’t have an understanding of the issues’ despite Jean-Pierre thinking that she’s ‘doing an amazing job.’

A February report by NBC News detailed a job offer Jean-Pierre received and rejected in December from EMILYs List, a pro-abortion group, and, according to an email shared with the Post, Dunn appeared to have accepted that same month that Jean-Pierre wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

‘KJP isn’t going anywhere, so this is a ridiculous piece,’ Dunn wrote in the email to a Washington Post reporter regarding a separate piece.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for additional comment.

The White House’s denial concerning Jean-Pierre comes as Biden received more bad news about his re-election bid.

A new CNN poll released Sunday found former President Trump holding a continued advantage (49%-43%) in a head-to-head matchup, with that lead growing to nine points (42%-33%) when including independent candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (16%) and Dr. Cornel West (4%) and Green Party candidate Jill Stein (3%).

Additionally, 55% said they saw Trump’s presidency as a success, but 61% said they saw Biden’s presidency as a failure.

I was just a teenager when Russian officials kidnapped me and my 11-year-old brother Serhiy from our home in Ukraine. What came next were the worst 9 months of my life.   

Serhiy and I are orphans from Kharkiv but when Russia launched its war, we relocated to Vovchansk, a nearby city, to live in a foster family. We hid in a basement for months, until Russian authorities occupied our town and took custody of my brother and me.  

We wanted to stay with our foster parents, but the Russians put us on a bus with other children. I was sent to Shebekino, a town near Belgorod, and my brother to Gelendzhik in Krasnodar Krai across the Russian border. 

We were told that this trip would last three weeks. But we were separated by 900 miles for nine months. Serhiy and I didn’t realize it at the time, but we had just been abducted by Russia.   

What does this have to do with Americans, or the support Ukraine so desperately needs?  

Legislation that will provide critical assistance to Ukraine has passed through Congress and has been signed by President Joe Biden. Speaker Mike Johnson has said ‘tyrants’ like Russian President Vladimir Putin are ‘watching to see if America will stand up for its allies and our own interests around the globe.’  

The assistance package sends a clear message to Putin: the U.S. is not backing down. Ukrainians are grateful for this message, and we are asking the U.S. and all Americans to continue to stand by us as we continue to fight Putin and try to preserve our national identity. 

Ukrainians are counting on the U.S. to overcome the internal divisions that have delayed this desperately needed assistance and emboldened Russia. We know it is hard to support a small country thousands of miles away when there are so many other priorities at home. I am hopeful that my story will show Americans why it is so important to stand with Ukraine to ensure the survival of our people, our values, and our culture.  

When the Russians took me, I was sent to a technical school where I was subjected to daily false stories about Ukrainians and sometimes even insults. One day, I was called to the principal’s office and when I got there, she had citizenship documents ready for me to sign. I was stunned and disgusted. I had never been more afraid, but I refused to become a Russian citizen.   

The principal glowered at me with hatred in her eyes. She berated me for being ‘stupid.’ Moments later, I was expelled and sent packing, in a country that I did not know, and that hated who I was.   

After being expelled, I moved in with a friend. I was desperate to return home. That is when I learned about Save Ukraine, an organization rescuing kidnapped children and supporting their recovery. Over the next three weeks, a secret network guided me to safety. I cannot provide details without putting these brave volunteers in danger, as Russia is actively seeking to prevent more kidnapped children from leaving and sharing their stories.   

After Save Ukraine helped me return home, I needed to get my brother out too.  

I found him in a new foster family, but he was not the boy I knew. He had been subjected to months of Russian propaganda and manipulation. He was like a puppet, saying things that I knew he did not believe – that Ukraine was run by Nazis, that nobody in Ukraine cared about him and that he had no future unless he became a Russian citizen.    

When I begged him to return home with me, he refused.    

Hour after hour ticked by as we argued. As I was about to lose hope, he came to his senses and agreed to come home with me.   

We were lucky. But there are 19,000 kidnapped Ukrainian children still in Russia. The Russian government bombards them with propaganda and abuse to weaken their Ukrainian identity. Many are punished for speaking Ukrainian.  

The assistance package sends a clear message to Putin: the U.S. is not backing down. Ukrainians are grateful for this message, and we are asking the U.S. and all Americans to continue to stand by us as we continue to fight Putin and try to preserve our national identity. 

Most alarmingly, many of the young men are forced to join the military when they turn 18. They are trained to fight against their own people and brainwashed into hating the United States, the enemy of the Russian nation. Some of them are then deployed to the front lines of the war.   

In January of this year, I shared my story with Members of Congress. I am sharing my story again to ensure that no more children experience the same abduction, brainwashing and trauma.   

Ukraine’s democracy will not survive without U.S. assistance, both to fight off Russia’s unprovoked aggression and to rebuild the future Russia is trying to steal from Ukraine’s children.