A Palestinian man protesting Hamas, the terror group that rules the Gaza Strip, was fatally tortured, with his body left on his family’s doorstep as a warning to others who are thinking of publicly opposing the organization. 

Uday Al Rabay, 22, was beaten and died after participating in an anti-Hamas protest in the Palestinian territories last week, said a senior officer affiliated with the opposition Fatah party, The New York Post reported.

‘Uday was martyred by the criminals of Hamas. And what’s his crime? He told the truth, because he refused to be silent on injustice, because he did not kneel to Hamas,’ said Mazen Shat, a police officer linked to Fatah, to the Telegraph.

Rabay was targeted allegedly after pictures purportedly of him were shared on the Telegram messaging app. He was allegedly kidnapped after the protest last week. 

‘Hamas is oppressing people in a brutal way,’ Shat said. ‘Like a puppy [with] a rope around his neck, they dragged [Uday’s body] to the door of his house and told his family that this is the punishment for those who complain about Hamas.’

Protests against Hamas happened in Gaza after Israel resumed its bombing of the territory following the collapse of a two-month ceasefire between Hamas and the Jewish state. 

Israel has bombarded Gaza since, prompted backlash against Hamas. 

‘People have been under Israeli bombing since October 2023, they don’t want the war to continue by all means,’ said Sam Habeeb, a London-based Gazan, to the Telegraph.

Protesters have called for Hamas to be removed from power.

‘The people do not want the rule of Hamas. The rule of Hamas is over,’ a protester said, according to the Akron Jewish News. ‘This Hamas rule has destroyed us, killed us and displaced all the people.’

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is resigning from the House Freedom Caucus, she announced in a letter to fellow conservatives on Monday.

It’s the latest escalation in her fight against House GOP leaders and a small group of members on the right flank of their conference over the issue of proxy voting. Luna has teamed up with Democrats and several other Republicans on a mechanism aimed at forcing consideration of legislation that allows new parents in the House to vote remotely for 12 weeks around their baby’s birth.

‘I have consistently supported each of you, even in moments of disagreement, honoring the mutual respect that has guided our caucus,’ Luna wrote. ‘That respect, however, was shattered last week.’

The focus of her anger is a brief incident from earlier this month when a group of House conservatives held up a chamber-wide vote on unrelated legislation to press GOP leaders to kill Luna’s measure – known as a ‘discharge petition.’

A discharge petition allows lawmakers to force a bill onto the House floor, despite objections from leadership, provided the mechanism gets signatures from a majority of the chamber.

‘Acting within the House conference rules – rules we all agreed to – I sought to bring a vote to the floor on a measure that would allow new mothers in Congress (fewer than 14 in our nation’s history) and fathers, if they choose, to vote by proxy,’ Luna continued. 

 ‘This was a modest, family-centered proposal. Yet, a small group among us threatened the Speaker, vowing to halt floor proceedings indefinitely – regardless of the legislation at stake, including President Trump’s agenda – unless he altered the rules to block my discharge petition.’

She shared praise for House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., whose conduct she called ‘gentlemanly,’ but added, ‘With a heavy heart, I am resigning from the Freedom Caucus.’

‘I cannot remain part of a caucus where a select few operate outside its guidelines, misuse its name, broker backroom deals that undermine its core values and where the lines of compromise and transaction are blurred, disparage me to the press, and encourage misrepresentation of me to the American people,’ Luna wrote.

She will be the first House Freedom Caucus member to leave the group, which does not advertise its membership, in the 119th Congress.

The most recent departures before Luna include Reps. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, and Randy Weber, R-Texas, who were both pushed out, and Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, who left during the shakeup.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he believed proxy voting was ‘unconstitutional’ in remarks after House Republicans’ weekly closed-door meeting on Tuesday.

‘We addressed this in conference this morning. A couple of our, a handful of our colleagues, have gotten behind the effort, and, look, I’m a father. I’m pro-family,’ the speaker said. ‘Here’s the problem. If you create a proxy vote opportunity just for young parents, mothers and, the fathers in those situations, then where is the limiting principle?’

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, one of Luna’s now-former House Freedom Caucus colleagues, wrote on X of the issue, ‘Respectfully to my friend – this (unconstitutional) rule would ultimately NOT be limited to moms. Cancer patients, dads, & worst of all, people who lazily abuse it (eg, voting from boats). She leaves out her discharge allows no amendments! We should show up to work/vote.’

A group of more than two dozen financial officers from across the United States has sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi warning how the ‘domestic terrorism’ attacks carried out against Tesla dealerships in recent weeks ‘have led to significant financial losses affecting millions of Americans.’

‘These attacks are not just politically charged, they undermine the financial well-being of the public servants who dedicate their lives to the betterment of our society and affect the long-term financial growth of our state pension systems and other state treasury investments,’ the letter to Bondi, signed by 26 state financial officers nationwide, explains. 

‘Many state investment funds, including public pensions that hold the retirement savings of our public school teachers, first responders, and police officers, are invested in Tesla for good reason. As of December 31, 2024, Tesla employs over 125,000 workers, and, before these incidents began in late January 2025, was valued at roughly $1.3 trillion and trading at over $400 per share,’ the letter continued. ‘Since these attacks started, Tesla’s stock has plummeted. It is unconscionable that the financial well-being of our public school teachers and police officers, and all beneficiaries of our state treasury funds – to say nothing of those whose personal property has been vandalized – has become collateral damage of rage politics and violent actions.’

What began as protests against Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have escalated into violent incidents against the Trump ally’s company, including shots fired at a building, destroyed dealership windows and charging stations set on fire. 

The rise in incidents has caused the FBI to launch a task force to crack down on Tesla crime, and the Justice Department to announce charges against arson suspects, with Bondi labeling the attacks ‘domestic terrorism.’

The letter commends the actions the administration has taken, including ‘swift’ action by the FBI and says it is ‘our responsibility to call out radical elements of society that seek to use violence as a form of political and economic persuasion.’

‘The despicable attacks being carried out on Tesla vehicles across the nation are driven by radical political hatred and must not be tolerated. Not only are the attacks a threat to innocent people’s physical safety – they have also caused considerable financial harm, not just for Tesla owners or the company itself, but for millions of everyday Americans whose pension funds are invested with Tesla,’ Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

‘As a result, the retirement savings of schoolteachers, police officers, and other public servants are at serious risk. My co-signers and I thank the Justice Department for their swift and decisive action against the perpetrators and call on other elected officials to condemn this violence for exactly what it is: domestic terrorism meant to intimidate and destabilize society.’

Prominent Democrats have been slow to condemn the violence at Tesla dealerships, including over a dozen Democrats who have previously warned about the dangers of domestic terrorism in the past. 

As the violence across the country continues, Elon Musk and other top Republicans have been increasingly calling out the protests and violence as being motivated by far-left groups and organizations. 

‘The anti-Tesla attacks are dangerous, selfish, and completely indefensible,’ O.J. Oleka, CEO of the State Financial Officers Foundation, told Fox News Digital. 

‘The radicals behind these crimes are dead wrong if they think they are victimless or merely symbolic. Those engaging in this domestic terrorism are putting human life at risk while also robbing hardworking Americans of their financial peace, especially those who depend on public pensions. No teacher or police officer or first responder should have to see their retirement savings suffer because hate-fueled violence was allowed to go on, or worse, shamefully encouraged by certain attention-hungry politicians. As this letter makes clear, our financial officers will support every necessary action to protect Americans, their property, and their financial future.’

Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., saw her nomination to serve as ambassador to the United Nations under President Donald Trump crumble last week before she ultimately withdrew her name from consideration. 

The saga unfolded quickly, with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, only being informed of Stefanik’s withdrawal by the White House roughly two hours before Trump shared it on social media. 

Two senior House GOP aides told Fox News Digital that even Republican leaders were blindsided by the decision. 

‘Trump pulling Stefanik’s nomination for ambassador to the U.N. blindsided seemingly everyone on Capitol Hill,’ one senior House GOP aide said Thursday. ‘As early as yesterday, representatives were praising her as the ‘soon-to-be-ambassador.’’

A White House official told Fox News Digital it was about the GOP’s shrinking majority in the House: ‘The season for needing votes is upon us – reconciliation, debt ceiling. Every vote counts.’

Trump himself was reportedly concerned about the slim House majority and Democrats over-performing in special elections in Florida. Stefanik, who had been poised for a bipartisan confirmation process, said she’d spoken with Trump multiple times since Thursday.

‘It was a combination of the New York corruption that we’re seeing under Kathy Hochul, special elections and the House margin,’ Stefanik said on ‘Hannity’ Friday. ‘I’ve been in the House. It’s tough to count these votes every day. And we are going to continue to defy the political prognosticators and deliver, deliver victory on behalf of President Trump and, importantly, the voters across this country.’

‘The president knows that. He and I had multiple conversations today, and we are committed to delivering results on behalf of the American people. And as always, I’m committed to delivering results on behalf of my constituents,’ she added. 

Upon hearing the news, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters, ‘The only reason they would do it is because of the House,’ referring to the lower chamber’s slim majority.

‘Because everybody likes her [and] thinks she’s qualified.’

‘But I could understand why that would be a problem,’ he explained. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., wasn’t even aware of her looming withdrawal when reporters first asked him. ‘It’s probably something to do with political realities,’ he said. 

The Republicans’ House majority is crucial to getting Trump agenda priorities done through the key budget reconciliation process, which the GOP has been trying to expedite. 

With an already fragile majority, Republicans also faced potential trouble on two fronts in special elections prior to Stefanik stepping back. 

For Stefanik’s New York district, Republican-on-Republican infighting was threatening the party’s hold on the seat. 

One of the candidates even threatened to run as a third-party candidate if he didn’t get the GOP nod. 

That could have put the possibility of splitting the Republican base in play, giving a Democratic candidate a prime opportunity to prevail – though GOP elections sources denied concerns over her seat.

Another point of concern for the GOP majority is the election to replace national security advisor and former Rep. Mike Waltz in Florida’s 6th District on Tuesday. 

The Democratic candidate, Josh Weil, and Democrats have poured money into the race to flip the red seat. 

If Weil is successful, Republicans in the House would have one less vote to advance Trump’s agenda items, particularly his hallmark tax cuts. 

As the reality of these concerns set in, Trump took to Truth Social last week to confirm that Stefanik was withdrawing as U.N. ambassador nominee. ‘I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress to help me deliver Historic Tax Cuts, GREAT Jobs, Record Economic Growth, a Secure Border, Energy Dominance, Peace Through Strength, and much more, so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.

‘With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat. The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations,’ he said. 

A group of influential conservatives and lawmakers is warning the Trump administration that the U.S. does not have the tactical nuclear weapons to fight China if war breaks out in the Indo-Pacific. 

A 13-minute video obtained by Fox News Digital and set for release Thursday by the Heritage Foundation argues the U.S. nuclear arsenal is outdated, with the newest weapons nearly 40 years old – about as modern as a grandpa’s vintage Corvette.

Military experts across Washington have begun gaming out the potential scenario if China invades Taiwan and the U.S. comes to the island democracy’s aid. 

The video opens by putting forth a scenario where China may launch a tactical nuclear weapon to destroy the U.S. Air Force Base at Guam, killing 3,000, in ‘an attempt to change the tide of the battle in their favor.’ 

The president wants to respond in kind by targeting a similar Chinese target with our own tactical nuclear weapon. There’s only one problem with all this: we probably couldn’t do such a mission if we tried.’ 

The video argues the U.S. has abandoned its buildup of tactical nuclear weapons, which are forceful but smaller and more targeted in their destruction than earth-shattering strategic nuclear weapons. 

Since the end of the Cold War, according to Bob Peters, strategic deterrence fellow at Heritage, the U.S. has ‘dramatically reduced the number of nuclear weapons around the world, signed multiple arms control agreements with the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation, and today has an arsenal that is roughly 85% smaller than the ones it fielded at the height of the Cold War.’

The U.S. removed naval and land-based tactical nuclear weapons from Korea in 1991 and retired the nuclear variants of the Tomahawk cruise missile that were stationed across the Pacific. 

‘We had Russia, we thought, under control with the breakup of the Soviet Union. We always thought China would be an economic threat,’ Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., a top member on the Armed Services Committee, said in the clip. 

But now, China has tripled its nuclear arsenal over the past five years, and plans to go from 500 to 1,000 warheads by 2030. 

The newest nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal is now over 35 years old, Peters points out, and many are decades older, ‘meant to be retired and replaced in the 1980s.’ 

‘Like a 1975 Cadillac bought by our grandfather, we’ve been keeping America’s strategic deterrence on life support,’ said Peters. 

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, blamed it on a decades-long focus on the Middle East, at the expense of containing threats in the Indo-Pacific region.

‘Part of this is a hangover from what I call endless wars, where, instead of having that strong deterrence, we got involved with, you know, a quarter-century of endless conflict that caused a great toll, both in terms of blood and treasure.’ 

China has not only been building up its strategic and tactical nuclear weapons, but its anti-ship nuclear capabilities and its fractional orbital bombardment systems, space-based platforms that can drop munitions, including nuclear ones, from space onto the Earth’s surface. 

‘At the same time, China’s building nuclear-capable long-range hypersonic missiles that could in time be able to deliver nuclear weapons to the American homeland with little to no notice,’ Peters warned. 

The video argues that the U.S. has too few tactical nuclear weapons when compared with China – weapons that would offer a forceful response but avoid population-decimating strategic nukes. 

‘Right now, we’re preaching about arms control but building nothing,’ the video states.  ‘We must modernize the existing strategic arsenal and replace the decades-old warheads and missiles that were meant to be retired in the 1980s and 1990s.’

‘We need a much stronger but modern Navy,’ said Roy. ‘Not built on what K Street contractors are saying they need to be, but rather, what do we actually need?’

‘The world is really watching both allies and adversaries. Is the United States going to accept decline and live in a world in which the Chinese, the Russians, perhaps the Iran regime and the North Koreans can successfully coerce the United States of America to prevent us from moving in the world on terms that benefit the American people in our prosperity and freedom?’ said Rebecca Heinrichs, senior fellow with Heritage. 

‘The United States must field the military capabilities that will convince the Chinese leadership that today is not the day to pick a fight with the United States or its allies,’ said Adm. Charles Richard, former head of U.S. Strategic Command. 

President Donald Trump on Monday touted the success of the U.S.’s two-week-long offensive against the Houthis in Yemen and issued a clear message: ‘Stop shooting at U.S. ships, and we will stop shooting at you.’

The Trump administration launched its operations earlier this month after the Houthi terrorist group once again renewed its threats against Israeli vessels earlier this month after Jerusalem cut off humanitarian aid headed for the Gaza Strip.

‘The Iran-backed Houthi Terrorists have been decimated by the relentless strikes over the past two weeks,’ Trump said in a post on his social media outlet Truth Social on Monday afternoon. ‘Many of their Fighters and Leaders are no longer with us.’ 

‘We hit them every day and night – Harder and harder,’ he added.

Trump said their capabilities that enable the Houthis to target shipping in the region are ‘being rapidly destroyed.’

The terrorist network, backed by Iran, began escalating its attacks on Western ships in the Red Sea following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel. Notably, security experts have pointed out the Houthi attacks are not indiscriminate as they do not routinely target Chinese or Saudi Arabian vessels. 

Trump also issued a message to Iran on Monday and warned if the attacks do not stop, Washington will come for Tehran next. 

‘Our attacks will continue until they are no longer a threat to Freedom of Navigation,’ Trump said. ‘Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran.’

Trump has increased his threats issued against Iran in recent days, warning of direct military repercussions not only if it doesn’t stop arming terrorist networks, but if it continues with its nuclear ambitions. 

U.S. Central Command has not released an update about the Houthi leaders allegedly killed in the strikes or the most recent operations. 

According to Houthi representatives, three people were killed in an overnight strike around the Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa — which the terrorist network has held its grip on since 2014, reported the Associated Press.

The strike, which apparently carried on into Monday morning, came just three days after the previous attack on Friday, which was reported to have been more ‘intense’ than previous aerial campaigns and was carried out over several locations in and around Sanaa.

The daughter of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says she is skipping graduate school in protest against the university’s lack of support for student demonstrations.

Hope Walz made the announcement to her followers on TikTok on Sunday, saying she was disappointed with how the institution she had planned to attend dealt with student protests.

‘I applied for one school. I kind of had my heart set on it. I am not going to name the institution, but given recent events I am not going to give my money, go into debt for, or support institutions that do not support students and the right to protest and speak out for their communities,’ Hope said.

‘Students deserve to be protected. I am not worried about if I were to be protected or not at said institution. I am, you know, a privileged white woman. But I am not going to put myself in the position where I am giving money or supporting institutions that don’t support their students,’ she added.

Her announcement comes as universities across the country grapple with how to respond to often-violent anti-Israel protests and the spread of antisemitism on their campuses.

President Donald Trump’s administration has taken an aggressive stance with Columbia University in particular, threatening to withhold federal funding if the institution did not make reforms to combat antisemitism and rampant campus protests.

Columbia agreed to demands from the administration to ban masks for the purpose of concealing identity on campus as well as appoint a senior vice provost to oversee the school’s Department of the Middle East, South Asian and African Studies, as well as the Center for Palestine Studies.

After much violence on campus, Columbia must also hire 36 new campus police officers with the ability to arrest students.

Columbia was at the heart of 2024’s anti-Israel campus protests, with NYPD officers ultimately breaking up a barricade at Hamilton Hall in a highly publicized raid.

Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr and Alexis McAdams contributed to this report.

The State Department sanctioned six Beijing and Hong Kong authorities who Secretary of State Marco Rubio said ‘have engaged in actions or policies that have degraded the autonomy of Hong Kong, including in connection with transnational repression targeting individuals residing in the United States.’ 

Rubio announced Monday that the actions ‘demonstrate the Trump Administration’s commitment to hold to account those respondsible for depriving people in Hong Kong of protected rights and freedoms or who commit acts of transnational repression on U.S. soil or against U.S. persons.’ 

Those sanctioned include Sonny Chi Kwong Au – the Secretary-General for the Committee for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong – and Raymond Chak Yee Siu, the Police Commissioner of Hong Kong Police Force. The other four sanctioned were identified as Dong Jingwei, Dick Chung Chun Wong, Margaret Wing Lan Chiu and Paul Ting Kwok Lam. 

‘Beijing and Hong Kong officials have used Hong Kong national security laws extraterritorially to intimidate, silence, and harass 19 pro-democracy activists who were forced to flee overseas, including a U.S. citizen and four other U.S. residents,’ the State Department said. 

Lam, according to the State Department, ‘is the Secretary for Justice, Hong Kong in the Regional Government Ministers category, and has been responsible for or involved in developing, adopting, or implementing, the National Security Law.’ 

Last year, Human Rights Watch said the ‘Safeguarding National Security Ordinance punishes peaceful speech and civil society activism with heavy prison sentences, expands police powers, and weakens due process rights.’ 

‘As a result of today’s sanctions-related actions, and in accordance with E.O. 13936, all property and interests in property of the sanctioned persons described above that are in the United States or in possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC),’ the State Department said. 

‘Additionally, all individuals or entities that have ownership, either directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked,’ it continued. 

‘All transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons are prohibited unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or exempt from U.S. sanctions,’ according to the State Department. ‘These prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person and the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.’ 

Fox News’ Nick Kalman contributed to this report.

The White House considers the Signal group chat leak case ‘closed,’ Trump administration press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the media Monday while reiterating President Donald Trump’s support of national security advisor Mike Waltz.

‘As the president has made it very clear, Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team,’ Leavitt told the media in brief remarks during a gaggle outside of the White House’s press room Monday afternoon. ‘And this case has been closed here at the White House, as far as we are concerned.’ 

‘There have been steps made to ensure that something like that can obviously never happen again,’ she continued. ‘And we’re moving forward. And the president and Mike Waltz and his entire national security team have been working together very well, if you look at how much safer the United States of America is because of the leadership of this team.’ 

The Trump administration came under scrutiny from Democrats and other critics after the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, revealed in an article published March 24 that he was added to a Signal group chat with top national security leaders, including Waltz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. 

Signal is an encrypted messaging app that operates similarly to texting or making phone calls, but with additional security measures that help ensure communications are kept private to those included in the correspondence. 

The Atlantic’s report characterized the Trump administration as texting ‘war plans’ regarding a planned strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Trump administration has maintained, however, that no classified material was transmitted in the chat, with Trump repeatedly defending Waltz amid the fallout. 

Waltz took responsibility for the journalist’s inclusion in the high-profile group chat, including in an interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham. 

‘I built the group. My job is to make sure everything’s coordinated,’ Waltz said on ‘The Ingraham Angle.’

‘Of course I didn’t see this loser in the group. It looked like someone else,’ Waltz added. ‘The person I thought was on there was never on there.’

Leavitt told the media Wednesday that the administration was investigating the incident, explaining Elon Musk’s team was also assisting with the investigation. 

‘The National Security Council, the White House Counsel’s Office, and also, yes, Elon Musk’s team’ will be leading the investigation into the Signal leak, Leavitt said during a White House press briefing. 

‘Elon Musk has offered to put his technical experts on this, to figure out how this number was inadvertently added to the chat – again, to take responsibility and ensure this can never happen again,’ she continued. 

Trump slammed the media’s coverage of the group chat in a Truth Social post Sunday afternoon, calling it the ‘never ending Signal story.’

‘They just don’t stop – Over and over they go! Meet the Fake Press should instead explain how successful the attack was, and how Sleepy Joe Biden should have done it YEARS AGO,’ he posted. 

‘This story and narrative is so old and boring, but only used because we are having the most successful ‘First One Hundred Presidential Days’ in the history of America, and they can’t find anything else to talk about. The Fake News Media has the lowest Approval Ratings in history, and for good reason. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!’