The group representing White House journalists said Monday it was disturbed that the Trump administration barred any wire service news reporters from traveling with the president on Air Force One to the Middle East. No reporters from The Associated Press, Bloomberg or Reuters were on the plane, where presidents often take questions from traveling members of the press. “Their reports are distributed quickly to thousands of news outlets and millions of readers throughout the world every day, so all have equal access to coverage of the presidency,” the White House Correspondents’ Association said in a statement.

During an appearance on Fox News Channel’s Jesse Watters Primetime on Monday, Senator Rand Paul voiced strong opposition to the idea of President Donald Trump accepting a $400 million aircraft from the government of Qatar.
Watters opened the segment by describing the scenario: “Qatar just made Trump an offer he can’t refuse. A $400 million Air Force One replacement because Boeing didn’t deliver their jet on time. Trump can ride it until his term is up. Democrats are calling this a bribe, but Pam Bondi says it’s legal as long as he transfers the jet to his library and eventually switches back to Trump Force One. He says only a stupid person would not take the deal.”

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A mother’s letter. A child’s fight. Shira urgently needs life-saving care. You can help – but only if we act now. My name is Bracha, and I’m writing not only as a mother, but as someone who deeply believes in the quiet power of kindness. My daughter Shira is a bright, tender-hearted little girl. She’s been diagnosed with leukemia — a cancer of the blood. Her eyesight has already been affected, and the emotional toll on our family has been immense. Shira is currently receiving care in a local hospital in Poland, but doctors have urged us to transfer her to a specialized children’s hospital in Vienna. There, she can receive the advanced, life-saving treatment she urgently needs. The cost of this treatment is over $150,000 — far beyond anything we can afford.

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu held a phone conversation on Tuesday with Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old Israel Defense Forces soldier and dual U.S-Israeli citizen released from captivity in Gaza the previous day.
Alexander, who had been held by the Hamas terrorist organization for over 580 days, is currently receiving medical care in an Israeli hospital, as confirmed by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
According to Israeli media reports, Alexander’s medical condition has ruled out traveling to Qatar to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, who kicked off a regional tour on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia. Instead, he spoke with Trump by phone on Tuesday. A personal meeting in Washington, D.C., is reportedly being arranged for later this month.

Speaking in Saudi Arabia, President Trump says he is lifting sanctions off of Syria, which is now led by Ahmed Al-Sharaa, a former Al Qaeda commander.

Russia is being held accountable for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in 2014, which claimed the lives of all 298 individuals aboard, according to a ruling issued by the United Nations’ aviation authority. The disaster had remained one of the most troubling and unresolved catastrophes in aviation history until now.
The ill-fated jet, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was hit by a missile made in Russia as it flew over eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatists were engaged in intense conflict with Ukrainian military forces in the Donbas region.