Category: US

source

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

Olivia Newton-John’s daughter Chloe Lattanzi shared that her late mother is “keeping her promise” to continue “showing up” for her more than a year after the “Grease” star’s death from breast cancer at the age of 73.

The 37-year-old actress recently spoke to Fox News Digital after hosting her mother’s annual Walk for Wellness fundraiser, which benefits the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre. During her interview, Lattanzi opened up about a viral Instagram post that she shared in June, in which she said that she believed Newton-John’s spirit had appeared to her as “blue orb” in mysterious photos.

Lattanzi’s post made headlines and she and her stepfather John Easterling later detailed their supernatural encounters with the late singer. 

“I was very happy that it became kind of a — it was on the news so that people who had lost people could know that it doesn’t, you know, it doesn’t just end with your body,” she explained to Fox News Digital. 

She continued, “Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. So her keeping her promise and showing up — she’s shown up about six times as this blue aqua orb.”

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN’S DAUGHTER CHLOE REVEALS ‘PROMISE’ SHE MADE TO MOTHER BEFORE HER DEATH

“In live photos, you can see it flying, moving in movement,” Lattanzi added. “It’s not just one of those silly reflections on an iPhone.”

“So it’s quite amazing. Whatever my mom puts her mind to, she does it.”

APP USERS CLICK HERE 

In an interview with People, Lattanzi explained that the “little blue orb” that she noticed in photos was the same color as an aquamarine pendant that Easterling had gifted her mother, and she has since inherited. Lattanzi noted in her Instagram video that her mother’s favorite color was aquamarine.

“Mom and I had talked years back,” she told the outlet. “We’d watch these paranormal shows, and I’d say, ‘You gotta show up for me.’ And she was like, ‘I’ll show up as one of those orb things.’”

Easterling told the outlet that he had also seen Newton-John’s spirit in the form of a small blue orb. The 71-year-old entrepreneur recalled that he traveled to Peru in June with his late wife’s ashes to hold a private ceremony commemorating what would have been their 15th anniversary. The pair secretly tied the knot at the same spot in the South American country in 2008.

“I took a picture, and this blue orb is right between my eyes,” Easterling told People while displaying the image. “It’s been a supernatural year.”

During her interview with Fox News Digtial, Lattanzi reflected on some of her fondest memories with her mother.

“It’s strange but being in bed because Mom was touring a lot and there were always people around her,” Lattanzi explained. “So when I got her at night, when she’d come home, we go, ‘Let’s get in PJs!’ and we’d jump in her bed.”

She continued, “I loved sleeping with her. That was my favorite thing. I’d sleep in her bed when she was gone, so I could smell her.”

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN REMEMBERED BY JOHN TRAVOLTA, RICHARD MARX AND MORE CELEBRITY FRIENDS: ‘MY DEAREST OLIVIA’

Lattanzi recalled that the two would sometimes stay until 4 a.m. “just watching movies and snuggling and eating popcorn together.”

“She loved old movies,” Lattanzi remembered. “We would talk about everything as well.”

“It was intimacy and fun and something that is one of the most comforting memories,” she added. “Also, we had a house in the forest, and Mama and I going on walks together through the rainforest and, you know, hugging the trees and climbing the trees and enjoying the wildlife together. So snuggling and enjoying nature. Those are my favorite memories.”

Lattanzi told Fox News Digital that making music was another activity that the pair enjoyed doing together.

“Other than snuggling and watching movies together, our favorite thing to do is write songs and bring them to each other and kind of compare notes and then write together and combine our two very different styles that work together so well,” she said

“What’s really great is we’re the first mother-daughter team that ever went to the number one on Billboard,” the Los Angeles native added. “So we broke a record making a record.”

In 2015, Newton-John and Lattanzi made history when they became the first mother-daughter duo to top the Billboard Dance Charts when they were featured on Grammy Award-winning DJ, producer and remixer Dave Audé’s song “You Have to Believe.” 

APP USERS CLICK HERE 

“You Have to Believe” was a reworking of Newton-John’s hit “Magic” from the soundtrack to her 1980 movie “Xanadu.” The song was included on the music legend’s posthumous compilation album “Just The Two Of Us – The Duets Collection Volume 2,” which was released on Oct. 6.

“Just The Two Of Us – The Duets Collection Volume 1” debuted on May 5. The albums feature a collection of Newton-John’s duets over her decades-long career in addition to unreleased songs and some of her last recordings before her death.

Newton-John and Lattanzi’s duet “Window in the Wall” was released as the lead single off volume one of the duets collection. The song topped the Billboard Pop Music Video chart when it was first released in January 2021.

Lattanzi told Fox News Digital that it was a “great honor” to be featured on both of her mother’s duets albums.

“It was beautiful for me because with ‘Window in the Wall,’ she could have asked anyone to accompany her. And she asked me,” Lattanzi said. 

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN REFLECTS ON HOW SONG ‘PHYSICAL’ REINVENTED HER IMAGE

She continued, “And then I wanted to honor her with, you know, ‘Magic’ is my one of my favorite songs. I love it. I think it’s so powerful. I listen to it all the time. So her, you know, allowing me to sort of remake it. I’ve remade it twice and her saying, ‘Yes, I’ll sing on it with you’ was just — it was an honor.”

“And we had so much fun together. And then you get the mother-daughter voices together, and then you got gold,” Lattanzi added with a laugh. “And so it makes me it makes me laugh and smile and giggle when I talk about it. It’s a really happy memory.”

During her interview with Fox News Digital, Lattanzi also recalled when she knew she wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps by pursuing a career in music.

“I always wrote music,” she said. “And I think that when you’re the child of someone who’s, you know, such a big celebrity, for me, it was like, ‘I have to be my mom.’ It was like a subconscious thought.”

The singer continued, “And I had the abilities to sing and to write music. I guess I was like 12-years-old, and I got a record deal it at 16. I think the same time as her. But as time went on, I realized that I still wanted to make music, but it was mostly like I never really asked myself what else I wanted or wanted to explore.”

“Like I realized that I didn’t like being on stage in front of lots of people, that I like to work behind the scenes,” she explained. “That was hard for me to admit to myself for a really long time. So now I’m really coming into using the gifts that she gave me, but doing it in a way, in a modality where I’m happy, and I’m not stressed out being in front of cameras live singing for people.”

“Just I’m shaping it my own way. And it’s a really interesting journey to talk about that I’ll be talking about in my book and documentary.”

In addition to carrying on her mother’s musical legacy, Lattanzi has also picked up the torch in Newton-John’s fight against cancer. On Oct. 8, she was joined by thousands of attendees at Melbourne, Australia’s Alexandra Gardens for the 10th anniversary of the late singer’s Walk for Wellness,” which raised funds for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre. 

Lattanzi told Fox News Digital that participating in the event was “absolutely incredible.”

“I got to meet so many cancer patients and family members of cancer patients and really got to have incredible conversations as well as comforting each other,” she said. “It was a really fun event as well. We had Sandy and Danny performing.”

“It was almost like a Coachella, but with a great cause,” she added. “It was a fantastic time. And of course, we walked around the gardens and the sun came out. And of course Mom brought the sun out, and it’s been raining this whole time.”

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

“It was the most, I think, one of the most special days of my life, getting to carry the torch for her.”

Lattanzi reflected on what paying tribute to her mother’s life and legacy meant to her. “I saw my mum as nothing but love and light and giving and good,” she told Fox News Digital through tears. “And I saw how brave she was going through something that I couldn’t even imagine experiencing what she had to experience in her body.”

She continued, “And so for me, it means putting an end to cancer all together and supporting anybody who’s going through it. Keeping her dream and her soul alive. And it means honoring my mother’s journey.”

The “Rock the Cradle” alum explained that her work with the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre is one way in which she is hoping to realize her mother’s dream of ending cancer. She revealed that she recently donated $5,000 to the center and plans to introduce new programs that she believes will benefit patients.

“We depend completely on public funding,” she said. “So to anyone who’s donated, thank you. You’re keeping us alive. And please keep donating and spreading the word.”

“We know that cancer and disease is not just of the body. It is mind, body and spirit connection, pearls on a chain like my mother’s song,” she continued, referring to Newton-John’s 2006 hit “Pearls On A Chain.” “We don’t just treat the body. We treat you holistically. We offer oncological massage, acupuncture, art therapy, knitting therapy, music therapy.”

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

She continued, “You can go outside and put your feet in the earth, which is actually proof-proven to increase your immunity.”

“I plan to expand on the programs that we can offer because there’s so much out there that isn’t mainstream that is just incredible that people aren’t aware of,” Lattanzi added. “So I feel like that’s my mission. And I wanted to make this the norm in every hospital because patients that do attend the wellness center recover faster and go into remission faster and leave the hospital faster. So the evidence is just astounding.” 

In August, Lattanzi shared that she had been struggling with her health in a candid video that she shared on Instagram. She explained that she had been suffering “extreme memory loss” and “had difficulty getting out of bed” since her mother’s death.

Lattanzi explained in the clip that she intended to take some time off to prioritize her health after hosting the Walk for Wellness.

In her interview with Fox News Digital, Lattanzi shared an update on her health and revealed that she had a trip planned with her husband James Driskill.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“I’m sick right now, but I am going to Bali in a few days and I haven’t had a like a vacation in like ten years,” she said. “So I’m really excited to just be okay with pampering myself and having fun with my husband.” 

“And I’m going to really use this time to do a lot of healing that I need to do, and releasing the grief and bringing in the joy.”

​Read More 

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

Americans are continuing to flee liberal states like New York and California for better home prices and taxes, but business experts warn the Biden economy is creating new problems for happy movers.

On Finch Capital founder and real estate investor Steven Pesavento said that during the pandemic, employees realized they no longer needed to live in the cities where they worked, which created new opportunities for a flexible lifestyle.

“It opened up an opportunity for them to get away from, you know, the high cost of living, the kind of oppressive civil policies and business policies, the high taxes, all of those things that they were willing to stay put over because it was what they needed for their job,” Pesavento said.

California saw its first-ever population decline in 2020 when the state imposed rigid lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. From January 2020 to July 2022, the state lost well over half a million people, with the number of residents leaving surpassing those moving in by almost 700,000.

CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS STEP UP SEARCH FOR MORE AFFORDABLE HOMES OUTSIDE THE STATE, STUDY FINDS

MyEListing.com, an online real estate portal, studied IRS migration data and found that California lost more than $340 million in 2021 IRS tax revenue due to residents moving.

New York experienced the second-biggest drop next to California, losing just under $300 million from its yearly tax base.

“A lot of people left,” Pesavento said. “It was the biggest migration pattern since 1990 and likely the biggest even before that. So, a lot of people moved. They moved really quickly. And once people take an action, once they do that, a lot of people are choosing not to go back.”

Pesavento noted that while cities like New York and Los Angeles have seen somewhat of a “revitalization” as COVID restrictions loosened, it is nowhere near the social and economic boom seen pre-pandemic. He said many homeowners continue moving to places like Texas, North Carolina, Florida and other states and small cities that better represent their values.

“They’re chasing lower taxes, they’re chasing better business policies, and they’re chasing a better way of living,” Pesavento said. “They’re also looking for other people who believe what they believe and to kind of get away from all the craziness that’s been happening in schools in those local areas where they used to live.”

HOMELESSNESS HAS ‘EXPLODED’ IN THIS CALIFORNIA CITY, MAKING IT THE ‘LAND OF MILK AND FENTANYL,’ ACTIVIST SAYS

Real estate coach and business expert Josh Cadillac told Fox News Digital that migration to red states remains strong from its peak in 2021. He said that many people decided to move to places where they were “treated like adults” and could circumvent the paranoia and government restrictions that came along with the pandemic.

While the commercial and office market remains muscular in Florida, Cadillac said the entire New York tax base has been “decimated” and the city is struggling to repurpose building vacancies.

“What we saw was one of the greatest domestic migrations we’ve seen since the end of slavery. I mean, people have moved in unbelievable droves. They voted with their feet to leave places where they lost their autonomy, to go to places where they could,” he said.

However, he worried that the “real catastrophic effect” of the economy may still be on the horizon, calling the restart of student loan payments “a wild card.”

Real estate broker and The Masters Division Founder Bianca D’Alessio was more bullish about the current real estate market in blue states, especially New York. Her research suggested that while red state hotspots like Florida, Texas and the Carolinas are prime destinations for many Californians, some are instead flocking to the Big Apple.

CALIFORNIA EXODUS: REMOTE WORKERS MOVE TO MEXICO DUE TO SKY-HIGH GAS AND HOUSING COSTS

“I would say the Great Migration from California, which is something we feel tremendously both in the city, outside of the city and into other states, has really been very politically focused,” she said. “People leaving for concerns about safety, homelessness, crime, natural disaster. I think people are fed up with California politics. I don’t know if it makes the most sense for them to be moving to New York if they’re trying to escape politics. But we did feel a lot of that activity.”

These California buyers, D’Alessio found, are most heavily moving into suburban markets where they can be close enough to New York City for work while also taking advantage of a larger space and yard.

Much of the influx of cash into the New York real estate post-pandemic has also come from international markets, especially China and Russia.

Looking at U.S. residents, D’Alessio suggested that people who want secondary housing within the Northeast have driven a recent influx into New York.

“I think they tried out quality of life. They tried out Florida. They tried out South Carolina. They’re keeping those homes, but they want to still own in New York and spend more time and figure out how do you split your travel schedule and your lifestyle to be able to incorporate living in those other places,” she said.

She added that although interest rates have skyrocketed, rental and mortgage properties are still flying off the shelves amid high demand and a lack of new homes.

HIGH-TAX STATE EXODUS ACCELERATES AS MORE AMERICANS FLEE TO FLORIDA, TEXAS

Supply chain issues and rising inflation have induced the rising cost of materials, leading to a meager selection of new properties. 

Those contributing factors have also impacted food, a line item along with home prices that financial planner Matthew Carbray said is “noticeably higher” than years past.

Carbray, a Ridgeline Financial Partners LLC managing partner, told Fox News Digital that middle-class Americans are still spending amid low unemployment and an increased interest in travel.

“But what they’re finding is everything’s just immensely more expensive,” he said. “So, as a direct result of that, if you look at household savings levels, they’re probably the lowest they’ve ever been. And this is one of the best environments I’ve seen since, I guess 2006 is the last period that I could remember, where as a saver, leaving your money in a high yield savings account, you’re earning four and a half, maybe 5%.”

The Biden administration has tried several strategies to try and help reduce costs passed on to Americans. Carbray said some of these policies are more effective than others.

“I talk about the Inflation Reduction Act, that to me hasn’t done a whole heck of a lot to curb inflation. The Fed’s actions have done a lot more than that legislation,” Carbray said.

NEW YORK HAS THE COUNTRY’S MOST BURDENSOME TAXES: STUDY

He also suggested that the Inflation Reduction Act has had “very little” positive impact on prices, perhaps even a “slightly negative” effect.

Carbray said that the Secure Act passed under the current administration has favored workers willing to put in extra years in the field. The Secure Act, as it stands, pushes out required minimum distributions, allowing for higher retirement plan contribution limits.

The financial expert added that Americans should not rely on the government to fix their financial woes and instead must build up an adequate amount of emergency reserves before making any significant buying decisions. He advises that people build up between 9 and 12 months of emergency reserves depending on the cyclically of income and job security.

“I think people are dealing with less dollars that they have to allocate to more short- and longer-term goals,” he said.

Michael Lush, a financial real estate educator and the founder of “Replace Your Mortgage,” agreed that Americans need to take their financial responsibilities into their own hands to tread water in the current economy.

“Don’t expect government or politicians to solve your problems. That’s something they’ve never done. That’s something that they never will. All they will ever do is exacerbate your problems,” Lush said. So, what we need to do as Americans is kind of come together and start solving the problems ourselves. That’s what capitalism is all about, right?”

‘I NO LONGER CONSIDER MYSELF A CALIFORNIAN’: TEXAS COUPLE PRAISES NEW FREEDOMS AFTER LIFE-CHANGING MOVE

Lush noted that the average American household was up $6,000 under the previous administration. Today, the country is experiencing “stagflation,” wherein income has not increased, but inflation has.

“We’re technically going backward at a staggering level,” he said.

Lush suggested that Americans looking to hold onto more cash should find ways to create their own economy, producing goods they would otherwise purchase for more significant amounts at the store. Additionally, he advised people, especially in red states, to change their withholdings on their tax forms to average more money in their paychecks each month and put that extra cash towards investments.

“I just had this conversation last night with a client. She moved from a blue state to a red state. She was getting a $3,000 tax refund. She has three kids now. She moved to Red State. She’s getting a $9,000 tax refund each year. That’s actually not good,” he said. “Yes, you’re keeping more of your money. But think about what a tax refund is. You’re actually donating your money throughout the year to the federal government. And we all know that they don’t do a good job of budgeting or spending. Right. It’s one vote after another so that we can raise the debt ceiling. They’re terrible at it.”

CNBC DECLARES FLORIDA, TEXAS AMONG ‘WORST’ IN NATION TO LIVE AND WORK, DESPITE HUGE MIGRATION NUMBERS

Lush also suggested that people avoid stringently following a “scarcity mind.”

“There’s only a certain point in which you could cut expenses in this day and age with the technology and opportunity that we have. It’s actually easier to go out and make a thousand bucks extra than it is to save 500 bucks,” he said.

Instead of only looking to cut expenses, Lush said people looking to make extra money should identify their skill set or value and turn it into an efficient service or product.

He also advised people with cash reserves to look outside the traditional savings account or mutual fund opportunities.

“Understand that there are other things outside of mutual funds,” Lush said. “Buy and hold stocks for long term to try to get a rate of return. There are thousands of opportunities out there that you can get much better yield on your money, especially by having it sitting in a savings account doing absolutely nothing for you. In fact, it’s going backwards because of the cost of inflation.”

For more Culture, Media, Education, Opinion, and channel coverage, visit foxnews.com/media.

Fox News’ Aaron Kliegman contributed to this report. 

​Read More 

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

Americans Jews from different parts of the United States are as committed as ever to their faith, affirming that they will not allow a call for global protests against Israel from the former leader of Hamas to disrupt their schools or synagogues.

This week, Khaled Meshaal, the former chief of Hamas’s political bureau for more than 20 years, called for Muslims across the world to head to the squares and streets Friday and protest in support of Palestinians and for neighboring countries to join the battle against Israel.

In a recorded statement sent to Reuters, Meshaal, who is currently based in Qatar and heads Hamas’ diaspora office, is heard saying, “[We must] head to the squares and streets of the Arab and Islamic world on Friday.”

Despite Meshaal’s call for uprisings around the globe, parents and Jewish religious leaders in New York City and Chicago told Fox News Digital that they are “proud Jews” and will continue sending their children to school and worshiping in synagogues amid the threats.

Zahava Berkowicz, whose child attends a Jewish school in the Chicago suburbs, said she received continuous emails about security measures being put in place by the school, as well as synagogues, ahead of Friday.

“It’s terrifying. It’s really, really scary. We all have young kids, and the question is like, do we send them to school? I’m in a lot of WhatsApp groups with different parents from the school, and some people don’t want to send them to school, some people want to send them to school.”

Pointing to religious historical precedent, Berkowicz said she believes the children should be in school.

“To me, I actually think it’s really important that we send our children to school because if you look at Jewish history … there’s been this really long history for the Jewish people of people trying to make us hide our practices or not do our practices,” she said.

“I think it’s really important to teach our children to be proud of who they are and to be proud of being Jewish,” Berkowicz added. “Yes, we’re scared, but I think we do need to be brave and strong because we owe that to our brothers and sisters in Israel. Our value system is Jewish learning and Jewish prayers. And it’s really important that our kids are going to school because the people who want to actually wipe us out and murder us for our religion, they want nothing more for us than to stop sending our kids to school, to not pray, to not learn Jewish values.”

One synagogue in the Chicago area – Kehillat Chovevei Tzion – was the target of a bomb threat on Thursday. That threat was issued by a student at Niles North High School and ended up being “non-credible,” according to Shaanan Gelman, the synagogue’s rabbi.

“It turns out, you know, they were grossly inappropriate, irresponsible students. It wasn’t a real threat, but it put us on alarm. We sent an email and sent the whole synagogue into panic for a few hours, and now we’re reopened.,” he said. “Thankfully, we’ve confirmed that it wasn’t a credible threat, but this is a reality that when you have lives compromised in Israel due to terrorism, it signals to the world that Jewish blood is cheap. What it does is it gives you permission to make threats against Jews all over the world. That’s our headquarters … whatever happens to us there is going to be replicated elsewhere.”

Like others, Gelman said he and his community are “going to stay strong.”

“Our response is we’re going to keep this synagogue open, and we’re going to operate business as usual,” he said. “We’re going to double, triple, quadruple our crowds because … we’re not going to be threatened, intimidated out of our practices and our beliefs.”

Similar to that of Berkowicz, Akiva Block, the rabbi of a synagogue in New Jersey and a Jewish religious law teacher at SAR High School in New York, suggested that now is the time for American Jews to hold close to their beliefs and prove resilient.

“The day of jihad, the day of rage that’s being called asking people all over the world to attack Jews, I think should really, for all of us, dispel the notion that one can separate the state of Israel with the Jewish people,” he said. “I wish this weren’t the case, but as a community, we’re very used to Hamas calling for a day of rage. This is not the first time that that’s taken place, and I suspect it won’t be the last.”

Block said he has “no reservations whatsoever about sending my kids to school” or “about asking the members of our community to come to the synagogue on Friday night and the Sabbath.”

“We’re proud Jews, and what they want … is to make us scared, and the worst thing we can do is be scared. So, we’re going to live our lives. We’re going to practice our faith. We’re going to uphold the values that are most important to us, values of peace and understanding and love. And we’ll continue to support one another and elevate one another and be there for one another in this time of great difficulty. And we’re going to get through this story together, and no day of rage can ever stop us.”

Telling those in the community to remain “vigilant” and “keep your eyes open” to certain threats that could emerge, Block said he believes that members of his community are safe and protected.

“The kinds of safety measures that we always employ and the safety measures that we should be employing now, and maybe perhaps with a little bit of heightened sensitivity,” he said.

Lisa Friedman, a New Jersey resident and the mother of four children who attend a Jewish religious school in New York City, said she is “saddened as an American” to even have to worry about an “internal threat” amid Israel’s war with Hamas.

“I am hoping that America’s response to this, both on the federal, state and local levels, is to deploy more security measures,” she said. “What bothers me even more than being threatened by an outside force like the jihad is the internal threat that I feel is palpable through so many news articles that I read [and] at the college level – from students at colleges who have adopted a rhetoric that allows for barbaric, savage human cruelty in the name of any greater cause.”

“Like any human of good conscience, we’re … repulsed by what we’ve all witnessed from the videos and the pictures and news reports,” she added. “We will, of course, proceed on a regularly scheduled basis and will not be cowed by terroristic threats from maniacal and suicidal ideologies. We plan to continue our day, not hide. On the contrary, we plan to be more public with our faith and our American values.”

“As a mother, I am appalled that there are Americans among us who are not only refraining from calling out the actions of this heinous terror group against innocent Israeli civilians but actually defending and justifying the heinous crimes of a barbaric terror group, especially when they are trying to reach us here in the United States,” Lisa Daftari, editor-in-chief of the Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital. “This is a tremendous wake-up call to all. It’s not about Israelis versus Palestinians. It’s terrorists against the free world.”

In a Thursday evening statement, the FBI acknowledged Meshaal’s call for global protests and said the agency is “working closely with our law enforcement partners across the country to share information and identify and disrupt any threats that may emerge.”

“As always, we take seriously any tips or leads we receive regarding potential threats and investigate them rigorously to determine their credibility. The FBI encourages members of the public to remain vigilant and report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement,” the agency said.

Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

​Read More 

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

EXCLUSIVE: The senator leading the charge for the Biden administration to refreeze the $6 billion in Iranian assets it released last month as part of a prisoner release deal wants the money to instead be given to Israel to help rebuild from the devastating damage caused by Hamas in its weekend attack.

Speaking with Fox News Digital on Thursday, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said she thought the reported “quiet understanding” reached between the U.S. and Qatar to make sure none of the money being held in the country is moved was “a half measure.” She was dead set on making sure the money never reached the Iranians.

“The letter that I sent that started the ball rolling on this refreezing that money, 19 of our senators joined me on that letter. And what we wanted is to make certain that that money never gets into Iran’s hands. And it should be frozen,” Blackburn said.

WATCH: WHITE HOUSE SHUTS DOWN QUESTION ON AUTHENTICITY OF PHOTOS SHOWING DEAD ISRAELI CHILDREN

“[The Biden administration] should rescind the waivers that allowed for that transfer of that money. There should be sanctions on any bank, any country that tries to process those funds for Iran. And quite frankly, I think that the money should be redirected to pay for damages and the destruction that has been done in Israel,” she said.

The White House claimed earlier in the day that none of the $6 billion in assets now being held at a Qatari bank had been accessed by Iran, and that it would only go to approved vendors within the nation chosen by the U.S.

However, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, who made the assertion, stopped short of saying that there was a formal pause on the funds.

‘SQUAD’ DEMOCRATS GET PASS FROM PARTY LEADERSHIP ON ‘DISGRACEFUL’ RESPONSE TO HAMAS CHILD EXECUTIONS

Blackburn told Fox that after she sent her letter earlier this week to the White House calling for the rescinding of the $6 billion and for the U.S. to support Israel by sending it more weapons, her colleague, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., moved forward with legislation supported by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that would block any use of the funds in Iran.

She noted that a number of Democrats were also in agreement, and expressed hope for more bipartisan support for such legislation in both the House and Senate. 

When asked about the administration’s insistence that there was no connection between Iran and the attacks by Hamas, Blackburn said the rhetoric coming from Iran showed they were taking credit for the attack through coaching Hamas and funding a vast majority of its budget every year.

BIDEN ISSUES CRYPTIC WARNING TO IRAN AFTER ADMIN DENIES COUNTRY WAS INVOLVED IN HAMAS ATTACK: ‘BE CAREFUL’

During the White House press briefing Wednesday, Kirby left open the possibility that a further intelligence assessment could prove a link between Iran and the attacks, but that it didn’t show there was a specific connection at this time.

“Iran is the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism. We know this. And when they start saying this is an essential part of ridding the world of Israel, I think we need to listen to them,” Blackburn said.

She went on to blast National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who stated just one week before Hamas launched its attack that the Middle East was the calmest it has been in decades.

“Jake Sullivan has a history of being very wrong on issues of foreign policy. And the advice that he has given President Biden is just out of step,” Blackburn said. “He was wrong on Afghanistan. He has been wrong dealing with Iran this go around. He was wrong on the deal they recently cooked up with the prisoner exchange and the $6 billion.” 

“He was wrong to not enforce the sanctions on Iran because now look at what they’ve done. They’re selling more oil. They’re producing more oil than ever. They’re selling to China. They’re selling to Russia. And they’re using that money to further their mission and to push terrorist acts around the globe,” she added.

Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

​Read More 

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

The 63-year-old captain of a Montauk, New York, fishing trawler has been convicted of federal conspiracy and fraud charges for violating local fishing rules that his lawyers say are outdated, wasteful and wouldn’t be a crime in other states.

A federal jury found Christopher Winkler, who owns the 45-foot trawler named New Age that is based on Long Island’s East End, guilty of five counts last week – two each of mail fraud and obstruction of justice and one more for criminal conspiracy for an overfishing plot that racked up nearly $1 million in proceeds.

The problem is, according to his defense, if Winkler had caught the fish in neighboring New Jersey, there likely wouldn’t have been a crime at all.

HUNTING, FISHING, HIKING AT RISK DUE TO BIDEN ADMIN REGULATIONS, CRITICS WARN: ‘POLITICS AT ITS WORST’

“The principal culprits here … are the antiquated fish landing quotas, particularly those for fluke that haven’t changed in some 30 years, which cheat New York fishermen out of their livelihoods even as New York’s fluke population has been increasing,” said Richard Levitt, who is one of Winkler’s attorneys.

For now, the defense is evaluating whether to file post-trial motions and planning to appeal once a sentence is handed down.

“If Mr. Winkler had caught and landed the same fish in New Jersey, where the landing limits inexplicably are often as much as 10 times those in New York, there likely would not have been a prosecution,” Levitt said. “As it is, New York fishermen, if they catch above their trip limits, are supposed to throw the fish back into the water even though these fish are dead and, therefore, wasted.”

EXPERTS FEAR AMERICAN FISHING INDUSTRY, BOATING AT RISK AS BIDEN PRIORITIZES CLIMATE, GREEN ENERGY

In other countries, he said, excess catch can be donated to food banks or for agricultural uses.

“There is nothing at all rational about this system, but Mr. Winkler and other Long Island fishermen are easy scapegoats for this regulatory insanity,” Levitt said.

The Department of Justice disagrees, saying in a statement that New York’s fishing regulations were designed in a partnership between state environmental officials and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to “ensure a long-term, sustainable population.”

MAINE LOBSTERMEN CATCH BIG COURT VICTORY AGAINST BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S ‘EGREGIOUS’ REGULATIONS

An 18-page federal indictment accuses Winkler of violating quotas on hundreds of fishing trips between 2014 and 2017, falsifying documents, and conspiring with the fish dealer, Gosman’s, to cover it up. The plot allegedly earned more than $750,000 in proceeds on about 200,000 pounds of over-limit summer flounder, also known as fluke, and $85,000 on 20,000 pounds of excess black sea bass.

On one occasion, Winkler allegedly dumped overharvested fish overboard as a Coast Guard vessel approached his trawler.

According to the indictment, both commercial fishermen and licensed dealers must file reports on a weekly basis with NOAA about their hauls.

Cousins Bryan and Asa Gosman of Bob Gosman Co. Inc. pleaded guilty in 2021 for their roles in the plot, in which prosecutors said they provided false dealer records to align with Winkler’s filings and helped the captain avoid detection.

They bought the over-quota fish from Winkler wholesale and offloaded the haul from there, according to authorities.

“Fluke and black sea bass play a vital part in our marine ecosystem and quotas are designed to prevent overfishing and stabilize populations for the public good,” Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim said in a statement.

Winkler’s conviction is the latest in an ongoing series of legal disputes between American fishermen and the federal government.

In June, commercial captains from Louisiana and Mississippi sued the Biden administration, alleging that some federal fishing regulations are unconstitutional. Kim was involved in that case as well, court documents show, arguing against the plaintiff claims.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

​Read More