(NEW YORK) — Barcelona is among the top 20 summer destinations of 2024, and for anyone planning to visit the bustling Mediterranean metropolis known for its art and architecture, or other tourist-filled hotspots during high-season, there may be some additional costs to consider.
Many countries across Europe including Spain, Greece, and Germany have implemented fees for foreign visitors to help support local costs of doing business, especially during the busy summer months. It’s similar to that of a hotel occupancy tax that American travelers may be more familiar with for domestic stays.
What is a tourist tax?
“Tourist taxes are a rapidly growing trend,” Clint Henderson, Managing Editor at The Points Guy, told ABC News’ Good Morning America, adding that the fee system is increasingly popular “because it’s an easy way for cities to raise revenues without taxing local citizens. It’s also more politically palatable and it has the added benefit of helping to deal with over-tourism.”
Henderson also pointed out that “Crowding at especially popular spots made famous by Instagram are simply out of control.”
“Locals in places like Venice, [Italy] and Maui are also getting more vocal about problematic tourists,” he said. “We think you’ll only see this trend of tourist taxes spread. Look for action from places like Hawaii in the future, which has been considering some kind of tax for a few years now.”
The rural town of La Salut, located just outside Barcelona and best known for Park Güell mosaic-covered buildings, tapas bars and seafood restaurants, was recently removed from Google and Apple maps, Yahoo first reported, after being inundated with tourists taking over the locals’ main bus route.
What to know about tourist fees abroad this summer
Henderson said tourism taxes “are not yet that widespread,” with the caveat that “local taxes and fees are very common and often hidden in your hotel bill.”
His tip? “Google your destination to see about potential fees before you go,” he said.
“Many hotels are now listing local taxes and fees in their online pricing, but you can always call ahead of time to make sure you won’t be facing additional ‘destination’ or ‘resort’ fees,” he suggested.
Summer vacation destinations with a tourist tax
There are some newcomers adding a tourist tax for the first time this summer, and other nations increasing percentages that people will be expected to pay.
“Galapagos National Park is charging $200 as of August 1 to visit. Bhutan charges $100 per day. Wales and Hawaii are among the locations now considering tourist taxes,” Henderson listed.
Barcelona
The Barcelona municipality recently increased its tourist tax from 2.75 euros to 3.25 euros on April 1.
Paris
The tourist tax for the Olympics host nation is based on a municipal rate. Typically the cost has been under $6 per night, but starting in January officials increased the visitor fee up to $17, depending on the hotel type.
Seville
Earlier this year the mayor of Seville, José Luis Sanz, announced on X plans to “close the Plaza de España and charge tourists to finance its conservation and guarantee its safety.”
Sanz shared a video along with his post that showed missing tiles, damaged facades and street vendors occupying alcoves and stairs.
The southern Spanish city will now charge visitors to enter the historic area that has been at risk of irreversible damage to its famed tile floors, bridges and towers.
Venice
Earlier this year, the coastal city known for it’s canals, blown glass and close proximity to the heart of Italy’s Prosecco region implemented a fee of 5 euro per day tripper through a new reservation system.
Travelers can download an app to pay and attain a QR code which will be shown to enter the city as a visitor.
“It is not a revolution, but the first step of a path that regulates the access of daily visitors. An experiment that aims to improve the liveability of the city, who lives there and who works there. We will carry it forward with great humility and with the awareness that there may be problems,” the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, stated on X in the announcement.
“The margins of error are wide, but we are ready, with humility and courage, to make all the changes that will serve to improve the procedure. Venice is the first city in the world to implement this path, which can be an example for other fragile and delicate cities that must be safeguarded,” he continued.
(NEW YORK) — Beyond Meat has pared down its ingredient list and upgraded the recipe to add more nutrient-dense plant-based ingredients — including heart-healthy avocado oil — for its latest innovation of the plant-based meat alternative.
The California-based company announced its new and improved Beyond Meat IV on Thursday as two new products, Beyond Burger and Beyond Beef, roll out with a fresh new look at grocery stores nationwide.
Thanks to the nutritional advancements in Beyond Meat’s new recipe, the company is the first to be recognized by the American Heart Association, as well as the American Diabetes Association for its Better Choices for Life program, which is reflected on the new packaging.
The fourth generation of Beyond Meat products is also the first in the category to be Clean Label Project Certified, from the nonprofit that works to provide transparency in food labeling on products that use as few ingredients as possible, ensuring those ingredients are wholesome.
What changed in the new Beyond Meat burgers and beef alternative?
The fourth generation of Beyond Meat boasts 21 grams of plant-based protein that comes from the addition of red lentils and faba beans, 20% less sodium and 60% less saturated fat than the previous version — after swapping out coconut and canola oils for avocado oil.
The new statistics are compared to beef with an 80/20 lean to fat ratio, which typically contains 70-80 mg of sodium for 4-ounces, which is the labeled serving size of Beyond Ground Beef and Beyond Beef Burger reflects.
Sodium in the new Beyond Beef is 310 mg, which was reduced from 390 mg in the previous version.
Registered dietitian, author, and nutrition advisor Joy Bauer, who was tapped to consult on the new product development, told ABC News’ Good Morning America that “the best news of all is a simplified ingredient list.”
“It’s easy to enhance nutrition labels, it’s a whole other challenge to have it taste just as yummy,” she said, adding that in blind tastings with existing Beyond Meat consumers, they preferred the new version over the old one.
The addition of avocado oil, which contains heart-healthy monounsaturated fats according to the American Heart Association, also makes for a better sizzle and sear like traditional beef thanks to its higher smoke point.
Diana Stavaridis, Senior Culinary Manager for Beyond Meat who oversaw the development of the new recipe and tested the product in a variety of applications, said this version has a “beefier flavor and texture” that’s easy to prepare.
“They caramelize and brown beautifully when cooked, and offer the juicy, tender culinary experience of beef,” Stavaridis said of the beef alternative that’s naturally colored with pomegranate concentrate and beet juice.
In tandem with the product launch, Beyond Meat created a short documentary-style film, “Planting Change,” to give consumers an inside look at how the product is made. The film includes interviews with leading medical and nutrition experts, ecologists, and historians talking about plant-based diets and nutrition.
The company’s Chief Marketing Officer Akerho Oghoghomeh said in a statement, that Beyond Meat is proud to create a burger alternative “while offering health and environmental benefits to the consumer.”
“We know that health is a top driver for the plant-based meat category, and with the advancements in taste and nutrition of our new Beyond Burger and Beyond Beef, we’re giving consumers a really compelling reason to make the switch,” he said.
(NEW YORK) — Dr Pepper has a new flavor hitting stores soon to jumpstart the summer mood.
The soda company announced that Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut and Creamy Coconut Zero Sugar drinks are coming to stores starting May 1.
“Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut brings together the perfect combination of the original 23 Dr Pepper flavors with layers of tropical coconut flavor and a delicious, creamy finish,” read an announcement for the new flavor, which also added that the new drink “pairs perfectly with a hot summer day.”
The drinks will be sold in 12-packs of 12-fluid-ounce cans as well as 20-fluid-ounce bottles and will be available from May until July. The standard version comes in a light blue and red can with a coconut image on it, and the Zero Sugar variety is packaged with a brown and light blue theme.
According to Dr Pepper, the new drinks are “the only coconut-cream-flavored dark soda on the market” currently.
The new beverages are reminiscent of the so-called “dirty sodas” popular in Utah, which are traditionally made with flavored syrup, soda and cream, and are sold at various restaurant locations across the state. The drive-through soda-fountain chain Swig, for example, which was founded in Utah and has several locations across other western states, offers its own version of a Dr Pepper-based concoction with coconut, as well as Coca-Cola and Pepsi-based coconut drinks, and Mountain Dew and Sprite-based coconut drinks, among others.
(NEW YORK) — Israel, early Friday morning local time, launched a retaliatory strike against Iran, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.
The strike follow Iran’s attack last Saturday, where the country sent a volley of more than 300 uncrewed drones and missiles toward targets throughout the country, Israeli military officials previously said. All but a few were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the United States, officials said.
Iran’s attack came more than six months after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, after which the Israeli military began its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s war cabinet have met several times since the Iran strikes, and as ABC News previously reported, at least two strikes were previously aborted.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Apr 19, 4:14 AM No damage to Iran’s nuclear sites after Israeli strike: IAEA
Iran’s nuclear sites have not been damaged by Israel’s strike on Iran early Friday morning, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In a statement released on social media, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi says he “continues to call for extreme restraint from everybody and reiterates that nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts.”
Apr 19, 12:49 AM Flight operations resume in Iran: State media
After suspending flights at several airports following reports of an explosion in Iran, Iranian state media said early Friday normal operations have resumed.
Apr 18, 10:31 PM Flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz suspended after reports of explosion in Iran: Iranian state media
Flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz have been suspended following reports an explosion was heard in the city of Qahjavaristan, Iranian state media reported.
The city of Qahjavaristan is located near Isfahan Airport and the 8th Shekhari Base of the Army Air Force in the northwest of Isfahan.
Apr 18, 9:27 PM Israeli missiles have hit a site in Iran
A U.S. official confirmed to ABC News Israeli missiles have hit a site in Iran. The official could not confirm whether Syria and Iraq sites were hit as well.
Apr 18, 4:19 PM In meeting with Israelis, US officials ‘expressed concerns’ over Rafah
In a Thursday meeting between U.S. and Israeli officials, the two sides discussed the attack by Iran as well as the Israeli military’s plans for an operation in Rafah in Gaza, according to the White House.
During the meeting, the “U.S. participants expressed concerns with various courses of action in Rafah,” according to a White House readout.
“Israeli participants agreed to take these concerns into account and to have further follow up discussions between experts, overseen by the U.S.-Israel Strategic Consultative Group,” and the officials agreed to meet again “soon,” according to the White House.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan convened the meeting and the Israeli side was led by Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi.
Apr 18, 2:38 PM Israel makes significant process in preparations for Rafah evacuations: Source
Israel has made significant progress in preparations for the evacuation of around 1 million civilians from Rafah ahead of the Israeli military’s impending operation in the southern Gaza city, according to an Israeli source.
Preparations have been ongoing for over a month, including repairing water and sewage pipes and amassing thousands of tents, the source said
There are around 1.5 million Palestinians estimated to be in the Khan Younis and Rafah areas in southern Gaza. It’s believed around 1 million people would evacuate north. The evacuation process, which could take weeks, would not start until after Passover.
State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel stressed to reporters that “any kind of forced relocation or displacement of the Palestinian people within Gaza cannot and should not be part of any plan or an operation.”
Apr 18, 12:52 PM US, Israeli officials to hold high-level meeting on Rafah plans
U.S. and Israeli officials will hold a high-level, virtual meeting on Thursday about alternative plans for an Israeli military operation in Rafah, a White House official confirmed to ABC News.
The official said that it will be a secure video meeting that will follow up on discussions from earlier this month. National security adviser Jake Sullivan will lead the meeting for the U.S. side, the official said.
The meeting was first reported by Axios.
“The main purpose really is to talk about Rafah … and also share our continued concerns over a major ground offensive there,” White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said.
Apr 18, 9:41 AM US sanctions 16 people, two groups after Iran attacks
The U.S. is sanctioning two groups and 16 people it says enabled Iran’s drone production following Iran’s attack on Israel last weekend.
“Today, in coordination with the United Kingdom and in consultation with partners and allies, we are taking swift and decisive action to respond to Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. “We’re using Treasury’s economic tools to degrade and disrupt key aspects of Iran’s malign activity, including its UAV program and the revenue the regime generates to support its terrorism.”
The Treasury Department said it’s sanctioning Khuzestan Steel Company, Iran’s largest steel producer. The Treasury Department said Iran’s metals sector generates “several billion dollars in revenue annually.”
The U.S. is also targeting the Iranian carmaker Bahman Group for its role in making vehicles used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for military operations.
The sanctions also target people who work for Iran-based drone manufacturers, including executives of the Mado Company, which the U.S. says produced drone engines used in Iran’s Shahed UAVs. The U.S. also sanctioned members of the IRGC who it says help supply proxy groups, like the Houthis in Yemen, with drones that have attacked U.S. service members in the Red Sea.
Yellen added that the U.S. would “continue to deploy” sanctions to counter any further action by Iran, with the goal of making it harder and more expensive for Iran to undertake destabilizing actions.
Apr 17, 6:16 PM Israel not likely to carry out strike until after Passover: US official
Israel is unlikely to carry out a strike on Iran until after Passover, a senior U.S. official told ABC News, although that could always change.
Passover begins on Monday and ends after nightfall on April 30.
The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other leadership are still on a high state of alert, with some in safe houses and underground facilities, the official said.
Apr 17, 5:50 PM Israel aborted strikes against Iran 2 nights this week: Sources
Israel prepared for and then aborted retaliatory strikes against Iran on at least two nights this past week, three Israeli sources told ABC News.
Iran attacked Israel with more than 300 drones and missiles on Saturday night into Sunday morning local time in Israel. Israel has been weighing how and when to respond to Iran’s attack since then, holding war cabinet meetings on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
The members of the Israeli war cabinet are Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister Benny Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
A range of responses have been presented to the Israeli war cabinet. The potential responses include options ranging from attacking Iranian proxies in the region but not on Iranian soil to a potential cyber attack, sources told ABC News.
There was no war cabinet meeting on Wednesday, but Netanyahu told his government cabinet that while he appreciates the advice from allies, Israel will “make our own decisions, and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself.”
-ABC News’ Matt Gutman and Jordana Miller
Apr 17, 3:02 PM Iranian president: Israel invasion would be met with ‘massive’ response
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said at an army parade Wednesday that “the tiniest invasion” from Israel will be met with a “very massive and harsh response.”
Apr 17, 2:26 PM House GOP package totals $14.1 billion for Israel
House Republicans have posted the legislative text for three national security bills, addressing Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific.
For Israel, lawmakers have crafted a package totaling $14.1 billion, including: $4 billion for missile defense; $1.2 billion for Iron Beam; $4 billion replenishment of stocks to the Department of Defense; and $3.5 billion for Israel to purchase U.S. weapons.
“The House must pass the package this week and the Senate should quickly follow,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: We stand with our friends, and we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed.”
Apr 17, 1:12 PM Netanyahu: Israel ‘will make our own decisions’ on how to respond to Iran
After meeting with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he appreciates their advice, but added, “We will make our own decisions and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself.”
Cameron told reporters after the meeting in Jerusalem, “It’s clear the Israelis are making a decision to act.”
“We hope they do so in a way that does as little to escalate this as possible, and in a way that — as I said yesterday — is smart as well as tough,” Cameron added.
Cameron also reiterated that the “real need is to refocus back on Hamas, back on the hostages, back on getting the aid in, back on getting a pause in the conflict in Gaza.”
“That’s why I’m here today to talk to the Israeli government, to talk to the Palestinian Authority to try and push those things forward,” Cameron said.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Apr 16, 7:04 PM US says it will impose new sanctions on Iran in coming days
The United States announced Tuesday it will impose new sanctions targeting Iran in the coming days following its “unprecedented air attack against Israel.”
The sanctions include targeting Iran’s missile and drone program and new sanctions against entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s Defense Ministry, according to the White House’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan.
“We anticipate that our allies and partners will soon be following with their own sanctions,” Sullivan said in a statement. “We will not hesitate to continue to take action, in coordination with allies and partners around the world, and with Congress, to hold the Iranian government accountable for its malicious and destabilizing actions.”
The U.S. is telegraphing its sanction plan in advance to underscore the large international response that the U.S. is coordinating and to signal to Iran there will be diplomatic costs to what they’ve done, a senior administration official told ABC News. The official said they believe this will have an impact, in part, by bringing other countries on board.
Apr 16, 4:08 PM IDF’s conduct, ethics under scrutiny following soldiers’ social media posts
Six months into the Israel-Hamas conflict, the conduct and ethics of some Israel Defense Forces members have increasingly come under the microscope.
Incidents ranging from pranks to potentially criminal acts are being exposed to the world, often by videos soldiers themselves have posted online, according to critics and Israeli officials.
In many pictures and videos that have circulated since the conflict began, and which were reposted by pro-Palestinian activists to millions of followers, IDF soldiers are seen blowing up buildings in Gaza while in combat, waving women’s underwear like flags and rifling through the possessions of Gazans with gleeful expressions.
Younis Tirawi, a Palestinian activist, says he’s seen thousands of videos of IDF soldiers reportedly behaving improperly.
“You can see all the soldiers liking their posts,” Tirawi told ABC News.
Apr 16, 3:48 PM Blinken to Israeli war cabinet: ‘We do not want to see further escalation’
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, during which Blinken “continue[d] to send the same messages in all his conversations — which is we do not want to see further escalation of the conflict,” according to spokesperson Matt Miller.
Miller declined to say whether the U.S. assessed the threat of escalation had fallen, but an administration official said the amount of time that has already elapsed since Iran’s weekend attack had boosted hopes that Israel would exercise constraint.
Miller batted down reports that Iran and the U.S. were communicating through intermediaries in the wake of Tehran’s attack on Israel.
“There have not been such messages delivered. It’s been days since we’ve communicated — since we’ve sent messages to the government of Iran,” Miller said. “And I say that as a reminder of something we’ve said before: Oftentimes, the Iranian government has misled the world about either messages they’ve passed to us or messages that we have passed to them.”
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Apr 16, 3:36 PM UK prime minister ‘gravely concerned’ about humanitarian situation in Gaza
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday. While Netanyahu thanked Sunak for the U.K.’s support to counter Iran’s weekend attack on Israel, Sunak also had harsh words for Netanyahu about the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“On Gaza, the Prime Minister said he remained gravely concerned about the deepening humanitarian crisis,” a Downing Street spokesperson said. “The U.K. wanted to see a massive step change in aid access to flood Gaza with vital supplies, including Israel opening up new aid routes as quickly as possible. The Prime Minister said it was deeply disappointing that Hamas blocked a deal at the weekend that would have saved Palestinian lives and secured the safe release of hostages.”
Apr 16, 3:23 PM Israeli war cabinet meeting ends again with no final decision on response: Source
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet met for the third day in a row on Tuesday to consider an Israeli response to Iran’s weekend attack.
But Tuesday’s meeting ended with no final decision made about an Israeli response, according to an Israeli source with knowledge of the meeting. A variety of options are still being considered, the source said.
Apr 16, 2:13 PM Iran foreign minister says ‘no intention of further escalating the situation’
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on a call that “Iran is willing to exercise restraint and has no intention of further escalating the situation,” according to the Chinese foreign ministry’s readout of the conversation.
Apr 16, 1:56 PM More than 19,000 children orphaned in Gaza
Over 10,000 women have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to a report from UN Women, the United Nations’ entity for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Out of those 10,000 women, 6,000 were mothers, who have left behind 19,000 orphaned children, according to the report.
-ABC News’ Kori Skillman
Apr 16, 11:18 AM Israel focused too intensely on Iran’s nuclear threat at expense of ballistic threat: IDF
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Israel focused too intensely on the Iranian nuclear threat at the expense of its ballistic threat.
A senior U.S. official told ABC News the U.S. also relied too heavily on the misguided conception that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was cautious and would never order a direct attack on Israel, and that this weekend’s attack and the general U.S. assessment of Iran now requires study and reassessment.
Sima Shine, a former head of the Iran desk at Israeli espionage agency Mossad, also said Israel’s assessment was wrong, and said “the rules of the game” have changed. A huge barrage of missiles was considered possible, but highly unlikely, Shine said.
Shine said any Israeli response under the new conception requires the assumption that Iran will follow up with its threat of another salvo of missiles. That said, Shine believes that Iran and the supreme leader do not want a full-scale war because it would be unpopular in Iran and the U.S. could get involved.
-ABC News’ Matt Gutman
Apr 16, 9:18 AM Yellen to Iran: US ‘will not hesitate’ to issue new sanctions
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is warning Iran that the U.S. “will not hesitate” to impose new sanctions in response to Iran’s “unprecedented attack” on Israel.
“Treasury will not hesitate to work with our allies to use our sanctions authority to continue disrupting the Iranian regime’s malign and destabilizing activity,” Yellen is expected to say at a Tuesday press conference. “The attack by Iran and its proxies underscores the importance of Treasury’s work to use our economic tools to counter Iran’s malign activity.”
Yellen’s message follows President Joe Biden’s Sunday meeting with the G7 nations, during which the leaders discussed a coordinated effort on sanction measures.
Apr 16, 6:31 AM Israeli war cabinet to consider response again Tuesday
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet is expected to meet again on Tuesday to consider an Israeli response to Iran’s weekend attack.
“We are closely assessing the situation. We remain at our highest level of readiness,” Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, said on Monday. “Iran will face the consequences for its actions.”
Halevi added Israel would “choose our response accordingly.”
Apr 16, 6:14 AM UN watchdog calls for de-escalation in Israel-Iran conflict
United Nations officials called on Tuesday for Israel and Iran to de-escalate their conflict, saying the retaliatory military attacks “violate the right to life and must cease immediately.”
“All countries are prohibited from arbitrarily depriving individuals of their right to life in military operations abroad, including when countering terrorism,” the U.N.’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a press release, quoting U.N. officials described as “experts.”
The retaliatory strikes by both countries may constitute the “international crime of aggression by civilian and military leaders responsible,” those officials said, according to the statement.
(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday quashed rumors he was considering changes to make it more difficult to oust him from his leadership post, after Republican hard-liners warned it was a “red line” he shouldn’t cross.
Johnson, in a statement posted to X, criticized the current rule allowing a single member to offer a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair as having “harmed” the office and the party’s majority in the House — but said it will stand for now.
“Recently, many members have encouraged me to endorse a new rule to raise this threshold,” he said. “While I understand the importance of that idea, any rule change requires a majority of the full House, which we do not have. We will continue to govern under the existing rules.”
Throughout the day, the party’s right flank had sought assurances Johnson would not consider a change to the threshold to advance a motion to vacate.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is leading the charge to take the gavel from Johnson, said earlier Thursday he “owes our entire conference a meeting and if he wants to change the motion to vacate.”
“This has never happened in history. And it’s completely wrong. He owes our conference the truth and he owes Republicans answers,” Greene, R-Ga., said. “He’s going to prove exactly what I’ve been saying correct. He is the Democrat’s speaker.”
While Greene addressed reporters on the House steps, Johnson remained on the floor surrounded by conservative hard-liners, who pressed him to commit to not changing the rule.
Standing at the back of the chamber, Johnson was surrounded by GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, Derrick Van Orden, Bob Good, Byron Donalds, Tim Burchett, Scott Perry, Eli Crane, Andy Ogles and Clay Higgins.
Johnson did not comment to reporters when he left the chamber and walked back to his office.
“He was equivocating,” Gaetz reported afterward, saying Johnson hadn’t in that conversation given the answer they wanted.
Gaetz signaled he would join the effort to oust Johnson if the speaker decided to change that threshold, and Boebert flat-out said it’s a “red line” for her, as well — underscoring the delicate balance Johnson faces as he plows forward on the national security bills and simultaneously tries to retain the gavel.
The current rules governing the motion to vacate were part of concessions former Rep. Kevin McCarthy agreed to in order to secure the speakership during 15 rounds of voting at the start of the 118th Congress. McCarthy was ousted by a small faction of his own party after nine months on the job. He resigned from Congress not long after.
“I told [Johnson] changing the threshold of the motion to vacate — that’s been my red line this entire Congress,” Boebert, R-Colo., said. “It’s my red line then, it’s my red line now. I told [him] there’s nothing that will get you to a motion to vacate faster than changing the threshold.”
Gaetz said Johnson “views the Ukraine issue very differently” than him. He’s urging Johnson to opt against holding votes on the bills in the foreign aid package until the Senate passes H.R. 2, the House-passed border bill that has no chance of passing the Senate or being signed into law.
“We’re worried about America’s border. He seems to be more worried about Ukraine,” Gaetz said.
Johnson on Wednesday said providing aid to Ukraine as it fights Russian invaders was worth the risk to his job.
“This is not a game. It’s not a joke,” Johnson said. “We have to do the right thing and I’m going to allow an opportunity for every single member of the House to vote their conscience and their will on this. And I think that’s the way this institution is supposed to work. And I’m willing to take personal risk for that because we have to do the right thing and history will judge us.”
(NEW YORK) — A federal judge has rejected an effort by former President Donald Trump to pause several civil lawsuits filed against him seeking to hold him accountable for his actions leading up to the Jan. 6 riot, according to a newly posted ruling.
Trump had asked D.C. District Judge Amit Mehta to stay proceedings in the lawsuits — brought by several members of Congress and police officers who protected the Capitol on Jan. 6 — while his federal criminal case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith was ongoing.
Trump’s attorneys reasoned that defending himself from the lawsuits could improperly impact his defense strategy in his criminal case, which Mehta rejected in his ruling Thursday afternoon.
Mehta wrote that while, “it is true in a sense—both cases center on the former President’s actions in the lead up to and on January 6, 2021… [Trump ] overstates the significance of that factual overlap in the present posture of these matters.”
Trump’s team also cited the Supreme Court’s upcoming arguments regarding the former president’s claims of immunity from prosecution in his criminal case, which they argue could impact how Mehta ultimately rules on Trump’s immunity claims for what he believes are “official acts” outlined in the civil lawsuits.
“…There is no reason to wait on the Supreme Court’s decision,” Mehta responded. “This court is unlikely to make an immunity determination before the end of the Supreme Court’s term. Thus, if the Court’s ruling on criminal immunity is relevant to the outcome here, it can easily be applied.”
Trump faces four felony charges, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction, in the indictment brought by Smith last year, in which prosecutors detailed what they said was his plot to remain in power after his electoral loss to President Joe Biden. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has denied any wrongdoing.
(LONDON) — In the wake of Iran’s unprecedented airstrikes on Israel, dozens of Iranians gathered in Tehran’s Palestine Square earlier this week to celebrate what the Iranian regime described as a retaliatory attack.
But interviews with women on the ground indicate that the scene, broadcast by Iranian state-run media in a country that lacks a free press, is not representative of how many other Iranians — particularly women — are feeling as Israel weighs its response.
ABC News spoke to several women in Iran who said the fear of an imminent war has been added to a long list of worries and hardships they have been grappling with for years. Their names have been changed due to concerns for their safety.
“The fear of the war is so crippling,” Ramesh, a 30-year-old designer and architect, told ABC News via telephone on Wednesday. “And imagine on top of that is the anxiety of getting arrested by the hijab police and the stress of not being able to afford the rent for our flat every single month.”
Iran sent a barrage of more than 300 different types of drones and missiles toward Israel late Saturday, days after a suspected Israeli airstrike hit the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria. The strike on the consulate killed seven people, including a top Iranian commander. Israel has not confirmed that it was behind the attack on the Iranian consulate but has not denied it.
All but a few of Iran’s missiles and drones were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the United States, officials said.
The incident over the weekend came six months into a brutal war between Israel and Hamas, an Iran-backed Palestinian terrorist group that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas led a surprise incursion into neighboring Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 200 others hostage, with 129 believed to still remain in captivity in Gaza, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. Since Oct. 7, Israeli forces have killed almost 34,000 people and injured more than 76,000 others in Gaza amid ongoing ground operations and aerial bombardment of the strip, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health.
A few hours after Saturday’s retaliatory attack on Israel, Iranian authorities launched a new operation to arrest women who refuse to abide by the country’s law mandating they wear a hijab, covering their entire body except for their face, hands and feet. The operation, introduced by the police and dubbed “The Light Plan,” aims to detain women who have ignored previous warnings about their dress from the country’s so-called morality police, who regularly patrol the streets of Tehran and other cities, the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) reported.
Images and videos of the latest hijab crackdown have surfaced on social media, with several Iranian women posting photos of what they say are bruises from being beaten by the morality police. One video purportedly shows Iranian police officers surrounding a woman and forcing her into a white van during a patrol.
“Imagine you turn on your TV to get news about the war and the danger you are living, and what you see is the news about the new round of the morality police operation,” Ramesh said. “It seems what the regime cares about most is that if there is a war and my house collapses over my head, my corpse is dragged out of the rubble with a scarf covering my hair.”
“We are on the verge of an all-out war and what is it that the state media tells us? A new round of the hijab police activities,” she added. “Iran says its attack on Israel was a retaliation for the 12 people Israel killed in Syria. But we know at the end we, 80 million Iranians, will be paying the price.”
Azam, a 35-year-old housewife and mother, said she “couldn’t sleep” the night she saw the news about Iran’s strikes on Israel.
“I went to my daughter’s room and held her and grabbed her from sleep, and then I went to my son’s room and held him,” Azam told ABC News via telephone on Tuesday. “All I am worried about now is that if there is a war and they attack us, we may get hurt or separated.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel “will make our own decisions [about its response to Iran’s attack] and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself.” U.S. and U.K. officials have said they don’t wish to see the situation escalate.
Maral, a 28-year-old website developer, said she and her family are living in “a horrible atmosphere of distress and anxiety,” fearing they are “just tools in the hands of those in power.”
“I am in shock and very worried about Israel’s response,” Maral told ABC News via telephone on Tuesday, adding that she has urged relatives who live in a town near one of Iran’s nuclear facilities to pack their things and come stay with them in case Israel decides to target such sites.
“Another bitter thing here is the divide between people,” she said. “The minority that are still supporters of the regime keep saying we need to stick together if the war happens, but many others are tired of the regime. Everything is so expensive and I am afraid of things getting even more expensive.”
Iran’s economy and, subsequently, its people have suffered under years of widespread corruption and international sanctions. The value of the country’s currency, the rial, has plummeted 22 times in the past 10 years. In 2019, following the failure of nuclear talks between Iran and world powers, one U.S. dollar was equal to 130,000 Iranian rials. This week, after the Iranian strikes on Israel, the rial fell to 650,000 per dollar.
The high inflation rate and currency devaluation have left many Iranians struggling to afford basic necessities, including food. Zahra, a 65-year-old housewife and grandmother, said a kilogram (just over 2 pounds) of beef currently costs 7 million rials (about $11), which is expensive for a household that only earns 100 million rials (about $150) per month.
“We don’t buy red meat or even chicken as much,” Zahra told ABC News via telephone on Wednesday.
Zahra said she fears things will get worse if Israel’s war in Gaza, which the United Nations warns has triggered a humanitarian crisis and imminent famine, spreads to her own doorstep in Iran. The concern of a wider war in the Middle East has been echoed by many regional analysts and experts.
“I have seen how innocent children are being killed, I have seen the hospitals being targeted in Gaza,” Zahra added. “I told my granddaughter that everything was going to be alright and I kept telling myself the same, too.”
(WASHINGTON) — A ban on the popular social media app TikTok in the United States is now lumped in with Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans’ $95 billion foreign aid package, which would provide funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
House Republican leaders late Wednesday posted legislative text on a fourth and final bill — the “21st Century Peace Through Strength Act” — that’s part of the proposed aid package. The bill includes a modified version of the TikTok ban that passed the House earlier this year, as well as the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity (REPO) for Ukrainians Act, mandatory sanctions on Iran and more.
The new bill would give TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance 270 days from the date of enactment to divest from the app or face a U.S. ban, according to the proposed legislation. It would also give the president flexibility to offer a one-time extension of 90 days, ultimately possibly providing ByteDance up to a year to divest from the app, according to the bill.
The previous TikTok bill that passed in the House in March gave ByteDance 180 days to divest from the app or face a ban.
Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell endorsed the changes to the proposed TikTok ban and said Wednesday in a statement: “I’m very happy that Speaker Johnson and House leaders incorporated my recommendation to extend the ByteDance divestment period from six months to a year. As I’ve said, extending the divestment period is necessary to ensure there is enough time for a new buyer to get a deal done. I support this updated legislation.”
In a post on X Wednesday night, TikTok said: “It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the U.S. economy, annually.”
What happens next?
In its latest guidance, House GOP leadership advised that votes on the four bills in the aid package are expected in the House on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with the last votes for the week expected late Saturday. The aid package includes $26.4 billion for Israel aid, including $4 billion to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome defense system; $60.8 billion for Ukraine aid, including $23 billion for replenishing weapons, and $8.1 billion for Indo-Pacific aid.
If each of the four bills passes and Johnson sends them to the Senate as one package — as he’s indicated he would do, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wouldn’t be able to take up the issue of foreign aid without the fourth bill that includes the proposed TikTok ban.
While senators could strip out the TikTok portion of the fourth bill, that would require sending the legislation back to the House for another vote.
While Schumer on Wednesday expressed overall support for the House foreign aid package — although not bringing up TikTok, he said he hasn’t looked closely at the text yet.
Sources at TikTok told ABC News they were alarmed by how quickly this legislation is moving and were still trying to formulate their response late Wednesday.
TikTok, which has more than 170 million American users, has said the legislation passed in the House in March amounts to a “total ban.”
In response to ABC News’ request for comment in March, TikTok condemned the proposed bill as an infringement on the right to express oneself freely.
“This legislation has a predetermined outcome: a total ban of TikTok in the United States. The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression. This will damage millions of businesses, deny artists an audience and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country,” a TikTok spokesperson said at the time.
(TALLAHASSEE, Fla.) — As Florida schools face a growing number of book ban attempts, Gov. Ron DeSantis is scaling back policies that made it easier for people to challenge materials in schools.
In 2022, DeSantis signed HB 1467, which required elementary schools to provide a searchable list of the books accessible to students in libraries or classrooms and allow for public comment on all new materials.
Other recent legislation signed by DeSantis, including the Parental Rights in Education Bill and the Stop WOKE Act, restricts content on race and LGBTQ identities in schools and has further impacted access to classroom materials.
Florida law also allows parents and residents to object to books and have them reviewed and potentially removed from schools.
Since the implementation of these laws, Florida has seen a rise in book banning attempts across the state, according to the American Library Association (ALA) and free speech advocacy group PEN America.
Now, DeSantis has signed HB 1285, which he said will limit the amount of book objections that can be made by people who don’t have a child who is accessing school materials. Parents of children in the school districts or using district materials will still be able to object to an unlimited amount of material.
According to DeSantis, the book transparency efforts were aimed at removing “explicit” material from schools. Critics of these policies argued their vague restrictions would lead to censorship.
In the first half of this school year alone, PEN America found that Florida experienced the highest number of ban cases with 3,135 attempts across 11 school districts.
More than 1,600 of those book banning attempts took place in Escambia County Public Schools, which is currently being sued by book publisher Penguin Random House, authors and PEN America for removing hundreds of books off shelves for review.
These groups found that political groups like Moms for Liberty and politicized individuals are behind large swaths of book challenges nationwide, sometimes demanding the censorship of multiple titles — often dozens or hundreds at a time.
The vast majority of the books impacted by these banning efforts are written by or about people of color and the LGBTQ community, according to the ALA.
DeSantis’ office said the recent change to these policies “protects schools from activists trying to politicize and disrupt a district’s book review process.”
“What’s happened though, is you have some people who are taking the curriculum transparency and are trying to weaponize that for political purposes that involves objecting to normal books,” said DeSantis in a Tuesday press conference. “Some of the books I saw in the teachers lounge, the classic books, there’s people that will try to get to that because they wanna create a narrative. It’s like, ‘oh, all these books, we don’t know what’s lawful or not to have.’ That’s nonsense.”
(NEW YORK) — Trader Joe’s shoppers with an affinity for homemade pesto, Caprese salad or other dishes that utilize fresh basil should check their fridge for a newly recalled plastic clamshell container of the organic herb.
“Do not eat Infinite Herbs-brand organic basil sold at Trader Joe’s stores in 29 states and D.C.,” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned on Wednesday amid an ongoing salmonella investigation being carried out in tandem with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“This product should no longer be for sale at Trader Joe’s and is likely past shelf-life. If you already bought organic basil from Trader Joe’s and removed it from the packaging or froze it and cannot tell if it was Infinite Herbs-brand, do not eat or use it and throw it away,” the FDA urged consumers.
The popular grocer announced a voluntary recall of its 2.5-ounce plastic clamshell containers of organic basil on April 17 “as the product may have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.”
The product is marked with the UPC code 8 18042 02147 7 and was sold between Feb. 1 and April 6, 2024, in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.
“If you purchased the product during this date range, please discard it or return it to any Trader Joe’s for a full refund,” the retailer said in its recall announcement.
Those with questions about the recall can contact Trader Joe’s customer relations at (626) 599-3817 or by emailing the company through the product feedback form on its site.
Trader Joe’s did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for additional comment.
As of time of publication, based on epidemiological information collected by CDC, 12 people have been infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium reported in seven states and linked to the Infinite Herbs organic basil.
“Seven of eight cases with information available reported exposure to fresh organic basil purchased from Trader Joe’s before becoming ill,” the FDA stated this week. “Additionally, traceback data collected by FDA determined that Infinite Herbs, LLC, in Miami, FL, was the supplier of the 2.5-oz packages of organic basil sold at Trader Joe’s stores.”
According to the CDC, most people infected with salmonella experience diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, and symptoms typically begin six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria.
Most people recover without treatment after four to seven days. But some — especially children younger than 5 years and adults 65 years and older, or people with weakened immune systems — may experience more severe illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalization, the CDC states.
According to the FDA, Infinite Herbs, LLC is cooperating with the agency’s investigation and agreed to initiate the voluntary recall.
In a post on the company’s website, Infinite Herbs CEO Gregorio Berliavsky wrote, “I am heartbroken at the thought that any item we sold may have caused illness or discomfort. We simply will not rest until we can once again be confident in the safety of this product.”
He continued, “All farms we source from must comply with U.S. food safety regulations, meet buyer requirements, and submit documentation verifying food safety practices. We sourced the recalled basil from a single farm, which is no longer in production, and we are working with the farmer to conduct an internal investigation of the food safety practices. Through this investigation, our goal is to determine the cause of this recall and apply measures to prevent it from happening again.”
“Your safety and satisfaction are of utmost importance to us, and we deeply regret any concerns this may have caused,” he added.
According to Berliavsky, customers impacted by the recall may contact the company’s customer service team at 305-599-9255 (extension 148) Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET, or via email at customer_service@infiniteherbs.com.
The FDA and CDC investigation is ongoing to determine the source of contamination and whether additional products are linked to illnesses. The FDA said it would post updates via its online advisory.
