Netanyahu faces isolation at the UN, Trump doubles down on his enemies

With a stunned expression, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu watched from the UN General Assembly podium as diplomats and officials filed out en masse just as he began to speak. 

In his fiery address, Netanyahu acknowledged Israel’s growing isolation but insisted that the country ‘must finish the job’ against Hamas in Gaza, rejecting accusations of genocide and starvation.

Netanyahu will visit the White House on Monday to meet President Donald Trump. The encounter will test Trump’s pledge, made earlier this week to Gulf leaders, that he opposes Israel’s annexation of the West Bank.

While CNN highlighted Netanyahu’s isolation, Fox News framed the UN as “rotten,” amplifying Trump’s criticisms and his reception of Netanyahu. It even spotlighted a minor incident: US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz was reportedly assaulted in UN headquarters by a ‘disturbed leftist,’ shortly after denouncing logistical problems during Trump’s speech and tying US funding to reforms.

Trump targets his enemies

Beyond the UN, U.S. media focused on Trump’s expanding campaign against perceived opponents following the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. The New York Times observed that while Trump insists he is seeking justice rather than revenge, his rhetoric suggests he expects the Justice Department to pursue those he considers enemies.

The Associated Press reported that the FBI has dismissed around 20 agents who knelt during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests — a gesture Trump strongly opposed as president. At the same time, prosecutors are investigating Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis, who brought charges over Trump’s efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 election result.

Attention has also turned to Virginia federal prosecutor Lindsey Halligan, a 36-year-old lawyer with limited prosecutorial experience but longstanding ties to Trump. A former beauty pageant contestant in Colorado and later a member of his legal team, she was recently appointed to replace a prosecutor who resigned rather than indict Comey. US outlets note that her career trajectory has been closely tied to Trump since his days overseeing beauty contests.According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump faced internal resistance within his team before indicting Comey, and has already dismissed Comey’s daughter Maurene from the federal prosecutor’s office in New York. Politico quoted experts calling the Comey case a misstep that risks humiliating the Justice Department by exposing its subordination to the president.