News of the World
08-03-2025, 09:47 PM
USA
Quote:Hillary Clinton signed off on a plan hatched by a top campaign adviser to “smear” then-candidate Donald Trump with false claims of Russian collusion and distract from her own mounting email scandal during the 2016 campaign, according to explosive intelligence files declassified Thursday.
The 24-page intelligence annex was compiled from memos and emails obtained by the Obama administration in the lead-up to Election Day that laid out “confidential conversations” between leaders of the Democratic National Committee — including then-Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz — and liberal billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.
The plot, the brainchild of the Clinton campaign’s then-foreign policy adviser, Julianne Smith, included “raising the theme of ‘Putin’s support for Trump’” and “subsequently steering public opinion toward the notion that it needs to equate” the Russian leader’s political influence campaign with actual hacking of election infrastructure.
Smith would go on to serve as former President Joe Biden’s ambassador to NATO. “I don’t have any comment,” she told The Post when reached by phone Thursday.
Open Society senior vice president Leonard Benardo was looped in on the scheme and laid out its intended effect in a series of emails in late July 2016.
“Julie [sic] says it will be a long-term affair to demonize Putin and Trump,” Benardo was quoted as writing July 25. “Now it is good for a post-convention bounce. Later the FBI will put more oil into the fire.”
Two days later, Benardo wrote: “HRC approved Julia’s idea about Trump and Russian hackers hampering U.S. elections. That should distract people from her own missing email, especially if the affair goes to the Olympic level,” an apparent reference to revelations of a massive state-sponsored doping campaign by Russia following the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.
“The point is making the Russian play a U.S. domestic issue,” Benardo also stated. “In absence of direct evidence, Crowdstrike and ThreatConnect will supply the media, and GRU [Russia’s foreign intelligence arm] will hopefully carry on to give more facts.”
Special counsel John Durham uncovered the files during a multi-year probe into intelligence activities during the 2016 election.
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Quote:The Trump administration released a revised list of tariff rates against nearly 70 countries set to take effect next week.
The announcement follows a four-month negotiating sprint with dozens of US trading partners to lock in one-for-one agreements — some of which are reflected in the new list.
Among the notable rates that will be charged at 12:01 a.m. Aug. 7 — rather than on the Friday deadline initially announced by the White House — are 15% for Iceland and Israel, 30% for South Africa, 39% for Switzerland and 20% for Taiwan and Vietnam.
Brazil, the largest economic power in South America, will see its rate balloon to 50% on Aug. 6, President Trump announced Wednesday.
The president previously threatened Vietnam with a 46% tariff in his April 2 “Liberation Day” announcement, but the country was able to reach a tentative trade deal with the US earlier this month, which lowered its rate.
Israel’s new rate is 2 percentage points lower than the 17% duty unveiled in April — despite not having made a formal agreement with the White House.
Trump noted in his executive order modifying reciprocal rates Wednesday that some nations “have agreed to, or are on the verge of agreeing to, meaningful trade and security commitments with the United States,” while others either have not tried to strike a deal or “despite having engaged in negotiations, have offered terms that, in my judgment, do not sufficiently address imbalances in our trading relationship or have failed to align sufficiently with the United States on economic and national-security matters.”
The steepest tariff rates will be carried by Syria (41%), Laos and Myanmar (40%), Switzerland (39%) and Iraq and Serbia (35%).
The list also denotes a 35% rate on imports from Canada after Trump signed an order upping the current tariff by 10 percentage points.
Countries not listed in the announcement will be subject to a 10% tariff, according to the White House.
Quote:The FBI redacted Donald Trump's name, along with the names of other prominent public figures, from references in the Jeffrey Epstein files, three people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg's Jason Leopold.
Internal directives instructed about 1,000 FBI agents to flag any mention of Trump during a March review of roughly 100,000 pages of records, people familiar with the process told Bloomberg.
The Justice Department said the review turned up no "client list" or evidence linking Trump to criminal activity, despite his name appearing in Epstein's contact book and flight logs.
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The president and senior White House officials have repeatedly said in recent weeks that there was no reason to release the remaining Epstein files, and they have sought to move on from the saga despite calls from Trump's base to release all documents as promised.
What To Know
The Bloomberg report said that earlier this year, FBI agents were directed to search for all documents associated with the Epstein case and determine which could be released, totaling tens of thousands of pages, following Attorney General Pam Bondi's request for them.
During the review, in March, FBI personnel were said to have identified numerous references to Trump and other high-profile people, with the names then redacted by FOIA officers because they were private citizens at the time—a common practice under FOIA case law.
After the redactions, the files were sent to Bondi, who then reportedly told Trump in May that his name was in the files.
Then, in early July, the Justice Department and FBI released a joint statement, saying they had concluded that no further documents needed to be disclosed.
"While we have labored to provide the public with maximum information regarding Epstein," the statement read, "it is the determination of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted."
Privacy concerns and protections for victims have been cited as reasons for withholding additional material, a decision that has drawn bipartisan criticism and renewed scrutiny of the files' handling.
Trump has said he believes his name was added to the files by former President Barack Obama and others within his administration.
Trump And Epstein's Relationship Explained
Trump and Epstein, both New Yorkers, first knew each other in the late 1980s. There were several documented instances of the pair socializing and partying in the years that followed, including at Mar-a-Lago and in New York City.
They spent about 15 years as friends, per Trump's own recounting. He told New York magazine in 2002 that Epstein was a "terrific guy."
The president has said that he then fell out with Epstein and had not talked to him in more than a decade before the financier's arrest in 2019. Epstein, a convicted sex offender, died by suicide behind bars that year while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
I guess Trump will sue Bloomberg just as he did with the Wall Street Journal not long ago.
Quote:The Office of Special Counsel (OSC), an independent federal agency, confirmed Saturday that it has opened an investigation into Jack Smith, the former special counsel who prosecuted federal cases against then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.
The New York Post first reported about the investigation.
The investigation centers on allegations that Smith violated the Hatch Act, a federal law prohibiting certain government officials from engaging in political activities while in office.
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This investigation represents a significant reversal of roles, with the former prosecutor now facing scrutiny for his own actions. The probe could set important precedents about the boundaries of special counsel operations and their potential political implications during election cycles.
The Trump administration has pursued sweeping personnel changes across federal departments, particularly targeting those involved in investigating Trump.
What To Know
Smith oversaw two major federal cases against Trump: one involving classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, launched by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland and another related to Trump's alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
Last summer, Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, dismissed the classified documents case on grounds that Smith was not properly appointed by Garland because he was not approved by the U.S. Senate.
Smith also was investigating whether Trump criminally attempted to overturn the 2020 election results, including efforts to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence to delay certification of the Electoral College vote on January 6, 2021.
The probe examined Trump's role in promoting a false slate of electors and his involvement in the events leading to the U.S. Capitol riot, where his supporters stormed the building after he repeatedly, and without evidence, claimed the election had been "stolen" through widespread voter fraud.
Garland has previously said politics didn't play a part in the handling of the two cases, which were dropped after Trump's November 2024 election victory, following longstanding Justice Department policy that sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted.
Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, formally requested the investigation Wednesday, alleging that Smith's conduct was designed to help then-President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, both Democrats, in their election efforts against Trump. Biden had dropped his own bid for reelection in July 2024 following his disastrous performance in a campaign debate against Trump and tapped Harris to succeed him on the ticket. Trump ultimately won the election.
The Hatch Act, enacted in 1939, restricts federal employees from using their official positions to influence elections. Violations can result in removal from office, suspension, or other disciplinary measures. The OSC, separate from the Justice Department's special counsel positions, investigates such violations but has no criminal enforcement power. However, it can impose fines and other sanctions for violations.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Pam Bondi has fired over 20 Department of Justice employees who worked with Smith on the Trump investigations, according to Reuters. Some of the terminated employees were identified by Bondi's "Weaponization Working Group," which evaluates activities of Smith and affiliates for potential "weaponization" of the legal system.
Smith resigned from his position following Trump's election victory and the dismissal of the federal cases. Neither case had proceeded to trial before being dropped.
Quote:Hundreds of thousands have been removed from a health care plan in California over the course of two years, according to data from KFF, a nonprofit health policy research and news organization.
About 900,000 Americans were disenrolled from Medicaid in the state as part of the unwinding process happening nationwide after Medicaid coverage was expanded following the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The unwinding process has resulted in significant drops in Medicaid enrollment across the U.S. There is now growing concern about the rising population of those without health insurance and the wider impacts this could have, such as worsening health outcomes, increasing strain on emergency services and rising medical costs.
The worry has been amplified by the recent passing of President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, in which funding cuts, a focus on "waste, fraud and abuse" and work requirements are in store for Medicaid. Many have voiced concern that the measures will result in millions losing health coverage.
What To Know
In California, there were 14,285,643 covered by Medicaid in March 2023, but by March 2025, that number was 13,392,566, KFF data shows.
This was because during the pandemic, some states expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), causing nationwide enrollment levels to increase.
Federal rules forced states to keep most Medicaid enrollees on the program, even if their eligibility status changed, until March 2023, when they were then allowed to start rolling recipients off the program.
This marks a change of about 900,000, a decline that was smaller than other highly populated states like Texas, Florida and New York.
In March 2025, the number of people with Medicaid coverage in California was still higher than pre-pandemic levels, by 16 percent.
The reason why Medicaid coverage is unwinding at different rates in states is because "states approached the process of reviewing the eligibility of their Medicaid beneficiaries with fundamentally different strategies," Michael Sparer, professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University, told Newsweek.
He said that Florida and Texas began the review process "as fast as they could and immediately declared ineligible those beneficiaries who did not promptly respond to review notices."
"There is clear evidence that many beneficiaries who were still eligible lost coverage simply because they did not timely navigate the administrative hurdles to recertification," he added.
Meanwhile, he said that New York and California "were far more deliberate in how they approached the review process, thus the number who've lost their eligibility via this process is far fewer."
Quote:The Trump administration suffered two legal defeats on Friday when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sustained a court imposed ban on immigration enforcement being conducted on the basis of language or occupation. And a district judge banned the Department of Homeland Security from using a controversial tactic against those with immigration parole.
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Donald Trump was elected as president for a second term in November 2024 after vowing to crackdown on illegal immigration into the United States, and his administration has said it hopes to deport at least 1 million illegal migrants per year.
With Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress in addition to the White House, the courts have emerged as one of the main impediments to Trump administration policy. Courts have struck down punitive measures introduced by the president against legal firms involved in cases against him; removed sanctions targeted at International Criminal Court employees; and blocked a bid to strip thousands of Haitian migrants of legal protections.
What To Know
On Friday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a temporary restraining order preventing immigration enforcement agents from detaining people on the basis of their occupation or language was legally valid and can remain in force.
It said part of U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong's order had been vague, but added that "defendants, however, are not likely to succeed on their remaining arguments."
The initial case was brought by two U.S. nationals who said they were stopped and questioned by immigration enforcement, despite confirming they were citizens, and by three people who were detained at a bus stop where they were looking to find work.
Separately, Friday also saw U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb ban the Department of Homeland Security from using a controversial tactic against migrants who had been granted immigration parole, allowing them to live and work in the U.S. legally.
In a number of cases in recent months, the pending cases against such migrants were dismissed after which they were detained outside the courthouse and put through an expedited removal deportation process.
Cobb said that her decision will impact "hundreds of thousands" of migrants. It effectively overrules a Trump administration directive issued on January 23 instructing that "expedited removal," a swifter deportation process, should be used widely.
Quote:More than 3,200 Boeing defense workers are set to begin striking Monday, August 4, after overwhelmingly rejecting a contract proposal that included a 20 percent wage increase over four years.
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This latest action represents the first strike in nearly three decades at Boeing's St. Louis-area defense factories, with the union's last work stoppage occurring in 1996 and lasting 99 days, according to Bloomberg.
The strike also adds to Boeing's mounting challenges amid ongoing safety concerns and production issues that have severely damaged the company's reputation. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated in March that Boeing had lost the trust of the American people following a mid-air panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9, two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people, and a recent Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash in India that killed 260 people.
The work stoppage will directly impact production of the F-47 fighter jet, part of the Next Generation Air Dominance program designed to replace the F-22 Raptor. Boeing won this critical contract earlier this year, with the company expanding its St. Louis manufacturing facilities to accommodate the sixth-generation fighter program.
What To Know
Members of the IAM District 837 voted down Boeing's offer on Sunday, August 3, following the expiration of their current contract at 11:59 p.m. CT, according to a press release from the union. This latest vote follows members' rejection of Boeing's earlier proposal on Sunday, July 27.
The impending walkout will affect three facilities in St. Louis, St. Charles, Missouri, and Mascoutah, Illinois, where workers assemble critical military aircraft, including F-15 fighters, F/A-18 Super Hornets, and components for the advanced F-47 fighter jet program. Despite union leaders initially recommending approval of what they called a "landmark" agreement, District 837 members rejected Boeing's offer.
The proposal included the 20 percent wage increase, improved medical benefits, enhanced pension provisions, and better overtime benefits. Boeing characterized this as "the richest contract offer we've ever presented to IAM 837 which addressed all their stated priorities."
The Boeing Air Dominance division produces several military aircraft, including the U.S. Navy's Super Hornet and the Air Force's Red Hawk training aircraft. A strike late last year by machinists' union members put a heavy toll on the company, compounding existing production issues and stalling manufacturing of key aircraft including the 737 MAX, 767, and 777 models.
The union implemented a seven-day "cooling off" period following the contract's expiration, delaying strike action until August 4. This procedural step is standard in labor negotiations to provide additional time for potential last-minute agreements.
Quote:President Donald Trump in a strongly worded Truth Social post published on Saturday evening heavily criticized Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, for his demands in exchange for ending his party's filibuster of every nominee the president puts before the Senate.
Democrats are stalling the process, dragging it out and eating into the Senate recess and frustrating their counterparts across the aisle - as well as the president, who suggested the Republicans should tell Schumer and Democrats to "GO TO HELL!"
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Trump still has a slate of nominees needing confirmation by the Senate, but Democrats have refused to simply pass them, even as Trump demands that his nominees "should NOT BE FORCED TO WAIT" and serve his administration.
The Democrats have forced procedural votes on almost all of Trump's picks, which means the Senate has to debate and approve the rules of voting before each nominee confirmation - a process that has forced the Senate to delay its annual August recess and forcing Senate Majority Leader John Thune to keep the Senate in session over the weekend to try and push through as many nominees as possible.
What To Know
Thune ahead of the weekend said he would leave negotiations to Trump and Schumer, telling reporters on Friday: "That's how this is going to get resolved. We'll see where that leads."
That approach has ultimately led to Trump lashing out at Schumer on Truth Social after a day of back and forth, thought it remains unclear what Schumer is asking of Trump in exchange for allowing the confirmations to proceed at a normal pace.
Trump instead blasted "Cryin' Chuck Schumer" and claimed the senator was "demanding over One Billion Dollars in order to approve a small number of our highly qualified nominees, who should right now be helping to run our Country."
"This demand is egregious and unprecedented, and would be embarrassing to the Republican Party if it were accepted," Trump wrote. "It is political extortion, by any other name."
"Tell Schumer, who is under tremendous political pressure from within his own party, the Radical Left Lunatics, to GO TO HELL!" he continued. "Do not accept the offer, go home and explain to your constituents what bad people the Democrats are, and what a great job the Republicans are doing, and have done, for our Country. Have a great RECESS and, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!"
In a previous post, Trump said he was "Very proud of our great Republican Senators for fighting, over the Weekend and far beyond, if necessary, in order to get my great Appointments approved, and on their way to helping us MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
He also said in that earlier post that the "Democrats want our Country to fail, because they have failed. Thank you to Senator John Thune and our Republican Warriors in the Senate. Fight and WIN. I am with you all the way!!!"
He later in the evening posted two further messages - one in which he called the Democrats "EXTORTIONISTS WHO ALMOST DESTROYED OUR COUNTRY," and one in which he again praised "A great job done" by Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson for their work on passing the One Big Beautiful Bill.
However, Democrats have indicated they have no desire to give in so quickly, even as they see a chance to retreat and regroup after months of unsuccessfully trying to get any concessions on Trump's bill and failing to prevent the passage of a Recissions Bill, which has gutted some public funding.
Three Republicans have at times worked with Democrats throughout the process: Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, and Senator Susan Collins of Maine - and Trump has criticized all of them at various times throughout the week in Truth Social posts.
What Happens Next
The Senate still has to see to dozens of nominations, according to The Associated Press.
Confirming all of them with the current process that Democrats have pursued could take months, but the Senate may simply go on recess for August and return to fight it out again in September.
Quote:Authorities in California have ordered evacuations in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties as the Gifford fire continues to spread, with only 5 percent of the blaze contained as of Saturday afternoon.
The Gifford fire has grown into the state's second-biggest this year behind the Madre fire, which also burned in San Luis Obispo County.
Why It Matters
The Golden State is still reeling after devastating fires destroyed significant portions of the area around Los Angeles County and some neighborhoods within the city itself earlier this year.
The Palisades and Eaton fires, which did the most damage, consumed 23,448 and 14,021 acres, respectively, by the time they were contained. The Palisades fire ended up one of the most destructive fires in California history after destroying over 1,000 structures.
What To Know
The Gifford fire broke out on Friday afternoon at around 3:44 p.m. local time along Highway 166, about 30 miles east of Santa Maria in the Los Padres National Forest. The fire has since rapidly spread to consume 23,588 acres over two counties in less than a day.
CalFire posted on its website an evacuation order labeling the fire an "immediate threat to life," stressing that the evacuation is "a lawful order to LEAVE NOW" as the area will be closed to public access as firefighters try to contain the blaze.
The order affects a dozen areas across the counties, with another half-dozen areas under evacuation warnings due to "potential threat to life and/or property," with those who require extra time to evacuate or have to evacuate pets and livestock "should leave now."
At the same time, the Green fire in Shasta County is nearly completely contained after burning just over 19,000 acres, and the Orleans Complex fire in Del Norte and Siskiyou counties is about 80 percent contained after burning around 21,500 acres.
The Madre fire, which started a month ago, is now fully contained after burning 80,779 acres across San Luis Obispo County.
Quote:A small earthquake shook the New York metropolitan area Saturday evening, registering a magnitude of 3.0, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The tremor struck in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, less than eight miles west of Manhattan's Central Park, at a depth of approximately 6.2 miles underground.
NYC Emergency Management quickly issued guidance on social media to residents following the seismic event, confirming that tremors were felt across parts of New York City. The agency reported no major impacts at the time while coordinating with partner agencies to monitor for any potential damage or aftershocks.
Why It Matters
While earthquakes are relatively uncommon in the Northeast, this event highlights the region's ongoing seismic activity in one of the nation's most densely populated urban centers.
The earthquake's proximity to Manhattan underscores the importance of emergency preparedness planning and public awareness in metropolitan areas not typically associated with frequent seismic events.
In April 2024, an earthquake hit White House Station, New Jersey, and registered at a 4.7 magnitude. Shaking was felt for miles even in New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
What To Know
The earthquake originated in the Ramapo Fault system, a known seismic zone running through New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Despite its minor magnitude of 3.0, the shallow depth allowed the tremor to be felt across the metropolitan region as a brief swaying sensation lasting only seconds.
NYC Emergency Management provided comprehensive safety guidance following the event, advising residents to check for hazards such as shifted items, falling debris, or cracks if they experienced shaking. The agency emphasized that no immediate protective action was needed unless damage occurred, while warning residents to remain prepared for possible aftershocks that could follow minutes, hours, or days after the initial quake.
The city established clear reporting channels for residents, directing earthquake reports to the USGS and non-emergency damage reports to 311, while reserving 911 calls for life-threatening emergencies only.
Quote:Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has been seen at the same Texas prison now housing convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
Both women are serving lengthy sentences at Federal Prison Camp Bryan, a minimum-security facility in Bryan, a facility known for housing white-collar and often referred to as "Club Fed" for its less restrictive environment.
Holmes was spotted jogging within the prison grounds over the weekend.
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The convergence of Holmes and Maxwell at a single facility has raised questions about accountability, privilege, and the visibility of women's incarceration in America.
Both women were central figures in major national scandals: Holmes for leading a billion-dollar biotech fraud, and Maxwell for her role in Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking network.
Their shared placement in a minimum-security prison has drawn scrutiny from victims' groups and families, criminal justice advocates, and the public at large.
What To Know
Holmes, who is serving an 11-year sentence for defrauding investors in her failed startup Theranos, has been incarcerated at FPC Bryan since May 2023. She was recently photographed jogging in the prison yard, appearing relaxed and reportedly adjusting to the facility's routines.
Photographs published by Fox News show her wearing glasses, gray prison-issue shorts and T-shirt, compression gloves, sneakers, and a baseball cap, with her blond hair poking out underneath, while carrying small weights.
Maxwell, sentenced to 20 years for sex trafficking minors, was quietly transferred to the same prison in late July after previously being held at FCI Tallahassee. Sources said her transfer followed private meetings with senior Justice Department officials, fueling speculation about potential cooperation in ongoing investigations.
The prison itself is known for its relatively comfortable conditions compared to other federal facilities, housing nonviolent offenders in dormitory-style accommodations, as per the Houston Chronicle. Inmates have access to work assignments, educational programs, and limited family visitation.
Holmes is said to be working a clerical job, while maintaining regular contact with her two young children, People reports.
Maxwell's presence has added a new level of notoriety to the facility, which also houses former reality TV star Jen Shah.
Victims of Epstein's network have expressed outrage over what they perceive as the soft treatment of Maxwell. Many have condemned her transfer to FPC Bryan as a signal that she is receiving preferential treatment despite her conviction.
The family of Virginia Giuffre and other victims of Epstein's abuse expressed outrage on Friday, calling the move "a cover-up", as reported by Axios. Their reaction comes amid renewed public attention on Maxwell's case as President Donald Trump faces pressure over his handling of Epstein-related documents.
Giuffre, who died by suicide in April at the age of 41, had long accused Maxwell of recruiting her as a teenager from Mar-a-Lago to be abused by Epstein.
In response to questions about whether he would pardon Maxwell, Trump has not explicitly ruled out the possibility. Speaking to reporters earlier this week, he said, "I'm allowed to give her a pardon, but nobody's approached me with it," and added that discussing the matter would be "inappropriate."
Quote:The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) has charged two people believed to have "assisted" Austin Robert Drummond, the suspect in the recent killings of four people in Lake County.
Authorities are still searching for Drummond as of Sunday afternoon.
The TBI directed Newsweek to its social media for updates and offered no further comment when contacted for comment.
Why It Matters
Earlier this week, an infant was found abandoned in Dyer County. Hours later, four relatives, including the child's father and mother, were found murdered in nearby Lake County.
Authorities identified the victims as the child's parents, Matthew Wilson, 21, and Adrianna Williams, 20, along with the child's maternal grandmother, Courtney Rose, 38, and maternal uncle, Braydon Williams, 15.
What To Know
On Saturday, TBI announced two other Jackson, Tennessee, residents have been arrested in relation to the murders. Giovonte Thomas, 28, and Tanaka Brown, 29, have been arrested and charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.
In a press release, TBI noted that "Thomas was already being held in the Madison County Jail on an unrelated charge for Failure to Appear. He will be transferred to the Lake County Jail to be arraigned on the new charges."
Brown has been booked into the Lake County Jail without bond, the TBI said. In an update, the TBI noted that Brown has an additional charge of one count of tampering with evidence.
The TBI has not released information explaining the charges but noted that the two "assisted" Drummond.
Drummond, 28, has been identified as the primary suspect in the murders. The TBI has issued a warrant for his arrest and added him to its "Most Wanted" list.
He is wanted on four counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated kidnapping, four counts of unlawful possession of a weapon, and one count of possessing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony. He remains at-large with authorities warning that he is "considered armed and dangerous."
CANADA
Quote:Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he is "disappointed" by President Donald Trump's move to increase certain tariffs from 25 to 35 percent.
"President Trump has announced that the United States will increase its tariffs to 35 percent on those Canadian exports that are not covered under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, or CUSMA," Carney said in a statement posted on X.
"While the Canadian government is disappointed by this action, we remain committed to CUSMA, which is the world's second-largest free trade agreement by trading volume."
Trump announced the increase on Thursday, saying: "Canada has failed to cooperate in curbing the ongoing flood of fentanyl and other illicit drugs, and it has retaliated against the United States for the President's actions to address this unusual and extraordinary threat to the United States."
Why It Matters
The hike in tariffs on Canada is one of the sharpest escalations in Trump's aggressive trade agenda and ties national security concerns, including the fentanyl crisis, to economic penalties. By raising Canadian tariffs from 25 to 35 percent, the United States risks straining its most significant bilateral trading relationship. Indeed, Canada sends 75 percent of its exports to the U.S.
What To Know
On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order raising tariffs on select Canadian goods. The White House blamed what it described as Canada's insufficient cooperation in combating the cross-border trafficking of fentanyl and other illicit drugs.
"Mexican cartels are increasingly operating fentanyl- and nitazene-synthesis labs in Canada," the White House said.
So far this fiscal year, fentanyl seizures at the northern border have surpassed the total seizures made in the past three years, according to the administration.
"The amount of fentanyl seized at the northern border to date this fiscal year could have killed more than 16 million Americans due to the drug's potency," the White House said. "Canada's retaliatory trade measures against the United States further complicate bilateral efforts to address this escalating drug crisis."
Carney addressed this, saying: "The United States has justified its most recent trade action on the basis of the cross-border flow of fentanyl, despite the fact that Canada accounts for only 1 percent of U.S. fentanyl imports and has been working intensively to further reduce these volumes."
"Canada's government is making historic investments in border security to arrest drug traffickers, take down transnational gangs and end migrant smuggling," he added.
Carney went on to say that Canada has "thousands" of new law enforcement and border security officers, aerial surveillance, intelligence and security operations and "the strongest border legislation in our history."
Trump's decision comes amid a broader global trade shake-up. His administration also imposed steep tariffs on Brazil, India, Taiwan and other countries.
CHINA
Quote:China's central government made waves this week over its plan to offer parents a cash subsidy of up to $1,500 per child.
The measure—the first of its kind to be applied nationwide—follows a flurry of government initiatives aimed at reversing the country's declining birth rate.
But analysts remain skeptical this will be enough to encourage more births, with one study warning that the population, officially 1.41 billion, could reach levels not seen since World War II by the end of the century.
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China's Population Dilemma
After seven years of decline, China's total fertility rate in 2024 rose slightly to 1.2 births per woman, a modest uptick from the previous year that many demographers attribute to the end of Beijing's strict pandemic lockdowns in late 2022.
Even so, China counted half as many births last year as in 2016, the year China ended its decades-old One Child Policy, and births in 2024 exceeded deaths for the third straight year.
Frequently cited factors include the rising cost of urban living, longer working hours, and changing attitudes toward marriage and child-rearing.
China's leadership is eager to reverse the trend, as the soaring number of elderly citizens is expected to increase the burden on families and strain the country's social welfare systems, sapping vitality from the world's second-largest economy.
China's Smallest Population Since World War II?
A report published in January by researchers at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu paints a sobering outlook for the future of the world's second-largest population.
Even under the most optimistic scenario—assuming a total fertility rate (TFR) of 1.31—China's population is projected to begin shrinking around 2030 and could fall to 590 million by 2100.
That's nearly 200 million less than the United Nations' World Population Prospects estimate for the same year.
A TFR of 2.1 is generally considered the replacement rate needed to maintain a stable population in the absence of significant immigration levels.
In the most extreme projection—a fertility rate of just 0.72—China's population would plummet to 320 million by 2100, a 77 percent decrease and smaller than the current 340-million strong population of the United States.
RUSSIA
Quote:Russia's remote Krasheninnikov volcano, dormant for roughly 600 years, erupted overnight in Kamchatka peninsula in the country's far east, just days after a powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck the region.
The eruption generated an ash plume rising approximately 6,000 meters (nearly 20,000 feet) into the sky, the Kamchatka branch of Russia's Ministry for Emergency Services said, as per Reuters. The volcano itself stands at 1,856 meters.
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This eruption marks the first documented activity at Krasheninnikov since around 1463, according to experts, making it a geologically significant event. The timing, coming shortly after one of the strongest earthquakes in recent years, suggests a potential link between tectonic stress and volcanic activation.
The same earthquake is believed to have triggered the eruption of Klyuchevskoy, Kamchatka's most active volcano, which began on Wednesday.
Russian officials issued and then lifted a tsunami warning for the Kamchatka peninsula on Sunday after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, Newsweek reported.
Tsunami waves were possible in three parts of Russia's far eastern Kamchatka region, the country's Ministry for Emergency Services had said Sunday, following the earthquake near the Kuril Islands, per Reuters.
What To Know
Kamchatka, known as the "land of fire and ice," is among the most volcanically and seismically active areas on the planet. The region is home to roughly 300 volcanoes, including 29 that are currently active, according to NASA's Earth Observatory.
The region is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, named for frequent volcanic and seismic activity in the area, which stretches over parts of more than 20 countries that lie along the edges of the Pacific Ocean, including Indonesia, New Zealand, Papa New Guinea, the Philippines, Japan, the United States, Chile, Canada, Guatemala, Russia and Peru.
Krasheninnikov volcano's eruption coincided with the eruption of Klyuchevskoy volcano earlier this week. As reported by Newsweek, the latter eruption occurred just hours after a huge 8.8 magnitude earthquake early Wednesday off Russia's far eastern coast, triggering a tsunami that sent waves across the Pacific, prompting evacuations and emergency declarations from Russia to Hawaii and alerts as far south as New Zealand.
The quake is tied for the sixth strongest ever recorded and was upgraded from an initial 8.0 reading. Aftershocks were reported to be ongoing, raising the risk of further seismic or volcanic activity.
Experts suggest the earthquake may have triggered a volcano-tectonic event, a known precursor when seismic stress agitates dormant magma chambers. Such interactions are rare but well-documented in historical cases globally.
Clive Oppenheimer, a professor of volcanology at the University of Cambridge and a featured expert in Werner Herzog's 2016 documentary Into the Inferno, told Newsweek on Sunday: "The connection is plausible. There is statistical evidence that very large earthquakes might trigger some eruptions of volcanoes within some hundreds of kilometers of the epicenter. But the mechanisms are not well understood.
"This reported activity of Krasheninnikov volcano is certainly intriguing in this respect. One idea is that in regions like South America or Indonesia or Kamchatka…several might be more or less primed to erupt in coming decades or centuries and that the seismic disturbance experienced by the subterranean magma or the crust holding it in brings the eruption date forwards for some."
The latest incident has heightened concerns around seismic engineering, aviation safety, and disaster preparedness in a notoriously volatile region
Russian emergency authorities assigned an orange aviation warning code, signaling potential disruption to flights, per Reuters.
UKRAINE WAR
Quote:A tsunami that hit Russia's Pacific coast on Wednesday damaged the country's Rybachiy nuclear submarine base on the Kamchatka Peninsula, satellite imagery suggests.
The images were taken by the U.S. space technology company Umbra Space and posted by engineer Logan Garbarini who compared them to Google/Maxar images from earlier this year to show what the base looked like before and after the tsunami hit.
Why it Matters
The Rybachiy base is the primary housing facility for Russia's Pacific Fleet nuclear submarines and serves as one of the closest Russian military outposts to the United States. The base's role in Russian naval strategy makes any threat to its operational capabilities significant, not only for Russia but also for U.S.-Russia security dynamics.
What To Know
The tsunami followed a 8.8 magnitude offshore earthquake centered roughly 75 miles from the base, impacting the country's Pacific coastline in the early hours of Wednesday.
The Rybachiy nuclear submarine base, located inside Avacha Bay, is believed to have endured a direct hit from the waves within 15 minutes of the initial quake, according to analysis by the British newspaper The Telegraph.
Images show that a pier section at the base was visibly bent and appeared detached from its moorings.
Although two Yasen-class nuclear-powered submarines were docked at the facility before the incident, there was no evidence they sustained damage, Dr. Sidharth Kaushal, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, told The Telegraph.
Outside the base, other coastal areas, including the port of Severo-Kurilsk, experienced significant flooding and infrastructure destruction, with local footage showing waves up to five meters high.
Russia's emergency alert systems and construction standards for critical infrastructure, which account for seismic threats, were credited with avoiding casualties at Rybachiy.
Newsweek has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry, via email, for comment.
Quote:President Donald Trump said on Friday that he had ordered two nuclear submarines in the "appropriate regions" in response to recent statements made by Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.
"Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
Why It Matters
The back-and-forth between Trump and Medvedev comes as Trump has sought to broker a peace deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war, which was launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2022. Trump, however, has grown increasingly frustrated with Putin as Russia continues its military operations in Ukraine.
In July, Trump gave Putin a 50-day deadline to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine but has since said he would reduce that to a "lesser number" and that he is "very disappointed" in Putin as Moscow has not relented its attacks on Ukraine.
Trump and Medvedev have traded jabs this week, with the president warning he should "watch his words."
Trump Stations Nuclear Submarines: What To Know
Trump on Friday responded to the latest remarks from Medvedev, the former president of Russia, who on Thursday made a veiled nuclear threat against the Trump administration.
"About Trump's threats against me on his personal 'Truth' social media network, which he's banned in our country," he wrote in a Telegram post. "If some words from the former president of Russia trigger such a nervous reaction from the high-and-mighty president of the United States, then Russia is doing everything right and will continue to proceed along its own path."
He continued: "And about India's and Russia's 'dead economies' and 'entering very dangerous territory' – well, let him remember his favorite movies about 'the walking dead', as well as how dangerous the fabled 'Dead Hand' can be."
The "Dead Hand" remark is a reference to the Russian nuclear command system that allows it to launch its nuclear weapons if its leadership were to be taken out by a strike.
Earlier this week, Trump said he would shorten the Russian ceasefire deadline to 10 days. If that deadline is not met, he said he would begin imposing more tariffs on Moscow, which has already faced sanctions from the West over the widely condemned invasion of Ukraine.
Quote:Russian lawmaker Viktor Vodolatsky responded to President Donald Trump's decision to move two U.S. nuclear submarines to "appropriate regions" near Russia by saying that Moscow can count on far more submarines than Washington.
"There are significantly more of our [nuclear] submarines in the world's oceans, [and they] have the strongest, most powerful weapons," Vodolatsky, who is also first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots, told Russia's government-controlled news agency TASS.
"This is why, let [Trump's] two boats float, they have been at gunpoint for a long time," he added.
Why It Matters
Vodolatsky's provocative comments follow the U.S. president's announcement on Friday of the repositioning of two U.S. nuclear submarines near Russia. The announcement itself can be seen as the latest escalation in the increasingly sour relationship between Moscow and Washington, which has been worsening in recent weeks as Russia's President Vladimir Putin has appeared deaf to Trump's repeated request to end the war in Ukraine.
Despite Trump's declared admiration for Putin and his willingness to accept an end to the war in Ukraine that would undoubtedly favor Moscow over Kyiv, the relationship between the two leaders have become frayed in recent weeks, and tensions are now running high between the two countries.
With the both holding a significant nuclear arsenal, the threats exchanged between them carry a particularly heavy weight.
What To Know
On Thursday, Trump said that if Russia does not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine by next Friday, August 8, he will impose a package of economic sanctions on the country. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now Moscow's military leader, responded to the announcement on social media on Friday, saying that Trump's threat was "a step towards war."
This triggered Trump's announcement about the nuclear submarines. On Friday, the U.S. president wrote on his social media platform Truth Social: "I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that."
It is not clear whether the U.S. submarines moved in the unidentified "appropriate regions" near Russia are nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed.
Quote:Ukrainian drones targeted industrial sites across several Russian regions overnight Friday, including a facility which hosts Iranian-designed drones.
Ukraine's General Staff said Saturday that sites in at least four regions had been targeted in the previous 24 hours, including oil fields under international sanctions and facilities critical to Russia's military.
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Ukraine is stepping up its use of drones to target sites key to Russia's military operations and show how Kyiv will hit back at Moscow's continued bombardment on civilian infrastructure, especially after the Ukrainian capital faced its biggest attack since the start of the war.
What To Know
Ukraine's General Staff said Saturday its drones targeted industrial sites in the Ryazan, Penza, Samara and Voronezh oblasts in Western Russia.
Ukrainian drones also hit the Primorsko-Akhtarsk military air base in the southern Krasnodar region that stored Shahed drones, according to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
The Iranian drones have been key to Moscow's bombardment of Ukraine and are now made in facilities across Russia.
In Penza, Ukrainian drones struck the Elektropribor plant, which produces digital networks in military command systems, aviation devices, armored vehicles, ships and spacecraft, according to the General Staff.
Russian Telegram channels reported explosions over the city, although officials have not commented on the strikes.
Further east, the Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery in the Samara region was hit in a drone strike, with video footage posted on Telegram channels appearing to show flames rising from the site.
Ukrainian drones also targeted the Annanefteprodukt fuel and lubricants storage base located in the Voronezh region, Ukraine's General Staff said.
Russia is continuing with its missile and drone attacks on Ukraine.
Ukrainian air forces said Saturday that Russian strikes had killed six people and injured at least 37 others over the previous day. Air defense downed 45 out of the 53 drones, among them, Shahed-type attack drones, rocket-powered drones and decoys.
On July 31, Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles on Kyiv, which killed at least 31 people and injured 179 in one of the deadliest attacks on Ukraine's capital in the war.
Quote:Russia has introduced a new guided glide bomb into its full-scale invasion, which marks Moscow's push to develop aerial weapons to bombard Ukraine's infrastructure.
Ukrainian authorities said that Russia's new UMPB-5 guided aerial bombs had been dropped by Sukhoi Su-34 fighter jets on two regions in the last two months amid testing of the new weapon.
Analysis shared with Newsweek by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a Washington, D.C., think tank, said that the glide bomb was part of Russia's growing efforts to develop cheap standoff guided munitions.
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Before Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow underestimated how many glide bombs and other guided munitions it would need. Russia's glide bombs before the war were relatively expensive and so used sparingly.
The FDD's John Hardie said Russia's failure to destroy most of Ukraine's air defenses at the invasion's start pushed Moscow to swiftly develop cheap glide bombs with standoff range that will allow its air force to play a greater role.
What To Know
Ukrainian authorities said the UMPB-5 was first used in Ukraine's Sumy region and then on two consecutive days of strikes on the city of Kharkiv on July 24 and 25; one attack hit a hospital.
In the second instance, a Su-34 released the bomb about 65 miles away from Russia's neighboring Belgorod region; this is according to Spartak Borysenko from the Kharkiv Prosecutor's Office, which investigates such attacks as war crimes.
Borysenko said Russia is still testing the weapon and that its exact characteristics are not yet known. But the name of the UMPB-5 glide bomb suggests it is a derivative of the UMPB D-30SN, which was first seen in spring 2024, the FDD said.
The latter model has a longer range than the 50 miles of its predecessor and has warhead that weighs 2.5 times more, at around 550 pounds.
Cheap glide bombs are playing a greater role in Russia's aggression with Moscow; an average of 160 were dropped each day in July 2025, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky—eight times more than spring 2023.
The main one used is the UMPK, or "Universal Gliding and Correction Module," first seen in January 2023. It is designed to fit on dumb bombs and was initially employed with the FAB-500 M-62, a 1,100-pound-class high-explosive bomb, but since adapted for bombs of various sizes.
Borysenko said that Moscow started using a modified UMPK with larger wings and a range of at least 60 miles in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions in May. With further testing, this range could increase, as suggested by a Russian Telegram channel.
Russia is also developing low-cost air-launched cruise missiles, such as the recently unveiled S8000 BanderoL, which can be launched via remotely piloted aircraft.
Quote:An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on an oil depot near Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi sparked a major fire, Russian officials said Sunday, as the two countries traded strikes.
More than 120 firefighters attempted to extinguish the blaze, sparked after debris from a downed drone struck a fuel tank, Krasnodar regional Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said on Telegram.
Videos on social media appeared to show huge pillars of smoke billowing above the oil depot.
Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, temporarily stopped flights at Sochi’s airport.
Further north, authorities in the Voronezh region reported that four people were wounded in another Ukrainian drone strike.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 93 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the Black Sea overnight into Sunday.
Meanwhile, in southern Ukraine, a Russian missile strike hit a residential area in the city of Mykolaiv, according to the State Emergency Services, wounding seven people.
The Ukrainian air force said Sunday Russia launched 76 drones and seven missiles against Ukraine.
It said 60 drones and one missile were intercepted, but 16 others and six missiles hit targets across eight locations.
The reciprocal attacks came at the end of one of the deadliest weeks in Ukraine in recent months, after a Russian drone and missile attack on Thursday killed 31 people, including five children, and wounded over 150.
The continued attacks come after US President Donald Trump gave on Tuesday Russian President Vladimir Putin a shorter deadline — Aug. 8 — for peace efforts to make progress.
Trump said Thursday that special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Russia to push Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in its war with Ukraine and has threatened new economic sanctions if progress is not made.
Quote:At least four Ukrainian officials have been arrested in a “large-scale corruption scheme” involving the purchase of drones designed to defend Kyiv against Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Just three days after Zelensky restored the independence of Ukrainian’s top anti-corruption agencies following fierce public backlash, the prez said the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-corruption Prosecutor’s Office unveiled a plot by a sitting lawmaker, two local officials and several national guard service members to skim money meant to defend their nation.
“The essence of the scheme was to conclude state contracts with supplier companies at deliberately inflated prices,” the agencies added Saturday in a statement, noting the kickbacks to the officials were up to 30% of the contracts’ inflated costs.
The plot involved heads of district and city military civil administrations who allegedly helped cook the books on the purchases of drones and electronic jamming equipment — vital tools used to intercept the ever-escalating bombardments from Ukraine’s Russian invaders.
Drones have proven to be key to Ukraine’s attacks on Moscow, too, with the majority of Ukrainian attacks on Russian military assets involving UAVs, including a recent overnight strike on an oil depot.
“Unfortunately, these corruption schemes involved the procurement of electronic warfare systems and FPV drones. … There must be full and fair accountability for this,” Zelensky said on social media.
“There can only be zero tolerance for corruption. Clear teamwork to expose corruption and, as a result, a just sentence,” he said.
Quote:An award-winning Ukrainian war journalist who was tortured and killed while in Russian captivity is being honored after her death.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posthumously awarded Victoria Roshchyna the Order of Freedom on Saturday, for her “unwavering belief that freedom will overcome everything.”
”Viktoriia was one of those who spoke the truth about the war. She worked on the frontlines and in temporarily occupied territories, risking her life,” Zelensky wrote on X.
Roshchyna had been included in a scheduled prisoner exchange list when news of her death came in October 2024, the Ukrainian leader said.
“Russia had pledged to release her but broke its word,” said Zelensky.
The 27-year-old’s mutilated body was returned in February, with her eyes, brain and part of her throat missing.
She was stabbed and electrocuted before her death in a Russian prison, in what her cellmate described as “brutal, unhinged” attacks, an investigation found.
Roshchyna was arrested near the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, soon after reaching the Moscow-occupied Ukrainian territories in the summer of 2023.
MIDDLE EAST
Quote:The Iranian government has vehemently condemned a new round of sanctions by the United States that targeted over 115 individuals, entities and vessels linked to its oil and petrochemical sectors, calling the measures a continuation of Washington's "hostile policy" and an "assault on the Iranian people."
The sanctions, announced on Wednesday by the U.S. State Department, represent the latest step in America's "maximum pressure" campaign aimed at crippling Tehran's energy revenue, with the move promoting swift denunciation from Tehran as unjust and provocative.
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The sanctions marked the most sweeping U.S. economic action against Iran's energy sector since the Trump administration exited the nuclear deal in 2018, and they followed a major escalation in regional conflict. In June, the U.S. joined Israel in launching coordinated strikes on Iranian targets, significantly disrupting Tehran's nuclear infrastructure.
With diplomacy stalled and Iran expanding ties with Russia and China, the sanctions are designed to cripple the financial networks fueling Iran's economy and by extension its power and influence over proxy groups in the region.
Possible implications of the move include the further destabilization of global energy markets and a deepening of East–West geopolitical divides.
What To Know
Iranian authorities on Thursday accused the United States of intensifying economic aggression. Its Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the decision was "clear evidence of the hostility of American decision-makers towards the Iranian people," insisting that Iranians would resist the pressure with resolve.
He said the sanctions were designed to "weaken Iran and violate the fundamental rights of every Iranian."
Baqaei also accused the Trump administration of suffering from a "chronic addiction to unilateralism" and relying on "pressure tactics in pursuit of illegitimate goals," rhetoric that signals increasing frustration in Tehran as economic and diplomatic tensions mount.
Largest U.S. Sanctions Package
The new U.S. sanctions are the largest Iran-related measures since 2018, targeting over 115 individuals, entities and vessels linked to the country's petroleum sector.
The package focuses on a global shipping network allegedly controlled by Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, son of a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. It designated 20 oil firms, five vessel management companies, one wholesaler, and dozens of actors across 17 countries and regions, including the U.K., Italy, Switzerland, India, the UAE and Hong Kong.
The U.S. government said the network laundered billions of dollars in oil and petrochemical revenue, mainly through covert shipments to China. Using foreign passports, shell companies and deceptive maritime tactics, it helped Tehran skirt sanctions. Washington frozen their U.S.-linked assets and blocked access to the American financial system, according to the announcement.
Quote:The United States and 13 allied nations have issued a joint statement accusing Iran's intelligence services of carrying out assassination attempts, abductions, and harassment campaigns targeting individuals across Europe and North America.
Governments including France, Germany, Canada, and Britain joined the U.S. in condemning Tehran's alleged extraterritorial actions, labeling them a violation of national sovereignty. In response, the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the allegations as "baseless and ridiculous."
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The coordinated statement represents one of the strongest multilateral rebukes of Iran's intelligence activities to date. It highlights growing international alarm over Tehran's alleged willingness to use foreign-based criminal networks to silence its critics abroad.
Following the 12-day war between Israel and Iran as well as U.S. airstrikes on key Iranian nuclear sites, the joint statement reflects mounting concern over Tehran's regional behavior and nuclear ambitions. It also underscores fears that Iran's operations now extend beyond the Middle East as part of a wider global campaign.
What To Know
The signatory nations accused Iran of systematically targeting journalists, dissidents, and current and former government officials—particularly those critical of the regime—in a coordinated campaign of violence and intimidation.
"We are united in our opposition to the attempts of Iranian intelligence services to kill, kidnap, and harass people in Europe and North America," the joint statement said.
The U.S. State Department posted the joint statement on X, amplifying the message to a global audience.
Assassination Attempts
The U.S. Justice Department in 2023 indicted three individuals tied to a European criminal network accused of plotting to assassinate a dissident Iranian-American journalist on behalf of Tehran. Later that year, another man was charged over an alleged Iranian plot to kill then-U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump.
British authorities reported disrupting over 20 Iran-linked plots since early 2022, including attempted kidnappings and assassinations of individuals considered threats by Tehran—some of them British citizens.
Dutch officials said they foiled a 2024 plan to assassinate an Iranian national in the Netherlands. Two suspects were arrested, one of whom was also linked to the attempted shooting of a Spanish politician.
Iran Rejects Allegations
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei dismissed the accusations as "baseless and ridiculous," calling the claims a brazen attempt to deflect blame and shift public attention away from what he described as "Israeli genocidal crimes in Palestine."
He further rejected the security-related claims and turned the accusations back on the West, asserting that the U.S., France, and other signatories should "be held accountable for the measures in violation of the international law."
Quote:The United States has sharply rejected Iran's call for financial compensation following recent American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, calling the request "ridiculous" and urging Tehran to end its destabilizing activities if it hopes for economic relief or sanctions relief.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the Financial Times that Washington must accept responsibility for the attacks and provide financial redress before nuclear negotiations could resume. U.S. State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott dismissed that position in a press briefing, saying the U.S. remained open to diplomacy but insisted the burden of progress now lay with Iran.
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The exchange highlights deepening diplomatic tensions between Tehran and Washington, even as both sides navigate the fragile aftermath of June's military confrontation, when the U.S. and Israel carried out joint strikes on Iranian targets, including Iran's nuclear facilities. Tehran's insistence on reparations underscores the rising political stakes surrounding stalled nuclear talks, while the U.S. response signals a hardened stance against further concessions.
With nuclear diplomacy at a standstill and regional actors watching closely, the current impasse could have far-reaching consequences for nonproliferation, sanctions policy, and regional security in the Middle East.
What to Know
Pigott offered a forceful rebuff of Iran's compensation demand, stating it was inconsistent with Tehran's actions in the region.
"Any demands for financial compensation from the United States to the Iranian regime are ridiculous," Pigott said at the Washington briefing.
He accused Iran of misallocating resources and prolonging its own isolation through aggressive behavior.
"If the Iranian regime really wanted to save money, they would stop funding terrorist death squads, stop oppressing their own people, and stop wasting money on a nuclear program that isolates them further," he added.
Quote:France began a large-scale airdrop of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip on Friday, deploying four flights from Jordan to deliver 40 tons of food and supplies as the international posture towards the spiraling humanitarian crisis shifted in the face of imminent famine.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the move as part of a plea for Israel to permit full humanitarian access, Reuters reported. The effort is the result of a multinational coalition including Jordan, Germany and the United Arab Emirates.
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The French aid initiative comes amid escalating warnings from international organizations of severe malnutrition and starvation among Gaza's 2 million residents.
Humanitarian corridors into Gaza remain largely restricted by Israel, with widespread reports of children dying from hunger-related causes. Efforts like France's airdrop highlight the international community's struggle to address what is widely described as a man-made famine, with much of the world's attention focused on blocked or limited ground aid routes.
The airdrops follow France's announcement that it intends to formally recognize a Palestinian state, which drew condemnation from some U.S. officials, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio. However, other European nations have discussed or announced intention to recognize a Palestinian state as well as a means of pressuring Israel to act.
Israel, however, has repeatedly rejected claims of forced starvation in Gaza. In May, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied people are starving, saying Israel takes "thousands of prisoners" from Gaza and photographs them, and you "don't see one, not one, emaciated."
Israel has repeatedly said that aid deliveries must be delivered in a "safe framework" that does not give supplies to Hamas and notes that the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) is bringing food into Gaza. Israel has used aid restrictions as a pressure tactic to bring Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, to negotiate the release of hostages that were taken in its October 7, 2023, attack on the country.
What To Know
Macron confirmed the start of the operation on Friday, writing in a post on X: "Faced with an urgent humanitarian crisis, we just conducted a food airdrop over Gaza. I thank our Jordanian, Emirati, and German partners for their support, as well as our armed forces for their dedication. But airdrops are not enough. Israel must grant full humanitarian access to address the risk of famine."
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot added in an interview with a local French broadcaster that four flights, each carrying 10 tons of humanitarian supplies, were dispatched from Jordan.
France previously participated in European humanitarian airlifts in October 2023 to provide aid to Gaza through Jordan and Egypt at the start of the conflict that erupted after Hamas launched an attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people. Israel retaliated with strikes on the enclave and then sent troops into the region as officials sought to eliminate Hamas.
Many nations backed Israel's right to respond to Hamas' attack, but in recent months the growing humanitarian crisis has shifted opinion and prompted outcry over the deteriorating conditions facing civilians.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has simultaneously begun instituting a daily "tactical pause in military activity" for "humanitarian purposes" in the areas of Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Musawi. The practice, first declared last week, was said "to enable the safe passage of UN and humanitarian aid organization convoys delivering and distributing food and medicine to the population across the Gaza Strip."
The IDF also said it would begin conducting aid airdrops into Gaza.
Quote:Hamas forced emaciated Israeli hostage Evyatar David to dig his own grave in a sick new propaganda video, as the twisted terror group continued to stall negotiations to release the remaining living captives.
In the nearly 5-minute clip released Friday, the 24-year-old David is seen in a tunnel with a ceiling roughly as high as he is tall, crossing off dates on a calendar and digging a grave.
“I haven’t eaten for a few days in a row,” David says in the footage.
In the middle of the video, the person behind the camera hands him a can of beans.
“This can is for two days,” David says. “This whole can is for two days so that I don’t die.
“This is the grave I think I’m going to be buried in. Time is running out.”
The David family, which allowed the release of the video, said in a statement sent to the Hostages Families Forum Headquarters, “We are forced to witness our beloved son and brother, Evyatar David, deliberately and cynically starved in Hamas’s tunnels in Gaza — a living skeleton, buried alive.
“The deliberate starvation of our son as part of a propaganda campaign is one of the most horrifying acts the world has seen.”
The appalling video sparked outrage in Israel and across the globe.
“Hamas terrorists deliberately starve our hostages, documenting them in a cynical, humiliating, and malicious manner,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Naftali Fürst, a Holocaust survivor, said she watched the images of the hostages with a “heavy heart,” taking her back decades.
“I survived Auschwitz and Buchenwald. I know hunger up close. In the camps, we were given rations of bread and watery soup,” she said. “We were so hungry, we would even eat grass if we could find it.
“I remember the humiliation—the complete stripping of human dignity. I know the fear, the terror.”
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill pointed to Hamas’ monstrous treatment of David as a reminder of the terrorist group’s barbarity and role in prolonging the bloody conflict in Gaza.
“The chilling video of Hamas hostage Evyatar David is a grotesque reminder of why America must stand with Israel and demand every hostage’s release,” retiring Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told The Post.
He added, “If Hamas released the tortured hostages, this war would end.”
“Iran-backed Hamas terrorists have held innocent people hostage, starving them for 666 days,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said of the horrifying footage.
“Just look at these photos — it’s gut-wrenching. Every day that goes by is a risk to their lives. We cannot stop until every hostage is home and Hamas is destroyed.”
AFRICA
Quote:Militant groups aligned with the Islamic State (ISIS) are ramping up violence across Africa, staging a growing number of attacks and expanding their influence in a way that could ultimately pose a threat far beyond the continent, including to the United States.
Over the past week, the jihadis' operations in both the Congo region and Sahel drew headlines as ISIS-affiliated forces claimed a deadly attack against a church in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday and took responsibility for the killing of soldiers in Burkina Faso on Thursday.
Both incidents are part of a growing trend of ISIS-linked violence that analysts say exploits existing conflicts and capitalizes on deep-rooted insecurity to mount the kind of threat that makes combatting the group in Africa an especially complicated endeavor.
"What we're talking about there is a multi-year, prolonged period of investment that realistically the United States doesn't have the capacity to provide," one security expert who has briefed several government and military institutions on the threat posed by ISIS in Africa, told Newsweek. "It has to be provided by the governments in which those communities exist. And so, I think that that's the real challenge."
"What makes it complex is that you're dealing with local issues at the end of the day in order to address this larger problem," said the security expert, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media.
"And if they're not addressed," the person added, "the risk is that it rises into something much larger that then presents a much greater threat on the global scene, so, a threat direct to the homeland of the United States, or to Europe or outside of Africa, just generally."
The Spread of ISIS in Africa
While traditionally associated with the Middle East, ISIS' roots took hold in Africa even before late founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi first declared his self-styled "caliphate" upon seizing vast territories in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
A year earlier, militants in Libya, taking advantage of chaos in the wake of longtime leader Muammar el-Qaddafi's downfall at the hands of a NATO-backed rebellion, had begun to tie their ideology to what would soon become a global brand of Islamist violence. In 2017, an ISIS acolyte from Libya conducted the group's first Africa-origin attack in the West, killing 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England.
That same year, ISIS' presence in Africa drew headlines when four U.S. soldiers and five Nigerien personnel were killed in an ambush staged by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), also known as Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP).
Today, ISIS counts a number of partner groups across the continent. They include ISGS, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP), Islamic State Mozambique Province and Islamic State Somalia Province.
"Sadly, for several years now, Africa has been the frontline of the violence perpetrated by Islamist terrorists, including those affiliated with the so-called Islamic State," J. Peter Pham, former U.S. Special Envoy for the Great Lakes and Sahel Regions, told Newsweek.
"For three years now, an absolute majority of deaths due to terrorism globally have been in Africa, including roughly half of all terrorism-related fatalities in the world happening in just the Sahel region," he added. "While the threat level of the various IS affiliates varies, all of them from the Sahel to Somalia to the eastern Congo to Mozambique are becoming more lethal."
"Moreover," he added, "they are increasingly demonstrating capacity to hold large amounts of territory or, at the very least, deny governments the ability to function in many areas."
Thus far, ISIS franchises across Africa have largely operated in geographical isolation from another, curbing the level to which they can cooperate effectively.
But this may be changing.
The security expert with whom Newsweek spoke called the situation in the Sahel "a really combustible one" with the potential for ISIS' local affiliates to expand further into Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger and "pose a large enough threat to some of the criminal groups in Northwest Nigeria that maybe it pushes them out."
"Maybe it absorbs some of those groups, and now you have a space that's much more densely populated, larger economic activity, and Islamic State Greater Sahara might be able to carve out its own presence in that space," the person added. "I think that's a real risk right now."
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
![[Image: SP1-Scripter.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Scripter.png)
![[Image: SP1-Writer.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Writer.png)
![[Image: SP1-Poet.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Poet.png)
![[Image: SP1-PixelArtist.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-PixelArtist.png)
![[Image: SP1-Reporter.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/GmxWbHyL/SP1-Reporter.png)
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
