News of the World
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MIDDLE EAST WAR
Quote:A man who crashed his pickup truck into a Detroit‑area synagogue earlier this month carried out the attack after being inspired by Hezbollah, the Iran‑backed militant group, the FBI said Monday.
Ayman Ghazali recorded a video before the attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township in which he said he wanted to “kill as many of them as I possibly can,” according to Jennifer Runyan, the FBI’s special agent in charge in Detroit.
It was a “Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism purposely targeting the Jewish community and the largest Jewish temple in Michigan," she said.
Ghazali, 41, of Dearborn Heights, sat in the synagogue parking lot for several hours before driving his pickup through closed doors and into a hallway near an early childhood education area, striking a security guard. He then exchanged gunfire with another guard before fatally shooting himself, the FBI said.
When Did the Synagogue Attack at Temple Israel Take Place?
The attack occurred on March 12.
Ghazali, armed with a rifle, allegedly rammed a vehicle into Temple Israel, one of the nation’s largest Reform Jewish synagogues. At least one security guard exchanged gunfire with him. Ghazali was later found dead inside his vehicle.
No members of the synagogue’s staff, teachers or the roughly 150 children enrolled in its early childhood education center were injured, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said at a news conference at the time. One security officer was struck by the vehicle and briefly knocked unconscious but did not suffer life‑threatening injuries.
Ghazali's vehicle, a Ford F-150, which was loaded with fireworks and jugs of gasoline, caught on fire during the attack. Thirty law enforcement officers were also treated for smoke inhalation.
The attack drew widespread condemnation.
"This is heartbreaking. Michigan's Jewish community should be able to live and practice their faith in peace. Antisemitism and violence have no place in Michigan. I am hoping for everyone's safety. Thank you to law enforcement for their swift action," Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, wrote to X in its aftermath.
Quote:Turkey said on Monday that NATO air and missile defense systems intercepted a ballistic munition launched from Iran that entered or approached Turkish airspace, the latest sign that the widening Iran war is increasingly drawing in countries far from the main theaters of fighting.
The interception follows several similar incidents reported by Ankara since the conflict escalated, highlighting how Iran’s expanding missile operations—and NATO’s defensive response—are testing the alliance’s southern flank even as leaders try to prevent the war from spilling into a direct confrontation between Iran and NATO members.
Why It Matters
Turkey’s geographic position makes it especially vulnerable to spillover from the Iran war. As a NATO member bordering Syria and Iraq and hosting key U.S. and allied military facilities, Turkey sits beneath missile and drone flight paths used by Iran in retaliatory strikes across the region.
Although Turkish officials have stopped short of declaring the incidents deliberate attacks, each interception raises the risk of escalation, whether through miscalculation, technical failure, or misinterpretation of intent. NATO has sought to make clear that defending allied airspace does not automatically mean the alliance is entering the war, but the repeated involvement of NATO assets underscores how narrow that line has become.
For Ankara, the incidents also carry domestic and diplomatic implications. Turkey has tried to maintain a balancing role since the Iran war began, condemning attacks that threaten regional stability while keeping channels open with Tehran. At the same time, the government has emphasized that any violation of Turkish airspace will be met with force, a message aimed at deterrence rather than escalation.
What to Know
Turkey’s Defense Ministry said a ballistic missile determined to have been launched from Iran was detected entering or heading toward Turkish airspace and was neutralized by NATO air and missile defense assets deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean. The ministry said no casualties were reported and stressed that all necessary measures would be taken “decisively and without hesitation” against any threat to Turkey’s territory or airspace.
The statement closely mirrors language Turkey has used repeatedly since the war began, reflecting what officials describe as a heightened but controlled security posture. NATO officials later confirmed that allied defenses had been involved and said the alliance stood firmly with Turkey, while U.S. officials emphasized that the incident did not automatically trigger NATO’s collective defense clause.
The interception was not the first. On March 4, Turkey reported that NATO defenses intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran after it passed through Iraqi and Syrian airspace and approached Turkish airspace. Turkish officials said at the time that the intended target was unclear and that debris found in southern Turkey came from the interceptor rather than the incoming missile. No casualties were reported.
A second incident was reported on March 9, when Turkish authorities said another Iranian-launched missile was intercepted over southeastern Turkey. Ankara again issued warnings that it reserved the right to respond to any hostile act, while calling on all parties to avoid steps that could widen the conflict.
Quote:A force of 3,500 US sailors and Marines arrived in the Middle East aboard the USS Tripoli — as Tehran warned that American forces will be killed if President Trump orders a ground invasion of Iran.
The flagship for the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group and 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived over the weekend with troops in tow, US Central Command said Saturday.
Along with the troops, the amphibious warship brought transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as assault and tactical assets, with the Pentagon allegedly preparing for weeks of boots-on-the-ground operations in Iran.
As the war in Iran continues to escalate, thousands of Marines are being prepped to deploy to the Middle East, sources told The Washington Post.
The troop movement would fall short of a full-scale invasion, with roughly 10,000 American troops being considered for deployment to boost the already significant military presence in the Gulf region.
Trump has not publicly acknowledged the Pentagon’s proposal or whether he would approve any portion of the plans.
The president has repeatedly suggested US troops could be deployed to secure Iran’s nuclear facilities and the Strait of Hormuz, a critical trade route currently under Tehran’s control.
The White House has said Trump has been given “maximum optionality” on how to proceed in Iran, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio maintaining that the US can meet its objectives “without any ground troops.”
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that any deployment of ground forces would be a clear escalation of the war and met with widespread retaliation.
Quote:President Trump has said the US could take Iran’s oil – as he mulls over a daring operation to seize one of the Islamic Republic’s energy strongholds.
The commander-in-chief suggested the approach could be similar to when Venezuelan tyrant Nicolás Maduro was deposed, which saw the US take control of oil exports.
“To be honest with you, my favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran, but some stupid people back in the US say: ‘Why are you doing that?’ But they’re stupid people,” he told the Financial Times Sunday.
Oil prices continued to climb Monday – with the price of Brent crude reaching $116 per barrel, the highest since March 19.
President Trump also didn’t rule out an operation which would see US forces seize Kharg Island – a critical terminal where around 90 per cent of Iran’s oil exports are processed.
“Maybe we [will] take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” he said.
“It would also mean we had to be there [on the island] for a while.”
Trump claimed the US could take Kharg Island “very easily,” claiming: “I don’t think they have any defense.”
Earlier this month, the president boasted how US airstrikes had obliterated every military target on the island, one-third the size of Manhattan.
Iran has beefed up its defenses of Kharg Island by planting anti-armor mines surrounding it and on the shoreline, sources told CNN last week.
The regime has also moved troops as it braces itself for a potential US ground invasion.
An Israeli source previously warned a ground invasion would lead to American casualties.
“The hope is that they won’t take that risk and will instead fire at the oil fields, but there is no way to know,” they told the Jerusalem Post.
Quote:Spain has closed its airspace to US planes involved in attacks on Iran, a step beyond its previous denial of use of jointly-operated military bases, Defence Minister Margarita Robles said on Monday.
“We don’t authorize either the use of military bases or the use of airspace for actions related to the war in Iran,” she told reporters in Madrid.
Spanish newspaper El Pais had first reported the news on Monday, citing military sources.
The closure of the airspace forces military planes to bypass NATO member Spain en route to their targets in the Middle East, but it does not include emergency situations, El Pais added.
“This decision is part of the decision already made by the Spanish government not to participate in or contribute to a war which was initiated unilaterally and against international law,” Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said during an interview with radio Cadena Ser when asked if the decision to close Spain’s airspace could worsen relations with the United States.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been one of the most vocal opponents of the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, describing them as reckless and illegal.
President Donald Trump has threatened to cut trade with Madrid for denying the US use of Spain’s bases in the war.
Quote:President Trump said Monday that a deal with Iran was “probably” close to winding down the conflict — but warned the US would obliterate the regime’s power plants, oil wells, and its main export hub, Kharg Island, if negotiations fell through.
Trump noted, however, that a deal was “probably” close.
“The United States of America is in serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island.”
Kharg Island is Iran’s main export hub.
Trump said the US purposefully hadn’t touched the sites after having previously given an April 6 deadline to Iran.
“This will be in retribution for our many soldiers, and others, that Iran has butchered and killed over the old Regime’s 47 year ‘Reign of Terror’,” he said.
The renewed threat came just hours after Trump said late Sunday that the US was negotiating “directly and indirectly” with Iran.
He flagged the possibility, too, of taking Iran’s oil — a move that would require seizing Kharg Island, the terminal through which nearly all of Iran’s oil exports pass.
“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t,” Trump told the Financial Times, noting that any US presence “would also mean we had to be in there for a while.”
“We have a lot of options,” he said, boasting that the US could “easily” take the island.
Quote:President Trump is considering a military operation to send US soldiers inside Iran to extract nearly 1,000 pounds of uranium from Iran, officials said.
Trump is open to the idea of sending the troops into Iran for days or longer to complete the mission, but the president is considering the risks to American soldiers, US officials familiar with the plan told the Wall Street Journal.
As he weighs the dangers of the operation, Trump has encouraged his advisers to pressure Iran to agree to give up its atomic material as a condition for ending the war, according to the outlet.’
The president and at least some members of his administration believe it would be possible for ground forces to seize Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles in a way that would not extend the war, which officials hope would be completed by mid-April, the WSJ reported.
Iran’s uranium stockpiles are believed to be housed in Iran’s underground facilities in Isfahan and Natanz, according to International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi.
Isfahan, located 270 miles south of Tehran, is believed to be where the majority of Tehran’s 60% enriched uranium is located, with Natanz likely holding additional caches of uranium in its fortified Pickaxe Mountain facility.
Little is known about that nuclear facility, with Israeli outlets reporting that it could be about 330 feet below the mountain base, more than 30 feet deeper into the ground than Iran’s Fordow fuel enrichment plant.
Quote:WASHINGTON — President Trump on Monday put Iran and the speaker of the Islamic Republic’s parliament on notice after Tehran attacked Israel’s biggest oil refinery and told The Post his response is coming “shortly.”
Iran escalated its attack on infrastructure by striking a water and electrical plant in Kuwait, and an oil refinery was set ablaze in the northern Israeli city of Haifa after the Iranian missile attack. Asked for his response on the strike, he told The Post: “You’ll see shortly.”
As Trump brings more military might to the region that could inflict catastrophic damage on Iran, he encouraged what’s left of Iran’s regime to make a deal before it’s too late and said he would hit them where it really hurt: their energy infrastructure.
He exclusively told The Post that the US will find out whether the speaker is willing to work with Americans –soon.
“We’re gonna find out,” Trump told The Post when asked about Iran’s Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. “I’ll let you know that in about a week.”
Ghalibaf issued his own warning in response, writing on social media that attacking Iran’s infrastructure would be a “big mistake.”
“The enemy promotes its desires as news while threatening our nation at same time. Big Mistake. If they hit one,they’ll take several back. God willing, the people of Iran,under the leadership of the Supreme Leader,will make the enemy regret the aggression and reclaim their rights,” he wrote.
The president described a dramatic shake-up inside Iran, claiming the old guard has effectively been wiped out and replaced by a new group he said has so far been easier to work with.
“There has been total regime change because the regimes of the past are gone and we’re dealing with a whole new set of people,” Trump said. “And thus far, they’ve been much more reasonable.”
Pressed on whether these are new figures compared to past US adversaries in Tehran, Trump didn’t mince words.
Quote:President Trump shared jaw-dropping video footage Monday of a massive explosion in Iran reportedly caused by a US airstrike on a large ammunition depot in Isfahan.
A “high volume” of 2,000-pound bunker buster bombs was used in the strike posted by Trump on Truth Social, a US official told the Wall Street Journal.
The footage that caught the president’s eye is one of several videos of fiery blasts that have taken place in Isfahan, the country’s third-most populous city and the location of the majority of Tehran’s 60% enriched uranium as well as a sprawling “missile city”.
One purported video showed a mushroom cloud forming over the target of one of the airstrikes and the sky turning red-orange from the column of flame.
The explosions were so powerful they could be seen from the Meteosat 12 weather satellite, according to the OSINTtechnical X account.
US Central Command did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will hold a press conference related to Operation Epic Fury on Tuesday morning, the Pentagon announced as the strikes on Isfahan were taking place.
Iran’s uranium stockpiles in Isfahan, located 270 miles south of Tehran, are believed to be housed in facilities deep underground, according to International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi.
The US military bombed a nuclear research center in Isfahan last June during Operation Midnight Hammer.
The city is also home to the Isfahan Missile Complex, Iran’s largest missile assembly and production site, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a global security nonprofit.
One of several so-called “missile cities” in Iran, the Isfahan complex was built with help from North Korea and China in the late 1980s, according to NTI, and handles the assembly and storage of ballistic missiles, as well as the manufacturing of the rocket propellants and components.
US and Israeli aircraft have repeatedly targeted Iran’s underground missile cities throughout the war, waiting for the regime to deploy missile launchers from the sites before striking, the Journal reported earlier this month.
Some experts believe much of Iran’s missile arsenal is now entombed in the subterranean bases as a result of US and Israeli airstrikes.
Quote:President Donald Trump on Monday reposted a clip on Truth Social from a 1987 interview with journalist Barbara Walters in which he argued that the United States should seize Iranian oil installations in response to attacks, resurfacing remarks he made long before entering politics as the U.S.–Israel war with Iran enters a more volatile phase.
The clip, originally aired on ABC’s 20/20, shows a 41‑year‑old Trump criticizing what he described as American weakness and suggesting that if Iran attacked the U.S., Washington should “grab one of their big oil installations” and keep it to recoup losses.
Trump’s decision to amplify the video now comes as oil infrastructure, shipping routes, and the possibility of expanded U.S. involvement are central to the current conflict.
Why It Matters
The timing of Trump’s repost is significant. It arrives amid heightened concern inside Washington and among U.S. allies about whether the conflict could widen beyond air and naval operations, particularly as fighting around the Strait of Hormuz continues to disrupt global energy markets.
By resurfacing an interview in which he openly advocated seizing Iranian oil assets, Trump is reinforcing a message he has repeated in recent days—that economic leverage and control of energy infrastructure are central to how he views pressure on Tehran. The post also risks inflaming tensions at a moment when some Republican lawmakers have publicly expressed unease about escalation and have warned against any move that could draw U.S. ground forces into the war.
What To Know
In the 1987 interview, conducted during the Iran‑Iraq War and years after the Iranian hostage crisis, Trump told Walters the U.S. should respond forcefully to Iranian aggression. When pressed on how such a move would work, including whether it could mean war, Trump argued weakness itself invited conflict and said the U.S. should seize and hold oil installations to offset losses.
Trump reposted the clip on Monday after it had circulated widely on social media, presenting it as evidence that his thinking on Iran has remained consistent over time. The resurfaced remarks dovetail with comments he has made over the past several days, in which he again floated the idea of taking Iranian oil assets as part of a broader strategy to pressure Tehran.
Those more recent comments have centered on Kharg Island, Iran’s primary oil export hub located in the Persian Gulf. In interviews and public remarks over the weekend, Trump suggested seizing or controlling the island was among the options available, while insisting no final decision had been made.
Kharg Island sits at the heart of Iran’s energy infrastructure, handling the vast majority of the country’s crude exports. Any attempt to seize or neutralize the facility would represent a major escalation, likely requiring a sustained military presence to secure and operate the site, and would carry significant economic and geopolitical consequences. Analysts have warned such a move could provoke wider retaliation and further destabilize shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of the world’s oil supply passes.
Trump’s repost also lands amid visible Republican infighting over the direction of the war. Several GOP lawmakers have said they oppose deploying U.S. ground troops into Iran and have complained the White House has not clearly articulated its endgame. Others have raised constitutional concerns about Congress’s role in authorizing extended military operations. Against that backdrop, reviving language about “taking” oil assets risks deepening skepticism within Trump’s own party.
At the same time, the White House has continued to project confidence, arguing that military pressure and economic leverage can be applied without committing to a full‑scale ground war. Administration officials have emphasized all options remain on the table, while insisting no decision has been made to send American troops into direct ground combat inside Iran.
Quote:WASHINGTON — Shocking leaked audio showed a lefty Democratic hopeful for Michigan Senate telling campaign staffers he wanted to avoid taking a position on the death of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei because many voters were distraught over it.
Abdul El-Sayed warned staffers that “there are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad” about Khamenei’s death, so he’d pivot straight to the “pedophile president” instead.
“I’m just gonna go straight to pedophilia, frankly,” El-Sayed told staffers about how he’d navigate questions on Khamenei’s death, per leaked audio from a March 1 campaign strategy session obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
“I’ll just be like, ‘Pedophile president decides that he doesn’t like the front page news, so he decides to take us into another war.'”
Khamenei, who had been one of the world’s longest-serving dictators at the time, had been killed by Israeli strikes a day earlier, something Iran later confirmed.
As an ayatollah, Khamenei was also a religious leader under Shia Islam. Iran has the biggest population of Shiite Muslims in the world. Khamenei became an ayatollah overnight in 1989 despite lacking the religious prerequisites after ascending to the role of supreme leader.
Dearborn, Michigan, has the largest per capita concentration of Arab-Americans and Muslims of any city in the US. It is also predominantly Shiite Muslim, despite Sunni Islam being the far larger branch of that religion globally.
Despite typically being a Democratic stronghold, President Trump won a plurality there in 2024, amid a revolt against former Vice President Kamala Harris over the Israel-Hamas war.
“I also want to remind you guys that there are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad today,” El-Sayed explained to his team, per the leaked discussion. “So, like, I just don’t want to comment on Khamenei at all. Like, I don’t think it’s worth even touching that.”
“We have the moral high ground here,” he went on, noting that reporters will “try and bait us into saying, ‘Yeah, but isn’t it justified now that they took [Khamenei] out, right? And I just think, for us, we’ve got to be, like, ‘no.'”
The progressive Senate hopeful also suggested that his campaign could pivot from questions on Khamenei to attack the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Someone on his team was apprehensive about him pivoting to Israel.
Quote:Joe Kent, the former head of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) who resigned from the Trump administration earlier this month over the Iran war, posted a video message on X on Monday urging Americans to contact the White House and their members of Congress to oppose sending U.S. ground troops into the conflict.
In the post, Kent included phone numbers for the White House comment line and the congressional switchboard, calling it a “call to action” and urging people to “respectfully” tell elected officials they do not support American boots on the ground in Iran.
His message comes as the White House faces mounting pressure—from critics and some allies—to clarify whether the escalating conflict could expand beyond air and naval operations.
Why It Matters
Late last month, the United States and Israel targeted key military targets in Iran and killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other government leaders. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones targeting Israel and several Gulf Arab states that host U.S. armed forces.
Kent’s appeal underscores growing unease within the Republican Party about the direction of the war, particularly as discussions turn toward the possibility of deploying ground forces. The Trump administration has repeatedly said no decision has been made to send U.S. troops into Iran, but officials are weighing scenarios that could involve American forces securing critical infrastructure.
As a former senior counterterrorism official and military veteran, Kent’s public break with the administration—and his direct appeal to voters—adds weight to a broader debate inside the GOP about escalation, war powers, and the political risks of another prolonged Middle East conflict.
The call also reflects a tension between President Donald Trump’s “America First” campaign rhetoric and the realities of an expanding war, a gap that critics say could erode support among parts of his conservative base if ground combat becomes part of the mission.
What to Know
In his video, Kent warned that Trump would face “immense pressure” in the coming days to commit U.S. ground troops to Iran. He described such a move as a “catastrophic escalation” that would lead to more bloodshed and further entrench the war.
He urged Americans to make clear they oppose sending troops into Iran by using the numbers he listed. “This is how we the people can have our voices heard,” he said, adding that while prayer was important, citizens also needed to “work towards peace.”
Kent resigned earlier this month as director of the NCTC, saying he could not “in good conscience” support the war. In his resignation letter, he argued Iran posed no imminent threat to the U.S. and said the conflict had been launched under pressure from Israel and its allies. The letter drew sharp rebukes from the White House, with Trump calling Kent “very weak on security” and dismissing his assessment of the threat posed by Iran.
Kent’s departure quickly became a flashpoint inside conservative media, with some praising him for taking a stand and others accusing him of undermining the administration during wartime. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard publicly defended the president’s authority to determine what constitutes an imminent threat, pushing back on Kent’s claims.
Quote:The American University of Beirut said it will shift to remote operations on Monday and Tuesday following Iranian threats against US-affiliated universities in the region.
AUB President Fadlo Khuri said in a statement on Sunday that while there was no evidence of a direct threat to the university or its medical centers, classes and exams would be held online “out of an abundance of caution.” Only essential personnel will be allowed on campus.
Khuri reaffirmed the university’s commitment to “peaceful self-determination and nonviolence,” urging that educational and healthcare institutions be spared from regional conflict.
The American University of Madaba (Jordan) and the American University of Sharjah (UAE) also switched to remote learning.
UKRAINE WAR
Quote:The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has called for the U.S. to pull all of its troops from the European country after reports suggested U.S. President Donald Trump is considering withdrawing American soldiers from the country.
AfD co-leader, Tino Chrupalla, told a party gathering in east Germany on Saturday that the country should chase an "independent" foreign policy, starting with the removal of American soldiers.
Just under 40,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Germany, close to half the total number in Europe.
The country hosts the major Ramstein air base, home to NATO's air and space forces, vital for coordinating activities like air defense operations. German bases are also a springboard for U.S. missions in the Middle East.
AfD has long called for foreign soldiers to leave Germany, and the party's manifesto demands the withdrawal of all nuclear weapons from German soil.
The U.S. keeps roughly 100 B-61 nuclear gravity bombs in bases across Europe, including in western Germany. These are tactical nuclear weapons, less destructive than the long-range missiles launched from U.S. silos, submarines and bombers that can level cities.
Trump and his administration have long weighed up whether to dramatically scale back the U.S. military footprint in Europe, originally part of Washington's pivot to the Indo-Pacific and the threat of China.
Europe has at once tried to quickly boost their military spending while keeping the U.S. invested in protecting the continent, including with troops based in countries like Germany.
Trump is still debating whether to transfer troops out of Germany, British newspaper The Telegraph reported Friday, citing sources close to the president.
But despite conflicting messages from the administration, the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act—signed into law back in December—blocked the U.S. government taking U.S. troop numbers in Europe below 76,000 for more than 45 days.
Meanwhile, the Iran war, now in its fifth week, has drawn more than 50,000 U.S. soldiers to the Middle East, with thousands of Marines and elite paratroopers expected to arrive in the region with extra ships, aircraft and weapons in the coming weeks.
Trump's next steps aren't clear, but the White House has kept ground operations on Iranian territory firmly on the table as Iran maintains its chokehold on the vital Strait of Hormuz trade route and wreaked havoc with global fuel prices.
USA
Quote:WASHINGTON — Most Transportation Security Administration employees received back pay on Monday from the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, but it may be a while before airport security lines return to normal.
DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis confirmed Monday that TSA workers have received at least two missed paychecks as the shutdown hit a record-breaking 44th day.
“A small population might see a slight delay due to a variety of reasons, including financial institution processing times or issues with their direct deposit,” Bis added.
“We are working aggressively with USDA’s National Finance Center to complete processing for the half paycheck they are owed from pay period 3 as soon as possible.”
According to DHS, more than 500 TSA agents working without pay during the more than 40-day shutdown ended up quitting. Thousands more called out of work.
A local federal union rep told MS NOW that the pay “will significantly bring down the wait times” at US airports and bring “a majority” of the employees back to the job.
According to multiple TSA agents at LaGuardia Airport on Monday, the backpay has started to come in and more showed up this morning than last week — but numbers aren’t back to 100% yet.
“We’re being told regular paychecks starting next week. I hope so. I really need it to be over soon,” one male TSA agent told the Post.
Another female agent pointed out, though, that she had yet to see a paycheck. “I’m calling about that all day. I haven’t seen anything,” she said.
“It’s the news screwing everything up!” one TSA supervisor claimed. “We got enough people [transportation security officers] here now, but people are watching the news and they’re coming way too early.”
Quote:TALAHASSEE, Fla. (CBS12) — A bill to rename Palm Beach International Airport as “Donald J. Trump International Airport” was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis and will take effect July 1.
The change also includes a new airport identifier, “DJT,” and directs the appropriate federal agencies to update all references to the new name.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it will coordinate with organizations such as the International Air Transport Association to pursue adoption of the new airport code.
The agency emphasized that airport name changes are a local matter and do not require FAA approval, but it must still complete administrative steps, including updating navigational charts and databases. The renaming follows action at both the state and federal levels, where lawmakers advanced similar proposals recognizing President Donald J. Trump’s ties to Palm Beach County.
Hearing the news, President Trump's son, Eric Trump, took to X announcing that PBIA was renamed to "President Donald Trump International Airport."
"Proud to have played a small role in making this happen," Eric Trump said. He gave special thanks to Meg Weinberger, a Republican running for State House District 94, as well as Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida Attorney General James Uthemeier and the Florida House.
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U.S. Representative Brian Mast (FL-21) introduced companion federal legislation to codify the name change at the national level and ensure coordination across aviation agencies. He said the designation reflects Trump’s longstanding connection to the area and his broader legacy.
“President Donald J. Trump’s impact on our nation will transcend our time—a historic legacy of dedication and commitment toward the American people,” Mast said. “He’s called Palm Beach County ‘home’ for many years, and this designation reflects our gratitude for his public service and leadership.”
Palm Beach International Airport, a major economic driver in the region that serves millions of travelers each year, has been the focus of increased legislative attention in Florida. Earlier this year, the Florida House approved the renaming proposal in an 81–30 vote, aligning with similar legislation in the state Senate.
State funding — including $2.75 million outlined in the Senate budget — has been allocated for signage, branding updates, and operational changes needed to implement the new name by the July 1 effective date.
Following the renaming, the Florida Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell stating:
“Life keeps getting more expensive for working families and seniors in Florida, which is why Democrats spent this legislative session fighting for an affordability agenda to lower costs and put more money back in your pocket. Instead of working across the aisle with us to advance those bills, Republican leaders decided to prioritize wasting five million of your taxpayer dollars on renaming an airport after the President. Your money is being misused to celebrate the man who caused gas prices to rise to over four dollars a gallon, grocery costs to shoot up, and health care prices to spike. Republicans are out of touch when it comes to the real issues impacting Floridians. The people of Florida did not ask for this. It’s clear Tallahassee Republicans care more about political stunts than they care about your wallet.”
Quote:Teens across the nation are wreaking havoc by holding “takeovers” — wild and often violent gatherings which are overwhelming local police forces.
People chasing internet notoriety organize the meetups online, which spread like wildfire, prompting mobs of hundreds to turn up unannounced at public spaces like shopping malls, city streets, parking lots and businesses and taking them over.
The planned events have spread across the country from Florida to Virginia to Chicago and Washington DC, with videos posted from one fueling the next, according to law enforcement sources.
On Saturday eight juveniles were arrested in Brandon, Florida, after hundreds of kids “overwhelmed” a trampoline park and refused to get off its equipment, even after it was forced to closed to deal with the takeover. All those arrested were charged with trespassing.
Other takeovers have turned violent. In February five people aged between 15 and 18 were shot shortly after cops broke up a takeover attended by some 130 revelers at Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Cops said they’d determined one of the organizers had also been behind another takeover two weeks earlier, which was largely organized through Instagram.
A teen takeover in Henrico County, Virginia, resulted in a mall closing early and some patrons locked in stores, as well as a “very large fight,” per local police. After that chaos, authorities the next county over took action to thwart a takeover planned at Chesterfield Towne Center mall’s parking lot.
“It’s a national trend in which people use social media to let others know about gathering to occupy an area, with or without cars,” Lt. Col. Frank Carpenter, chief of the Chesterfield County Police Department, told The Post. “They put out fliers on social media.
“It’s almost like they want to have free nights to do whatever they want, like in ‘Grand Theft Auto’ or ‘The Purge,’ ” he said, latterly referencing a dystopian horror movie where all crime is deemed permissible for 12 hours.
Quote:Internal emails from a senior White House official show he suggested federal immigration agents responding to protests in Los Angeles last summer should have used immediate physical force to disperse demonstrators.
Joseph Mazzara, then-acting general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), wrote in a June 11 email discussing the response to the Los Angeles protests that troops and agents deployed in the city should have immediately used physical force to disperse crowds.
“They should have, when they brought the [troops] in, just started hitting the rioters and arresting everyone that couldn’t get away from them,” Mazzara wrote in an email obtained by the nonprofit watchdog group American Oversight through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). “No one likes being hit by a stick, and people tend to run when that starts happening in earnest.”
Newsweek has contacted the DHS and the White House for via email comment.
Why It Matters
Last summer, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) carried out widespread operations in Los Angeles, triggering public backlash and large-scale protests that, in some cases, escalated into unrest. In response, the National Guard and other personnel were deployed to support crowd control and security efforts. California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the federal response and sued President Donald Trump's administration over the deployment of the National Guard.
What To Know
The email chain shows Homeland Security attorneys discussing a June 9 lawsuit filed by Newsom challenging Trump’s deployment of thousands of California National Guard troops to Los Angeles. Under the subject line “California DOD [Department of Defense] Lawsuit,” officials coordinated legal filings defending the deployment and included a draft declaration from a Los Angeles ICE field office director in support of the action.
In a June 11 message, Mazzara referenced reports of protesters attempting to breach a security line at a federal building, writing that he was “floored” by the “battering ram incident” and described it as “wild.”
Mazzara later became deputy commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). He is among a group of 10 staff members who accompanied former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to the U.S. Department of State after she was removed from her position at the helm of the DHS and reassigned as a special envoy for the Shield of the Americas initiative, Politico reported.
Mazzara is a married father of six and a Marine combat veteran, according to the DHS website. He graduated from Christendom College and Scalia Law, and clerked for Judges Edith Jones, Brantley Starr, and Stephen Vaden. He previously served as Special Counsel to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
After the U.S. Supreme Court raised concerns about the Trump administration’s legal rationale for using military personnel in domestic law enforcement, Trump moved to begin withdrawing National Guard troops from Los Angeles and other Democrat led-cities.
I think this is something I can't agree with Newsweek. SCOTUS is not the biggest reason why the current administration stopped deploying many ICE and CBP agents in different parts of the country. Instead, I would point at the last few months of Kristi Noem's tenure in DHS to the actual need to change the strategy. Especially after some protesters died after confronting ICE agents, one even tried
killing an agent by running over him. Keep in mind that later Trump picked Tim Homan to solve the issues arising in Minnesota.My posture would be different if we were talking about tariffs controversy. There SCOTUS had a big role in it, that's for sure.
Quote:The mayor of Rhode Island’s capital city is calling for a mural reportedly backed by Elon Musk to honor Iryna Zarutska —the Ukrainian woman whose brutal murder while riding a North Carolina train prompted calls for harsher punishment for career criminals — to be taken down.
The mural, located on the exterior of The Dark Lady, an LGBTQ+ club in downtown Providence, remains incomplete, WJAR-TV reported.
The office of Mayor Brett Smiley told the news outlet that he wants the artwork taken down.
“The murder of the individual depicted in this mural was a devastating tragedy, but the misguided, isolating intent of those funding murals like the one across the county is divisive and does not represent Providence,” Smiley said in a statement.
He said he continues to “encourage our community to support local artists whose work brings us closer together rather than divide us.”
Artist Ian Gaudreau, who began the work last week, told the news outlet that he never intended for the tribute to be political.
Upon learning of a project to memorialize Zarutska, Musk said he would donate $1 million in a September 2025 post on X.
Zarutska, a 23-year-old refugee who fled her country after the Russian invasion, was brutally stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack while riding the Lynx Blue Line light rail in Charlotte, NC, last year.
The suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, is charged with violence against a railroad carrier and mass transportation system resulting in death, which is a capital offense under federal law.
Has the mayor even asked his constituents if they truly want the mural to be destroyed or replaced?Is he now saying that, as a Democrat, he doesn't care about immigrants?
Quote:SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The University of Southern California canceled a gubernatorial debate planned for Tuesday after candidates of color who would have been excluded accused the school of discrimination.
Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, and Democrats Tom Steyer, Katie Porter, Eric Swalwell and Matt Mahan, who are all white, were slated to participate in the debate hosted by the University of Southern California’s Dornsife Center for the Political Future and KABC-TV. But four established Democratic candidates of color, Antonio Villaraigosa, Xavier Becerra, Betty Yee and Tony Thurmond, didn’t meet the criteria to participate.
No clear front-runner has emerged in the crowded race ahead of the June 2 primary. Ballots will go out in early May.
The university has defended a formula used to select the participants and denied allegations of bias. A public policy professor independently developed the criteria based on candidates’ polling and fundraising, the university said in a statement Friday.
A group of 50 public policy and social science scholars from across the country defended the professor in a letter to the university’s president on Monday.
Do Democratic politicians even buy their own propaganda nowadays?
Quote:Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, is facing an ethics complaint filed by a conservative organization alleging her campaign improperly used $19,000 in funds for a psychiatrist.
Newsweek reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Ocasio-Cortez is a prominent member of Congress. She’s viewed as one of the most progressive members of the House of Representatives and has been floated as a potential candidate in either the 2028 presidential race or as a challenger to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, also a Democrat.
The complaint has drawn scrutiny from her Republican critics on social media.
What To Know
The complaint was filed by the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) on March 27, with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
It alleges the funds “ostensibly for ‘leadership training and consulting'” were “expended instead for personal psychiatric services provided to AOC or members of her campaign staff.”
“Accordingly, those expenses were also misreported by the campaign committee with the FEC. NLPC requests that the FEC and [Office of Congressional Conduct] immediately investigate the facts and circumstances of these payments and impose appropriate penalties and disciplinary sanctions against AOC,” the complaint reads.
NLPC Counsel Paul Kamenar told the conservative news outlet One America News Network that “is not a legitimate campaign expense.”
“If Representative Ocasio-Cortez needs psychiatric care, she should pay for it with her own money—not with donations from supporters who thought they were contributing to her political campaign,” he said.
The complaint points to disbursements made to Dr. Brian Boyle in Brookline, Massachusetts, for “leadership training and consulting” in March, May and October 2025.
Details about what those trainings consisted of remained unclear.
Boyle specializes in Spravato, ketamine and TMS therapy, according to Psychology Today. However, it's not known whether any of those therapies were used during the training with Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign.
The complaint alleges he does not advertise “leadership training,” and there is reason to believe the services “were for therapeutic treatment of AOC or her campaign staff as his patients,” which would “constitute personal use.”
Ocasio-Cortez has not responded publicly to the complaint.
Quote:Attorneys for U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell sent a cease-and-desist letter to FBI Director Kash Patel on Monday, demanding he immediately halt any effort to release records from a decade-old investigation involving the California Democrat and a suspected Chinese operative. The probe produced no criminal charges.
Newsweek reached out to the FBI via email on Monday for comment.
Why It Matters
The Justice Department has a longstanding policy against publicly disclosing records from investigations that do not result in charges. Swalwell's legal team argues Patel's actions would violate that policy and federal law—and that the effort is politically motivated.
Swalwell is running for governor of California, and his attorneys contend the files' release is designed to damage his campaign rather than serve any legitimate law enforcement purpose.
What To Know
The investigation dates back to Christine Fang's contact with Swalwell's congressional campaign beginning in 2012, when she also participated in fundraising for his 2014 race.
Federal investigators briefed Swalwell and Congress about Fang in 2015, at which point Swalwell says he severed all contact with her. He was never accused of any wrongdoing, and a House Ethics Committee investigation opened in 2021 was closed two years later without any action taken.
The Washington Post first reported that Patel had directed agents to review and redact the files in preparation for release. An FBI spokesperson previously told the Post that the bureau "prepares documents for numerous different reasons" but did not directly address the Swalwell matter.
A Yearslong Target
Monday's cease-and-desist is the latest chapter in a multiyear effort by Republican leaders to use the Fang investigation against Swalwell. In March 2021, then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tried to have Swalwell removed from the House Intelligence Committee over his contact with Fang, citing the same interactions now at the center of Patel's file review. McCarthy's resolution was voted down in the then-Democratic-led House. He later said, "If you got the briefing I got from the FBI, you wouldn't have Swalwell on any committee."
Democrats pushed back at the time, with then-Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff noting that Republican leaders—including then-Speaker John Boehner and then-Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes—were briefed on the Fang situation when it arose and "expressed no opposition to his continued service" on the panel.
In January 2023, McCarthy again moved to block Swalwell's reappointment to the Intelligence Committee after Republicans reclaimed the House majority, this time succeeding. Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had formally nominated Swalwell for the seat, arguing there was "no precedent or justification" for rejecting him. Swalwell contended it was not the speaker's place to remove members from committees based on "fabricated stories or political revenge."
Patel, who listed Swalwell among dozens of perceived Trump adversaries in his 2023 book Government Gangsters, now oversees the FBI files at the center of the latest dispute.
Last Week...
Quote:Asked in 1975 whether it bothered her that she was frequently called upon to be “sexy”, the actor Valerie Perrine said: “It’s not something I mind like being bitten by a mosquito.” On the contrary, she often revelled in it, considering herself “the 1970s version of Mae West”.
Perrine, who has died aged 82 after suffering from Parkinson’s disease, was blissfully unselfconscious, entirely untrained and claimed never even to have read a script before making her screen debut as the porn star Montana Wildhack, who is abducted by aliens in the 1972 film of Kurt Vonnegut’s book Slaughterhouse-Five. “There’s nothing so mysterious about acting,” said Perrine. “You’re either good at it or you’re not. I happen to be good at it.”
Despite the emphasis on sexuality and nudity in her early roles, such as the television play Steambath (1973), she was too witty and skilful a performer to be mistaken for eye candy. She received an Oscar nomination, as well as the Cannes film festival’s best actress prize, for her impressively raw work in Lenny (also 1974) as the stripper Honey, wife of the provocative stand-up Lenny Bruce (Dustin Hoffman), who must navigate her husband’s whims and demands while dealing with her own emotional tumult. The film’s director, Bob Fosse, told her she was “the best actress I’ve ever worked with”.
In the blockbuster Superman (1978), Perrine, whose surname rhymed with “divine”, was exactly that as Eve Teschmacher, sparky moll to the arch-villain Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman), who continually patronises and underestimates her. She eventually comes to the rescue of Superman when he is drowning after Luthor has hung a chunk of Kryptonite around his neck. Eve sneaks a kiss on the wilted superhero’s lips before saving him, then asks plaintively: “Why is it I can’t get it on with the good guys?” Not having learned her lesson, she helps Luthor break out of prison in Superman II (1981).
Perrine played the ex-wife of a rodeo rider (Robert Redford) in The Electric Horseman (1979), but considered her prospects ruined after appearing in the notorious flop Can’t Stop the Music (1980), an oddly straitlaced showcase for the gay-coded pop group Village People. She played a retired model who is shown in the opening credits doodling a moustache on one of her own advertising campaigns on the side of a bus.
Quote:Actor James Tolkan, known for his role as the Hill Valley High principal in “Back to the Future” and the no-nonsense commanding officer in “Top Gun” has died. He was 94.
Tolkan died Thursday in Lake Placid, N.Y., where he lived, his booking agent, John Alcantar, told the Associated Press on Saturday.
In “Back to the Future,” Tolkan portrayed Vice Principal Gerald Strickland, who surveyed the school’s halls with a whistle around his neck and a tardy slip burning a hole in his pocket.
“You got a real attitude problem, McFly,” Tolkan’s character snaps at Michael J. Fox’s character, Marty McFly, in the cult classic 1985 film. “You’re a slacker. You remind me of your father when he went here. He was a slacker, too.”
The line became one of Tolkan’s most famous, and mega-fans would flock to Comic-Cons around the country to ask the star to call them a slacker, requests he typically obliged.
The actor had a number of film and television gigs through the 1960s and ’70s, but he was doing David Mement’s Broadway play “Glengarry Glen Ross” when he got the offer to play Strickland in “Back to the Future.”
“I always said, ‘I’m never going to Hollywood until they send for me,’ ” he told T.C. Restani during a 2015 interview. “And I said, OK, this is my chance. And of course, nobody realized that it was going to be such an important picture. But it was. It was one of those marvelous events where all the planets were aligned and ‘Back to the Future’ became this shooting star of a movie.”
EUROPE
Quote:A huge shipment of 12 tonnes of KitKat - over 400,000 chocolate bars - was stolen last week in Europe while being transported by truck between production and distribution facilities.
The Swiss food giant Nestlé reported that 12 tonnes of KitKat chocolate bars were stolen in Europe, warning that this could lead to shortages in stores just before Easter.
“A truck carrying 413,793 units of our new chocolate range was stolen during its transit in Europe,” KitKat, a Nestlé brand, said in a statement to AFP. The load, weighing approximately 12 tonnes, disappeared last week while travelling between production and distribution sites, the company said.
With one week to go until Easter, the brand warned that “this theft could lead to a shortage of KitKat on shelves”.
Before being stolen, the truck had left central Italy and was heading towards Poland, with the intention of distributing the bars in the countries it passed through.
KitKat did not specify exactly where the goods had disappeared but said that “the vehicle and its contents remain untraceable”. “Investigations are continuing in close collaboration with local authorities and supply chain partners,” it said.
It warned that the missing chocolate bars “could enter unofficial sales channels on European markets”. The brand said it was possible to trace the stolen products by scanning the barcodes on each bar.
“In the event of a match, the scanner will receive clear instructions on how to alert KitKat, which will then pass on this evidence appropriately,” it said.
Quote:ROME, March 30 (Reuters) - Three paintings by French masters Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cezanne and Henri Matisse, reportedly worth an estimated $10 million in total, have been stolen from a museum in northern Italy, police said on Monday.
The theft took place at the Fondazione Magnani Rocca, on the outskirts of the city of Parma, during the night of March 22-23, the Carabinieri police said in a statement.
Thieves broke into the building's main entrance and took Cezanne's "Tasse et Plat de Cerises" (Cup and plate of cherries), Renoir's "Les Poissons" (The fish) and Matisse's "Odalisque sur la Terrasse" (Odalisque on the terrace), the police added.
Italian public broadcaster Rai reported the stolen works were worth 9 million euros ($10.34 million), a figure that was not confirmed by the Carabinieri.
THEFT TOOK LESS THAN THREE MINUTES
The museum, home to a private collection compiled by the late music critic and musicologist Luigi Magnani, said separately that the theft took less than three minutes.
The Fondazione Magnani Rocca's collection also includes works by Titian, Francisco Goya, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Claude Monet, Peter Paul Rubens and Giorgio Morandi, according to its website.
($1 = 0.8701 euros)
CHINA
Quote:Beijing renewed grievances with Washington on Friday over what it described as systemic bias against Chinese scientists, following the reported suicide of a postdoctoral researcher living in the United States.
During the Chinese Foreign Ministry's regular press conference, spokesperson Lin Jian responded to a query about the researcher, who state media said had died one day after being interrogated by U.S. law enforcement.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and have made solemn representations to the United States,” Lin said. He added that Chinese diplomatic missions had been in contact with the family of the deceased and were assisting with follow‑up arrangements.
The official did not disclose further details about the individual or the U.S. agency said to have questioned them.
China's Embassy in the U.S. told Newsweek it was not yet familiar with the case.
"For some time now, the U.S. side has broadened the concept of 'national security' for political purposes, subjecting Chinese students and scholars to unwarranted questioning and harassment," he stated. "Such actions infringe upon the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese citizens, undermine the normal atmosphere of people‑to‑people exchanges between China and the United States, and have created a serious chilling effect.”
Lin demanded that the U.S. carry out an investigation into the case and stop discriminatory law enforcement targeting Chinese scholars and students.
Newsweek reached out by email to the U.S. Justice and State Departments with requests for comment.
Chinese officials have repeatedly accused Washington of anti-Chinese prejudice since President Donald Trump’s first term, particularly after the Justice Department launched the China Initiative in 2018.
The program aimed to counter economic espionage and intellectual property theft linked to China. However, public court records and subsequent reviews by journalists and advocacy groups found many cases instead centered on alleged failures to disclose foreign affiliations or funding on grant applications rather than spying on behalf of Beijing.
Trump administration officials defended the initiative as necessary to protect U.S. research and national security, arguing that Beijing was exploiting academic openness to access advanced technology. Yet advocacy groups and critics in academia said that the initiative fueled racial profiling and damaged the U.S.'s reputation as a destination for scientific talent.
The initiative was wound down by former President Joe Biden in 2022. An effort by congressional Republicans to revive it stalled after stiff opposition from Asian American advocacy groups and their allies.
Quote:A bipartisan U.S. Senate delegation has drawn a protest from Beijing after it arrived in Taiwan to press lawmakers to boost defense spending amid a widening military gap across the Taiwan Strait.
“Taiwan firmly opposes official interactions between the U.S. and the Taiwan region and has lodged serious representations with the U.S. side,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during Monday’s regular press briefing.
While the U.S., like most countries, switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing, Washington maintains robust unofficial ties with Taipei and supplies it with arms under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act. A special defense budget requested by President Lai Ching-te, however, has for months been in a state of limbo in Taiwan’s opposition-controlled legislature, which favors closer ties with Beijing and has raised concerns over oversight and spending details.
China considers self-ruled Taiwan part of its territory and a core interest, and routinely condemns U.S. arms sales to the island. The issue is expected to feature in upcoming talks between President Donald Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing.
In December, the Trump administration approved a record $11-billion arms package for Taiwan. Continued delays in passing the special budget could complicate follow-on acquisitions, including additional HIMARS rocket systems and other capabilities that would strengthen the island's defense capabilities.
Newsweek has reached out to Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Washington and to the Taiwanese opposition party Kuomintang for comment.
“The U.S. should adhere to the One China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiqués, handle the Taiwan question with prudence, stop all forms of official interactions with the Taiwan region, and stop sending any wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces,” Mao said, adding that Beijing would take all necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The U.S. has for decades followed a “one China” policy, acknowledging—but not endorsing—Beijing’s claim over Taiwan. The three joint communiqués, issued as Washington and Beijing normalized relations in the late 1970s and early 1980s, include a U.S. commitment to gradually reducing arms sales to Taiwan, without setting a timeline.
On the first day of their two-day visit to Taiwan, the senators stressed “peace through strength” during an event at Taiwan’s Presidential Office, urging the Legislative Yuan to pass the defense budget and reaffirming U.S. support, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency.
“I’d like to personally endorse the special defense budget and tell you that, back in Washington, D.C., my colleagues are watching—this is important,” said Utah Republican John Curtis, who co-led the delegation with New Hampshire's Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat. “We want to make sure that as we invest in this part of the world, you are also investing, and that we’re in this together.”
Joining them were Republican Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Jacky Rosen, a Nevada Democrat.
LATIN AMERICA
Quote:The Donald Trump administration announced Monday that it was reopening the United States Embassy in Venezuela, calling it a "key milestone."
After seven years of working through Bogota in neighboring Colombia, the U.S. State Department said the embassy in Caracas would resume its work.
The embassy was closed during the first Trump administration in 2019, amid a decline in relations between the two countries.
"The resumption of operations at U.S. Embassy Caracas is a key milestone in implementing the President’s three‑phase plan for Venezuela and will strengthen our ability to engage directly with Venezuela’s interim government, civil society, and the private sector," the State Department said in a statement.
In January, the U.S. military captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. The interim Venezuelan government led by acting President Delcy Rodríguez signaled interest in restoring ties with the U.S. For several years, the U.S. had also warned Americans against traveling to Venezuela, amid ongoing unrest under Maduro's leadership.
US Embassy in Venezuela Reopens: What To Know
The short announcement Monday marked a significant moment for U.S.-Venezuelan relations, following the resumption of some American flights to the country earlier in March and the two governments saying diplomatic relations were back on.
The U.S. Embassy in Caracas had been closed since March 2019, with the U.S. State Department's work carried out through the Venezuela Affairs Unit (VAU) based out of Colombia.
The building itself is said to be in need of repair, including tackling a mold issue. The department said Ambassador Laura F. Dogu was leading efforts to "restore the chancery building" so that it was ready for staff to get back to work.
On March 19, the U.S. announced that it had lowered its travel warning for Venezuela to a Level 3: reconsider travel. American travelers were still being warned of risks of crime and kidnapping, but the level marked a step down from an outright ban on heading to Venezuela.
It was not immediately clear what impact the embassy reopening would have on immigration to the U.S., with the Trump administration taking a far tougher stance on Venezuelan immigrants than the Joe Biden administration did.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has moved to pull two key policies, including Temporary Protected Status, that was used by Venezuelan immigrants seeking to stay in the U.S., and another known as CHNV, or Humanitarian Parole, that allowed immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to apply for legal status in their home country, then fly to the U.S. The latter was ended shortly after Trump's return to office.
Venezuela also remains on the partial travel ban list, preventing certain visas from being issued.
Quote:A Russian oil tanker carrying approximately 730,000 barrels of crude is on course to reach Cuba by Tuesday, after President Donald Trump said he has "no problem" with the delivery — even as his administration maintains an aggressive blockade of the island and Trump himself warned just days earlier that "Cuba is next."
Newsweek reached out to Cuba's defense department by email on Sunday for comment.
Why It Matters
Trump's oil blockade against Cuba — among the most aggressive economic pressure campaigns by any U.S. administration in recent history — has produced widespread civilian suffering, including island-wide blackouts, crippled hospitals, and gutted public transportation. The tanker's arrival would provide temporary relief, but Trump cast doubt on its long-term impact, calling Cuba "finished" under the leadership of President Miguel Díaz-Canel.
What To Know
Tracking data shows the tanker was positioned off the eastern tip of Cuba on Sunday night, with an expected arrival in the port city of Matanzas by Tuesday. Cuban state media journalists reported the vessel was expected to dock, though Cuban officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump confirmed the tanker would be permitted to proceed during remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One Sunday evening, affirming a New York Times report on the matter. He said he had no objection regardless of the ship's origin and dismissed suggestions the move would benefit Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The tanker's passage marks a notable, if narrow, carve-out within a blockade that has been among the most aggressive economic pressure campaigns by any U.S. administration in recent history. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have framed the blockade as a tool to force regime change in Havana — though the humanitarian toll has drawn widespread criticism.
The delivery also arrives just days after Trump told an investment forum in Miami on Friday that "Cuba is next," referencing it alongside what he described as successful military operations in Venezuela and Iran. He quickly walked back the remark, telling the audience to "pretend I didn't say that" but offered no clarification on what action, if any, he was contemplating. Earlier this month, Trump also suggested Cuba could face a "friendly takeover," before adding it might not be friendly.
At the same time, the Trump administration has opened diplomatic talks with Cuban officials in recent weeks. Díaz-Canel has confirmed negotiations are ongoing in an effort to avoid confrontation.
Cuba has been grappling with severe fuel shortages and economic disruption, compounded by the loss of oil shipments from Venezuela following the removal of former leader Nicolás Maduro in January.
Quote:The grandson of the Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro has said most of the island's residents "want to be capitalist, not communist," and called for a deal between President Donald Trump and officials in Havana.
Cuba has for months been squeezed by an American ban on Venezuelan oil imports to the island, which has quickly spiraled into an energy crisis where blackouts and food shortages are common, and healthcare and transportation judder to a halt.
Sandro Castro, who has shot to fame as a controversial social media star, said life in Cuba was "so hard," adding: "there are many people here who want to do capitalism with sovereignty."
Castro does not hold any official positions in Cuba's government.
"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.
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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
