News of the World
04-23-2026, 05:50 AM
MIDDLE EAST WAR
Quote:The German company that owns Lufthansa Airlines and other European carriers said Tuesday that it would cut 20,000 short-haul flights through October as the Iran war drives up oil prices and deepens worries that some countries may run low on jet fuel.
The Lufthansa Group said the cancellation of less profitable routes, focused largely on its hub airports in the German cities of Frankfurt and Munich, would save the equivalent of approximately 40,000 metric tons of jet fuel.
The company last week shut down one of its regional subsidiaries, CityLine, to cut costs. It said a “planned consolidation” within its European network also would involve Lufthansa Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, SWISS and ITA Airways, and hubs in Brussels, Rome, Vienna and Zurich.
The price of jet fuel has more than doubled in some markets since late February, when the war began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Airlines are particularly vulnerable to fuel price shocks because jet fuel typically accounts for one of their largest operating expenses.
For travelers, that is already translating into fewer flight options on some routes and higher fees and fares heading into the peak summer season, with many airlines raising checked bag fees or adding fuel surcharges.
Fighting around the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway off Iran’s coast where a fifth of the world’s oil typically passes, has disrupted fuel prices and supplies around the world.
The head of the International Energy Agency estimated on April 16 that Europe had about 6 weeks’ worth of jet fuel remaining and said airlines would start to cut routes from their schedules without more. The European Union’s top energy official is also warning that the energy crisis sparked by the war could impact prices for months “or maybe even years” to come.
“This is not a short-term, small increase in prices,” EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen said Wednesday.
Jørgensen said the war is costing Europe around 500 million euros ($600 million) each day.
Quote:Iran has threatened to reveal “new cards” if the cease-fire isn’t extended and conflict restarts, while President Trump warned “lots of bombs” will start going off if there’s no peace deal.
Mohammed-Bagher Ghalibaf, the Islamic Republic’s parliamentary speaker, said Monday the country has “prepared” during the truce — before lashing out at Trump, who renewed his threat to blitz Iranian infrastructure if talks are unsuccessful.
“Trump, by imposing a siege and violating the cease-fire, seeks to turn this negotiating table — in his own imagination — into a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering,” Ghalibaf, who led the Iranian delegation in Islamabad last week, wrote on X.
“We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the past two weeks, we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield.”
Iran hasn’t publicly confirmed if it is sending a team of negotiators to Islamabad, Pakistan, for peace talks with the US — but has reportedly told regional mediators that a delegation will be heading to the Pakistani capital, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, blasted Washington on calls with his Pakistani and Russian counterparts after US forces seized the cargo vessel Touska.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported a delegation from Tehran would only attend talks if the US met certain preconditions.
But the clock is ticking, with Trump telling Bloomberg the cease-fire will end “Wednesday evening Washington time.”
Trump said it’s “highly unlikely” the cease-fire will be extended if there’s no agreement.
The commander-in-chief told PBS Monday, “Then lots of bombs start going off” in response to a question asking about the next steps in a no-deal scenario.
Trump reiterated that Iran cannot have the capability to develop a nuclear weapon.
“No nuclear weapons. Very simple,” he said.
Quote:WASHINGTON — Sen. Chris Murphy, who has drawn 2028 presidential buzz, sparked a firestorm for bizarrely applauding a disputed report that more than two dozen Iranian vessels have slipped through the ongoing US blockade.
“Awesome,” Murphy (D-Conn.) posted on X Monday in response to a report from the shipping journal Lloyd’s List claiming that at least 26 so-called “shadow fleet” vessels had eluded the American shipping siege.
In response to the blowback, Murphy insisted he was merely being sarcastic.
“Ok Twitter, I can’t believe I need to clarify this but obviously Trump’s bungled mismanagement of this war is not ‘awesome,'” Murphy posted on X.
“As I have said a million times here, it’s a disaster and he should end the war immediately. My tweet was something called ‘sarcasm.'”
Murphy later grumbled to a reporter that “I just have to be more careful about sarcasm on Twitter” in the future.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell denied the Lloyd’s List report as “false” and slammed Murphy’s comment as “shameful” in a social media response.
At least one Democratic staffer agreed that Murphy had gone too far, telling The Post: “Stupid sarcasm over life or death issues is beneath a senator.”
“Was it sarcasm? Certainly,” the staffer insisted. “But when so many on the far-left have been openly cheering for the Iranian regime (see Calla Walsh), and when Murphy has shown a willingness to play to the far-left when it suits him politically, Republicans can hardly be blamed for taking him at his word.
“If a Republican had posted something like this in reverse, you bet your ass Dems would be hitting them for it.”
Murphy, 52, who has been a staunch critic of the war in Iran, has repeatedly bashed the US on the world stage over recent weeks. He trekked to Spain last week to claim the US is facing “the most significant threat to American democracy since the Civil War.”
Navy secretary fired after feud over Trump’s ‘Golden Fleet’ with Pentagon leaders, including Hegseth
Quote:Secretary of the Navy John Phelan was fired Wednesday after months of feuding with his Pentagon bosses, particularly over his handling of President Trump’s “Golden Fleet” shipbuilding initiative.
Tensions between Phelan, War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Deputy War Secretary Stephen Feinberg had been simmering for months, according to the New York Times and a Republican source.
Phelan didn’t get along with Pentagon brass and his management and leadership style was “incongruent” with Hegseth and Feinberg, one GOP source familiar with the fired Navy secretary’s standing at the Pentagon told The Post.
“The administration really wanted to accelerate the shipbuilding program because of the president’s agenda … and the secretary seemed incapable of accomplishing those goals, and he wasn’t well-liked,” the source said. “When you combine incompetence with arrogance, it usually doesn’t end well.”
Feinberg had been gradually diverting responsibility for the major project away from Phelan, the New York Times reported.
The secretary had also butted heads with Hung Cao, the under secretary who is now set to replace him, officials told the outlet.
Phelan is leaving, effective immediately, and Cao will become Acting Secretary of the Navy, the Pentagon said Wednesday. No reason was given for his departure.
“Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan is departing the administration, effective immediately,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced. “We wish him well in his future endeavors.”
A senior administration official told The Post that Trump and Hegseth both agreed it was time to replace Phelan.
“President Trump and Secretary Hegseth agreed new leadership at the Navy is needed,” the official said. “Secretary Hegseth informed John Phelan of this news prior to it being made public.”
Phelan addressed the Navy’s annual conference in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday and spoke to reporters about his plans to ramp up shipbuilding in the service.
“One of the things we are going to do in our contracting is if you beat schedule, you’re going to get a bonus, but you’re going to share it with the workers,” Phelan said.
Phelan is one of the country’s top art collectors and ran a massive private investment firm.
Quote:The War Department has released video of American troops intercepting a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean overnight.
The ship, M/T Tifani, had departed the Sri Lankan port of Galle on Saturday and was bound for Singapore while carrying Iranian oil, according to the Pentagon and tracking website VesselFinder.
The Pentagon said on X the boarding took place “without incident” and did not say whether any cargo was seized.
“As we have made clear, we will pursue global maritime enforcement efforts to disrupt illicit networks and interdict sanctioned vessels providing material support to Iran—anywhere they operate,” the statement read.
“International waters are not a refuge for sanctioned vessels. The Department of War will continue to deny illicit actors and their vessels freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain.”
Video showed the Navy SEALs landing on the Botswana-flagged tanker via helicopter and taking control of the vessel and stationing it in the Bay of Bengal.
The White House will ultimately decide what to do with the sanctioned vessel and the oil its carrying, military officials told The New York Times.
The operation comes after US Marines disabled and seized the Touska Iranian cargo ship on Sunday after it tried to evade the American blockade in the Gulf of Oman.
Quote:Anti-Iranian regime dissidents have been exposing regime-backed professors across the US, but recently the progressive Change.org platform has been deleting petitions they set up to call for them to face justice, they claim.
The Alliance Against the Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA) said Change.org last week blocked a petition against Sina Azodi, whom it accuses of being a pro-regime professor at George Washington University, and who has been promoting a book he wrote on Iran’s nuclear program.
The group is calling on the university to conduct “an independent and transparent review” of Azodi’s work and recent comments.
“This is a man who stated in a BBC interview that the regime has the right to use coercive power to silence protestors and who has documented ties to NIAC, the de-facto lobby of the Islamic Republic in America, spreading regime-sourced propaganda on US soil,” said Ehsan Nouri of the University of Virginia in an X post last week, referring to lobbying group the National Iranian American Council. Azodi is scheduled to speak at the university on April 27.
Neither Azodi nor Change.org returned a request for comment.
Removing the petition against Azodi is the third time Change.org has taken down one of AAIRIA’s petitions, the group claims.
But a spokeswoman for the company said that the petitions have not been removed but are currently under review by their attorneys.
“Change.org is an open platform where people can make their voices heard. We maintain Community Guidelines that prohibit misinformation, defamation, and content that could harm individuals,” she told The Post. “When complaints are filed about content on our platform, we are obligated to review them — a standard process applied consistently across all petitions.”
Earlier this year, the company that started in 2007 as a grassroots site for social activism removed a petition demanding the firing of Leila Khatami, a professor of mathematics at Union College in Schenectady and daughter of Iran’s former President Mohammad Khatami.
Quote:President Trump rejected calls to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — warning there would never be a deal with Iran “unless we blow up the rest of their country, their leaders included.”
The commander-in-chief said Iran only proclaims it’s closed the waterway to “save face” as he issued the fiery threat Tuesday night — just hours after announcing that the cease-fire had been extended.
“Iran doesn’t want the Strait of Hormuz closed, they want it open so they can make $500 Million Dollars a day (which is, therefore, what they are losing if it is closed!),” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“They only say they want it closed because I have it totally BLOCKADED (CLOSED!), so they merely want to ‘save face.’
“People approached me four days ago, saying, ‘Sir, Iran wants to open up the Strait, immediately.’ But if we do that, there can never be a Deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their Country, their leaders included!”
In a subsequent post, Trump claimed the Iranian regime is “collapsing financially” and it’s “starving for cash.”
“Military and Police complaining that they are not getting paid. SOS!!!” he wrote.
Tehran has not responded to Trump’s latest threat, but Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed the blockade violates the cease-fire — and the war of words appears to be on the rise.
“Blockading Iranian ports is an act of war and thus a violation of the ceasefire. Striking a commercial vessel and taking its crew hostage is an even greater violation,” he wrote on X.
He then vowed Iran knows “how to defend its interests and how to resist bullying.”
Quote:Three container ships were hit by Iranian gunfire in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, hours after President Trump announced he was indefinitely extending a cease-fire with the Islamic Republic.
Iranian state TV also reported that two of the vessels had been seized by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), while semiofficial news agencies reported the third vessel was “stranded” on the Iranian coast.
The captured ships were identified as the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and the Epaminodes. The third vessel was identified as the Euphoria.
Confirmation from non-Iranian sources that the ships had been seized was not immediately available.
The IRGC said in a statement the ships “allegedly operated without authorization, repeatedly violated regulations, manipulated navigational aid systems and sought to covertly exit the Strait of Hormuz, endangering maritime security.”
Quote:WASHINGTON — President Trump announced Wednesday that Iran will no longer execute eight women after he pleaded Tuesday for their freedom — calling it “very good news” in a social media post.
“I have just been informed that the eight women protestors who were going to be executed tonight in Iran will no longer be killed. Four will be released immediately, and four will be sentenced to one month in prison,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“I very much appreciate that Iran, and its leaders, respected my request, as President of the United States, and terminated the planned execution.”
The announcement came hours after Trump extended a two-week cease-fire with Iran as US negotiators await Tehran’s reply to the latest American offer to end the nearly two-month conflict.
Iran’s judiciary denied that the eight women were ever set for execution, claiming that “Trump was misled once again by fake news” and that “some of them have been released, while others face charges that, if convictions are upheld, would at most result in imprisonment.”
Iran’s claim is contested. One of the women, Bita Hemmati, was sentenced to death for allegedly being part of a group that threw objects onto Iranian forces during protests in January, human rights groups said.
Her case was reported last week by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency and the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center.
Hemmati and four men were convicted of “participation in protest gatherings on January 8 and 9, 2026,” including “chanting protest slogans,” “throwing objects including bottles, concrete blocks, and incendiary materials from rooftops,” and “destruction of public property,” the activist news agency said.
However, two of the eight — Golnaz Naraghi, 37, and Venus Hosseininejad, 28, — have been out on bail since late March, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights organization.
Iranian dissident Masih Alinejad, who lives in the US, publicized the cases of the eight women, tweeting their names and photos and specifying which four were believed to be sentenced to death.
Quote:ISLAMABAD — “Good news” about a second round of talks between the US and Iran may be coming as soon as Friday, President Trump and Pakistani sources told The Post on Wednesday.
Sources in Islamabad touted positive mediation efforts with Tehran, renewing the possibility of more peace talks within the next “36 to 72 hours.” Asked about this possible breakthrough by The Post, Trump, in a text message, said: “It’s possible! President DJT.”
The incremental update comes a day after the US president announced he would extend the current cease-fire with Iran until its divided leadership can come up with “a unified proposal.”
“I have … directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other,” he said in a post to Truth Social on Tuesday.
In the hours since, Islamabad has continued working its diplomatic channels with Iran, and the time period was based on an assessment of that work, a Pakistani source said.
“The ceasefire is holding despite heightened rhetoric, indicating positive intent on both sides,” the source said. “No military escalation from either side.”
“Pakistan remains the key mediator,” the person added.
But without a deal — or even talks — Trump continues to weigh more military options and has kept his blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
The region remains flush with a military presence so high that experts have said it’s the largest group of forces the US has ever amassed since the 2003 ground invasion of Iraq — and there are still more assets en route.
The USS Boxer and its 4,500-person amphibious group reached the Indo-Pacific region on Saturday, with plans to continue on to assist with the ongoing US naval blockade of Iranian ports, according to the San Diego Herald-Tribune.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials continue to threaten that their fingers are on the “trigger” to escalate the conflict back into a shooting war, with warnings that they’ll fire not just on US assets, but on regional allies in Gulf states — which could bring on an ever larger, longer war.
Quote:The U.S. military has intercepted at least three Iranian-flagged tankers in Asian waters and is redirecting them away from their positions near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday.
Washington has imposed a blockade on Iran’s trade by sea while Iran has fired on ships to prevent them sailing through the Strait of Hormuz waterway at the entrance to the Middle East Gulf. Nearly two months after the U.S. and Israel began their war on Iran, there is little sign of peace talks resuming during an uneasy ceasefire.
The closure of the strait has disrupted supply of a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies, and caused a global energy crisis. U.S. forces have seized an Iranian cargo ship and an oil tanker in recent days. Iran said it had captured two container ships seeking to exit the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after firing on them and another vessel, its first seizures since the war began.
The U.S. has diverted at least three more Iranian-flagged oil tankers in recent days, according to two US and Indian shipping sources and two separate Western maritime security source who spoke to Reuters on Wednesday.
The U.S. military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the interceptions.
One of the vessels was the Iranian-flagged Deep Sea supertanker, which was part loaded with crude and last seen on its public tracking transponder off Malaysia’s coast a week ago, according to the sources and ship tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform.
The smaller Iranian-flagged Sevin, which had a maximum capacity of 1 million barrels and was carrying 65% of its load, was also intercepted. The vessel was last seen off Malaysia’s coast a month ago, ship tracking data showed.
The Iranian-flagged supertanker Dorena was also intercepted, fully loaded with 2 million barrels of crude, and last seen off the coast of southern India three days ago, according to the sources and ship tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform.
The U.S. Central Command said on Wednesday in a post on X that the Dorena has been under the escort of a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Indian Ocean after attempting to violate the blockade.
U.S. forces may have intercepted the Iranian-flagged Derya tanker, shipping sources said. The vessel failed to discharge its cargo of Iranian oil in India before a U.S. waiver on Iranian crude purchases expired on Sunday. That vessel was last seen off India’s western coast on Friday, according to MarineTraffic data.
U.S. Central Command said on Wednesday that since the start of its blockade against ships entering or exiting Iranian ports, U.S. forces had directed 29 vessels to turn around or return to port.
Quote:Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman blasted his own party on Tuesday, accusing Democrats and the American media of undermining U.S. efforts to topple the Iranian regime.
“Iran must be so excited by the American media and the Democratic Party,” Fetterman said on “Hannity.”
“It’s like, as long as we can hang on… more and more people continue to vote against the Trump administration.”
Fetterman’s remarks come as Democrats ramp up a pressure campaign to check the president’s authority and bring the Trump administration’s action against the Mideast adversary to a close.
The Pennsylvania Democrat has repeatedly broken with his party on Israel and the Iran war, arguing that Washington must remain focused on preventing the regime from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
“I’m the only Democrat effectively left in Congress to support Epic Fury,” Fetterman said.
“It’s almost as if we’ve forgotten, on the Democratic side, that the real enemy, the real threat, the real danger is Iran and its proxies too.”
He noted the approaching 60-day deadline to terminate unauthorized military action under the War Powers Resolution.
“Why can we be this close and allow them to acquire a nuclear bomb?” he asked.
“That’s my real concern, andI don’t ever want to be on the wrong side of history to say, ‘I’m going to walk away from it…’ I’ve supported it [the operation] the entire time, and I don’t know where the votes are going to be. If it takes two or three on the Republican side, I don’t know, but I’m going to say where my vote is, because I’m firmly on the side of Israel, I’m firmly on this side of [opposing Iran].”
He proceeded to criticize members of the left for neglecting to mention eight Iranian women allegedly slated to be executed at the hands of the regime
“People on the left aren’t talking about that. Why aren’t they protesting that Iran’s about to hang women in Iran? They are the evil regime…” he said.
“We are at a very important inflection point in the Middle East,” he continued.
“That’s why I’m going to continue to support this, because Iran can’t ever acquire a nuclear bomb. That’s not a radical idea for the Democratic Party… Until you’re… [willing] to even do anything about it, then those are empty words. We should be firmly on this side to hold Iran fully accountable.”
Quote:The son of an ex-Iranian diplomat has gone viral for flaunting his lavish lifestyle as he boarded a private jet with his gal pal bound for Ibiza on Tuesday.
Influencer and expat Sasha Sobhani, whose father, Ahmad Sobhani, is the former Iranian ambassador to Venezuela, was filmed getting into the jet as he celebrated the upcoming Ibiza 2026 opening weekend.
“Thank God for all these blessings,” the 38-year-old said after smooching his partner, Spanish model Laura Neimas, and kicking back on a couch inside the luxurious aircraft.
Sobhani, who is wanted in Iran for alleged money laundering and running illegal gambling websites, has often stirred the pot on social media with photos and videos highlighting his extravagant expat life in Spain, where he moved to in 2019.
The influencer, who boasts nearly 4 million Instagram followers, routinely posts photos of himself surrounded by scantily clad women, alcohol and luxury sports cars as he celebrates his fortune since denouncing the Iranian regime.
Sobhani, whose real name is Mohammad-Reza, had enjoyed a life of luxury under his father, with his decadent lifestyle gaining him followers on the “Rich Kids of Tehran,” Instagram account, which followed the lives of the capital city’s wealthy young elite.
The influencer claimed that his lifestyle choices made him a prime target for the regime, which arrested him and sentenced him to prison for his alleged financial crimes, which he denied.
“I criticize the regime, the lack of freedom they have, I teach them how I live and tell them that they too could live like this,” he told the Spanish newspaper El Mundo in 2021 after Iran asked Spain to extradite him.
Sobhani has avoided being sent back, arguing that he was at risk of torture under the theocratic regime.
Inside Iran, Sobhani has been criticized as a poster child for the errors of Iran’s elite who cater to their children’s every whims while the rest of the nation suffers under a collapsing economy and repressive rule.
UKRAINE WAR
Quote:It’s the charge of the not-so-light brigade.
A band of ramshackle Russian forces were recently caught sneaking through Ukrainian lines — but drones quickly caught the crew and eliminated them, shocking footage shows.
The troop of mounted soldiers was intercepted on a roadway in the Donetsk region, with Ukrainian soldiers suspecting they were riding horses in an effort to go undetected, RadioFreeEurope reported.
But the stealth mission didn’t pan out — with footage from a Ukrainian drone capturing the moment the Russians were ambushed.
The soldiers were seen cowering from the drone as it zeroed in, while attempting to ride away as the killing machine hunted them down.
A screen the drone was being operated from ominously read “bomb armed.”
“You feel sorry for the horses,” a Ukrainian drone operator told RadioFreeEurope. “Really sorry.”
The Ukrainians suspected the horses stealth-attempts because their drones had encountered Russians creatively trying to pass through the same corridor in recent weeks — employing obvious attempts to be quieter each time.
“Last week seven motorcyclists were driving along,” the Ukrainian soldier said.
“They were destroyed. There were four-wheelers, too. They realized we detected them from the noise of their engines, so they tried electric four wheelers. That didn’t work either.”
Drones have played a critical role defending against Russian strongman Vladimir Putin’s more than four-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
Quote:NATO fighter jets scrambled on Tuesday to intercept Russian military aircraft, including long-range bombers, that flew near alliance airspace over the Baltic Sea, an incident that underscores persistent tensions with Moscow along NATO's eastern flank.
According to NATO and French military officials, Russian long‑range bombers and escort fighters were detected flying over international waters near NATO airspace. Fighter jets from several alliance members, including France, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Denmark and Romania, were launched to identify and monitor the aircraft.
The Russian formation included two Tu‑22M3 supersonic bombers accompanied by roughly 10 fighter jets, including Su‑30 and Su‑35 aircraft, officials said. French Rafale fighters were dispatched from Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania as part of NATO’s long‑running Baltic Air Policing mission.
Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry, NATO and the Pentagon via email on Tuesday afternoon for comment.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the flight was scheduled and took place entirely over neutral waters, adding that Russian military aircraft routinely conduct long‑range missions over the Baltic and other regions in accordance with international airspace rules.
NATO frequently intercepts Russian aircraft operating near alliance airspace, saying many of the planes do not transmit identification signals or communicate with air traffic controllers. The alliance says such intercepts are defensive and intended to ensure safety and situational awareness.
The Baltic Air Policing mission has been in place since 2004, when Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined NATO, and has intensified since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Why the Baltic Sea Is One of NATO’s Most Sensitive Front Lines
NATO’s decision to use fighter jets to intercept Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea this week underscores the growing strain along the alliance’s northern and eastern frontiers as Europe continues to grapple with the fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Baltic region—bordering Russia and the heavily militarized enclave of Kaliningrad—has emerged as one of NATO’s most sensitive flashpoints. Member states, including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, have repeatedly warned that Russian air and naval activity near their borders has intensified since Moscow launched its full‑scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
This week’s incident follows a familiar pattern but carries heightened significance amid broader security pressures facing Europe. Russia’s war has pushed NATO to reinforce its eastern flank, expand troop deployments and accelerate defense spending, while Sweden and Finland’s recent accession has further shifted the region’s strategic balance.
European leaders say the air policing missions are defensive and routine, but acknowledge the risk of miscalculation as military activity rises on both sides. With no clear end to the Ukraine conflict in sight, the Baltic Sea remains a key arena where tensions between Russia and NATO play out in real time—often just miles from alliance airspace.
USA
Quote:Republicans are voicing their opposition—some vehemently—to a potential deal involving the Trump administration rescuing Spirit Airlines in a reported $500 million bailout, according to Reuters.
President Donald Trump said on CNBC this week that “Spirit’s in trouble and I’d love somebody to buy Spirit. It’s 14,000 jobs,” adding, “And maybe the federal government should help that one out,” the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Spirit’s finances have been strained by surging jet-fuel prices linked to the war in Iran and a second bankruptcy filing in less than a year, AP added.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas—a prominent Trump loyalist—took to X over the possible federal bailout, saying, "This is an absolutely TERRIBLE idea. The TARP [Troubled Asset Relief Program] corporate bailouts were a huge mistake & the government doesn’t know a damn thing about running a failed budget airline (that the Biden admin killed)."
White House spokesman Kush Desai responded to Newsweek via email on Wednesday night, saying, “Spirit Airlines would be on a much firmer financial footing had the Biden administration not recklessly blocked the airline’s merger with JetBlue. The Trump administration continues to monitor the situation and overall health of the U.S. aviation industry that millions of Americans rely on every day for essential travel and their livelihoods.”
Spirit Airlines declined to comment about the potential deal when reached by Newsweek via email on Wednesday night, a spokesperson said, adding that the airline is operating as normal and that guests can continue booking tickets and using credits and points like usual.
Quote:Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ invitations to “F around and find out” on redistricting efforts in Florida, the next possible battleground in a nationwide struggle to gain partisan advantages from congressional district maps.
“Please. Be my guest. I will pay for you to come down to Florida to campaign,” DeSantis said.
“I’ll put you up in the Florida governor’s mansion. We will take you fishing.”
“There’s nothing that could be better for Republicans in Florida than to see Jeffries everywhere around this state.”
His comments follow remarks from Jeffries on Wednesday morning.
“Our message to Florida Republicans is F around and find out. If they go down the road of a DeSantis dummy-mander … the electoral tide is turning in Florida,” Jeffries said.
The standoff demonstrates both parties’ resolve to double down on gerrymandering as a strategy central to winning control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the upcoming 2026 midterms.
Since President Donald Trump urged state lawmakers to expand the GOP’s 217-213 majority by eliminating five Democratic seats in Texas, states including North Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, New York and Georgia have followed suit.
Most recently, voters in Virginia approved a redistricting effort spearheaded by Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, to turn her party’s 6-5 advantage in the Commonwealth into a 10-1 majority by extending Republican-leaning districts into Democratic strongholds.
Florida is developing plans to be next.
With a Republican trifecta and eight Democratic-held districts to carve up, DeSantis has called a special session this week to explore the Sunshine State’s options.
“Today, I announced that I will be convening a special session of the Legislature focused on redistricting to ensure that Florida’s congressional maps accurately reflect the population of our state,” DeSantis said in his January announcement, citing changing demographics in the state.
Florida’s state constitution forbids individual districts from being drawn “with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or an incumbent.”
Quote:Representative Sheila Cherfilus‑McCormick resigned from Congress Tuesday just hours before the House Ethics Committee was set to consider sanctions against her over findings of misconduct.
The Florida Democrat's exit abruptly halted a rare ethics process that could have led to expulsion and comes amid heightened congressional scrutiny of lawmaker behavior.
Once her resignation formally takes effect, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is required to issue a writ of election setting the dates for a special primary, if needed, and a special general election to choose her successor, according to federal law and Florida statutes.
Why Did Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick Resign from Congress?
Cherfilus‑McCormick resigned from Congress on Tuesday as the House Ethics Committee prepared to consider formal sanctions against her over findings that she violated campaign finance laws and other House rules. In a statement posted on social media, the Florida Democrat criticized the ethics process as unfair, saying the committee denied her and her newly retained attorney enough time to prepare a defense.
“Rather than play these political games, I choose to step away,” she wrote, resigning just hours before the panel was expected to recommend possible punishment, including expulsion.
The committee previously concluded that Cherfilus‑McCormick committed 25 violations of House rules and ethical standards, largely tied to allegations that she used millions of dollars from her family’s health care business to finance her congressional campaign. She is also facing separate federal criminal charges accusing her of stealing roughly $5 million in coronavirus disaster relief funds and using some of the money for personal expenses, charges she has pleaded not guilty to.
Republicans had already called for her expulsion, a rare and severe step that requires a two‑thirds vote of the House, a threshold that lawmakers were expected to debate before her resignation ended the proceedings.
Republican Representative Greg Steube of Florida posted on X, "UPDATE: Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has RESIGNED from Congress. With minutes to spare before Ethics voted to recommend expulsion. This is a victory for our institution and the great state of Florida. Thank you to everyone who stayed involved and kept the pressure on. Now it’s on the DOJ to put her in prison."
Quote:The death of Representative David Scott, an 80‑year‑old Georgia Democrat and the first Black lawmaker to lead the House Agriculture Committee, marks another significant loss for a party already grappling with a string of mid‑Congress vacancies. Scott, who had been seeking a 13th term despite mounting questions about his health and growing primary pressure, was long regarded as a key voice on farm and food‑aid policy and a prominent member of the Blue Dog coalition.
His death prompted tributes from Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who called him a “trailblazer” and praised his decades of service to Georgia. House Speaker Mike Johnson said colleagues were “deeply saddened” by the news. In a statement, Johnson noted Scott’s more than two decades of service to Georgia’s 13th District and his long career in public life, offering prayers for Alfredia Scott, their two daughters, and the congressman’s grandchildren as they mourn.
List of Lawmakers Who Have Died Since 2024 Election
Scott’s passing also adds to a striking pattern that has emerged since the 2024 election: a series of deaths among sitting Democratic lawmakers. In the last two and a half years, seven members of Congress have died in office, all of them Democrats. That list includes:
- Representative David Scott of Georgia
- Representative Gerry Connolly of Virginia
- Representative Raúl Grijalva of Arizona
- Representative Sylvester Turner of Texas
- Representative Bill Pascrell of New Jersey
- Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas
- Representative Donald Payne of New Jersey
While some analysts note that Democrats tend to be older on average than Republicans—a FiscalNote analysis found House Democrats were six years older than their GOP counterparts in the last Congress—the cluster of losses has intensified internal debates about age, succession planning, and committee leadership.
Those conversations have been simmering within the party for years, but they accelerated after President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 race, which reignited concerns about gerontocracy. Scott himself was replaced as the top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee in 2024 as the party sought to elevate younger members.
Who Was David Scott?
Scott spent more than two decades in Congress as one of Georgia’s most influential Democrats, building a career that blended legislative longevity, deep ties to agricultural policy, and a personal story rooted in the rural South. Born in Aynor, South Carolina, and raised partly in Florida, Scott rose from modest beginnings to earn degrees from Florida A&M University and the Wharton School before launching a small advertising business in Atlanta. His political career began in the Georgia Legislature, where he served for nearly 30 years across both chambers before winning election to the newly created 13th Congressional District in 2002.
Quote:Two University of South Florida doctoral students from Bangladesh vanished nearly a week ago, with relatives calling their out-of-character disappearance “suspicious.”
Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, both 27 and believed to be dating, were last seen in the Tampa area on the morning of April 16, according to the University of Florida Police Department.
Limon, a doctoral student pursuing a degree in geography, environmental science and policy, was last seen at 9 a.m. at his Tampa residence, police said.
Bristy, who was studying chemical engineering, disappeared roughly one hour later after she was last seen at the Natural and Environmental Sciences Building on the university’s campus, according to cops.
Limon and Bristy were reported missing after a family friend told university police that they couldn’t get in touch with either of them. Both of their phones have also been turned off.
The students are believed to be in a relationship and had recently discussed getting married, Fox13 reported.
Police, meanwhile, confirmed the pair are not in ICE custody, the outlet reported.
Family members described each of them as dedicated students who rarely missed a class — raising alarm bells that their disappearance could be “suspicious.”
“He is a very responsible and punctual person, and that’s why the situation is so unpredictable and unusual to us … like, and very suspicious,” Zubaer Ahmed, Limon’s younger brother in Bangladesh, told the outlet.
“We’re in deep pain and [a] devastating situation.”
Ahmed said he spoke to Limon last Monday, when his brother told him he had been busy working on his thesis — researching how to use AI to study Florida’s shrinking wetlands.
Quote:WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice announced Tuesday that a grand jury indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center for making fraudulent payments of millions of dollars to members of the Ku Klux Klan and other neo-Nazi organizations.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a news conference that the 11-count indictment filed in an Alabama federal court alleged the left-wing nonprofit had in the past decade paid at least $3 million to eight members of the far-right groups.
One leader of the 2017 Unite the Right protest in Charlottesville, Va., received roughly $270,000 over an eight-year period. Neither that person nor others were identified in the 14-page indictment.
Another embedded in a neo-Nazi organization was paid $1 million to steal 25 boxes of the hate group’s documents
Others had affiliations with the Ku Klux Klan, United Klans of America, Aryan Nations, the Nationalist Socialist Party of American Nazis and the Sadistic Souls Motorcycle Club.
Earlier Tuesday, SPLC CEO Bryan Fair said in a statement that his group was being targeted for “prior use of paid confidential informants to gather credible intelligence on extremely violent groups.”
Starting in the 1980s, the SPLC began using informants who had infiltrated various groups.
But Blanche said in the press conference that the nonprofit never informed law enforcement that it was “paying off the Klu Klux Klan” or other extremist groups.
Several of the informants were also being paid while simultaneously being featured in SPLC publications — including on its public-facing “Extremist File” webpage — as members of the hate groups.
Prosecutors alleged in the indictment that the informants, or “field sources,” were also “engaged in the active promotion of racist groups.”
Quote:‘Storage Wars’ star Darrell Sheets was snapped in a photo smiling allegedly just hours before his sudden death.
The photo, which was obtained by TMZ, showed Sheets at his Lake Havasu, Arizona, antique shop on Tuesday, posing with two people and appearing to be in good spirits. A witness told the outlet that he was “upbeat and friendly.”
The reality star died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and his body was discovered at around 2 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to the Lake Havasu Police Department. He was 67 years old.
Sheets was on the long-running reality show — which follows professional buyers who bid on repossessed, abandoned storage units in California — from 2010 until 2023.
Sheets’ “Storage Wars” rival Brandi Passante shared an emotional tribute to him on Wednesday, saying that she had known him a long time and was “at a loss for words.”
She added that she had “unfortunately lost a parent and a brother to similar situations.”
“I’m just so very sorry, to hear the circumstances of his passing,” she wrote, noting that those who are similarly struggling can reach out for help as they aren’t alone.
Fellow “Storage Wars” star Rene Nezhoda had a more pointed message, saying in an Instagram video Wednesday that he believed cyberbullying played a part in Sheets’ death.
“He had this guy, like, really, really tormenting him lately and cyberbullying [him],” Nezhoda stated.
“Darrell has been posting a lot about the guy that’s been cyberbullying him and tormenting him, and I really hope [law enforcement] look into that guy and it’s just not a pass,” he continued.
Quote:A California pedophile who raped his underage stepdaughter and got her pregnant was ordered to remain behind bars — after he was previously recommended for early parole under a law supported by California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Israel Ceja, 63, was set to walk free from San Quentin State Prison under Newsom’s elderly parole law granting freedom to older convicts, after a two-person panel from the state Board of Parole Hearings in January recommended early release from his 139-year sentence.
One of parole commissioners at the hearing who approved Ceja’s parole even acknowledged that the pedophile was still attracted to young girls, but said his sick thoughts could be overcome by prayer.
Ceja was the latest in a string of sickos set for early parole under the controversial 2020 legislation loosened by Newsom, prompting protests from victims and law enforcement officials.
During Ceja’s January hearing, Parole Commissioner Neil Schneider mentioned the inmate’s plan to relocate to Mexico after his release, calling his intentions “authentic” and “very real,” according to Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig.
Schneider also noted Ceja’s admission that he is attracted to young girls, saying it is something that could be managed with prayer, Reisig said.
Schneider couldn’t immediately be reached for comment, while a spokeswoman for Gov. Newsom declined to comment on the case.
At a press conference to protest Ceja’s parole last week, victim Roxanne Cruz, 42, tearfully begged the parole board not to release her tormentor.
“It’s not just little girls that he likes. He doesn’t care. He’ll go after little boys,” Cruz said.
“I’m just afraid that this time, he won’t get caught,” she added. “Because he won’t leave me alive.”
The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office last month fired off a letter to the governor, urging him to reverse the parole panel’s decision to let Ceja walk.
Quote:Police are seeking a 17-year-old on attempted murder charges following a shooting early Sunday in a nightlife district near the University of Iowa campus, authorities said Wednesday.
Five people were treated for gunshot wounds, including three University of Iowa students. One woman remained in critical condition Wednesday after sustaining a life-threatening injury to her head, Iowa City Police Chief Dustin Liston said.
Officials said an arrest warrant was issued for the 17-year-old who was allegedly engaged in the fight, adding that reports indicate as many as 40 people may have been involved. Officers had been dispatched to the fight and arrived within 45 seconds, Liston said.
After walking away from the other participants, the suspect allegedly fired six times into the crowded pedestrian area, Liston said. Iowa City’s downtown pedestrian mall is lined with shops, bars and restaurants.
The minor from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will initially be charged as an adult, as is required by Iowa law for forcible felony charges against an individual aged 16 or older, said Rachel Zimmermann Smith, Johnson County attorney.
The charges, which include five counts of attempted murder, will be brought when the suspect is apprehended, she said.
Liston said the investigation is ongoing and additional charges are expected. About three dozen search warrants have already been executed.
“We will continue to work tirelessly to hold those responsible fully accountable,” he said, adding that anyone with information on the incident or the suspect are encouraged to come forward.
The five victims were not “targets of the shooting,” Liston said. “We have no reason to believe they were otherwise affiliated with the fight that preceded the shooting.”
Quote:A Mexican national who voted illegally in US elections and falsely claimed to be a citizen has been convicted and could face removal under federal immigration law.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed to Fox News Digital that Jose Ceballos-Armendariz, a lawful permanent resident who has held a green card since 1990, pleaded guilty to three counts of disorderly election conduct following prosecution by the Kansas Attorney General’s Office.
Officials said Ceballos-Armendariz unlawfully voted multiple times and falsely claimed US citizenship on voter registration forms, including a 1999 application in which he affirmed he was a citizen of the United States.
He later applied for US citizenship in February 2025. DHS said he falsely stated on that application that he had never claimed to be a US citizen.
Under federal immigration law, false claims to US citizenship can make a noncitizen removable, though DHS has not detailed any potential action in this case.
“This alien has now been convicted of illegally voting in American elections, voting in American elections,” DHS acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said. “The SAVE program is a critical tool for state and local governments to safeguard the integrity of elections across the country.”
Records provided by DHS and reviewed by Fox News Digital show Ceballos-Armendariz checked “yes” when asked if he was a US citizen on a Kansas voter registration form and signed to affirm the information was true.
On his naturalization application, however, he marked “no” when asked whether he had ever claimed to be a US citizen despite his prior voter registration.
DHS said Ceballos-Armendariz also has a prior criminal conviction, having been found guilty of battery in 1995.
President Donald Trump has made election integrity a central focus of his administration, with officials pointing to enforcement actions like this case as part of broader efforts to prevent noncitizens from participating in US elections.
Quote:An invasive hornet with striking similarities to the “murder hornet” has several southern states on alert, as experts warn its spread could devastate honeybees and other essential pollinators as the threatening insect develops a deadly reputation of its own.
The yellow-legged hornet has drawn comparisons to the northern giant hornet—better known as the “murder hornet”—because of its appetite for native insects and its natural ability to significantly harm biodiversity and agricultural pollination.
Since its arrival on U.S. soil several years ago, there have been reports of yellow-legged hornet colonies in Georgia and South Carolina – with numerous states in the South taking measures to slow the spread of the threatening insect.
Yellow-legged hornets emerge in early spring and steadily build their numbers through summer into the fall — prompting officials to warn that now is the time to stay alert.
The threat, experts say, is very real – with one study suggesting the invasive hornet can kill 50 honey bees a day – with the ability to decimate entire hives.
“If allowed in the United States, these invasive pests could threaten populations of honey bees – some of which are already endangered – and other native pollinators,” the South Carolina Forestry Commission said.
A North American detection of a yellow-legged hornet colony was first discovered in Savannah, Georgia, in 2023 – though the dangerous insect had developed a reputation around the world long before then.
Native to Asia, the yellow-legged hornet, also known as the Asian hornet, has spread across the world through cargo, taking a devastating toll on honey bees in Europe beginning in the 2010s, before arriving on U.S. soil.
The dangerous insect is known to leave piles of headless bees at hive entrances.
Honey bees are essential to U.S. agriculture, pollinating key crops such as almonds, cherries and blueberries, among many other fruits, and contributing over $20 billion annually.
Already struggling pollinator populations would be under serious threat in the event the yellow-legged hornet becomes established in the U.S. – that’s exactly why several states in the South are mapping the threat and urging the public to keep their eyes out.
First impacts
In Georgia, the Department of Agriculture is proactively working to get the word out about the invasive species they’ve been grappling with for three years as queens emerge from overwintering.
Since 2023, a plant protection team from the Georgia Department of Agriculture has been actively tracking, trapping and working to eradicate the invasive yellow-legged hornet from the state.
EUROPE
Quote:An RAF cadet has been suspended after he said Islam poses the greatest security threat to the UK while taking part in a training exercise.
He made the comment during a question-and-answer session in which he and other cadets were asked about dangers to British security.
It led to him being kicked off the officer-training course, pending an investigation.
Britain has responded to more than 20 plots backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran since 2022 and the Government has said the threat from the country to the UK is ‘persistent and unacceptable’.
The air force has launched a probe into the young cadet’s remarks at RAF Cranwell, where the next generation of officers are trained.
Retired rear admiral Chris Parry last night accused the air force of shutting down the ‘critical thinking’ of new officers around controversial issues and said the cadet should be reinstated.
‘If I’d asked that question and got that answer I would have also asked the cadet to expand on his thinking and got some critical thinking going rather than suspend him,’ he said.
‘Clearly Islamic extremism is the issue and not Islam, but how are young people expected to develop critical thinking around these complex issues if they are shut down in this way?
‘This is the fault of a system that is training its young people but not allowing them to express themselves and develop their thoughts.
'Any mature educational establishment should do just that.’
The cadet was taking part in a 24-week Modular Initial Officers Training course at the training academy at RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire, just before Easter.
He and 50 other students were asked to give presentations, during which they answered questions about the biggest security threat to the UK.
An RAF spokesman said: ‘We are aware of an alleged incident of inappropriate behaviour involving a cadet at RAF Cranwell.
'An investigation is ongoing, we are unable to comment further.’
Rear admiral Perry also said: ‘If this cadet had answered “the far-Right” I doubt he would have been suspended.
'We know that Islam is not a threat, rather it is extremist elements, and this appears to have been a missed opportunity to discuss that for fear of causing offence.’
Quote:A sick Nigerian migrant was caught trying to cook a cat on a makeshift fire at a children’s playground in Italy.
Shocking pictures show the man, who is holding a stick, poking at the flames and crouching over the dead animal near a multicolored slide at a play area in Sarzana, northern Italy, last Tuesday.
Locals reported the shocking scenes to cops — and the man could only tell them he was hungry, Italian outlet Città della Spezia reported.
The fire was already out by the time police arrived.
The migrant was arrested, but cops couldn’t determine if he had killed the animal or if it was already dead when he cooked it.
He avoided animal cruelty charges, a decision that disgusted Mayor Cristina Ponzanelli, who expressed horror at the “cruel and inhumane” act.
“How is it possible that people who demonstrate a disregard for the fundamental rules of civil co-existence can continue to roam freely throughout Italy without real consequences?” the mayor asked.
“This is no longer acceptable.”
Quote:A priceless golden helmet dating back 2,500 years was returned to Romania on Tuesday after the national heirloom was stolen from a Dutch museum where it was on loan last year.
The ornate Cotofenesti helmet and three golden bracelets — some of Romania’s most revered national treasures from the Dacia civilization — were taken from the Drents Museum in January 2025 in a raid which shocked the art world and devastated Romanian authorities.
But after 14 months of investigations, diplomatic tensions, and three suspects in an ongoing trial, most of the artifacts arrived at Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport on Tuesday from where authorities transported them under guard to Bucharest’s National History Museum. They were displayed in a glass cabinet, flanked by masked, armed guards.
Cornel Constantin Ilie, the museum’s interim director, said that the artifacts have been returned “not as simple patrimony items, but as relics of our historical memory, as the legacy of a civilization that continues to define us.”
“For us, this is a moment of joy, but also of contemplation,” he said. “For months, we have lived with the fear that part of our past could be lost forever. Today we can say that an essential part of this treasure has returned.”
Robert van Langh, the Drents Museum director, described the recovery and return of the relics as “an emotional moment for all involved,” and acknowledged “the grief, the anger and now the relief have naturally been even greater” in Romania than in the Netherlands.
“Romanian national heritage has returned home,” he said. “The impact of this robbery was already significant in the Netherlands, but here it must have been truly unparalleled … The police and judicial authorities of both countries have done extraordinary work.”
FAR EAST
Quote:China says it is "gravely concerned" after Japan scrapped a long-standing ban on lethal weapons exports in response to what Tokyo called a worsening security environment.
Japan is making "dangerous moves," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, told reporters on Tuesday.
Japan's prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, said the country would lift the restrictions to help prevent the "outbreak of conflicts" and safeguard its own security by working with other nations, opening the door for deadly weapons sales with 17 countries sharing defense agreements with Japan.
"In an increasingly severe security environment, no single country can now protect its own peace and security alone, and partner countries that support each other in terms of defense equipment are necessary," Takaichi said.
Since World War II, Japan has stuck to a pacifist policy, but has become increasingly concerned about China's military build-up, tensions over Taiwan and persistent North Korean nuclear and missile tests.
Tokyo's relations with Beijing have plummeted to their worst point in decades over suggestions that Japan could defend Taiwan if China attacked the island. Beijing sees Taiwan as a breakaway part of China, while Taipei has asserted its independence.
Although President Donald Trump's administration had said it wanted to turn its attention to the Indo-Pacific and China, the U.S.'s scorn of many of its traditional allies has forced European countries, and countries across Asia relying on the U.S. for their security, to rethink their defense strategies.
The U.S. has also pulled assets from across the globe to the Middle East for its ongoing war against Iran, thought to include interceptor missiles from the Indo-Pacific that would be key for shooting down incoming ballistic missiles from North Korea or China.
Until now, Japanese defense exports had been limited to search-and-rescue equipment, transportation, surveillance and products to detect and neutralize mines.
But China has railed against what it has called "Japanese militarism," stopping its exports of products that could be used for military purposes to Japan earlier this year.
Beijing has also discouraged its citizens from traveling to Japan, a popular tourist destination, with pointed warnings designed to slash income generated by visitors to the country.
MEXICO
Quote:Two US Embassy officials killed in a car crash in Mexico following a daring raid on a secret drug lab were working for the CIA at the time, according to security officials.
The pair, who haven’t been named, were killed along with two Mexican officials when their car plunged 600 feet off a cliff and burst into flames early on Sunday morning, the Washington Post reported, citing sources familiar with the incident.
Their vehicle was part of a convoy of six navigating the narrow mountainous roads in northern Mexico’s Chihuahua state as they returned from an operation to shut down a clandestine drug laboratory.
It skidded off the road and plunged down a ravine before exploding, according to Mexican officials.
The two CIA officials were working alongside Mexican authorities as part of the agency’s expanded and more aggressive role in counternarcotics under President Trump, according to the sources.
They supervised but did not participate directly in the Mexican raid on the lab, described as “perhaps one of the largest ever located” by Chihuahua’s attorney general, César Jáuregui Moreno.
Mexico’s left-wing President, Claudia Sheinbaum, claimed in a statement that she was “unaware of any direct collaboration between the state of Chihuahua and personnel from the US Embassy in Mexico.”
“The relationship is federal, not state. They must have authorization from the federal government for this collaboration, which necessarily takes place at the state level, as established by the Constitution,” she added.
The CIA has yet to comment publicly on the news or confirm the deaths of two agents.
The US Ambassador to Mexico confirmed the news in a social media post on Sunday.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of two US Embassy personnel, the Director of Chihuahua’s State Investigation Agency (AEI), and an AEI officer in this accident.” Ambassador Ronald Johnson — who worked for the CIA for 20 years — wrote on X.
“This tragedy is a solemn reminder of the risks faced by those Mexican and US officials who are dedicated to protecting our communities,” he added.
Quote:The gunman who killed a tourist and wounded several others at Mexico’s famous Teotihuacan ruins on Monday may have purposefully planned the date of the horrific terror attack for sickening reasons.
April 20, while widely celebrated innocently as “4/20” among marijuana enthusiasts, also has a much darker history — marking the date of the notorious Columbine High School massacre and what would have been the birthday of Germany’s genocidal Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
The shooter, 27-year-old Julio César Jasso Ramirez, was reportedly a Nazi sympathizer who was seen in photos making the Heil Hitler salute, prosecutors told Mexican outlet Telediario.
He also appeared obsessed with mass shooters, and left at the scene a bizarre AI-generated framed photo of him standing beside Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the two friends who shot up the Colorado high school on April 20, 1999.
Harris and Klebold killed 13 classmates and one teacher before they each killed themselves.
Ramirez, a Mexican national, appears to have been a member of a dark online subculture known as the True Crime Community, which glorifies school shootings, especially Columbine, according to the outlet.
In the fake image with the Columbine shooters, he wears a shirt with the phrase “Disconnect & Self-Destruct,” which is reportedly associated with the community.
The TCC movement bases much of its aesthetic on the 1999 attackers and multiple mass shootings around the world have been tied to the group.
Ramirez also appears to have been a Nazi sympathizer after police say they found images of Jasso performing the Nazi salute, which he’d been known to do since he was a teenager, Telediario reported.
In Monday’s attack, he started shooting tourists from halfway up the Temple of the Moon — a nearly 2,000-year-old structure and popular tourist attraction that was once used for ritual human sacrifice — just after 11:30 a.m.
Videos of the attack posted on social media show Ramirez, wearing a black mask and carrying a handgun, pacing around the platform as trapped hostages lie face-down on the stone. At one point, he begins shooting at them, the chilling footage shows.
he killed one Canadian woman, police later confirmed.
Witnesses said he was carrying a digital tablet and shouting, although it’s not clear what he was saying.
He appeared to have been shot during a gunfire exchange with federal police before he took his own life, according to Milenio.
Quote:The Hitler-obsessed gunman who murdered a Canadian tourist and wounded 13 others at an ancient Mexican temple apparently was trying to recreate the gory rituals of the ancient people who built it nearly 2,000 years ago.
“Don’t move, or I’ll sacrifice you,” Julio César Jasso, 27, could be heard shouting in a video taken by one of his hostages, who huddled on the platform on the 140-foot-tall Pyramid of the Moon in the ruined city of Teotihuacan Monday.
Teotihuacan — once the grandest civilization in the Americas before its collapse around 600 CE — began building the Moon Pyramid around 100 CE, in honor of the city’s namesake goddess of water and fertility.
Over the centuries, new temples were built on top of the old, with treasure, animals and foreign captives interred in each layer of earth and stone.
Archaeologists have unearthed skeletons with their hands apparently bound behind their backs, who were decapitated or had spear wounds.
Chemical signatures suggest these victims were brought in from far-flung reaches of Central America.
Teotihuacan was believed by the people who inhabited it to be the birthplace of time itself, where the gods sacrificed themselves to create the sun and moon and set them in motion.
“[Human sacrifice] kept the cycles of creation going, and the debt to the gods paid. People were helping to keep the sun rising,” said David Carballo, an archaeologist at Boston University who helped excavate parts of the pyramid.
But if the Moon Pyramid ran with blood — as Jasso may have envisioned — it happened a long, long time ago — centuries before the Aztecs settled in Teotihuacan around 1300 C.E.
The Aztecs revered the city as a sacred place, but there is no evidence they sacrificed people there, Carballo said.
Not that the Aztecs didn’t make blood offerings of their own in other parts of their civilization — in fact, they kicked it up a notch.
“The Aztecs seem to have taken it to a militarized level. They had this incentive system where you had no credit for killing someone on the battlefield. You were supposed to take people captive,” Carballo said.
Quote:The crazed Nazi-sympathizing gunman who killed a Canadian tourist and injured 13 others after opening fire from atop a pyramid at Mexico’s Teotihuacán ruins plotted the attack for two months – and studied an image of the tourist hotspot that was in his hotel room.
Julio César Jasso sent text messages in February, asking about staying in a hotel room between April 8 and 20, and the distance to what he described as the “Holy City,” Mexican outlet Telediario reported.
Jasso inquired about the availability of a single room at Hotel Villa Meztli – located three miles from Teotihuacán – during a conversation with hotel bosses on Feb. 17.
“What I’m interested in knowing is exactly where this is, and how far away it is from the Holy City,” he wrote in Spanish.
The total cost of his room was 7800 pesos ($451), but Jasso had to pay 50% of that total to reserve the vacancy.
He told hotel management that the room would be booked under the name “Julio Cesar Ramirez” and sent proof of his bank transfer.
The alleged shooter messaged the hotel one week before arriving to make sure everything was in order for his stay and to confirm he could pay his balance in-person.
He stayed in a 4×4 room that had a picture depicting the scene looking out from the Pyramid of the Moon – the pyramid which he scaled – before unleashing a hail of bullets.
Investigators said he would study the picture, plotting the scene of the shooting.
Officials also discovered warped notes in the room where he penned thoughts about being superior.
Jasso visited the tourist attraction several times before Monday’s shooting, Milenio reported.
He was armed with a 1968 Smith & Wesson firearm and there were 58 rounds of unused ammunition, according to the outlet.
Chilling footage has since surfaced showing Jasso pacing back and forth, loading his gun on a platform on the ruins — once used for human sacrifice.
Witness Laura Torres told local media she saw Jasso shooting from “up on top of the pyramid” before saying “there were a lot of people, he had people as hostages.”
Quote:A former Mexican beauty queen was found shot dead in her luxury apartment — with her mother-in-law eyed as the prime suspect, according to reports.
Carolina Flores Gomez, 27, was found with a gunshot wound to the head last Thursday in her apartment in one of Mexico City’s wealthiest neighborhoods, Mexican outlet Reporte Indigo reported.
Authorities believe Gomez, the Miss Teen Universe for northern Mexico’s Baja California state in 2017, was killed a day before they were alerted, raising suspicion as to why her husband, Alejandro Gomez, took so long to raise the alarm.
They believe he was home at the time of the murder — along with his mom, Erika Maria, who is the prime suspect, according to the reports.
Building staff did not report hearing gunshots or unusual activity at the high-end residential complex in Polanco, a district known for its wealth and security. Forensic teams have since combed the apartment for evidence.
Baja California governor Marina del Pilar Avila is among those calling for an urgent investigation.
“No crime against a woman should go unpunished. Our thoughts are with her family during this devastating time,” Avila told reporters.
Campaigners are demanding the death be treated as femicide, with the case sparking fresh outrage over violence against women in Mexico.
Approximately 10 women a day are murdered in Mexico, with only 1% resulting in sentencing, according to official statistics.
"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)
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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
