Quote:Greenland's center-right opposition party has won a surprise general election victory, in a vote overshadowed by Donald Trump's pledge to take over the semi-autonomous territory.
The Demokraatit party, which supports a gradual independence from Denmark, won nearly 30 percent of the vote, compared to just nine percent in the election four years ago.
The party has pushed back against Trump's rhetoric, saying it is for Greenlanders to decide the future of the territory.
Why It Matters
Tuesday's election was a chance for Greenlanders to respond to Trump, who has been outspoken about his desire to control Greenland. Trump told a joint session of Congress last week that he thought the U.S. was going to get it "one way of the other."
Demokraatit leader Jens-Friederik Nielsen said that the result should send a clear message to Trump that Greenland is not for sale.
"We don't want to be Americans. No, we don't want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders. And we want our own independence in the future. And we want to build our own country by ourselves, not with his hope," he told Sky News.
What To Know
The Demokraatit party came first in Tuesday's election with 29.9 percent of the vote. It was followed by Naleraq, the most aggressively pro-independence party, on 24.5 percent. Naleraq supports closer relations with the U.S, but not for Greenland to become an American territory.
The incumbent governing parties, the center-left Inuit Ataqatigiit and left-wing Siumut, were headed for third and fourth places with 21.4 percent and 14.7 percent of the vote.
The Demokraatit party's strong results mean it will get a chance to try to form a coalition government.
Trump has long expressed an interest in acquiring Greenland, and first proposed purchasing the territory in 2019. He later repeated his interest following his presidential election victory in November 2024.
Both Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's outgoing Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede have repeatedly rejected Trump's suggestions.
Quote:President Donald Trump oversaw a surge in ICE arrests during the first 50 days of his second term in office—more than doubling the daily rate under President Joe Biden's administration—newly released figures show.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents made 32,809 migrant arrests between January 20 and March 10, officials said at a news conference on Wednesday. That equates to about 656 per day.
By comparison, ICE arrested and detained about 255 people each day last year under Biden. Despite the sharp increase, the numbers still fall narrowly short of his election promise to carry out "the largest deportation program of criminals in the history of America," when he referenced the 1954 "Operation Wetback," which rounded up an estimated 1 million people.
Why It Matters
At the current daily rate, over a four-year term, more than 950,000 arrests would be made, though that does not mean they would all be deported.
There are more than 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States, according to analysts. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on January 29 that the new Trump administration recognized all undocumented migrants as criminals "because they illegally broke our nation's laws."
What To Know
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE leaders claim they discovered that the Biden administration was manipulating ICE arrest data to mislead the public. Officials allege the previous administration was "cooking the books," reporting tens of thousands of arrests while actually releasing many people into the community under catch-and-release policies.
In fiscal year 2024, ICE recorded 33,242 at-large arrests—which refers to arrests made in community settings rather than jails or border checkpoints. In the first 50 days of Trump's second term, ICE has made 32,809 at-large arrests, nearly matching the total from the entire previous year.
Quote:A powerful storm system tore through the central and southern United States, leaving destruction in its wake and killing at least 36 people.
The storm, which produced violent tornadoes, raging wildfires, and blinding dust storms, decimated homes, toppled vehicles, and left entire communities reeling from the devastation.
Why It Matters
The massive storm system impacted millions of Americans, bringing a mix of extreme weather events across multiple states. From deadly tornadoes in Missouri to catastrophic wildfires in Oklahoma, the system demonstrated the unpredictable and devastating force of spring storms.
What To Know
Missouri was among the hardest-hit states, with twisters killing at least a dozen people. In Wayne County, Missouri, resident Dakota Henderson described the devastation after finding multiple bodies outside his aunt's demolished home. "It's really disturbing for what happened to the people, the casualties last night," Henderson said.
In neighboring Butler County, Coroner Jim Akers detailed the destruction, calling one home an "unrecognizable debris field." He added: "The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls."
The storm's reach extended beyond Missouri. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves confirmed six deaths and reported that three people were still missing late Saturday as the storm continued its deadly march into Alabama. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency after confirming three deaths in her state as well.
Quote:U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on Sunday morning that 250 Venezuelans, allegedly members of the MS-13 and Tren de Agua gangs, were sent to El Salvador after a U.S. federal judge ordered to temporarily halt the removals and turn back any planes carrying deportees.
...
Rubio's praise for the deportations on Sunday morning comes shortly after a federal judge temporarily halted the Trump administration's efforts and ordered the planes to return to the U.S.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport alleged gang members. The law, which has been enacted only three times in U.S. history—during the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II—grants the president authority to deport non-citizens without appearing before a judge, among other wartime authorities. Shortly after, a federal judge ordered to temporarily halt it.
Axios reported on Sunday that two senior White House officials acknowledged the administration was aware of and ignored the court order, with one suggesting the legal clash will end up in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Trump's invocation of the act is part of the administration's broader efforts to carry out mass deportations, a key campaign promise that received widespread backing from his Republican base and other Americans. Most Democrats oppose his approach but agree on the need for reform.
What To Know
On Saturday, Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act, seeking to remove the reported Venezuelan gang members, who he said "have unlawfully infiltrated the United States and are conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions against the United States."
Shortly after, U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg ordered to halt deportations for at least 14 days and directed that flights already in the air be turned around.
"Any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned to the United States however that is accomplished. Make sure it's complied with immediately," Boasberg said.
However, it does not appear the government abided by the judge's ruling.
A spokesperson for the State Department told Newsweek on Sunday, "The State Department does not comment on pending litigation. We would refer you to the Department of Justice for additional information."
Quote:US military strikes on Yemen’s Houthi militants will be “unrelenting” until the group stops shooting at civilian and military vessels in the Red Sea, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said on Sunday, a day after President Donald Trump ordered new operations in the Middle East.
“This campaign is about freedom of navigation and restoring deterrence. The minute the Houthis say, ‘We’ll stop shooting at your ships, we’ll stop shooting at your drones,’ this campaign will end,” Hegseth said in an interview on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures. “But until then, it will be unrelenting.”
On Saturday, Trump said he ordered “decisive and powerful” action against the Houthis. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social he said the group has “choked off shipping in one of the most important Waterways of the World, grinding vast swaths of Global Commerce to a halt.” He added attacks on American vessels “will not be tolerated.”
The Houthi ruling political council vowed to retaliate for what it called US “aggression,” saying the maritime operations will continue until the Gaza blockade is lifted, according to the Houthi-controlled Saba news agency. On Tuesday, the militant group said it would resume attacks on Israeli ships for the first time in about two months after demanding Israel end a ban on aid entering Gaza, which the country imposed following disagreements with Hamas over a ceasefire.
The Houthis will now also target US vessels, including warships, as part of escalation in response to the airstrikes, the group’s leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi said in a televised speech Sunday. “We still have escalatory options” should the US attacks persist, he added.
Hegseth said the latest strikes were also a warning to Iran, which backs the Houthis.
“Iran has been enabling the Houthis for far too long. They better back off,” he said.
White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said the attacks were successful.
“We hit the Houthi leadership, killing several of their key leaders last night — their infrastructure, the missiles,” Waltz said on Fox News Sunday. “We just hit them with overwhelming force and put Iran on notice that enough is enough.”
Speaking in a separate appearance on ABC’s This Week, Waltz said Iranian targets in and around Yemen — including ships near the coast that provide intelligence and trainers — “will be on the table, too.”
Quote:Michael Garcia, a delivery driver, has been awarded $50 million in a negligence lawsuit against Starbucks after he suffered serious burns from a hot drink.
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A number of U.S. establishments have faced high-profile lawsuits over customer burns. In the 1990s, a 79-year-old woman was awarded a sum of nearly $3 million for burns she suffered in an incident involving a cup of McDonald's coffee. Earlier this year, Bill Miller Bar-B-Q were ordered to pay $2.8 million after Genesis Monita, 19, suffered second-degree burns from its barbecue sauce.
Last month, Starbucks announced a major restructuring initiative that will include the elimination of 1,100 corporate roles.
What To Know
Garcia was working as a delivery driver for Postmates when the incident occurred. He was collecting three venti-sized hot teas at a Starbucks drive-thru. "The barista working the window negligently failed to properly 'seat' or 'secure' one of the hot drinks into a drink carrier," said Garcia's attorney from Trial Lawyers for Justice.
The attorney added that this caused the drink to "immediately" fall into Garcia's lap, and caused him "third-degree burns to his penis, groin and inner thighs."
"After a hospitalization and multiple skin grafts, Michael has lived for five years with the disfigurement, pain, dysfunction and psychological harm caused by the burns," the statement read.
The legal team also said in its statement that Starbucks had initially offered a settlement of $30 million but wanted confidentiality. The attorneys refused this and said that they would settle for $30 million, without confidentiality, if Starbucks agreed to both policy changes to prevent a similar incident from happening again.
Quote:An entire Texas town has been evacuated due to multiple wildfires erupting across the northern region of the state.
Multiple volunteer fire departments are working to battle the blazes in Gray County, east of Amarillo, on Friday.
Why It Matters
The U.S. Drought Monitor has warned that much of Texas is currently suffering from drought conditions, with 8.65 percent of the state in extreme drought, 19.81 percent in exceptional drought, 13.49 percent in severe drought, 20.77 percent in moderate drought and 26.72 percent abnormally dry.
The National Weather Service has also issued a red flag warning for much of the state on Friday, which means that a combination of low humidity, warm temperatures and strong winds in the area has formed critical fire weather conditions. The red flag warning for Amarillo will remain in place until 7 p.m. CDT.
A high wind warning is also in place, meaning that existing fires may be spread much faster.
What to know
At least 1,000 acres have already been engulfed by the fires, which have been 0 percent contained, as today's strong winds of 35 to 50 mph, with gusts up to 80 mph, fan the flames of several grass fires throughout the Panhandle.
Alanreed, a small town just over 60 miles east of Amarillo, has been entirely evacuated.
However, officials told Newsweek that reports that the town had been burned down were exaggerated
Quote:Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Friday that South Africa's ambassador to the U.S., Ebrahim Rasool, is "no longer welcome" in the country.
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President Donald Trump, whose close ally Elon Musk is from South Africa, has also been critical of the South African government, issuing an executive order last month promoting the resettlement of white South Africans to the U.S.
Conservatives have raised concerns about some policies in South Africa they believe promote anti-white racism. Proponents of these policies, however, say they are intended to achieve greater racial equality in a post-Apartheid society.
What to Know
Rubio posted on X, "South Africa's Ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country. Emrahim Rasool is a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates @POTUS. We have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA."
Rubio's post included a link to a Breitbart article that reports that Rasool told participants at a foreign policy seminar Friday that President Donald Trump is leading a white "supremacist" movement.
"What Donald Trump is launching is an assault on incumbency, those who are in power, by mobilizing a supremacism against the incumbency, at home, and — I think I've illustrated — abroad as well," he said during the seminar.
He continued, "So in terms of that, the supremacist assault on incumbency, we see it in the domestic politics of the USA, the MAGA movement, the Make America Great Again movement, as a response not simply to a supremacist instinct, but to very clear data that shows great demographic shifts in the USA in which the voting electorate in the USA is projected to become 48 percent white."
The announcement follows Trump's executive order cutting aid and assistance to South Africa's Black-led government. In the order, Trump claimed that Afrikaners—descendants of Dutch colonial settlers—are being targeted under a new law allowing government expropriation of private land.
The South African government has denied that the law is race-based, arguing that Trump's assertions are misleading and full of distortions.
Rasool served as ambassador from 2010 to 2015 before returning to the position this year. Prior to his career in government, Rasool, who as a child was evicted from a Cape Town neighborhood for white people, became an anti-Apartheid campaigner.
Quote:Rheinmetall, the German defense giant once controlled by the Third Reich, is considering acquiring one of Volkswagen's soon-to-be idle plants, exploring ways to repurpose existing automotive infrastructure for military production.
After predicting strong sales growth for 2025, Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said on an earnings call this week that the weapons manufacturer sees an opportunity to expand production capacity as struggling carmakers cut back operations.
Why It Matters
Rheinmetall's interest in unused auto plants aligns with its broader strategy to expand defense production amid rising European military expenditures. The Düsseldorf-based company reported a 30 percent increase in its defense business last year, driving total sales to $10.6 billion.
The German government has pledged to significantly boost its defense budget, part of a broader European trend of rising military spending in response to geopolitical shifts. This includes the potential impact of a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and growing pressure from President Donald Trump on European allies to increase defense investments after his administration signaled that defending Europe was no longer a priority.
During WWII, Rheinmetall — then known as Rheinmetall-Borsig — was absorbed into Germany's state-owned industrial conglomerate that produced arms for the Nazi war effort. The company's production lines were partially staffed by enslaved people from concentration camps, according to its website. Its weapons manufacturing was severely curtailed during the Allied air raids toward the end of the war.
What To Know
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Papperger confirmed that Volkswagen's Osnabrück plant in northern Germany is being evaluated as a potential site for military production.
"Osnabrück would be a very suitable location for defense production," Papperger said. He noted that while Rheinmetall could convert some of its own automotive plants, acquiring sites from automakers under the right conditions was also an option.
Quote:The Russian captain of a cargo ship that crashed into a U.S. fuel tanker in the North Sea, appeared in a British court where he was charged with manslaughter and gross negligence.
Vladimir Motin, 59, from Saint Petersburg, was remanded in custody after he appeared in court in Hull, east Yorkshire on Saturday.
Why It Matters
Molin was captain of the Portuguese-flagged Solong container vessel, which hit the Stena Immaculate, a vessel chartered by the U.S. military to carry jet fuel, on Monday at full speed while it was anchored 10 miles off the coast of Hull.
The crash caused fires and explosions and one of the Solong's crew members, 38-year-old Filipino national Mark Angelo Pernia, is missing "presumed" dead.
The British government has ruled out foul play in the incident but there are still questions over the cause of the crash which the court case is expected to reveal.
What To Know
Although one crew member is missing and presumed dead, 36 other crew members from both vessels survived and were brought to shore following the incident that occurred shortly before 10 a.m. Monday.
U.S.-based maritime management firm Crowley, which operates the Stena Immaculate, said the tanker "sustained a ruptured cargo tank containing Jet-A1 fuel," when the container ship struck it, triggering a fire and "multiple explosions onboard," with fuel released into the sea.
According to Sky News, Port State Control inspection documents from July 2024 show officials warned that Solong's "emergency steering position communications/compass reading" was "not readable." It was one of 10 issues inspectors highlighted.
Motin, from the district of Primorsky, did not apply for bail when he appeared in Hull magistrates' court on Saturday.
Quote:Raphael Glucksmann, a member of the center-left Place Publique party in France, demanded on Sunday that the United States return the Statue of Liberty, accusing it of siding with "tyrants."
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Europe has negatively responded to President Donald Trump's approach to Ukraine and Russia amid their ongoing war, with many accusing Trump of siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin against Ukraine in ceasefire negotiations. Initial talks excluded Ukraine, with Trump insisting that Kyiv had "no cards" to play in negotiations.
Matters came to a head when Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had an explosive argument in front of reporters during an Oval Office press gaggle on February 28, which resulted in the U.S. temporarily withdrawing military aid and intelligence from Ukraine.
Russia has long been viewed by Republicans and Democrats as an adversary of the U.S. whereas Ukraine is an ally. U.S. allies in Europe have also raised alarms over Trump's stance toward Ukraine and Russia.
What To Know
Glucksmann, a staunch defender of Ukraine, spoke at a party convention and took time to scold the U.S. for what he viewed as a shifting position on values.
"Give us back the Statue of Liberty," he said, according to the Agence France-Presse (AFP). "We're going to say to the Americans who have chosen to side with the tyrants, to the Americans who fired researchers for demanding scientific freedom: 'Give us back the Statue of Liberty.'"
He added: "We gave it to you as a gift, but apparently you despise it. So, it will be just fine here at home."
Quote:Russia's military said it has taken over Sudzha, the biggest town in the Kursk region that was previously controlled by Ukrainian forces. The Russian defense ministry said in a Telegram post that it had "liberated" Sudzha, Melovoy and Podol in its recent offensive.
The Russian claim that it had recaptured Sudzha could not be independently verified and Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment.
Ukrainian forces crossed into Russia last year and captured several settlements, trying to pull Russian military resources away from Ukraine.
Putin's Surprise Visit
As his troops gained ground again, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to Kursk on Wednesday evening and donned a military uniform for the occasion. He suggested creating a "buffer zone" along the border.
"I am counting on the fact that all the combat tasks facing our units will be fulfilled, and the territory of the Kursk region will soon be completely liberated from the enemy," Putin said.
Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 in a conflict that broke out with Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Ukraine's Foothold in Russia
The Ukrainian army's seven-month foothold inside Russia has been under intense pressure for months from a renewed effort by Russian forces, backed by North Korean troops.
Ukraine's daring incursion last August led to the first occupation of Russian soil by foreign troops since World War II and embarrassed the Kremlin.
Kyiv launched the raid in a bid to counter the unceasingly glum news from the front line, as well as draw Russian troops away from the battlefield inside Ukraine and gain a bargaining chip in any peace talks.
But the incursion didn't significantly change the dynamic of the war.
Quote:Ukraine's military denied U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that thousands of its troops were surrounded, following similar comments by Russia's President Vladimir Putin.
"Reports about the enemy's alleged 'encirclement' of Ukrainian units in the Kursk region are not true and are created by the Russians for political goals and pressure on Ukraine and partners," the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a statement.
"The situation has not changed significantly during the day. Hostilities in the operational zone of the Kursk group of troops continue."
The statement was posted to the general staff's Facebook page and came after Trump had commented on the situation in a Truth Social post on Friday morning.
Why it Matters
Neither Russia nor Ukraine wants to show signs of weakness as negotiations continue on a potential 30-day ceasefire the U.S. is attempting to broker. Both want to maximize their negotiating positions before full peace talks take place, anticipated later this year.
Russia has made advances since the middle of 2024 and Ukraine has faced political setbacks with the U.S. under Trump, who wants to end the war quickly and has shown a willingness to work with Putin, despite concerns from European allies and Kyiv.
Ukraine, which relies on American military aid for its defense against Russia's invasion, fears Trump will force it to make painful compromises with Putin without guaranteeing its future security from what it sees as an existential threat posed by Moscow.
Quote:A devastating fire erupted early Sunday at a nightclub in Kocani, an eastern town in North Macedonia, claiming the lives of 59 people and injuring 155 others, authorities said. Officials said 39 of the deceased had been identified, and 18 of the injured were in critical condition.
Amid an outpouring of condolences and offers of help from neighboring countries, the detention of 15 people has focused attention on corruption in the tiny Balkan nation.
The Context
The fire is the deadliest tragedy in recent memory for North Macedonia, a nation of fewer than 2 million people.
The Pulse nightclub was housed in an old building that had previously functioned as a carpet warehouse. It had been operating for several years, but questions have now been raised regarding its licensing and safety measures. According to local media outlet MKD, the structure may not have been equipped to handle large crowds or indoor pyrotechnics.
What To Know
The blaze broke out around 2:35 a.m. local time during a concert by a local pop group, reportedly triggered by pyrotechnics used by young clubgoers, which ignited the roof. Videos circulating on social media capture the ensuing chaos inside the venue.
The fire caused the roof of the single-story building to partially collapse, exposing charred wooden beams and debris. Police cordoned off the site and deployed forensic teams alongside state prosecutors.
Officials said those injured were taken to hospitals across the country, including in the capital, Skopje, with many suffering severe burns. The response effort was supported by multiple volunteer organizations.
Health Minister Arben Taravari confirmed that 118 people had been hospitalized and stated that offers of assistance had come from neighboring countries, including Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, and Turkey, where arrangements were underway to accommodate patients with critical injuries. Additionally, paramedics from Serbia and Bulgaria traveled to North Macedonia to assist with local emergency efforts.
Quote:Video has surfaced of China's newly constructed landing barges that analysts say could be put to use during an invasion of Beijing-claimed Taiwan.
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Naval News reported in January that several barges were at a shipyard in the southeastern city of Guangzhou. Characterizing the ships are their ramps, which are longer than football fields, enabling military vehicles to bypass heavily defended beaches.
China claims Taiwan as its territory and has vowed to unify with the island democracy, through force if necessary. However, Beijing's Chinese Communist Party government has never ruled there.
What To Know
The now-deleted footage, shared on China's WeChat social media app, showed three vessels supported in the shallows on retractable pillars.
The barges appear to be connected in a continuous span, with the lead ship's ramp extended past the beach.
China has already ramped up production of roll-on/roll-off ships—commercial vessels that can be repurposed for military transport. These ships are equipped with ramps that can quickly load, transport, and unload tanks and other heavy equipment in wartime.
Naval News reported that the ships could potentially link up with a landing barge's stern, enabling the rapid transfer of tanks and other vehicles. The arrangement has been compared to the Allies' preparations for the D-Day seaborne invasion of Normandy in 1944.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has sharply increased its military pressure campaign against Taiwan in recent years, including regular sorties into its air defense identification zone and conducting drills that simulate a blockade.
Several U.S. officials, including former CIA Director Bill Burns, have said they believe Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered his military to be ready for a potential move against Taiwan by 2027, acknowledging this does not guarantee an invasion would take place that year or at all.
China, the world's biggest steel exporter, is dealing with a supply glut as a prolonged housing crisis drags down construction. Steel shipments hit a nine-year high last year, sparking protectionist moves from several countries.
U.S. President Donald Trump's blanket tariff on foreign steel, which took effect Wednesday, is expected to have only a limited impact on China's steelmakers. A far blow comes from anti-dumping duties imposed by two of the export giant's neighbors.
What To Know
China's top steel destination, Vietnam, imposed temporary tariffs ranging from 19 to 28 percent on certain Chinese hot-rolled steel coil products on March 7. Citigroup estimates the 120-day duties will apply to about half of that import category.
The second largest importer of Chinese steel, South Korea, announced a provisional tariff of 38 percent on Chinese steel plate shipments, a key material in construction and shipbuilding.
In the meantime, the industry ministry is investigating potential damage to its steel sector from the influx of Chinese steel, which made up nearly half of South Korea's imports of the alloy last year.
China's already troubled steel industry is expected to be hit hard this year, largely driven by the Vietnamese and South Korean import taxes, according to a Wednesday forecast by S&P Global Ratings.
The credit rating agency said that in the second quarter, China's steel export volumes could fall between 15 and 20 percent.
A portion of recent steel exports could even be shipped back, exacerbating the country's supply woes.
Quote:An Iranian cargo ship loaded with alleged missile components is sailing toward Iran from China. The vessel departed Chinese waters on Monday and is expected to arrive at the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on March 26.
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The Jairan has been linked to Iran's procurement of sodium perchlorate, a chemical used in solid rocket fuel, according to The Financial Times.
Iran's reported transfer of missile propellant chemicals to its armed forces signals a possible military buildup. If China is assisting Tehran in acquiring these materials, tensions could escalate with the United States and its regional allies.
The map below illustrates the vessel's most recent movements and when it is expected to arrive in Iran. It also marks Jairan's location as of publication time:
[Map]
What To Know
In January, Newsweek reported that intelligence sources had suggested Iran is attempting to import 1,000 metric tons of the substance, which, if converted into ammonium perchlorate, could support the production of hundreds of midrange missiles.
The Jairan is one of two Iranian cargo ships named in these reports. The other is the Golbon, which completed a similar journey last month.
U.S. Sanctions
Tracking data confirms the ship's departure from China and destination in Iran, underscoring ongoing concerns about Iran's missile capabilities. This comes despite U.S. sanctions aimed at disrupting Tehran's procurement networks. Both the Jairan and Golbon remain under U.S. Treasury Department sanctions for their ties to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), which has been accused of facilitating weapons proliferation.
Quote:Ministers from Iran, China and Russia met in Beijing on Friday, calling for an end to U.S. sanctions on Iran and the resumption of nuclear negotiations. The move comes after President Donald Trump attempted to engage Iran's Supreme Leader through a private letter, which was met with resistance from Tehran.
The talks highlight growing cooperation between China, Russia, and Iran, who criticized Washington's "maximum pressure" campaign that includes economic sanctions and potential military strikes.
...
The meeting underscores a shift in global alliances as Beijing and Moscow bolster their support for Tehran. China and Russia have expanded their ties with Iran through energy partnerships and military cooperation, including Iran's supply of armed drones to Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Iran's nuclear program has advanced significantly since Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal, fueling concerns about potential weapons development. Tehran says that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
What To Know
During the meeting, China's Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, alongside Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov Sergey Alexeevich and Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, called for an end to what they described as "unlawful unilateral sanctions." The three countries reaffirmed their commitment to diplomatic engagement based on "mutual respect."
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to meet with the delegation later in the day, signaling Beijing's increasing role in Middle Eastern affairs. Last year, China hosted talks leading to the restoration of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, reinforcing its diplomatic ambitions in the region.
Honestly, the article should state that Iran didn't care about complying with the now-defunct nuclear deal instead of claiming that the nuclear program advanced a lot as if Trump were guilty of it. The deal was already dead, it just happens that Trump admitted it and started sanctioning Iran during his first term. Biden had a chance to continue punishing Iran for that, but simply preferred to unfreeze billions of dollars and let them send the money to Iranian accounts in Iraq instead. Events like October 7th would have been delayed probably even for a whole decade otherwise.
Quote:The leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been killed, Iraq's prime minister said on Friday.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, also known as Abu Khadija, was killed by Iraqi security forces, with the support of the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State.
The Context
Al-Rifai was "deputy caliph" of the Islamic State and "one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world," Al-Sudani said Friday.
His rise to power came former Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a raid carried out by U.S. special forces in Syria in 2019.
What To Know
A security official told the Associated Press the operation targeting al-Rifai was carried out by an airstrike in the western Iraqi province of Anbar. Another official told the AP the operation took place on Thursday night and al-Rifai's death was confirmed on Friday.
News of al-Rifai's death came on the same day that Syria's top diplomat traveled to Iraq, where officials emphasized the importance of working together to combat the Islamic State.
Iraq's foreign minister, Fouad Hussein, said at a press conference Friday that "there are common challenges facing Syrian and Iraqi society and especially the terrorists of IS." Hussein added that officials spoke "in detail about the movements of ISIS, whether on the Syrian-Iraqi border, inside Syria or inside Iraq" during Friday's meetings.
"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.
Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times Wrote:Homeland Security Department officials accused the Biden administration Wednesday of “cooking the books” to falsely pump up immigration arrest numbers by counting illegal immigrants who were caught and released rather than detained and deported.
A senior U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official said more than two-thirds of the arrests ICE tallied last year were “enforcement theater” and that the illegal immigrants were quickly back on the streets.
“We found tens of thousands of cases that were recorded as arrests when, in fact, these instances were illegal aliens that were simply processed and released into American communities,” said Todd Lyons, the new acting director at ICE. “The previous administration counted these arrests even though no immigration enforcement action was taken.”
He said that once the numbers are compared more fairly, ICE’s arrests under President Trump will look much better.
ICE officials recorded 32,809 interior arrests over the nearly 50 days from Jan. 20 to March 10. ICE said that was close to the total for all of 2024 once the “pass-through” arrests were discounted.
Among those were 1,155 known or suspected gang members and 39 known or suspected terrorists, almost three times the rate of the Biden administration, ICE said.
A senior ICE official said the directive to count the pass-through arrests came from the Biden administration’s Homeland Security Department, which oversees the agency.
The official said the point seemed to be to benefit the illegal immigrants. Once they had an ICE arrest, they could use it to show local governments they were in some legal process, which often qualified them for services.
“This gave them a pathway to establishing a long-term … residency here in the U.S.,” the official said. “These pass-through arrests, while they looked great, it really hindered our officers. We weren’t out there looking for the worst of the worst.”
Avery Lotz Wrote:Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) stopped short Sunday of calling for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to be replaced — but she said it's time for Senate Democrats to decide if he's the man for the moment.
Why it matters: Schumer's decision to help Republicans pass a GOP-led funding bill to keep the government's lights on despite intense pressure to block the legislation highlighted growing fractures within his party that may put his job in jeopardy.
When asked by reporters Friday if it was time for new leadership, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) provided no defense for his Senate counterpart, simply saying, "Next question."
The rage brewing within Jeffries' caucus erupted Thursday after Schumer said he'd back the stopgap measure, prompting discussion of primary challenges and Senate floor protests, Axios' Andrew Solender reports.
. . .
By the numbers: While Dems trade barbs, new polling shows the party has hit record-low popularity.
Just 27% of registered voters said they have positive views of the party, according to NBC News polling out Sunday. That's the party's lowest positive rating in the outlet's polling dating back to 1990.
CNN's latest poll, also out Sunday, has the Democratic party's favorability at 29% among the American public — also a historic low dating back to 1992.
CNN notes that number is in part driven by Democrats' dissatisfaction with their own party.
Every year, Dems always say it is bad to have a shutdown and always call out Republicans for such. Schumer on video from 2023 calling out Republicans for a possible shutdown for example. But if there was a government shutdown this time, it would totally have been owned by the Democrats and was already being labeled the Schumer Shutdown.
Up is down, left is right and sideways is straight ahead. - Cord "Circle of Iron", 1978 (written by Bruce Lee and James Coburn... really...)
Quote:The Manhattan-based federal trial of two alleged contract killers hired by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to murder the Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad coincided with shocking revelations that Tehran ordered the assassinations of dissidents in Europe, news that could have profound implications for President Trump’s Iran policy.
The trial of the two suspects and the disclosures of a former founder of the U.S.-sanctioned terrorist organization IRGC that the ayatollahs ordered the murders of Iranians in exile add greater urgency to the need to address Iran’s threats to murder President Donald Trump, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Iranian-American critics of the regime, according to experts.
Mohsen Rafiqdoost, a former high-level IRGC official who also served as a bodyguard for the Islamic republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, declared in a video interview that he oversaw operations to eliminate exiled Iranian dissidents.
In an interview on the Iranian regime-controlled outlet Didehban-e Iran, he said the dissidents included former Iranian Prime Minister Shapour Bakhtiar, the popular artist Fereydoun Farrokhzad, who was murdered in Bonn, Germany, and military officials Gholam-Ali Oveissi and Shahriar Shafiq.
Rafiqdoost said, "The Basque separatist group in Spain carried out these assassinations for us. We paid them, and they conducted the killings on our behalf."
Jason Brodsky, the policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), said, "Mohsen Rafiqdoost’s comments are an admission of guilt. They should be replayed whenever an Iranian official is interviewed by a Western journalist denying complicity in assassination plots. The trial beginning on Monday is a reminder that the regime’s terror threat is real, potentially lethal, and will not go away by just burying our heads in the sand."
Last week, foreign ministers from the G-7 democracies announced in a joint statement, "That Iran is the principal source of regional instability and must never be allowed to develop and acquire a nuclear weapon. They emphasized that Iran must now change course, de-escalate and choose diplomacy. They underscored the threat of Iran’s growing use of arbitrary detention and foreign assassination attempts as a tool of coercion."
The reference to "foreign assassination attempts" is an unusually tough collective rhetorical rebuke for Iran because of its efforts to assassinate Trump, Alinejad and Iranian dissidents across the globe.
In November, Fox News Digital reported that the Justice Department announced it thwarted an Iranian plot to kill Trump in the weeks leading up to the election.
Quote:Federal authorities said the Brown University assistant professor and doctor deported to Lebanon despite having an H-1B visa expressed support and attended the funeral of a slain Hezbollah leader responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans.
"Last month, Rasha Alawieh traveled to Beirut, Lebanon, to attend the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah – a brutal terrorist who led Hezbollah, responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade terror spree," Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Alawieh openly admitted to this to CBP officers, as well as her support of Nasrallah."
"A visa is a privilege, not a right – glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be denied. This is commonsense security," McLaughlin said.
"Foreign nationals who promote extremist ideologies or carry terrorist propaganda are inadmissible to the U.S., plain and simple," Hilton Beckham, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Assistant Commissioner of Public Affairs, added in a statement to Fox News Digital. "A visa does not guarantee entry – CBP has the final authority after conducting rigorous security checks. Officers act swiftly to deny entry to those who glorify terrorist organizations, advocate violence, or openly support terrorist leaders and commemorate their deaths. Anyone found with extremist materials linked to a U.S.-designated terrorist group will be removed."
Rasha Alawieh, a 34-year-old physician specializing in kidney transplants who was most recently living in Rhode Island, was detained at Boston Logan International Airport on Thursday while coming back from a trip to Lebanon.
Alawieh was questioned by CBP and allegedly told federal agents she had attended the funeral of Nasrallah, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Sady reportedly wrote in a new filing Monday.
The filing has since been placed under seal, but Politico and The Providence Journal were able to report its contents beforehand.
Alawieh allegedly stated she supported Nasrallah "from a religious perspective," but not politically, according to Politico.
Federal authorities said they also conducted a search of Alawieh's phone and found "sympathetic photos and videos" of Hezbollah leaders, as well as materials showing "various other Hezbollah militants" in a deleted folder.
Quote:President Trump said early Monday that he was voiding all the last-minute pardons former President Joe Biden made using autopen.
“The ‘Pardons’ that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen,” Trump posted on Truth Social early Monday morning.
“In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them!” he said of the oldest-ever president and concerns at his age-related mental abilities at 82.
[Truth Social Post]
The 47th president also alleged that the pardons were not “approved” by his predecessor.
“The necessary Pardoning Documents were not explained to, or approved by, Biden,” he wrote. “He knew nothing about them, and the people that did may have committed a crime.”
Trump also warned that members of the former Jan. 6 House select committee who Biden issued pardons would be “subject to investigation at the highest level.”
“Therefore, those on the Unselect Committee, who destroyed and deleted ALL evidence obtained during their two year Witch Hunt of me, and many other innocent people, should fully understand that they are subject to investigation at the highest level,” Trump wrote Monday.
“The fact is, they were probably responsible for the Documents that were signed on their behalf without the knowledge or consent of the Worst President in the History of our Country, Crooked Joe Biden!”
Biden preemptively pardons all nine members of the Jan. 6 Committee, including the two leaders — Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and then-Rep. Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican who later pledged to vote for then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2025 election,
On the last day of his presidency, Biden issued a string of 11th-hour pardons, including preemptive pardons to Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley and Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Milley has publicly called Trump a “wannabe dictator” and detailed his conduct around the deadly Jan. 6 attacks during the House investigation.
Quote:A key aide to former President Joe Biden may have exceeded their authority by liberally using an autopen to sign official documents, according to two former White House sources, as President Trump’s aides set up “far more restrictive” rules governing the use of the mechanical device.
A document obtained by The Post outlines the narrow set of circumstances in which Trump’s signature can be affixed to documents, following controversy this week kicked off by a Heritage Foundation analysis of Biden signatures on various records, including last-minute pardons.
A small group of officials under both Biden and Trump have been delegated the power to get documents “signed” robotically, but 82-year-old Biden’s perceived cognitive decline sparked debate about whether some aides may have assumed his wishes in his final stretch as commander-in-chief.
One Biden White House source told The Post they suspect that a key aide to the then-president may have made unilateral determinations on what to auto-sign. The Post is not publishing that staffer’s name due to the lack of concrete evidence and refutations by other colleagues.
The Biden aide, who did not respond to requests for comment, would frequently make mention of what “the boss” wanted, the source said, but compatriots would have “no idea” if it was true because the internal culture was to not ask questions.
“I feared no one as much as I feared that [staffer]. To me, [the staffer] basically was the president,” the person said. “No one ever questioned [the staffer]. Period.”
Quote:A federal judge in Maryland has ruled that the Trump administration’s efforts to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were likely unconstitutional, and has ordered it to ultimately reinstate the agency’s lawful functions.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang concluded DOGE’s efforts "to shut down USAID on an accelerated basis, including its apparent decision to permanently close USAID headquarters without the approval of a duly appointed USAID officer, likely violated the United States Constitution in multiple ways."
Chuang said these actions "not only harmed the plaintiffs, but also the public interest, because they deprived the public’s elected representatives in Congress of their constitutional authority to decide whether, when, and how to close down an agency created by Congress."
The judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking DOGE and the administration from further actions against USAID, likely an emergency Department of Justice (DOJ) appeal to the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, then potentially to the Supreme Court.
In his ruling, Chuang, a 2014 Obama bench appointee, also ordered immediate restoration of email and computer access to all USAID employees, including those placed on administrative leave.
DOGE is now prohibited from any further cuts to USAID.
The lawsuit was filed by current and former agency employees and contractors.
Chuang's decision marks the first time a judge has ruled that Musk is likely exercising enough independent authority to require him to be confirmed by the Senate under the Constitution’s Appointments Clause, the Hill reported.
This decision comes after a different federal judge ordered the Trump administration to pay the remainder of foreign aid owed to contractors for completed work last week, noting in a new court ruling that the administration likely violated the separation of powers doctrine by "unlawfully impounding" nearly $2 billion in funds appropriated by Congress.
U.S. District Court Judge Amir Ali, a Biden appointee, said in the ruling that the Trump administration likely exceeded its constitutional authority in attempting to block the payments owed by the State Department and USAID to grant recipients and foreign aid contractors.
"Here, the executive has unilaterally deemed that funds Congress appropriated for foreign aid will not be spent," Ali said. "The executive not only claims his constitutional authority to determine how to spend appropriated funds, but usurps Congress’ exclusive authority to dictate whether the funds should be spent in the first place."
Ali had previously ordered the Trump administration to pay all owed foreign aid funds for previously completed work, totaling $1.9 billion, by Feb. 26, at 11:59 p.m.
Quote:As aspects of President Donald Trump's agenda are stymied by judges amid legal challenges, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has suggested that Congress could strip federal courts of jurisdiction.
"Congress has the authority to strip jurisdiction of the federal courts to decide these cases in the first place. The sabotaging of President Trump’s agenda by ‘resistance’ judges was predictable — why no jurisdiction-stripping bills tee’d up at the onset of this Congress?" DeSantis wrote in a Wednesday post on X.
When someone responded by asking how such a move could pass when 60 votes would be needed to push it through the Senate, DeSantis replied, "Attach it to a ‘must pass' bill…"
DeSantis, who sought the 2024 Republican presidential nod but ultimately dropped out and backed Trump after the GOP Iowa presidential caucus, floated the idea of stripping federal courts of jurisdiction when replying to a tweet from Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas.
"Lots of noise about impeachment. We must study every ruling & act accordingly w/ everything on the table (noting: 14 Dem votes required in Senate). But, more fertile ground… 1) House can pass a resolution stating there is/was an invasion, 2) we can defund radical courts," Roy had posted.
In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump called for the impeachment of a judge, apparently referring to Judge James E. Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
"This Radical Left Lunatic of a Judge, a troublemaker and agitator who was sadly appointed by Barack Hussein Obama, was not elected President," Trump declared in the post. "This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!! WE DON’T WANT VICIOUS, VIOLENT, AND DEMENTED CRIMINALS, MANY OF THEM DERANGED MURDERERS, IN OUR COUNTRY."
Quote:The long-awaited release of tens of thousands of files on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy Tuesday night sparked a desperate search for new clues in the shocking 62-year-old crime — but much of the trove turned out to confirm information long known.
Gerald Posner, the author of the best-selling 1993 book “Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK,” told The Post in a phone interview on Wednesday he was “about 22,000 pages” into the newly released files — but had yet to see a bombshell piece of evidence.
“I haven’t seen anything yet that is real news, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t something,” Posner said. “The biggest question I have as I go through is, ‘Why were these classified for so many years?’ It’s pretty preposterous.”
The documents do contain some tantalizing tidbits surrounding the tragic events of Nov. 22, 1963, with one file exploring a theory that a “small clique” in the CIA being involved — as well as an apparent KGB investigation to determine whether assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was a secret Russian agent.
A June 1967 memo details how a former US Army intelligence officer, Gary Underhill, fled Washington, DC, “very agitated” the day after Kennedy was shot — and claimed to a friend that a “small clique within the CIA” was behind the assassination.
“The day after the assassination, Gary Underhill left Washington in a hurry. Late in the evening, he showed up at the home of a friend in New Jersey,” reads the memo, quoting from a story in the comtemporary left-wing magazine Ramparts.
“He was very agitated. A small clique within the CIA was responsible for the assassination, he confided, and he was afraid for his life and probably would have to leave the country,” the document goes on.
“Less than six months later Underhill was found shot to death in his Washington apartment. The coroner ruled it a suicide.”
Underhill, a Harvard graduate and former US Army captain who worked as a journalist and intelligence officer during World War II, was said to be on a “first-name basis with many of the top brass in the Pentagon” and on “intimate terms with a number of high-ranking CIA officials.”
“The friends whom Underhill visited say he was sober but badly shook. They say he attributed the Kennedy murder to a CIA clique which was carrying on a lucrative racket in gun-running, narcotics, and other contraband,” the Ramparts passage reads.
It noted that the CIA clique allegedly killed Kennedy because he caught “wind” of their business and was “killed before he could ‘blow the whistle.’”
Underhill’s suicide was also called into question since he had been found with a gunshot wound behind his left ear, but Asher Brynes, his writing partner who found his body, said, “Underhill was right-handed.”
Anti-climactically, the memo — created in response to a much-criticized 1967 probe of the assassination by New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison — described Underhill’s connection to that investigation as “tenuous” and did not address the claims reported by Ramparts at all.
In another document released Tuesday, a teletype US intelligence report dated Nov. 20, 1991, said a KGB official known only as Nikonov or “Slava” investigated whether Oswald “had been a KGB agent.”
“Nikonov is now confident that Oswald was at no time an agent controlled by the KGB,” the document says.
Nikonov “doubted that anyone could control Oswald, but noted that the KBG [sic] watched him closely and constantly while he was in the USSR,” where the Marine veteran had lived from 1959 to 1962.
The file also noted that “Oswald was a poor shot when he tried target firing in the USSR.”
Nikonov also noted that Oswald had “a stormy relationship with his Soviet wife [Marina], who rode him incessantly.”
Months prior to the assassination, Oswald had visited the Cuban Consulate in Mexico City, where he made contact with the Soviet Embassy in pursuit of a travel visa.
The head of an NYPD transit district in Queens was stripped of his command amid allegations that he had police reports falsified to downplay subway crimes on his watch, sources tell The Post.
Capt. Steven Hyland, who headed Transit District 20 in Jamaica, allegedly had two sergeants and a lieutenant under his command falsify reports — even forging signatures — to play down assaults and grand larcenies in the subway system, the law enforcement sources said.
In one incident, Hyland allegedly ordered a cop to change a complaint marked “legit” to snuff it out.
“This dude was so bad, he victimized the victim,” one source said.
Now, the veteran cop has been reassigned to a lesser detail in the Brooklyn court system after bringing internal charges against him Wednesday.
Police brass received one complaint regarding Hyland falsifying a report – prompting the department to launch its own audit, finding three more, sources said.
“When the police commissioner learned this was an investigation she told all parties to take the matter incredibly serious,” another source said. “He was transferred immediately.”
Quote:The Trump administration is planning to make cost-saving cuts by merging two similar HIV/AIDS prevention programs run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an administration official told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. The cuts will pertain to administrative costs and DEI-related spending.
The tentative proposal, which is still "a concept of a plan," is to merge them into one program under HRSA to streamline efficiency – in line with the administration's downsizing of federal government agenda – as having two separate programs doing similar functions doesn't make sense, the official said.
"One of those things is still very preliminary, but obviously, you don't need two $1 billion budgets for this, with $1 billion going to the CDC and $1 billion going to HRSA," the official said. "Some of that will go toward paying the administrative overhead costs and that sort of thing."
Both the CDC and HRSA are part of the Department of Health and Human Services, overseen by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
"If this goes through, that will be more definitive… like with examining DEI spending with these two programs," the official said. The Trump administration has already moved to slash federal funding of DEI programs and initiatives in one of his early executive actions titled, "Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing."
While the CDC has a department dedicated to the prevention of HIV and other infectious diseases, HRSA also runs a program called the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP), which provides medical care for low-income people with HIV.
During his first term, in 2019, Trump launched the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative, with the aim of reducing cases of HIV by 75% by 2025 and by 90% by 2030. The initiative is operated by the CDC.
Quote:The co-founder of a leading progressive group says Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer faces a difficult challenge in winning back the trust of Democrats following his controversial support last week of a Republican-crafted federal government funding bill that averted a government shutdown.
The move by Schumer, the longtime lawmaker from New York and top Democrat in the Senate, infuriated many, not only on the left but across the party, who want Democrat leaders to take a tougher stand in resisting President Donald Trump's agenda.
"Can he win back the trust of those who don’t have faith in Democratic leadership?" asked Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), a major grassroots organization that promotes economic populism and democracy through electoral and issue advocacy efforts.
Green, in a Fox News Digital interview, answered his own question, saying, "The answer is yes, but it’s uphill."
Schumer initially signaled last week that Senate Democrats would fight back against the GOP's partisan funding bill. But one day later, he said he would reluctantly support the measure and help deliver to the GOP the Democrat votes needed to boost the bill to passage through the Senate.
In an interview Tuesday on ABC News' "The View," Schumer said he "knew it was a difficult choice" but added that "I felt I had to do it." And he argued that a partial government shutdown would have allowed Trump to inflict "devastation like we’ve never seen."
Despite the intense backlash from his own party, Schumer said in a "CBS Mornings" interview that he's still the "best leader for the Senate."
"We have a lot of good people," Schumer said. "But I am the best at winning Senate seats."
But hours later, Rep. Glenn Ivey, who represents a solidly-blue district in Maryland, became the first Democrat in Congress to call on Schumer to step down from his longheld leadership position.
And in comments on Tuesday, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is a longtime ally, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic Party vice presidential nominee, were critical of Schumer.
Green said many in the PCCC membership, which the group says stands at roughly 1 million people, are far from happy with Schumer.
The PCCC is asking in a questionnaire to its membership, "Do you have confidence in Chuck Schumer as Senate Democratic Leader?
According to PCCC, with nearly 22,000 responses by Tuesday afternoon, 84% said "no."
Quote:Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump held a "very good" phone call on Wednesday, during which the pair discussed the preliminary agreement reached with Russian President Vladimir Putin one day prior.
"Just completed a very good telephone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine," Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social just moments after the hourlong call wrapped. "Much of the discussion was based on the call made yesterday with President Putin in order to align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs.
"We are very much on track," Trump added.
Zelenskyy said the call was "positive, very substantive, and frank" in a lengthy statement posted to social media Wednesday afternoon.
"I thanked him for a good and productive start to the work of the Ukrainian and American teams in Jeddah on March 11—this meeting of the teams significantly helped in moving toward ending the war," the Ukranian president said. "We agreed that Ukraine and the United States should continue working together to achieve a real end to the war and lasting peace. We believe that together with America, with President Trump, and under American leadership, lasting peace can be achieved this year."
Putin on Tuesday agreed to stop hitting Ukraine's energy infrastructure for 30 days, though the ceasefire did not extend to the frontlines or civilian populations as the Trump administration had originally hoped.
Despite skepticism from Ukraine and European leaders, special envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday said he believes a full ceasefire can be achieved in a couple of weeks.
He also said an official meeting between Trump and Putin is "likely to happen," as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security advisor Mike Waltz plan to return to Saudi Arabia on Sunday to discuss the details of the Tuesday agreement.
It is unclear at this time if a Ukrainian delegation will also be returning to Saudi Arabia to begin discussions with Russian counterparts.
Quote:The US has flown more than 250 accused migrant gang members to El Salvador, where they were sent to a notorious mega-prison — in direct defiance of a federal judge’s ruling against the Trump administration.
The flights included 238 members of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua, as well as least 21 members of MS-13, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele revealed Sunday morning.
Upon landing in El Salvador, the accused men were met on the tarmac by dozens of armed commandos and immediately transferred to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), according to dramatic video posted by Bukele.
The deportations came just hours after US District Judge James Boasberg temporarily blocked the Trump administration from invoking the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act to swiftly boot the gangbangers from the country without a formal hearing.
Two flights to El Salvador were in the air when the order came down, and the Trump administration decided the ruling did not apply because the planes were “outside US airspace,” Axios reported.
Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 53, met with Bukele, 43, and brokered a deal in which the El Salvadoran leader agreed to house convicted US citizens or deported criminal illegal migrants of any nationality into the country’s most infamous clink.
With more than 15,000 prisoners, CECOT is internationally known for its horrendous conditions. It’s well-known to human rights groups as an overcrowded nightmare facility where brutality is rampant and inmates experience harsh treatment, many crammed in their cells nearly 24 hours a day.
The food provided is minimal — only beans and pasta — and rival gang members routinely fight to the death over food and water, according to reports through the years.
Quote:Fighting along the Syrian-Lebanese border intensified on Monday as deadly clashes erupted between the Syrian military and Hezbollah-aligned forces.
The escalation follows accusations from Syria’s interim government that Hezbollah terrorists crossed into Syrian territory, kidnapped three soldiers and executed them on Lebanese soil. In response, the Syrian army launched artillery strikes on Hezbollah positions, targeting what it called "gatherings" of fighters responsible for the killings. Hezbollah has denied involvement.
The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, reported that the Syrian army successfully captured the village of Hawsh al-Sayyid Ali on the Syria-Lebanon border during the confrontations. Currently, most of the fighting is near the village of Al-Qasr.
Earlier this morning, the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya reported intermittent clashes between the Syrian army and Hezbollah forces along the border. The report also claimed that a Hezbollah ammunition depot in Lebanon was destroyed by Syrian artillery fire.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun addressed the escalating violence, saying, "What is happening on the eastern and northeastern border cannot continue, and we will not accept its continuation. I have instructed the Lebanese army to respond to the sources of fire."
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least five additional Syrian soldiers were killed during the clashes. Civilians, including families with young children, were seen fleeing toward the Syrian village of Hermel as violence spread across the border region.
The newly established Syrian government, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa of the U.S.-sanctioned terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, issued a rare statement vowing retaliation against Hezbollah.
"They took them to Lebanese territory and killed them. The Ministry of Defense will take all necessary measures in response to this escalation by Hezbollah," the statement reads.
The conflict reflects deeper sectarian and ideological divisions. HTS, a Sunni terrorist group with roots in Syria’s jihadist insurgency and former ties to al Qaeda, and Hezbollah, a Shiite terrorist force backed by Iran, represent opposing factions in the ongoing struggle for regional dominance.
"Hezbollah is trying to take advantage of the new government’s weakness in Syria, but the group itself is in a precarious position. It has suffered major setbacks from Israeli strikes, the fall of Assad, and now new adversaries in Syria," Javed Ali, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy and former senior director at the National Security Council, told Fox News Digital.
The collapse of President Bashar Assad’s government in December marked a major turning point, as Hezbollah had spent 14 years backing him alongside Russia and Iran’s pro-Shiite militias. However, in late November, Syrian rebels launched a surprise offensive against Assad’s forces, just as a ceasefire was announced in northern Gaza, leading to the final collapse of his rule.
Now in power, HTS has pledged to crack down on weapons and drug smuggling along the border, a move that directly threatens Hezbollah’s operations. The new Syrian government has already begun military deployments to secure its borders, further restricting Hezbollah’s ability to maneuver.
"Hezbollah is facing a confluence of threats unlike any time in its history," said Ali. "With HTS consolidating control in Syria, Hezbollah’s overland weapons supply route from Iran has been severely compromised. This disruption could significantly degrade its operational capabilities."
The rise of HTS as a governing force in Syria has also drawn U.S. attention. While Washington has designated HTS as a terrorist organization, analysts suggest that al-Sharaa's pragmatic approach should be assessed cautiously.
"The U.S. is navigating a complex landscape in Syria, and while it does not officially recognize HTS, there are strategic interests in seeing Hezbollah and Iranian influence further weakened," Ali noted.
HTS has attempted to rebrand itself from its extremist origins, portraying itself as a nationalist Islamist movement opposed to Iranian influence and Hezbollah’s expansion in Syria. While skepticism remains, the group’s control over key Syrian territory disrupts Iran’s ability to maintain a direct supply corridor to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Quote:The U.S. military recently launched fighter jets with the intent of targeting Houthi forces in Yemen, new video shows.
Fox News obtained the dramatic video that shows the jets taking off towards the terrorist targets. It comes soon after President Donald Trump launched "decisive and powerful" airstrikes against the Iran-backed organization, which has targeted commercial merchant vessels and U.S. military ships for several months.
"It has been over a year since a U.S.-flagged commercial ship safely sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday. "The last American Warship to go through the Red Sea, four months ago, was attacked by the Houthis over a dozen times."
"Funded by Iran, the Houthi thugs have fired missiles at U.S. aircraft, and targeted our Troops and Allies," the president continued. "These relentless assaults have cost the U.S. and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk."
Trump promised that the U.S. military would "use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective."
"To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!" his post concluded.
Since the strikes began on Saturday, Houthi drone, missile and air defense systems have been targeted by American forces. A senior defense official told Fox News on Sunday that at least a dozen Houthi drones have been shot down by U.S. forces so far.
On Monday, Joint Staff Director for Operations Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich told reporters that "dozens of military casualties" had so far been counted.
The Houthis claimed 53 people had been killed as of Monday, including five children, but that has not been confirmed by the U.S. military.
"This is also not an endless offensive," Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said on Monday. "This is not about regime change in the Middle East, this is about putting American interests first."
Quote:Officials from Iran and its Yemeni ally have warned that any action taken against them by the United States would not go unanswered after President Donald Trump issued a stark threat amid a series of escalations in some of the world's most crucial trade corridors.
Two days after ordering strikes across positions linked to the Iran-aligned Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, in Yemen, Trump warned Monday in a Truth Social post that additional attacks by the group that has targeted more than 100 vessels accused of having ties to Israel "will be met with great force."
The president further asserted that Iran had full "control" over Ansar Allah, and that Tehran also "will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire" should Ansar Allah press on with its operations.
Iranian Permanent Representative to the United Nations (U.N.) Amir Saeid Iravani hit back in a letter shared with Newsweek and sent to U.N. leadership, condemning the "recent belligerent statements by senior officials of the United States administration, including the president of the United States, while they were attempting desperately to unlawfully justify the US' acts of aggression and war crimes against Yemen, leveling baseless accusations against the Islamic Republic of Iran and openly threatening the use of force against Iran."
"While committed to its obligations to international peace and security, the Islamic Republic of Iran will resolutely defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national interests under international law against any hostile action," Iravani said. "The Islamic Republic of Iran warns that any act of aggression will have severe consequences, for which the U.S. will bear full responsibility."
A source within Ansar Allah also told Newsweek that the group would react decisively to any U.S. strikes against the group or Iran as the two allies condemn Israel's blockade of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip.
"We will not allow Trump to support the Zionist enemy in its crime of killing the people of Gaza with hunger and thirst," the Ansar Allah source said. "We will increase pressure on the Zionists, and if the Americans escalate, we will confront their escalation with an escalation they do not expect."
"As for Iran, it is stronger and more capable of defending itself," the source added. "If it is subjected to any aggression, the majority of the people of our nation and region will stand with Iran because they hate America's policy and its unlimited support for the Zionist enemy, which remains the primary enemy of our people. Any attack against Iran will create an extraordinary state of sympathy for it."
Quote:The Israeli military said it intercepted a ballistic missile launched by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen on Tuesday, the terror group's first attack on the Jewish state following the collapse of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that sirens sounded in southern Israel after a missile launched from Yemen. The Israeli Air Force said it intercepted the missile before it crossed into Israeli territory.
President Donald Trump's ordering of U.S. strikes against the Houthis in Yemen over the weekend is believed to have deterred the terror group from resuming an attack on Israel sooner and with greater volume, IDF sources told the Jerusalem Post.
Nearly a quarter-million people were sent to bomb shelters across the central and southern desert Negev region as a precaution due to shrapnel from the interception Tuesday, Fox News has learned.
The Houthi attack came hours after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas crumbled over what U.S. officials said was the terror organization's refusal to release more Israeli hostages.
There are still 59 hostages in Gaza, but Israel believes only 24 of those who remain are alive.
Israel bombarded the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, eliminating the head of the Hamas government and other key terrorist leaders.
At least 404 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed in the Israeli airstrikes so far, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. The death toll has not been independently verified.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with security officials at the Kirya, Israel’s version of the Pentagon, on Tuesday during the airstrikes.
"Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength," Netanyahu’s office wrote in a series of posts on X as the airstrikes commenced.
Take in consideration that Gaza's government is Hamas itself. So yes, they have all the incentives to lie about how many people died during the attacks.
Quote:Peace negotiations will now only take place as Israel continues to pummel Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday amidst a renewed military offensive campaign in Gaza.
"From now on, the negotiations will resume only under fighting," Netanyahu said in a brief public message.
The defiant Israeli prime minister said Hamas had "refused" to engage and return hostages and blamed the media for "echo[ing] Hamas propaganda" amid accusations that he had renewed the fighting for his own political survival.
"I hear the commentators reporting lies in the studios, as if the IDF's recommendation and IDF actions stem from political considerations," he said.
"They have no shame. They have no red lines. They simply echo Hamas propaganda time and time again."
Netanyahu went on: "We extended the ceasefire for weeks when we did not receive any hostages. We sent delegations to Doha. We sent delegations to Cairo. We made proposals together with the mediators. We accepted the proposal of the American envoy, [Steve] Witkoff. In contrast, Hamas has repeatedly rejected every offer."
Israel’s military launched a large-scale bombing campaign on Tuesday, breaking a ceasefire that had been in place since late January. The offensive mission killed at least 404 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which would make it one of the deadliest days of the war since October 7, 2023, if true.
"I want to assure you: This is just the beginning," Netanyahu said.
Quote:The arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a popular rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has sent shock waves throughout the powerful NATO member state and a city of 16 million people that straddles the European and Asian continents.
Imamoglu, a member of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) that outperformed Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) nationwide last year, was arrested Wednesday on charges of aiding and abetting terrorism, specifically the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), as well as links to organized crime. The detention came just days before Imamoglu was expected to be chosen as CHP's next presidential candidate on Sunday.
CHP leadership has alleged that Imamoglu's arrest, along with the simultaneous detention of more than 100 others, constituted a politically motivated "coup," and the move has prompted criticism from within Turkey and abroad, including France and Germany.
Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc argued, however, that the "rule of law" had been upheld throughout the judicial process and urged the media to "remain calm as we await the outcome of the investigation" in press comments shared with Newsweek.
"It is inappropriate to assess the initiated investigations without being fully informed about the case file, claims, and evidence," Tunc said. "It is utterly dangerous and wrong to mischaracterise the investigations conducted by the independent and impartial judiciary or describe them using expressions such as coup d'état."
"Moreover," he added, "engaging in disinformation regarding the investigations by calling for street protests and making misleading statements to the public are entirely unacceptable."
Fahrettin Altun, head of the Turkish Presidency's Communications Directorate, argued that "certain circles, particularly opposition party officials, are attempting to undermine the integrity of the investigations with political and ideological motives" in comments shared with Newsweek.
"We have also witnessed absurd accusations being made against our President amid political and ideological evaluations that disregard the content and details of the ongoing investigation," Altun said.
"We will stand firm against such efforts, which not only aim to damage the independence of our judiciary—exercising its authority on behalf of the Turkish Nation—but also seek to cast suspicion on our President," he added. "We will continue to protect the legal rights of our President against these ideological smear campaigns."
"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.
Quote:Heavyweight champion George Foreman has died at the age of 76, his family announced Friday.
Foreman died surrounded by loved ones, his family said.
"Our hearts are broken," the family wrote in an Instagram post. "With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr., who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones."
"A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility, and purpose," the post continued.
"A humanitarian, an Olympian, and two-time heavyweight champion of the world, He was deeply respected — a force for good, a man of discipline, conviction, and a protector of his legacy, fighting tirelessly to preserve his good name — for his family," the post added.
His family said they "are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers, and kindly ask for privacy as we honor the extraordinary life of a man we were blessed to call our own."
Foreman became an Olympic gold medalist in 1968 when he defeated the Soviet Union's Jonas Čepulis in that year's Mexico City Olympics. After his victory, he wielded an America flag in the boxing ring while bowing to the crowd, in an iconic American Olympics moment.
Foreman has said that his Olympic gold is the accomplishment he is most proud of, even more than his other professional boxing titles.
Quote:Jessica D. Aber, who until recently served as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA), was found dead at her Alexandria home on Saturday morning. Alexandria Police confirmed responding to a call at approximately 9:18 a.m. on Beverley Drive, where officers located the 43-year-old former federal prosecutor.
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Aber's death comes just two months after she resigned from her position as one of the few women to lead the prestigious U.S. attorney's office in Northern Virginia, a role to which she was nominated by former President Joe Biden in 2021.
The EDVA is considered one of the most significant federal prosecutor's offices in the country, overseeing cases related to national security, terrorism, and high-profile white-collar crime across a jurisdiction that includes numerous defense and intelligence agencies.
What To Know
Aber served as U.S. Attorney from October 2021 until early 2025, when she stepped down to allow President Donald Trump to select a successor.
During her tenure, she managed approximately 300 lawyers and staff across four divisions in Alexandria, Richmond, Norfolk, and Newport News, serving over six million residents, according to her U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) biography.
Before she was appointed U.S. Attorney, Aber had worked in the EDVA since 2009, handling financial fraud, public corruption, violent crime, and child exploitation cases. She was part of the prosecution team that secured a conviction against former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell on corruption charges in 2014, though the Supreme Court later overturned the convictions.
A California native born in 1981, Aber established her legal career in Virginia after graduating from the University of Richmond in 2003 and obtaining her law degree from William & Mary School of Law in 2006.
...
What Happens Next
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia will determine the cause and manner of Aber's death as the Alexandria Police Department continues its investigation. Meanwhile, colleagues and the legal community are mourning the loss of someone widely regarded as a mentor and dedicated public servant.
Quote:An FBI agent who publicly accused the agency of a pro-Trump bias has been arrested and charged with disclosing confidential records after authorities say he included sensitive material about investigations and informants into a draft of his memoir.
Johnathan Buma, who claimed in 2023 that the FBI went after President Joe Biden’s son Hunter while stifling his own investigation of President Donald Trump’s ally Rudy Giuliani, was arrested Monday evening at Kennedy Airport in New York as he was about to board a flight out of the country, authorities said.
In the draft of his book, Buma described himself as “the most significant whistleblower in FBI history.”
Federal prosecutors in California, where Buma had worked as a counterintelligence and counterproliferation agent, charged him on Tuesday with a single count of disclosure of confidential information. The charge is punishable by up to one year in prison.
Buma submitted a letter of resignation Sunday, according to an affidavit prepared by an FBI agent involved in the investigation. The probe into Buma’s conduct began well before Trump took office for his second term. The FBI searched Buma’s home in November 2023, when Biden was in office.
Messages seeking comment were left with Buma’s lawyer.
After filing a whistleblower complaint and testifying before Congress, the court affidavit said Buma went to his FBI office in Orange County, California, in October 2023 and printed copies of about 130 confidential files. The files included summaries of information provided by confidential informants, the identity of an informant and screenshots of text messages he exchanged with an informant, the affidavit said.
Some of that information also appeared in a draft of Buma’s book, the affidavit said.
After emailing his bosses that he was taking an unpaid leave of absence, Buma posted excerpts of the draft on social media and emailed copies to various people, some of whom were helping him negotiate a publishing deal, according to the affidavit. Among other things, the book contained information about an FBI investigation into a foreign country’s weapons of mass destruction program, the affidavit said.
Quote:Three individuals were charged in federal cases after they used Molotov cocktails to violently attack Tesla properties around the country in acts of "domestic terrorism," Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced Thursday.
"The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended," Bondi said. "Let this be a warning: if you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars."
All three face charges carrying a minimum penalty of five years and up to 20 years in prison, the department said.
Adam Matthew Lansky, 41, on Jan. 20, threw approximately eight Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership located in Salem, Oregon, federal prosecutors said. One vehicle was completely destroyed, and several others were damaged.
Lansky also threw a "large heavy object through the dealership window," they said. At the time of the attack, he was armed with a suppressed AR-15 rifle.
Lucy Grace Nelson, also known as Justin Thomas Nelson, 42, was arrested in Loveland, Colorado, on Jan. 29 after attempting to light Teslas on fire with Molotov cocktails, prosecutors said.
Nelson was later found in possession of materials used to produce additional incendiary weapons, including a container of gasoline, bottles, and wick materials, on Feb. 24, prosecutors said.
In Charleston, South Carolina, Daniel Clarke-Pounder, 24, allegedly wrote profane messages against President Donald Trump and advocated for Ukraine around Tesla charging stations before lighting three of the charging stations on fire with Molotov cocktails on March 7.
Court documents, citing witnesses, say Clarke-Pounder spray-painted in red paint, "F--- Trump" and "Long Live Ukraine" in a Tesla charging station parking spot.
Lansky and Nelson were charged with arson of property in interstate commerce and possession of unregistered destructive device. Clarke-Pounder was charged with arson of property in interstate commerce.
Quote:A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to halt the planned deportation of a Georgetown University scholar arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Monday over allegations he spread Hamas propaganda online.
Judge Patricia Giles ordered that Badar Khan Suri, an Indian citizen, "shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the Court issues a contrary order."
Suri was detained in Alexandria, Louisiana.
Suri, a postdoctoral scholar student in the United States on a student visa, was accused of "actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media," a senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official said in a statement.
"Suri has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas."
The agency did not name the suspected terrorist or Hamas advisor.
However, The New York Times reported that Suri's wife is Palestinian American. Her father is Ahmed Yousef, a former advisor to Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader Israel assassinated last year in Iran.
In a voice message, Yousef said Suri is his son-in-law, adding Suri was not involved in any "political activism," including on behalf of Hamas, the Times report states.
Yousef lives in Gaza but said he left his position in the Hamas-run government more than a decade ago. He doesn't hold a senior position with the terrorist group and has publicly criticized Hamas’ decision to attack Israel Oct. 7, 2023, which ignited the group's ongoing war with Israel.
Quote:Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., took a swipe at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., in a tweet on Friday.
"We need a Democratic Party that fights harder for us too," the congresswoman said during speeches on Thursday.
"Fight ‘harder’—a stunt that would have harmed millions and plunged us into chaos," Fetterman wrote when sharing a screenshot featuring a quotation of Ocasio-Cortez's comment. "We kept our government open. Deal with it."
Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez's office on Friday to request a comment from the congresswoman, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Fetterman and other Democrats — including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — voted last week to overcome a procedural hurdle, which cleared the way for the chamber to vote on a government funding measure to avoid a partial government shutdown.
But after that cloture vote, Fetterman, Schumer, and most other Democrats voted against passing the actual funding measure, which ultimately passed anyway.
Ocasio-Cortez had urged senators to vote against cloture and against the measure.
"It should be very clear to every Senate Democrat that any vote for Cloture will also be considered a vote for the bill. People aren’t going to be tricked with procedural games. They know exactly what is going on. Defend Medicaid. Vote NO on Cloture. NO on bill," she had declared in a tweet.
Quote:President Donald Trump proposed that the United States take control of Ukrainian nuclear power plants to protect them from Russian attacks during a Tuesday call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky said Kyiv was "ready" to pause attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure, a day after Moscow agreed to halt similar strikes on Ukraine.
Donald Trump told Volodymyr Zelensky Wednesday that the United States could own and run Ukraine's nuclear power plants as part of his latest bid to secure a ceasefire in Russia's invasion of its neighbour.
The Ukrainian president said following their call that Kyiv was "ready" to pause attacks on Russia's energy network and infrastructure, a day after Vladimir Putin agreed to halt similar strikes on Ukraine.
Zelensky also said he had discussed Trump's power plant takeover plan.
"We talked only about one power plant, which is under Russian occupation," Zelensky, who was on an official visit to Finland, said during an online briefing, referring to the plant in Zaporizhzhia.
He added that he had "not felt any pressure" from Trump to make concessions to Russia.
But a wider ceasefire remains elusive with the Kremlin leader insisting in his own call with Trump on Tuesday that the West first stop all military aid for Ukraine.
Republican Trump's tone was markedly more positive after the Zelensky call, with the White House describing it as "fantastic" – despite the fact that the two men had a blazing televised row in the Oval Office recently.
Trump "discussed Ukraine's electrical supply and nuclear power plants" and said Washington could be "very helpful" in running them," National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a joint statement.
"American ownership of those plants would be the best protection for that infrastructure," it said.
Quote:The Trump administration said on Friday it would terminate the legal status of 532,000 immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, giving them 30 days to either secure an alternative immigration status or leave the country.
The United States said Friday it was terminating the legal status of hundreds of thousands of immigrants, giving them weeks to leave the country.
President Donald Trump has pledged to carry out the largest deportation campaign in US history and curb immigration, mainly from Latin American nations.
The order affects around 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who came to the United States under a scheme launched in October 2022 by Trump's predecessor Joe Biden and expanded in January the following year.
They will lose their legal protection 30 days after the Department of Homeland Security's order is published in the Federal Register, which is scheduled Tuesday.
That means immigrants sponsored by the program "must depart the United States" by April 24 unless they have secured another immigration status allowing them to remain in the country, the order says.
Welcome.US, which supports people seeking refuge in the United States, urged those affected by the move to "immediately" seek advice from an immigration lawyer.
The Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) program, announced in January 2023, allowed entry to the United States for two years for up to 30,000 migrants per month from the four countries, which have grim human rights records.
Biden touted the plan as a "safe and humane" way to ease pressure on the crowded US-Mexico border.
But the Department of Homeland Security stressed Friday that the scheme was "temporary."
"Parole is inherently temporary, and parole alone is not an underlying basis for obtaining any immigration status, nor does it constitute an admission to the United States," it said in the order.
'Chaos'
Nicolette Glazer, an immigration lawyer in California, said the order would affect the "vast majority" of the half a million immigrants who entered the United States under the CHNV scheme.
"Only 75,000 affirmative asylum applications were filed, so the vast majority of the CHNV parolees will find themselves without status, work permits, and subject to removal," she posted on X.
"The chaos will be unreal".
Karen Tumlin, director of immigrant rights group Justice Action Center, said the Trump administration was "breaking a commitment the federal government made to the hundreds of thousands" of immigrants and their sponsors in the United States.
"Suddenly revoking the lawful status of hundreds of thousands of CHNV humanitarian parole recipients is going to cause needless chaos and heartbreak for families and communities across the country," she said in a statement.
Trump last weekend invoked rare wartime legislation to fly more than 200 alleged members of a Venezuelan gang to El Salvador, which has offered to imprison migrants and even US citizens at a discount.
More than seven million Venezuelans have fled their country over the last decade as the oil-rich country's economy implodes under leftist leader Nicolas Maduro, a bugbear of Washington who has faced major sanctions.
Quote:US President Donald Trump on Friday awarded Boeing a $20 billion contract to build the US Air Force's most sophisticated fighter jet, which will be called the F-47. The win marks a reversal of fortune for Boeing, which has struggled on both the commercial and defense sides of its business.
US President Donald Trump on Friday awarded Boeing the contract to build the US Air Force's most sophisticated fighter jet, handing the company a much-needed win.
The Next Generation Air Dominance program will replace Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor with a crewed aircraft built to enter combat alongside drones. The plane's design remains a closely held secret, but would likely include stealth, advanced sensors, and cutting-edge engines.
Trump, the 47th president, said the new jet will be called the F-47.
"We've given an order for a lot. We can't tell you the price," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
"Our allies are calling constantly," Trump added, saying foreign sales could be an option. "They want to buy them also." Shares of Boeing rose 5% after the news. The Seattle-based company beat out Lockheed Martin for the deal. Lockheed's shares fell nearly 6%.
Reuters reported Boeing's victory before the official announcement. "Compared to the F-22, the F-47 will cost less and be more adaptable to future threats -- and we will have more of the F-47s in our inventory," said Chief of Staff of the Air Force General David Allvin.
Boeing and Lockheed did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
For Boeing, the win marks a reversal of fortune for a company that has struggled on both the commercial and defense sides of its business. It is a major boost for its St. Louis, Missouri, fighter jet production business.
The engineering and manufacturing development contract is worth more than $20 billion. The winner will eventually receive hundreds of billions of dollars in orders over the contract's multi-decade lifetime.
NGAD was conceived as a "family of systems" centered around a sixth-generation fighter to counter adversaries such as China and Russia.
Quote:A North Dakota jury on Wednesday found Greenpeace liable for defamation and other claims brought by a pipeline company in connection with protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The nine-person jury awarded Dallas-based Energy Transfer and its subsidiary Dakota Access hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
A jury in North Dakota on Wednesday ordered Greenpeace to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages in a closely watched lawsuit brought by a US pipeline operator, raising serious free speech concerns.
The verdict delivers a stunning legal blow to the environmental advocacy group, which Energy Transfer (ET) accused of orchestrating violence and defamation during the controversial construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline nearly a decade ago.
ET, which denies any intent to stifle speech, celebrated the verdict. The jury awarded more than $660 million in damages across three Greenpeace entities, citing charges including trespass, nuisance, conspiracy, and deprivation of property access.
"We would like to thank the judge and the jury for the incredible amount of time and effort they dedicated to this trial," the company said.
"While we are pleased that Greenpeace will be held accountable for their actions, this win is really for the people of Mandan and throughout North Dakota who had to live through the daily harassment and disruptions caused by the protesters who were funded and trained by Greenpeace."
Greenpeace vows appeal
Greenpeace vowed to appeal the verdict and continue its environmental advocacy.
"The reality is you can't bankrupt a movement," Greenpeace USA interim executive director Sushma Raman told AFP.
"This movement exists all around the world: individuals who want a cleaner, greener planet, more vibrant and inclusive democracy, protection of oceans, forests, and land. The people who power organisations like Greenpeace – you can't bankrupt them, and the work will continue."
Greenpeace International is counter-suing ET in the Netherlands, accusing the company of using nuisance lawsuits to suppress dissent. A hearing is set for July 2.
At the heart of the North Dakota case was the Dakota Access Pipeline, where from 2016 to 2017, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe led one of the largest anti-fossil fuel protests in US history.
Quote:Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said the country will negotiate with U.S. President Donald Trump over his tariff plans once Canada is "shown respect" as a sovereign nation.
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Trump has risked a major diplomatic crisis with the U.S.'s northern neighbor over his threats to impose significant import tariffs and his repeated suggestion that Canada could become the U.S.'s 51st state.
His tariff plans have resulted in a trade war between the two countries and deepening political and ideological divisions, raising concerns about the future relationship between the longtime allies.
What to Know
Carney, who recently replaced Justin Trudeau as leader of Canada's ruling Liberal Party, held a meeting with the Council on Canada-U.S. Relations on Thursday.
Carney's office said the virtual meeting discussed Trump's tariff plans, including those expected to hit Canada on April 2.
This new wave of reciprocal tariff hikes is set to come into effect on top of the increases Trump has already announced against Canada, Mexico, China and elsewhere.
In a Wednesday post on X, formerly Twitter, Carney said Canada was ready to engage with Trump regarding the "unjust tariffs" the U.S. president had proposed. He also appeared to again reject the idea that Canada could become the U.S.'s 51st state.
Speaking to Fox News' Laura Ingraham on Tuesday, Trump said Canada was one of the "nastiest" countries to deal with and repeated his suggestion that it could become the 51st state to avoid paying tariffs and stop receiving subsidies from the U.S.
When asked by Ingraham why he was acting "tougher" on Canada than some of the U.S.'s adversaries, Trump replied, "Only because it's meant to be our 51st state."
Earlier in March, Trump temporarily delayed his long-threatened 25 percent tariffs on many goods from Mexico and Canada until April 2. The one-month tariff exemption covers goods included in the USMCA free trade agreement, which Trump negotiated between the U.S., Canada and Mexico during his first term.
About 62 percent of imports from Canada still face the tariffs because they are not USMCA-compliant, a White House official previously told the Associated Press.
Quote:Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said China has executed four Canadian dual citizens in recent months.
Joly said she and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked for clemency in the drug-related accusations, but Beijing’s embassy noted that China does not recognize dual citizenship.
Relations between China and Canada have been further strained recently as the countries impose tariffs on one another's exports amid global trade tensions.
China executed four Canadians in recent months, Canada's foreign affairs minister said Wednesday. Such executions of Westerners are relatively rare.
Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said she and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked for clemency in the drug-related accusations involving the dual citizens.
Beijing’s embassy in Ottawa said the executions were due to drug crimes and noted that China does not recognize dual citizenship.
"We strongly condemn the executions," Joly told reporters in Ottawa. "I asked personally for leniency ... They were all dual citizens."
Joly said Canada consistently asks for clemency for Canadians facing the death penalty abroad. She said the families have asked the government to withhold details of the identity of the four individuals.
Global Affairs spokeswoman Charlotte MacLeod said they continue to provide consular assistance to families and requested that the media respect their privacy. She said Ottawa continues to advocate for clemency for Robert Schellenberg, a Canadian who was sentenced to death for drug smuggling.
"China always imposes severe penalties on drug-related crimes," a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy said. "The facts of the crimes committed by the Canadian nationals involved in the cases are clear, and the evidence is solid and sufficient."
China is believed to execute more prisoners each year than the rest of the world combined, though the total is a state secret. Executions are traditionally carried out by gunshot, though lethal injections have been introduced in recent years.
The embassy spokesperson said Beijing "fully guaranteed the rights and interests of the Canadian nationals concerned," and urged Canada's government to "stop making irresponsible remarks."
The two countries have some tensions. China imposed retaliatory tariffs on some Canadian farm and food imports earlier this month, after Canada imposed duties in October on Chinese-made electric vehicles and steel and aluminum products. The tariffs add to global trade tensions amid rounds of tariff announcements by the United States, China, Canada and Mexico.
Quote:President Volodymyr Zelensky pressed his case for more weapons supplies to Ukraine during a summit with EU chiefs on Thursday. He also urged leaders to keep pressuring Russia to commit to a ceasefire deal ahead of a new round of peace talks with the US next week.
President Volodymyr Zelensky urged EU leaders Thursday to step up weapon supplies to Ukraine and keep pressuring Russia, as officials from Kyiv and Moscow readied to hold fresh talks with the United States next week.
Europe is scrambling to weigh on the outcome as US President Donald Trump forges ahead with Russia on ending its war on Ukraine, and top military brass gathered in London Thursday to thrash out how to police any peace deal.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said afterwards that the plans of the so-called "coalition of the willing" around Ukraine were "coming together".
The London meeting came after Zelensky addressed an EU summit in Brussels via video call, charging that "despite Putin's words... nothing has changed".
Zelensky said a new Russian strike had "hit our energy infrastructure" on Wednesday night, even after Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed with Trump to halt such attacks.
The Kremlin leader must "stop making unnecessary demands that only prolong the war", he added, calling on the EU to ramp up arms deliveries and keep sanctions in force.
In Norway, Zelensky said Ukrainian and US officials would meet in Saudi Arabia on Monday to build on US-led efforts to secure a speedy end to the Russian invasion, now grinding into its fourth year.
The Kremlin had earlier confirmed Russian officials would also hold talks with the US side in Saudi Arabia on the same day.
Power plants
Zelensky and Putin both held talks with Trump this week, and have indicated they are prepared to halt attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days.
But there has since been no let-up in fighting. Both countries reported a barrage of new drone strikes overnight, as questions remained about the exact details of any lasting peace deal.
Trump, who has spooked European and NATO allies by his overtures to Putin and lukewarm commitment to European security, suggested on Wednesday night the United States could take over and run Ukraine's power plants.
But on Thursday, Zelensky poured cold water on the idea, saying he could not legally negotiate ownership of the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station.
"If they want to take it back from the Russians, if they want to modernise it, invest -- this is a different question, this is an open question, we can talk about it," Zelensky added.
Putin has made an end to further Western military support for Ukraine a red line for Russia agreeing to a long-term truce.
Meanwhile, some 30 military leaders from countries keen to help secure any lasting ceasefire in Ukraine huddled at a military base near London.
Afterwards, Starmer reported progress had been made, saying the talks were focused on turning the "political intention" of security guarantees for Ukraine into "reality".
Quote:Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says she agrees with recent comments from Vice President JD Vance that mass migration into Europe is a major problem.
Frederiksen made the comment during an interview with Politico published Thursday, saying it is critical that Europe begin stemming the flow of foreign migrants.
"I consider this mass migration into Europe as a threat to the daily life in Europe," Frederiksen said in a throwback to Vance's Feb. 14 speech at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
Frederiksen has backed up her rhetoric with policy as well, with her administration building on anti-migrant policies. Denmark now confiscates valuables from migrants to refund the cost of housing them, and the country's "No Ghetto" laws ensure no neighborhood has an outsized concentration of migrants, Politico reported.
"I totally believe in equal opportunities and a Scandinavian welfare model with a tax-paid education, social benefits and health care. But for me that’s only one traditional pillar of being a social democrat," she argued to Politico.
"Being in control of migration is the second pillar," she added.
Vance's speech in Munich served as a general wake-up call to Europe from President Donald Trump's administration, admonishing leaders across the continent for straying from traditional values and quashing dissent.
Quote:A court in France on Friday has sentenced Mehdi Nemmouche, a 39-year-old French jihadist indicted for allegedly holding four journalists hostage for the Islamic State group in war-torn Syria over a decade ago, to life in prison. Nemmouche is already in prison for killing four people at a Jewish museum in Brussels in May 2014.
A court in France ruled on Friday that 39-year-old French jihadist Mehdi Nemmouche, accused of holding journalists hostage in war torn Syria over a decade ago, is sentenced to life in prison.
Mehdi Nemmouche was indicted over allegedly holding the French reporters hostage for the Islamic State jihadist group from June 2013 to April 2014.
All four journalists during the trial said they clearly recognised Nemmouche's voice and manner of speech as belonging to a so-called Abu Omar who terrorised them and made sadistic jokes while they were in captivity.
But Nemmouche has denied ever being their jailer, only admitting in court he was an IS group fighter in Syria.
From the beginning of the trial last month, he has claimed only to have fought against the forces of former president Bashar al-Assad, who Islamists previously linked to al-Qaeda helped topple in December.
"It's through terrorism that the Syrian people freed themselves from dictatorship," he claimed on Friday morning ahead of the evening verdict.
"Yes I was a terrorist and I will never apologise for that."
Nemmouche has said he joined al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate and then IS group -- both listed as "terrorist" in the European Union -- while in the Middle Eastern country.
Clutching notes on Friday morning, he cited a range of figures from German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a diatribe criticising the "West", especially the United States.
Nemmouche is already in prison after a Belgian court jailed him for life in 2019 for killing four people at a Jewish museum in May 2014, after returning from Syria.
French prosecutors have now requested he be handed another life term with a minimum of 22 years without parole.
Quote:Russian drones killed three people and wounded 12 in the city of Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian officials said Saturday. The attack underlined Moscow's intention to pursue aerial attacks even as it agreed to temporarily halt strikes on Ukraine's energy facilities.
Russia launched a drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, killing three people and wounded 12, Ukrainian officials said Saturday, despite agreeing to a limited ceasefire.
Zaporizhzhia was hit by 12 drones, police said. Regional head Ivan Fedorov said that residential buildings, cars and communal buildings were set on fire in the Friday night attack. Photos showing emergency services scouring the rubble for survivors.
Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle Wednesday to a limited ceasefire after US President Donald Trump spoke with the countries’ leaders, though it remains to be seen what possible targets would be off limits to attack.
The three sides appeared to hold starkly different views about what the deal covered. While the White House said “energy and infrastructure” would be part of the agreement, the Kremlin declared that the agreement referred more narrowly to “energy infrastructure.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would also like railways and ports to be protected.
The dead in Zaporizhzhia included three members of one family. The bodies of the daughter and father were pulled out from under the rubble while doctors unsuccessfully fought for the mother’s life for more than 10 hours, Fedorov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
The Ukrainian air force reported that Russia fired a total of 179 drones and decoys in the latest wave of attacks overnight into Saturday. It said 100 were intercepted and another 63 lost, likely having been electronically jammed.
Officials in the Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions also reported fires breaking out due to the falling debris from intercepted drones.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense, meanwhile, said its air defense systems shot down 47 Ukrainian drones.
Zelensky told reporters after Wednesday’s call with Trump that Ukraine and U.S. negotiators will discuss technical details related to the partial ceasefire during a meeting in Saudi Arabia on Monday. Russian negotiators are also set to hold separate talks with U.S. officials there.
Quote:Equipped with wings to help them glide over dozens of kilometres, the bombs are part of an arsenal developed by Russia to let it hit deeper into Ukrainian territory and stretch the front line.
Maryna recalled to AFP just one of the recent strikes.
"Six people didn't get back up. There was blood everywhere," she said.
Overhead, the threat of a fresh attack is constant.
In a recent visit to the city, AFP reporters saw Russian planes flying over frequently and a dozen strikes in the area in less than half an hour.
Each drop triggered a blast, seeming to unfold in slow motion, followed by a high column of black smoke.
Kostyantynivka used to be relatively sheltered, lying a dozen kilometres (7 miles) from the front line.
But Russian forces are now pounding the city with the cheaply made bombs.
Usually made from Soviet stocks and modernised with satellite control systems, each can carry up to a tonne of explosives.
The glide bombs themselves are mostly impossible to intercept for the Ukrainian airforce, whose only option is to try to shoot down the planes.
Throughout the three-year war, Russia has used them to devastating effect -- razing cities like Chasiv Yar to the ground and obliterating Ukrainian defensive positions across the front line.
Quote:Nadim Khmaladze has been joining thousands of fellow Georgians on the streets every evening since November, when Tbilisi's increasingly repressive government shelved EU membership talks.
The 60-year-old rights activist said he was "ready to face police violence" when he first joined the anti-government rallies in Tbilisi, but he never imagined that standing on the street for a few hours could cost him more than 22 months' salary.
Three months into the protests, he received a summons: a total of 45,000 lari (around $16,000) in fines for briefly blocking traffic along Tbilisi's central avenue.
"The government is using Russian-style methods to abolish freedom of assembly in Georgia," he told AFP.
Khmaladze is one of thousands of Georgian protesters facing crippling fines for taking to the streets.
Prominent writer Mikheil Tsikhelashvili, who returned to Georgia last year from emigration in Portugal to fight against the ruling Georgian Dream party's "pro-Russian policies," has been attending protests daily.
He says he and his girlfriend were each fined the equivalent of $1,850, in what he called a "financial terror aimed at extinguishing popular anger."
"I took the case to court," he said, adding however that he had "little hope in Georgia's justice system, which is fully controlled by the ruling party."
Unprecedented protests
Braving bitter frost, protesters continue to rally daily in Tbilisi and cities across the Black Sea nation, in what has become an unprecedented protest movement against Georgian Dream's perceived democratic backsliding and growing rapprochement with Moscow.
The mass protests first erupted following disputed parliamentary elections in October, which the opposition rejected as rigged in favour of Georgian Dream.
Quote:London Heathrow Airport said it was “fully operational” on Saturday, after an almost daylong closure sparked by an electrical substation fire. But airlines warned that severe disruption will last for days as they scramble to relocate planes and crews and get travelers to their destinations.
Inconvenienced passengers, angry airlines and concerned politicians sought answers about how one seemingly accidental fire could shut down Europe’s busiest air hub.
“We have hundreds of additional colleagues on hand in our terminals and we have added flights to today’s schedule to facilitate an extra 10,000 passengers traveling through the airport,” Heathrow said in a statement. “Passengers traveling today should check with their airline for the latest information regarding their flight.”
British Airways, Heathrow’s biggest airline, said it expects to operate about 85% of its scheduled flights at the airport on Saturday.
More than 1,300 flights were canceled and some 200,000 people stranded Friday after an overnight fire at a substation 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away from the airport cut power to Heathrow, and to more than 60,000 properties.
Residents in west London described hearing a large explosion and then seeing a fireball and clouds of smoke when the blaze ripped through the substation. The fire was brought under control after seven hours, but the airport was shut for almost 18. A handful of flights took off and landed late Friday.
Police said they do not consider the fire suspicious, and the London Fire Brigade said its investigation would focus on the electrical distribution equipment at the substation.
Britain's government commissioned the national energy system operator, Ofgem, to urgently investigate the power outage. "We are determined to properly understand what happened and what lessons need to be learned," Energy Minister Ed Miliband said in a statement.
The huge impact of the fire left authorities facing criticism that Britain’s creaking infrastructure is ill-prepared to deal with disasters or attacks.
Quote:The oil tanker 'Eventin', believed to be part of Russia’s efforts to evade sanctions, was already towed into safer waters by a German tugboat in January after it was discovered adrift in heavy seas off the Baltic coast.
German customs authorities have seized the Panama-flagged tanker 'Eventin', which has been anchored off Germany's Baltic Sea coast since January.
The ship is believed to be part of Russia's so called 'shadow fleet' of aging tankers of uncertain ownership and safety practices that Western governments say Moscow has resorted to using to dodge sanctions and keep oil revenue flowing.
Security sources told German news magazine Der Spiegel that a confiscation order was issued by the General Customs Directorate and that both the tanker and the approximately 100,000 tons of crude oil, valued at over €40 million, will now become German property.
According to the report, the German government decided to confiscate the ship rather than let it go after it was listed as part of Russia's shadow fleet in February.
It added that the government and Foreign Ministry believe this approach is intended to send a signal to Russia that Germany will not stand by as Russian oil transits through the Baltic Sea.
Evading international oil sanctions
The shadow fleet is made up of aging tankers bought used, often by non-transparent entities with addresses in non-sanctioning countries such as the United Arab Emirates or the Marshall Islands, and flagged in places like Gabon or the Cook Islands.
The new owners use new insurers in Russia or other non-Western locations.
Some of the vessels are owned by the Russian state Sovcomflot shipping company. Their role is to help Russia's oil exporters elude the $60 per barrel price cap imposed by Ukraine's allies.
The cap is aimed at limiting Russia's profits while keeping the oil flowing to global markets and avoiding an energy crunch that would drive up gasoline prices and inflation.
Estimates vary, but S&P Global and the Kyiv School of Economics Institute have put the number at over 400 ships that can transport oil, or products made from crude such as diesel fuel and gasoline.
Quote:Former minister of defence and deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Blaszczak have been charged after leaking government plans in the case of a Russian invasion.
Poland's former defence minister has been charged by prosecutors after publishing government contingency plans in the case of a Russian invasion.
Mariusz Blaszczak, who served in the conservative Law and Justice party that held power between 2015 and 2023, revealed in 2023 a military defence plan that had been drawn up in 2011 in the case of a Russian invasion.
That document laid out plans for Polish forces to retreat westward to the Vistula River in the case of an attack from the east.
Prosecutors allege Blaszczak exceeded his powers by publishing the information, which they say was classified.
Blaszczak was read the charges by Polish prosecutors in Warsaw on Friday, but told reporters he believed the allegations were unfounded.
He wrote on X that the prosecutor’s office was to "bring charges against me for declassifying the plan of the first Tusk government to give up half of Poland without a fight."
"I would do it again without hesitation. I had not only the right, but also the duty," he said.
Speaking to reporters, Blaszczak said he would explain to the prosecutor that he had an obligation to reveal the information.
The charges against Blaszcak are the latest in a string of legal troubles for members of the Law and Justice.
Former MP Dariusz Matecki was arrested last week on corruption charges and former deputy justice minister Marcin Romanowski was granted political asylum in Hungary after being accused of defrauding the state.
Quote:In the municipality of Mejorada del Campo near Madrid 48 people were evacuated after storm Martinho brought heavy rains.
Spain continues to be hit by rainstorms, with the latest one, called Martinho, causing some cities to declare a state of emergency and evacuate their inhabitants.
Dozens of roads have been closed, and rivers have been seen overflowing in large areas of central and northern Spain.
In the city of Ávila in central Spain, a state of emergency was declared due to flooding after the Adaja and Chico rivers overflowed.
In Madrid, several roads have been closed as the alert remains in place due to the flooding of the Manzanares River. Meanwhile, the municipality of Mejorada del Campo had to evacuate 48 people due to the flooding of the Jarama and Henares rivers.
Meanwhile, in the southern Andalusia region, police are still searching for a motorcyclist who disappeared four days ago.
Footage from the Guardia Civil police force showed officers wading through a river near the town of Pujerra in search of the missing man.
Spain has faced a severe drought in recent years, however in the past two weeks steady rainfall, especially in the south has overwhelmed reservoirs and riverbanks.
In Madrid, officials are releasing water from the El Pardo reservoir to prevent flooding.
In Toledo, emergency crews have set up flood barriers around a hospital for paraplegic patients as the Tagus River continues to rise. Authorities say they are ready to evacuate residents if needed.
Quote:Right-wing extremists aimed to march through Berlin's district of Friedrichshain. However, they didn't get very far as counter-protests blocked the way.
A right-wing extremist demonstration in Berlin's Friedrichshain district was ended prematurely on Saturday after about four hours in the face of numerous counter-protests.
Participants in the neo-Nazi march got little further than their arrival point at the German capital's eastern Ostkreuz train station.
The leader of the rally ended it prematurely, police reported said on X.
What do we know about the march?
Police said they deployed around 1,500 officers — including reinforcements from Bavaria and Bremen — to separate the marchers and counter-protesters.
Around 850 people, significantly more than at recent demonstrations, participated in the march, according to police. A nationwide mobilization was organized under the title "For Law and Order. Against Left-Wing Extremism and Politically Motivated Violence."
The organizer had previously estimated 1,200 participants. Meanwhile, several thousand people loudly protested against the neo-Nazi demonstration. The police reported that significantly more than 2,000, but less than 5,000 people had taken part.
According to police, there were 15 counter-protests along the planned march route in Friedrichshain, with hundreds of people blocking the street in some cases.
What do we know about the arrests?
Police reported repeated scuffles, with the atmosphere heated at times.
According to a police spokeswoman, demonstrators from the left-wing camp attempted to break through a barrier. Officers also used pepper spray for this reason. Some people were temporarily arrested.
Police said there had been around 100 arrests, saying they would provide further details on Sunday. Several were reportedly detained for not complying with a ban on wearing masks.
Three participants were legally prevented from attending the neo-Nazi march, police spokesperson Florian Nath announced on the social media platform X. A judge had confirmed a so-called preventive detention order.
The people concerned had previously been arrested for displaying symbols of unconstitutional organizations including one man who had given a Hitler salute.
It was the third demonstration by right-wing extremists since December under the same title: "For law and order. Against left-wing extremism and politically motivated violence."
Some 150 neo-Nazis took part in last month's march, police said, while there were about 60 participants at the first event in December.
Quote:A Turkish court jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Sunday pending trial, state media and other broadcasters said, in a decision likely to fuel the country's biggest protests in more than a decade. His imprisonment is widely considered a political move to remove a significant contender from the next presidential race, currently scheduled for 2028.
A court formally arrested the mayor of Istanbul and key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday and ordered him jailed pending the outcome of a trial on corruption charges.
Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was detained following a raid on his residence earlier this week, sparking the largest wave of street demonstrations in Turkey in more than a decade. It also deepened concerns over democracy and rule of law in Turkey.
His imprisonment is widely regarded as a political move to remove a major contender from the next presidential race, currently scheduled for 2028.
Government officials reject accusations that legal actions against opposition figures are politically motivated and insist that Turkey’s courts operate independently.
The formal arrest came as his opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, began holding a primary presidential election to endorse Imamoglu as its presidential candidate despite the arrest.
The party has also set up symbolic ballot boxes nationwide — called “solidarity boxes” — to allow people who are not party members to express their support to the mayor.
The mayor’s arrest marks an escalation of a government crackdown on opposition figures and dissenting voices.
Before his detention, Imamoglu had already faced multiple criminal cases that could result in prison sentences and a political ban. He was also appealing a 2022 conviction for insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council.
Earlier in the week, a university nullified his diploma, citing alleged irregularities in his transfer from a private university in northern Cyprus some 30 years ago. The decision effectively bars him from running for president, since the position requires candidates to be university graduates. Imamoglu had vowed to challenge the decision.
Imamoglu was elected mayor of Turkey’s largest city in March 2019, in a major blow to Erdogan and the president’s Justice and Development Party, which had controlled Istanbul for a quarter-century. Erdogan’s party pushed to void the municipal election results in the city of 16 million, alleging irregularities.
The challenge resulted in a repeat of the election a few months later, which Imamoglu also won.
The mayor retained his seat following local elections last year, during which the CHP made significant gains against Erdogan’s governing party.
"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.
The Biden administration funneled at least $20 billion dollars into environmental groups, most of which had only recently been founded, The Post has discovered.
In one case, former Vice President Kamala Harris handed over a check for nearly $7 billion to Bethesda, Maryland, based group Climate United Fund, which does not appear in the IRS’s charities database, and has no federal filings.
The non-profit fund had only been incorporated in Delaware on November 30, 2023, according to public records, five months before Harris handed over the cash in April 2024.
The Climate United Fund then announced “the historic investment” in a press release, noting the group’s work “delivers benefits like cleaner air…and increased energy security.”’
However, because the company is so new, there is no publicly published accounting of how it plans to spend the $7 billion.
Projects have been announced including a $10.8 million “pre-development loan” solar project on Tribal lands in eastern Oregon and Idaho and a $32m solar energy project at the University of Arkansas, but they represent only a drop in the bucket of the grant’s amount.
“Ethically speaking, it’s concerning,” said Laurie Styron, CEO of Charity Watch, an independent charity watchdog group.
“What was the purpose of creating middlemen entities when there are so many established groups in the climate space with good track records? What was the value-added in [by] doing it this way, especially with such large sums of taxpayer funds?”
The cash for the charity came from a huge $370 billion climate slush fund of taxpayer money overseen by John Podesta, a political consultant who was chair of Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 bid for president and White House chief of staff to Bill Clinton.
In 2022, President Joe Biden named Podesta to helm the climate fund, which resulted from the Inflation Reduction Act, a 2022 law that was aimed at combatting climate change and creating clean energy.
Last year, EPA advisor Brent Efron was caught on video describing how the agency hastily parceled out a related $20 billion climate fund that was held by Citibank before the end of the Biden administration.
“Get the money out as fast as possible before they [Trump Administration] come in … it’s like we’re on the Titanic and we’re throwing gold bars off the edge,” he said in video posted online by activist group Project Veritas.
Efron “was acting in his private capacity,” when he made the comments, which “expressed [his] personal views,” an attorney representing him, Mark S. Zaid, told The Post. He also claimed the comments “had nothing to do with” the funds which had been administered.
Now Lee Zeldin, the new EPA chief said he wants to claw back the cash doled out by the climate fund. On Monday, he called on the agency’s inspector general to investigate.
“The Biden EPA ‘gold bar’ scheme was designed to limit government oversight while doling out funds to far-left organizations pushing DEI and Environmental Justice,” Zeldin told The Post in a statement.
“Of the eight pass-through entities that received funding from the pot of $20 billion in tax dollars, various recipients have shown very little qualification to handle a single dollar, let alone several billions of dollars. I have zero tolerance for waste and abuse at the EPA.”
A spokeswoman for the Climate United Fund told The Post the Biden-controlled EPA “encouraged groups to work with coalitions” to receive the cash.
She said that the EPA cash sent to Climate United Fund is parked with Calvert Impact, a related non-profit.
The Post found three entities called Calvert Impact, all of them based in Bethesda — making it more difficult to track the flow of money.
In another example, the similarly named Justice Climate Fund is a Washington DC-based non-profit which was set up in 2023, has yet to submit a tax filing to the IRS and has no information about its principals on its web site.
The group received $940 million from the EPA. It lists its aims as working with “community partners” to “drive transformative investments, focused on reducing pollution,” among other goals.
Another third group — Power Forward Communities Inc. — was registered in 2023 and shows a total of just $100 in revenue in its tax filing for that year, according to public filings.
Yet the Columbia, Maryland, based nonprofit somehow received $2 billion from the EPA fund, according to public records.
A federal district court judge blocked the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to claw back $20 billion the Biden administration awarded to eight climate nonprofit organizations.
In her opinion Tuesday evening, Judge Tanya Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who was appointed by former president Barack Obama, wrote that the Trump EPA failed to submit evidence to support its termination of the billion-dollar grants. Chutkan’s ruling, however, does not force federal disbursements to continue to grant recipients, allowing the funds to remain frozen.
The ruling is a temporary block on EPA’s termination of the grants and may be reversed pending further court proceedings.
“EPA Defendants vaguely reference ‘multiple ongoing investigations’ into ‘programmatic waste, fraud, and abuse and conflicts of interest’ but offer no specific information about such investigations, factual support for the decision, or an individualized explanation for each plaintiff. This is insufficient,” Chutkan wrote. “At this stage, EPA Defendants have not provided the ‘credible evidence’ required.”
The ruling represents the latest setback to President Donald Trump’s agenda—cutting large Biden-era spending programs and curbing climate programs have both been at the forefront of Trump’s agenda. Federal judges have handed the Trump administration a number of setbacks in recent weeks, sparking Trump and top White House adviser Elon Musk to call for the impeachment of certain judges.
The case relates to the Biden administration’s handling of the so-called Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. In April 2024, the EPA announced it had selected eight recipients to receive $20 billion under the program and use that money to bolster green energy efforts nationwide. The program, as designed by the Biden EPA, functions as a “green bank,” using a pass-through mechanism to support local climate projects.
Philippine officials on Thursday defended before the country's Senate the arrest and transfer to the International Criminal Court of former President Rodrigo Duterte, as they faced allegations he was illegally abducted at the behest of a foreign institution.
Duterte is set to be the first Asian former head of state to go on trial at the ICC after he was arrested last week and sent to The Hague, where he faces accusations of murder as a crime against humanity over a "war on drugs" that killed thousands of people and defined his 2016-2022 presidency.
The government's decision to hand Duterte over triggered a backlash among his supporters, family and allies, who have petitioned the Supreme Court arguing the arrest was illegal and the ICC no longer has jurisdiction in the Philippines.
Duterte appeared before the ICC's pre-trial chamber on March 14 and remains in ICC custody, with his next appearance scheduled for September.
"Justice rendered by a foreign country is not justice. It's slavery," said Senator Imee Marcos, who presided over Thursday's televised hearing.
Marcos is the sister of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr but has close ties with the Duterte family. She said his transfer was tantamount to an admission that the Philippines was incapable of putting him on trial.
Duterte's arrest followed years of him taunting the ICC in profanity-laden speeches since he unilaterally withdrew the Philippines from the court's founding treaty as it started looking into allegations of systematic extrajudicial killings of drug dealers and users on his watch.
Duterte has assumed full responsibility for the killings but denies he led a campaign of systematic murder and says he instructed police to kill only in self-defence.
Philippine officials on Thursday told the inquiry the handover of Duterte was above board as it was at the request of Interpol and not in cooperation with the ICC.
"The ICC tries people for individual crimes, not states. So the Philippines as a state cannot be called upon by the ICC to do something for them," said Justice Secretary Juanito Remulla.
He cited "international humanitarian law" as the basis of the arrest, adding the ICC has no authority over the Philippines.
Duterte's arrest came after an acrimonious breakdown in an an alliance between President Marcos and the Duterte family, who joined forces to sweep a 2022 election that saw Sara Duterte, the former president's daughter, become vice president. She has since been impeached by the lower house.
Sara Duterte joined Thursday's Senate hearing virtually and said the apprehension of her father was "patently an illegal arrest" that was orchestrated by the administration to "demolish political opponents".
"This is all about politics," she said.
The ICC, a court of last resort, says it has jurisdiction to prosecute alleged crimes that took place prior to a member's withdrawal.
Up is down, left is right and sideways is straight ahead. - Cord "Circle of Iron", 1978 (written by Bruce Lee and James Coburn... really...)
Quote:Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has forcefully denied allegations that he texted classified war plans to a group chat that accidentally included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.
The denial came after Goldberg published an article claiming he was inadvertently added to a Signal group chat where Trump administration officials discussed plans for military strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Why It Matters
This apparent security breach has caused intense bipartisan concern and scrutiny in Washington, with lawmakers from both parties calling for immediate investigations.
The incident raises serious questions about operational security within the highest levels of the national security apparatus, potentially compromising sensitive military operations.
What To Know
According to The Atlantic's report, Goldberg was added to a Signal group chat called "Houthi PC small group" that included high-ranking officials such as National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, and Hegseth. The chat reportedly contained specific operational details about planned strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.
Hegseth made his denial while in Hawaii, where he is conducting official business including meetings with civilian and military leaders at Indo-Pacific Command. His itinerary includes touring U.S. military installations in Guam, receiving briefings on operational capabilities, and continuing on to the Philippines and Japan.
The National Security Council (NSC) has confirmed the authenticity of the message chain, stating it "appears to be authentic" and that they are "reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain."
Quote:Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency announced on Monday that it has canceled almost 300,000 government credit cards.
DOGE said in a post on X on Sunday that after five weeks of a pilot program to audit unused or unneeded credit cards, about 298,000 have been deactivated in total.
"As a reminder, at the start of the audit, there were ~4.6M active cards/accounts, so still more work to do," the post added.
DOGE said in February that the active credit cards had processed 90 million unique transactions for an estimated $40 billion of spending in the 2024 fiscal year.
Major Changes to Small Business Loans
DOGE has announced that loans offered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) are now subject to new rules.
Loans administered by the SBA will now require a date of birth of the applicant, and direct loans are no longer available for those under 18 and over 120 years old.
"Basic sanity checks like these are initial steps toward minimizing fraud in government payment programs," DOGE wrote in a post on X.
It comes after the SBA said it will cut its workforce by 43 percent, cutting about 2,700 jobs from the agency's total workforce of almost 6,500. The cuts will be made through a combination of voluntary resignations, the expiration of COVID-era and other term appointments, and a "limited" number of job cuts, the SBA said.
The SBA said the cuts will not impact "core" services to the public, including the agency's loan guarantee and disaster assistance programs, and its field and veteran operations.
Quote:The Trump administration invoked "state secrets privilege" on Monday in response to a federal judge's order to provide further information on its deportation of more than 200 Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador this month.
The Context
Citing the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, the Trump administration carried out the deportations despite U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg's verbal order instructing the government to hold off on deporting the Venezuelan nationals pending further legal proceedings.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has argued that the migrants who were deported have ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, though it has not provided ample evidence of an association.
After the deportations, Boasberg asked lawyers for the DOJ to explain whether they had violated his order.
The judge also told the government to provide more information about the number of planes that took off, where they went, what time they took off, when they landed and how many people were transferred from each plane into the custody of the country in which they landed.
The DOJ subsequently informed the court that the Cabinet was discussing whether to invoke state secrets privilege over the information sought by Boasberg.
What To Know
State secrets privilege allows the U.S. government to withhold information if revealing it would harm national security.
In a Monday court filing, the Trump administration argued that the court "has all of the facts it needs to address the compliance issues before it."
"Further intrusions on the Executive Branch would present dangerous and wholly unwarranted separation-of-powers harms with respect to diplomatic and national security concerns that the Court lacks competence to address," the filing said. "Accordingly, the states secrets privilege forecloses further demands for details that have no place in this matter, and the government will address the Court's order to show cause tomorrow by demonstrating that there is no basis for the suggestion of noncompliance with any binding order."
The government's filing went on to say that "the information sought by the Court is subject to the state secrets privilege because disclosure would pose reasonable danger to national security and foreign affairs."
Monday's filing was signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, principal associate deputy attorney general Emil Bove and other top DOJ officials. Politico's Kyle Cheney reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem also backed the invocation.
Quote:Louis DeJoy, the postmaster general of the United States Postal Service (USPS), who earlier this month revealed he had sought help from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on several matters, said he's resigning effective Monday.
Why It Matters
It was reported in February that President Donald Trump was considering plans to transfer the USPS to the Commerce Department. The president and his allies have also indicated they are willing to privatize the service.
...
DeJoy told Congress earlier this month that USPS would work with DOGE to tackle "big problems" at the agency, which has faced funding issues for several years. He also said the agency planned to cut 10,000 jobs through a voluntary early retirement program.
The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) held rallies in more than 200 cities on Sunday to protest privatizing or restructuring USPS.
What To Know
DeJoy first announced his intention to retire from the USPS last month, the postmaster general said in a statement obtained by Newsweek.
"I have today informed the Postal Service Board of Governors that today will be my last day in this role," he said.
Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino will lead the postal service until its Board of Governors selects a new postmaster general.
Quote:President Donald Trump's efforts to engage with Iran on a possible nuclear agreement reflect an attempt to avoid conflict, according to U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Speaking to Fox News Sunday, Witkoff said that Washington prefers a diplomatic resolution over military confrontation.
...
Why It Matters
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have remained high since Trump reinstated harsh sanctions aimed at crippling Iran's economy. The U.S. views Iran's nuclear program as a direct threat, while Tehran insists its efforts are for peaceful purposes. The standoff has led to military escalations in the past.
A return to negotiations could ease tensions and prevent further conflict in the Middle East. However, Iran remains skeptical of U.S. intentions, particularly after Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement.
What to Know
Witkoff reiterated Washington's preference for a diplomatic solution, stating that war is not the desired course of action. "We don't need to solve everything militarily," he said, emphasizing that the U.S. is willing to engage in negotiations. He added that diplomacy remains the best path forward but warned that failure to reach an agreement could lead to a more dangerous alternative.
U.S. Maintains Pressure
Separately on Sunday, White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz took a more hardline position towards Tehran. Speaking on CBS News, Watlz reinforced Washington's demand for Iran to fully dismantle its nuclear program. He stated that "all options are on the table" and that Tehran must abandon any pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Earlier in March, Trump confirmed he had sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, outlining two potential outcomes for Iran: "militarily, or you make a deal." The letter underscored Washington's willingness to negotiate but also reinforced Trump's firm stance on Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Khamenei Rejects U.S. Overture
Khamenei dismissed the U.S. offer, calling it "a deception" aimed at further tightening sanctions. Iran has long argued that Washington's negotiations come with strings attached, designed to weaken Tehran rather than offer a fair agreement. Despite this, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated that Iran would formally respond to Trump's letter, acknowledging both the "threats and opportunities" it presented.
Quote:Agrowing split is emerging between the Kremlin and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (CBR) over the latter's wartime economic policies, according to the Institute for the Study of War's (ISW) Sunday assessment.
...
The Kremlin wants to portray the Russian economy as resilient despite Western sanctions caused by Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022.
Business leaders in Russia are unhappy at the record high key interest rate of 21 percent imposed by the CBR, which is headed by Elvira Nabiullina, who is widely regarded as the key figure maintaining stability in Russia's sanctions-hit economy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to shift blame onto the CBR and Nabiullina in particular to deflect business community anger, according to the ISW, a U.S.-based think tank, citing a prominent Telegram channel that reports on Kremlin insider news.
The CBR now faces an audit that is designed to exert pressure on Nabiullina as tension grows between her and the Kremlin over her stewardship of the economy.
What To Know
The CBR kept its key interest rate on hold at 21 percent on Friday in a move that had been predicted by analysts.
However, Putin had earlier urged his economic officials not to freeze the Russian economy with its tight monetary policy that is aimed to lower the official inflation rate which at 10.1 percent is more than double its 4-percent goal.
As complaints mount from business leaders, the Russian Federation Council Accounts Chamber has started an audit of how the bank's monetary policy between 2022 and 2024 affected inflation, budget expenditures, and investment, according to Telegram channel The Kremlin Whisperer, cited by the ISW.
The fact an audit is of an area traditionally outside its competence indicates the presence of more serious reasons, the Telegram post said.
It added that this audit "was actually an attack" on Nabiullina, and its results may affect the country's future economic strategy and that Russian business lobbyists are pushing for interest rate reductions.
High military spending and a shortage of workers fueled by losses in the ongoing war with Ukraine spiked the actual inflation rate to a far higher 25 percent than official figures show, creating a case for the CBR to raise the key rate even further last week, the ISW said.
Quote:Vladimir Solovyov, a Russian state TV host and key ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin, was forced to film an apology following his criticism of military blogger Roman Alekhine live on air.
Solovyov's choice of his words appear to have offended Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's Akhmat battalion, which plays a significant role in the war in Ukraine, and Chechen officials.
Why It Matters
Solovyov, considered Russia's chief propagandist, is known to make highly contentious remarks on state TV, and rarely apologizes for doing so. His public apology underscores the severity of backlash and pressure he must have received for upsetting Chechen officials.
What To Know
Live on air on March 19, Solovyov rebuked Alekhine, a former adviser to the governor of Russia's Kursk region, who said he briefly served with Akhmat and claimed to have taken part in one of the battalion's recent military operations.
Alekhine said he had signed a contract with the battalion, but realized that he had "made a mistake" and quit after just 23 days.
Solovyov expressed outrage over his brief stint with the battalion, suggesting this tarnished its reputation.
"Is this an army or a gang? Here, Akhmat is an army," the Kremlin propagandist said on state TV. "Who the hell is he? Who is this crook? How can the legendary Akhmat unit keep this in its ranks?"
Solovyov's comments triggered backlash from Chechen authorities. Minister of National Policy, External Relations and Information Akhmed Dudayev publicly lambasted Solovyov, saying in a video on Telegram that his criticism could "disrupt" their friendly relations.
Quote:ARussian Su-25 fighter jet crashed during a routine training mission in Russia's Far East, the country's Defense Ministry said on Monday, bringing Russia's aircraft losses to five in a single day.
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Russia's air force has suffered extensive casualties throughout the war in Ukraine, and a large number of its losses—such as that of the Su-25 crash on Monday—have been self-inflicted.
General Christopher Cavoli, the head of the U.S. European Command, told American lawmakers that by April 2024, Russia had lost around 10 percent of its aircraft fleet since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
What To Know
The Defense Ministry said in a statement cited by Russia's state-run news agencies Tass and Interfax that the Su-25 fighter jet crashed in Russia's Primorsky Krai due to a technical malfunction.
The pilot was able to eject and was rescued by a search and rescue team. There is no threat to the pilot's life or health.
Quote:Day-long talks in Saudi Arabia between the U.S. and Russia over a ceasefire in the Ukraine war were "difficult" but "constructive," a Russian official said.
Grigory Karasin, a member of the Russian delegation and head of the international committee of the Federation Council, gave the update to state news agency RIA.
"A very interesting, difficult, but quite constructive conversation took place with the U.S. expert team. They sat all day from morning until late at night," Karasin said on Tuesday morning.
The delegations were discussing the technical details of a ceasefire on energy infrastructure agreed by Moscow and Kyiv and a potential maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea.
They met on Monday at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh for 12 hours. A joint statement on the meeting is expected on Tuesday, RIA reported.
The Trump Administration is trying to broker partial ceasefires that it hopes will lead to a full peace deal that ends the Russia-Ukraine war.
As the Russians return home, the U.S. will now hold more talks in Saudi Arabia with Ukraine. Delegations from Kyiv and Washington had also met on Sunday in Riyadh.
"What we need is movement toward real peace—toward guaranteed security," Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video posted to X on Monday evening.
And this is something we all need—in Ukraine, in Europe, in America, and across the world—everyone who wants stability in international relations.
"Russia remains the only actor dragging this war out, jeering at both our people and the global community. To push Russia toward peace, we need strong moves and strong actions.
"We are ready to support every strong initiative that can make diplomacy more effective—and that means applying pressure to force Russia to want to end this war. That means sanctions. That means support for Ukraine. That means international coordination."
Quote:Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin has said that Russian spies had helped thwart the protests against President Aleksandar Vucic, Reuters reported.
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Russia's aiding the Serbian government in stopping the protests highlights Moscow's close ties with Belgrade, which could jeopardize Serbia's ambitions of joining the EU.
Moscow's involvement in Serbian political affairs also appears to be part of a larger trend in and around Europe, as Russia has also been accused of interfering in elections in Romania and Moldova.
What To Know
The deputy prime minister told Reuters on Friday that he was "very grateful to Russia's special services, which always support us in our fight against color revolutions, primarily with information," and added that "They know what danger hangs over Serbia."
In mid-March, thousands descended on Belgrade in a demonstration that marked the culmination of anti-corruption protests, which were sparked by the collapse of a railway station roof in Novi Sad in November that killed 16 people. President Aleksandar Vučić has often described these demonstrations as attempts at a "color revolution," referring to pro-Western protests that toppled governments in Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan. The protest leaders have denied having any Western ties, according to Reuters.
"The color revolution in Serbia has been organized by US deep state, same one which is trying to obstruct peace efforts of President Trump, as well as several European intelligence services," Deputy Prime Minister Vulin told the Russian outlet TASS on Sunday.
Quote:South Korea's Han Duck-soo has been reinstated as the nation's acting president with immediate effect after a constitutional court dismissed his impeachment on Monday.
Han, 75, formerly the prime minister, stepped in as acting president in December after the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol following his controversial imposition of martial law. Han was also impeached later that month.
Why It Matters
The Constitutional Court's decision is likely to restore some form of stability and ease political tensions in the country after the turmoil caused by the dual impeachments. The court has yet to rule on Yoon's separate impeachment case.
What To Know
Han was brought in as South Korea's president after Yoon was impeached after a weeks-long standoff over his failed attempt to declare martial law on December 3.
He lasted just two weeks as the country's leader following clashes with the opposition-led parliament. Han faced accusations of abetting Yoon's martial law declaration, interfering with the process to fully reinstate the Constitutional Court, and blocking investigations into Yoon's purported rebellion.
Finance minister Choi Sang-mok was then tasked with leading South Korea.
On Monday, seven of the Constitutional Court's eight judges overturned or dismissed Han's impeachment, arguing that accusations against him either did not constitute legal violations or were not severe enough to justify removing him from office.
In his first public duties since having his impeachment dismissed, Han visited the site of a wildfire in Gyeongbuk province in the east of the country, which has sparked the evacuation of around 600 people. He also visited evacuees temporarily seeking shelter at a local gymnasium, according to local media.
Quote:China has swiftly denied a German newspaper report that said it was considering a peacekeeping role in Ukraine once Russia's war comes to an end.
Welt am Sonntag, which reported the sensitive discussions on Saturday, became the latest publication recently to quote Western officials about the possibility of direct Chinese involvement.
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China has gained a positive reputation for its contributions to United Nations peacekeeping missions, particularly in Africa. Thus far, however, it has shown little interest in any role as a ceasefire enforcer in a regional conflict without a U.N. Security Council mandate.
Any future presence in Ukraine would signal a major shift in Chinese foreign policy away from decades of nonintervention. However, a readiness to commit military resources of its own accord could also align with President Xi Jinping's ambitions to turn the country into a net contributor to global security.
Short of that, China's state-backed enterprises are expected to bid for contracts to help rebuild Ukraine's tattered infrastructure after three years of conflict, an idea that may have support in some corners of Europe amid souring relations with the United States under President Donald Trump.
What To Know
Chinese diplomats have raised the idea of Chinese peacekeepers with the European Union, with the view of gauging desirability, Welt said.
"Involving China in a 'coalition of the willing' could potentially increase Russia's acceptance of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine," the newspaper quoted a diplomatic source in Brussels as saying.
The coalition refers to rallying done by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who seek a consensus on near-term European support for Ukraine to strengthen its hand in U.S.-brokered negotiations with the Kremlin.
"The report is not true at all," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said during a press conference in Beijing. "China's stance on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear," he said, without elaborating.
Quote:China has developed a device capable of cutting reinforced undersea cables thousands of feet below the ocean's surface.
The innovation comes amid concerns that Chinese vessels are targeting subsea infrastructure—threatening not only civilian but also military communications during a crisis.
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Since early 2024, Chinese ships have been implicated in several cases of suspected cable sabotage, including in the Baltic Sea and around Taiwan, the self-ruled island claimed by China. The vessels were discovered to be in the area when the damage occurred, with investigators citing evidence such as anchor dragging as a likely cause.
Meanwhile, China has seen a rise in patent filings for tools designed to cheaply and efficiently sever submarine cables—vital infrastructure that carries more than 95 percent of global communications.
What To Know
The new invention was designed by the China Ship Scientific Research Center and its partner, the state-owned Laboratory of Deep-Sea Manned Vehicles, the South China Morning Post reported Saturday.
It can reportedly slice cables at depths of up to 4,000 meters (13,123 feet)—twice as deep as the deepest underwater cables currently in use.
The tool was first made public last month in the Chinese-language journal Mechanical Engineer.
The report marks the first time this capability has been unveiled by any country, despite its stated purpose of enabling civilian salvage and mining operations on the ocean floor.
Developed specifically for deployment on submersible vehicles such as the Fendouzhe and Haidou-1, the device's titanium alloy covering and specialized seals can withstand the intense pressures of that depth for long periods, Interesting Engineering cited the authors as saying.
A grinding wheel covered in diamond edges, spinning at a rapid 1,600 revolutions per minute, gives the device the ability to make short work of the protective steel layer encasing a cable.
Quote:Egypt could lose American economic support if it refuses to take in hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza, a message conveyed to Cairo from the president of the United Arab Emirates has indicated, a source told The New Arab’s sister site.
Egyptian diplomatic sources revealed to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s brief visit to Cairo over the weekend included discussions the UAE leader had with American officials on Gaza, where Israel resumed its offensive last week.
Al Nahyan had met with US President Donald Trump during his recent visit to Washington.
Trump has proposed forcibly displacing the Palestinians from war-torn Gaza into neighbouring Egypt and Jordan, something the two Arab states have refused, and which has been slammed as an attempt to ethnically cleanse the territory.
Cairo proposed a counterplan which would see the reconstruction of Gaza in phases and an overhaul of its government, but Trump and Israel have rejected it.
Other countries including Syria, Sudan and Somalia have been suggested as other options, but these countries have also refused.
Al Nahyan’s meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo is reportedly part of Washington’s continued pressure on Egypt to accept moving the Palestinians into Sinai, which borders Gaza and southern Israel.
According to the Egyptian source which spoke to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the message received by Sisi states that this was the last chance to achieve mutual benefit by allowing a portion of Gaza’s population into Egypt in exchange for financial support and injecting billions of dollars into the troubled Egyptian economy.
If Cairo refuses the offer and insists on rejecting Trump’s controversial plan, alternatives could mean redirecting economic aid meant for Egypt to other countries, the source said.
The US proposal includes transferring between 500,000 and 700,000 Palestinians to North Sinai. This was also reported by Israel’s i24NEWS channel.
The source explained that the US and Israel were currently focusing on Egypt for the displacement plan, and will later focus on Jordan where they wish to move Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, something Amman has strongly opposed.
The Israeli foreign ministry has already set up a directorate to facilitate the "voluntary" exit of Palestinians, and many far-right Israeli officials have called for the full annexation of Gaza – and the West Bank – and the reconstruction of Israeli settlements.
Egypt denies reports
The Egyptian government on Monday reiterated its "complete and categorical rejection" of media allegations which say it accepted to displace Gaza’s inhabitants in exchange for economic aid.
Cairo had already denied the allegations on Friday.
"Egypt reaffirms its firm and principled position of absolute rejection of any attempt to forcibly or voluntarily displace our Palestinian brothers from the Gaza Strip to any location outside of it, particularly to Egypt," Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS) said in its recent denial.
It added that such a move would end the Palestinian cause and pose an "imminent threat to Egyptian national security".
Quote:One of the oldest and largest Christian communities in the Middle East faces renewed threats in a cycle of violence that has forced millions of Christians to flee the region over the past half-century.
Although most of the thousand or so people reported killed in recent violence on the Syrian coast were Alawites — members of a Syrian religious minority which follows a branch of Shia'a Islam — rights groups say that Christians were also among those killed in a crackdown by the Sunni Muslim-led factions of Syria's new government.
"We are entering a dangerous new phase," Deputy Leader of the Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO) Bashir al-Saadi, a Christian, told Newsweek. He warned of an escalating push toward hardline Islamic rule with crackdowns on alcohol sales and gender mixing.
"There is a fear of identity-based killings, not only for Christians but for other religious minorities as well... Christians face constant provocation, and there is a widespread sense of insecurity," he said.
Syria's leading churches — including the Greek Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, and Melkite Greek Catholic communities — have expressed concern over the recent violence. While Christians were not the primary target, they remain vulnerable, with reports of extremists broadcasting jihadist messages in Christian neighborhoods and burning Christmas trees.
Quote:Israeli authorities have announced the arrest of a 65-year-old man accused of spying for Iran.
The suspect, identified as Eduard Yusupov, was indicted on Monday for allegedly photographing sensitive locations on behalf of Iranian intelligence, according to a joint statement from the Shin Bet and Israel police.
...
Why It Matters
Israel and Iran have been engaged in a longstanding covert conflict, with both nations accusing each other of espionage and cyber operations. Iran has repeatedly targeted Israeli infrastructure and officials, often through third-party operatives. The latest arrest underscores Israeli concerns over efforts by Tehran to gather intelligence within Israel.
What to Know
According to Israeli security agencies, Yusupov had been conducting surveillance operations since October. He was first approached by a man claiming to be an Azerbaijani living in Dubai, who recruited him for espionage activities. Yusupov was instructed to photograph key sites, including military bases, Haifa Port, the Haifa oil refineries, and the Negev Nuclear Research Center.
Operations Based in Haifa
To carry out his mission, Yusupov rented an apartment in Haifa overlooking the port, allowing him to monitor activities in the area. While he reportedly suspected he was working for a hostile entity, he continued following his handlers' instructions. The Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, stated that these handlers were Iranian intelligence agents.
Payments in Cryptocurrency
Yusupov was allegedly paid in cryptocurrency, receiving tens of thousands of dollars to maintain secrecy. The use of digital currency made it more difficult for authorities to trace the financial transactions back to Iranian intelligence networks.
Quote:Hamas has released a new video purporting to show two Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian militant group calling on the Israeli government to allow freed hostages to speak out about the conditions of their captivity in the war-torn Gaza Strip.
The clip was released Monday by Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, and shows two men, who identify themselves as "Prisoner 21," believed to be Yosef Haim Ohana, and "Prisoner 22," believed to be Elkana Bohbot. Both were abducted from the Nova music festival during the Hamas-led surprise attack on Israel from nearby Gaza on October 7, 2023, and are among the 59 hostages still believed to be held by the group.
The clip comes nearly a week after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) resumed strikes in Gaza despite a ceasefire agreement reached with Hamas in January.
"We, the prisoners in Gaza, want to tell you about our situation," Ohana said in the clip. "We want you to know that Hamas did not ask us to say this, that this video clip is not intended for psychological warfare. We are the ones who asked and begged to be heard. Please hear our voice."
Such claims have been challenged by Israel in the past. Israeli officials consider such clips depicting hostages to be propaganda attempts by Hamas to weaponize claims made by captives under duress.
Ohana went on to describe Israel's decision to scrap the truce as a "severe blow," leading to a swift deterioration in living conditions as result of nearby attacks, the closure of border crossings and dwindling supplies, including food. Bohbot then accused the Israeli government of "silencing" the voices of freed hostages, including that of a man named "Ohad," possibly Ohad Ben Ami, who was freed last month.
"Let them speak. Let the truth come out. Everyone who has left here should be allowed and be granted to the right to speak," Bohbot said. "Why is everyone being silenced? Why? Ohad, why don't you tell them? You were here with us. You were sitting with us. Speak for us. Explain to everyone what we've been going through. Let everyone know."
"You know how much we're suffering, we're going through here," he continued. "You know how it was during the deal and during the war. You returned to your wife and daughters. I was hoping that after a few weeks I would be able to go out to my wife, but I haven't gone out yet. Explain to them how hard it is for me to stay here every day, every day without my son and my wife. Tell them how much we're suffering. Tell them how different it is."
Both men begin to shout, "Tell them, Ohad," before the video cuts to a message from Hamas reading "Only a Ceasefire Agreement Bring Them Back Alive," followed by "Time is Running Out."
Why It Matters
Some 251 people are believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas during its October 2023 attack that Israeli officials say also killed around 1,200 people, most of them civilians.
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Hours after the latest Hamas video was published, the IDF reported that "two projectiles that crossed into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip were intercepted by the IAF [Israeli Air Force]." The IDF later reported on a third interception from Gaza.
Earlier, the IDF reported on the killing of Hamas Political Bureau member Ismail Barhoum, described as the head of Hamas' finances and successor to head of the group's government, Essam al-Da'ais, who was killed last week in an Israeli raid. Barhoum was said to have been killed in a strike conducted against Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
Israel is also contending with an intensified missile and drone campaign by Yemen's Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthi movement, a member of the Iran-aligned Axis of Resistance coalition that has intervened in support of Hamas. The IDF reported on the interception of a projectile originating from Yemen on Monday.
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Quote:Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has asserted that no nation would "dare" attack Iran.
His comments come amid increasing tensions in the Middle East, as the United States strengthens its naval presence in the region.
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Why It Matters
Araghchi's remarks highlight Iran's stance on deterrence and its rejection of direct negotiations with Washington. Meanwhile, the U.S. has escalated its military posture in response to ongoing conflicts involving Iran-backed groups. These developments add to the already volatile dynamics in the region.
What to Know
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Araghchi emphasized that Iran's military capabilities prevent any external aggression.
"Our enemies are well aware of the consequences of any aggression against our territory," he stated, underlining the preparedness of Iran's armed forces and emergency services. He further stressed that this level of readiness acts as a deterrent, ensuring that no adversary has the capability or courage to violate Iran's borders.
Indirect U.S. Negotiations
Araghchi reaffirmed Iran's refusal to engage in direct negotiations with the U.S., though he acknowledged the possibility of indirect talks through intermediaries. "We will not enter into any direct negotiations with the American side. However, the path for indirect negotiations is open, and there are various channels through which it can be done." Araghchi stated.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump revealed that he had sent a letter to Tehran, signaling openness to negotiations but also warning of military action against Iran.
IRGC Weighs In
Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy commander also said that Iran is ready for any attack.
"Combat readiness and combat capability are our priority," said Alireza Tangsiri in an interview with state media. He added that the IRGC is incorporating artificial intelligence into its weaponry, calling it a necessity for the military's future operations.
"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.
Quote:The White House said Russia and Ukraine have both agreed to "eliminate the use of force" in the Black Sea following talks in Saudi Arabia, a sign of progress toward the war-ending peace deal that U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking to secure.
In two separate statements on the outcomes of the talks between the sides, the White House said Moscow and Kyiv had "agreed to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea."
Moreover, the United States "will help restore Russia's access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports, lower maritime insurance costs, and enhance access to ports and payment systems for such transactions."
Russia and Ukraine also agreed "to develop measures for implementing" the "agreement to ban strikes against energy facilities of Russia and Ukraine." Since the initial agreement last week, each side has accused the other of striking key infrastructure.
Why it Matters
While these agreements are important and represent a win for Trump's style of diplomacy, it remains to be seen if both sides will adhere to them, and substantial obstacles to a complete peace remain.
Trump wants to end what he sees as an intolerable level of destruction and loss of life. He also no longer wants American taxpayers to bear the cost of supporting Ukraine's defense against Russia's invasion.
But Ukraine has said recognizing its territory Moscow has occupied as Russian is a red line it will not cross. Moreover, Ukraine wants post-war security guarantees, like peacekeeping troops from NATO members, that Moscow will find hard to accept.
What To Know
Even when battlefield momentum was in Russia's favor, Kyiv found success in striking Russia's Black Sea fleet with drones, forcing much of it to be shifted away from Crimea and to safer waters.
Quote:Anew federal lawsuit alleges that leaders of pro-Palestine student groups at Columbia University had advance knowledge of Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and responded in real time with a coordinated propaganda campaign designed to support and amplify the terror group's message on U.S. soil.
At the center of the claims is an alleged protest toolkit that began circulating on October 8—one day after the Hamas attack—which plaintiffs argue must have been prepared beforehand.
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Columbia has been at the center of a number of controversies surrounding ongoing pro-Palestine protests and alleged antisemitism on campus, with the Trump administration recently cancelling some $400 million in federal grants and contracts to the New York university, citing the school's alleged failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment linked to pro-Palestinian activism.
In addition, Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and former Columbia graduate student, was arrested this month by federal immigration authorities despite holding legal permanent resident status. He remains in detention without specific charges filed, and the government has accused him of aligning with Hamas and concealing information on his green card application. Khalil is named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
What To Know
The 79-page complaint, filed Monday in the Southern District of New York, was brought under the Antiterrorism Act and Alien Tort Statute by victims and relatives of those killed or kidnapped by Hamas in the October 7 attacks.
It accuses Columbia-based activist groups—including Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), and Within Our Lifetime (WOL)—of being part of what it describes as the "American propaganda arm" of Hamas.
"These organizations... act behind veiled scarves and largely seek to be anonymous individually, yet seek to intimidate as a group," the lawsuit claims. "This case will pull down those scarves and unveil acts that violate this country's antiterrorism laws."
Quote:California's high-speed rail project could grind to a halt in a month if it does not make up its $7 billion shortfall, California Legislative Analyst Office representative Helen Kerstein told lawmakers this week.
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Despite recent construction progress, California's high-speed rail project has suffered from several delays and a ballooning budget. President Donald Trump has already been critical of the project, calling it a "waste" and a "green disaster."
What To Know
At a budget hearing in the state assembly Wednesday, Kerstein told lawmakers that the project is now $7 billion short of what it needs by next June. She added that there is currently no plan to address the shortfall and that there is a "risk" that the deficit could grow.
Quote:The State Department issued an update on its visa revocations as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues cracking down on university students it accuses of being national security threats.
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Thursday's update comes as more than half a dozen students across the U.S. have been swept up in ICE's crackdown on people who have spoken out or demonstrated against the Israeli government's ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
What To Know
A State Department official told Fox News that the agency has revoked more than 20 visas since President Donald Trump's second term began on January 20, adding that the foreign nationals whose documentation was revoked are being processed for immediate deportation.
The official added that the department is also reviewing hundreds of visas.
"At this time, the State Department has revoked the visas of more than 20 individuals," the official told Fox in a statement. "Due to the national security concerns connected to these foreign aliens, these cases were processed for immediate action and subsequent removal from our country.
"Overall, we continue to process hundreds of visa reviews to ensure visitors are not violating terms of their visas and do not pose a threat to the United States and our citizens."
The most high-profile case so far is that of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian activist and green card holder who was detained by ICE officials outside his Columbia University-owned residence this month.
The Trump administration has alleged, without providing evidence, that Khalil is a Hamas sympathizer and said this week that his deportation is justified because he did not disclose his connections to two organizations—the Syrian office of the British Embassy in Beirut and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East—on his application for permanent residency.
The UNRWA, in particular, is a lightning rod for criticism from pro-Israel lawmakers who accuse it of being antisemitic.
ICE has also detained Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national and postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University. Suri is married to a U.S. citizen with Palestinian heritage who is the daughter of a former Hamas adviser and Department of Homeland Security officials have accused Suri of spreading pro-Hamas propaganda.
Quote:On Thursday, federal Judge James Boasberg ordered the agencies involved in the Signal chat that accidentally included a journalist to preserve all messages between March 11 and 15 and to provide an update to the court about their efforts to do so.
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Boasberg has been at the center of MAGA fury this month as he has presided over a case involving the Trump administration's deportation of migrants through his invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
The act is a wartime law that grants the commander-in-chief authority to detain or deport non-citizens. The implementation was blocked in federal court, sparking a contentious legal back-and-forth between the Trump administration and Boasberg.
This week, the administration also faced intense scrutiny after a report in The Atlantic by editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who said he was added to a thread on the encrypted app Signal that included Cabinet officials discussing military action against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen this month.
On Wednesday, Boasberg was assigned a case involving a lawsuit against administration officials surrounding the Signal messages.
What To Know
The directive comes amid a lawsuit filed in the U.S. Court for the District of Columbia by the nonprofit watchdog American Oversight.
The suit accuses several senior administration officials involved in the Signal chat of violating the Federal Records Act and the Administrative Procedure Act by conducting government business on a platform designed to erase communications.
Quote:U.S. authorities have captured the MS-13 top leader for the U.S. East Coast, 24-year-old Salvadoran national Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos, the FBI announced on Thursday.
Officials captured Santos in Woodbridge, Virginia, just south of Washington, D.C., and charged him with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. He is one of the top three leaders of the MS-13 gang in the U.S., they said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel watched the arrest unfold from a nearby tactical operations center. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and senior DOJ official Emil Bove were also present.
"They executed a clean, safe operation and the bad guys in custody. And thanks to the FBI, we got one of the worst of the worst of the MS-13 off the streets this morning. Virginia and the country is a lot safer today," Bondi told Fox News following the arrest.
The operation included the FBI joined by the Prince William County Police Department, ATF, ICE, and the Virginia State Police. Authorities found a 9mm handgun, plus three other firearms, ammunition and two suppressors in Villatoro's bedroom, according to court documents.
Officers deployed a stun grenade when Villatoro did not comply with demands to exit the home, according to an affidavit. Villatoro's mother's home, where the arrest took place, had been surveilled by FBI agents throughout the month of March.
Agents observed "indicia of MS-13 association in Villatoro's bedroom," the affidavit said.
"Great job by Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, Tom HOMAN, and Kristi N, on the capture of MS13 leader - A big deal!" President Donald Trump wrote on social media.
Quote:President Donald Trump earned praise from an old enemy with his Wednesday announcement of new 25% auto tariffs.
The United Auto Workers union campaigned hard against Trump last year but is supportive of his import duties, saying they will end the “free trade disaster.”
The tariffs will mark “the beginning of the end of a thirty-plus year ‘free trade’ disaster,” UAW said in reaction to the tariffs. “This is a long-overdue shift away from a harmful economic framework that has devastated the working class and driven a race to the bottom across borders in the auto industry.”
UAW put “free trade” in quotation marks because unions, like the Trump administration, argue that other countries do not truly practice it and that they often employ their own import duties, pay workers less than the U.S. minimum wage, or subsidize exports to boost their own economies at the expense of U.S. manufacturing.
“Volkswagen makes 75% of their North America product in Mexico for $7 an hour, and over 40% of their U.S. sales are produced by workers earning poverty wages in Mexico,” UAW’s statement said. “That shift should be restored immediately as production shifts back to the U.S.”
Trump has been courting Rust Belt union voters since his 2016 campaign, and UAW’s praise of his tariffs indicates that effort is expanding.
“The Trump administration has made history with today’s actions,” UAW President Shawn Fain said. “The UAW and the working class in general couldn’t care less about party politics; working people expect leaders to work together to deliver results.”
In pledging to work across party lines, Fain echoed sentiment similar to Teamsters boss Sean O’Brien, who spoke at last summer’s Republican National Convention and played a role in boosting former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer to the labor secretary post. Both major labor unions have been growing more friendly with Trump in recent months after spending decades in the Democratic camp.
Trump’s announcement could upend the international auto industry as he seeks to bring more manufacturing jobs to the United States, saying that foreign car companies can also avoid tariffs if their cars are built in America.
Quote:Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett responded to backlash after she appeared to mock her state's governor during a weekend appearance, referring to Greg Abbott, who uses a wheelchair, as "Governor Hot Wheels."
"You all know we got Governor Hot Wheels down there. Come on, now," Crockett, a Dallas Democrat, said of Abbott at a Human Rights Campaign event. "And the only thing hot about him is that he is a hot-ass mess, honey."
Why It Matters
Abbott was paralyzed in 1984 at the age of 26 when a tree fell on him during a run, causing severe spinal cord damage. Now 67, Abbott was elected governor of Texas in 2014.
He is the third governor of a U.S. state to use a wheelchair, along with Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York and George Wallace of Alabama.
What To Know
On Tuesday, Crockett posted on X, formerly Twitter, "I wasn't thinking about the governor's condition—I was thinking about the planes, trains, and automobiles he used to transfer migrants into communities led by Black mayors, deliberately stoking tension and fear among the most vulnerable."
She continued, "Literally, the next line I said was that he was a 'Hot A** Mess,' referencing his terrible policies. At no point did I mention or allude to his condition. So, I'm even more appalled that the very people who unequivocally support Trump—a man known for racially insensitive nicknames and mocking those with disabilities—are now outraged."
In 2022, Abbott began transporting illegal immigrants out of Texas into cities such as Washington, D.C., and New York City.
Crockett called the backlash "yet another distraction."
If that were true she could have made a reference to either the border, the Río Grande or even the wings of the planes that take illegal immigrants abroad.
Quote:When Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) first ran for state office in 2019, her campaign was funded almost entirely by small-dollar donors. As Crockett increased in prominence, however, cryptocurrency moguls, corporations, union bosses, and even foreign governments have lined up to shower her with resources.
Crockett, who got her start practicing law, ran to represent a portion of Austin in the Texas House of Representatives in 2020. Early on, her state-level campaign counted on local individuals giving at most a couple hundred dollars apiece to support her. However, as she picked up steam, organized labor and business interests began cutting checks to her political committee as well. Crockett’s biggest financial windfall came during the 2022 election season when super PACs linked to cryptocurrency industry leaders like the since-disgraced Sam Bankman-Fried pumped millions into supporting her bid to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson.
Since winning election to the House, Crockett has continued to enjoy contributions from corporate and union PACs. Foreign governments have also jumped aboard, with India, the United Arab Emirates, and a nonprofit group linked to the Qatari government all paying for Crockett and her family to go on expensive trips abroad, according to congressional disclosures.
Crockett has emerged as a Democratic firebrand, frequently going viral for her spats with Republicans. Most recently, she has caught criticism for referring to Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), who is wheelchair-bound, as “Governor Hot Wheels.” Crockett later argued that the title was not related to the governor’s disability, a claim that was undercut after the Washington Free Beacon reported that she had “liked” content on Facebook making fun of Abbott’s paralysis.
The sophomore congresswoman’s jab at Abbott is just one among her many controversial remarks, including criticizing Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) for being in an interracial marriage.
When it comes to policy, Crockett identifies as a progressive. For instance, the congresswoman has repeatedly railed against “corporate greed” and praised her colleagues for standing up against “corporate interests.”
Campaign finance records, however, show that Crockett has accepted over $370,000 in federal contributions from PACs representing corporations or business associations since 2022. Her donors include pharmaceutical giants such as AbbVie and Gilead Sciences, financial services firms such as BlackRock and Goldman Sachs, major defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin and RTX, and household names such as McDonald’s, Home Depot, CVS, Verizon, and Toyota.
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, along with other major unions, has also provided financial support to Crockett’s state and federal campaigns.
Even before she took office, Protect our Future PAC and WEB3 Forward, two PACs funded by crypto moguls such as Bankman-Fried, Ben Horowitz, and Marc Andreessen, spent well over $2 million supporting Crockett’s campaign during a heated Democratic primary.
Crockett’s stated disdain for corporate influence goes back to her time running for state office.
In a July 10, 2020, tweet, Crockett claimed to have taken zero dollars from corporate PACs while her opposition had accepted nearly $200,000. A campaign finance disclosure covering the period between July 5 and Dec. 31, 2020, however, shows that Crockett accepted thousands in corporate PAC dollars. This means that her tweet was either inaccurate or she began accepting corporate cash shortly after attacking her opponent for doing so.
While Crockett has long accepted contributions from corporate PACs, gifts from foreigners are new to her.
Quote:Attorney General Pam Bondi argued several judges ruling on Trump administration cases need to be removed from their positions because “they cannot be objective” in their decisions.
District court judges have halted many of President Donald Trump’s executive actions, highlighting the legal battles taking place as the new administration aims to shrink the size of the federal government. Three of those judges are Washington, D.C., district judges: Beryl Howell, Ana Reyes, and James Boasberg.
Bondi targeted the three specifically during an appearance on The Ingraham Angle on Thursday, though she suggested more than just those three should be removed from their posts.
Responding to a statement from Howell accusing the Department of Justice of “a strategy designed to impugn the integrity of the federal judicial system,” Bondi said, “Many judges need to be removed, Judge Howell included, Judge Reyes, Judge Boasberg.”
“These judges obviously cannot be impartial. They cannot be objective,” the attorney general added. “They are district judges trying to control our entire country, and they are trying to obstruct Donald Trump’s agenda.”
Howell and Boasberg were Obama appointees and Reyes a Biden appointee.
All three have, to varying degrees, met the ire of Trump and his Cabinet, who have seen their judicial orders as overstepping:
Howell has criticized the DOJ for trying to remove her from a case punishing a major law firm, Reyes has denied the Trump administration from banning transgender people from the military, and Boasberg temporarily blocked the administration from carrying out deportation flights, saying migrants are allowed to challenge whether they qualify for deportation.
Boasberg was also just assigned to the case concerning the Signal intelligence leak, in which a journalist was able to enter a group chat where five Cabinet members and other top defense officials were discussing attack plans on the Houthis in Yemen. He was randomly assigned to the case.
Quote:Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited deported illegal immigrants from the United States at the world’s largest prison in El Salvador and warned illegal immigrants stateside that they could face the same fate if they do not self-deport.
“I toured the CECOT, El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center,” Noem said in a statement posted to X on Wednesday evening. “President Trump and I have a clear message to criminal illegal aliens: LEAVE NOW. If you do not leave, we will hunt you down, arrest you, and you could end up in this El Salvadorian prison.”
Noem, who spoke on video, stood in front of a locked cell with countless shirtless male inmates packed inside the barred room. The men were covered in tattoos and had had their heads shaved upon being admitted into the facility.
The facility that Noem visited Wednesday afternoon can hold up to 40,000 people. It was specifically built by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to detain the most violent criminals after Bukele was elected in 2019 and delivered a swift round-up of the country’s MS-13 gang members.
It is now where some Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang members are being housed following recent deportation flights from the U.S. that have since been paused by court order. President Donald Trump is facing legal challenges after invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport Tren de Aragua gang members without the typical immigrant court proceedings.
Noem departed Washington for El Salvador Wednesday morning on a three-day trip to Central America, South America, and Mexico.
Following the prison tour, Noem is slated to meet with Bukele.
In early February, El Salvador agreed to accept criminal illegal immigrants of any nationality from the United States, including Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang members that the Venezuelan regime originally refused to accept back.
Bukele also offered to house in Salvadoran jails U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents convicted of serious crimes.
Quote:The United States has suspended its contributions to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Reuters reported, citing three trade sources.
The Context
Reuters' reporting comes as the Trump administration continues adopting protectionist trade policies and intensifies its efforts to drastically reduce government spending.
President Donald Trump has also put the U.S. on a broader shift away from international institutions he and his allies see as conflicting with their "America First" economic agenda.
That shift includes imposing steep tariffs on American trading partners and pulling away from international bodies including the WTO, the World Health Organization, the United Nations and foreign aid initiatives.
What To Know
The WTO has already been significantly weakened by Trump's decision in 2019 to block the appointment of new judges to its top appeals court.
That action left the WTO's core dispute resolution mechanism only partially operational, as Washington accused the appellate body of overstepping its authority in trade rulings.
In 2024, the WTO operated on an annual budget of 205 million Swiss francs (approximately $232 million). Based on a contribution system tied to each member's share of global trade, the United States was expected to provide around 11 percent of that total, Reuters reported, citing public WTO records.
Earlier this week, Trump announced that his administration will impose a 25 percent tariff on cars not made in the U.S., in a move the White House said is aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing, though it could also strain automakers reliant on international supply chains.
The tariff will take effect on April 2, Trump said, calling it "liberation day."
Although the White House projects that the new tariffs will generate $100 billion in annual revenue, industry analysts and economists across the spectrum warn that it could severely disrupt global supply chains and lead to higher prices for consumers.
Quote:The manager of a travel agency in Greenland told Newsweek that he declined a visit from U.S. second lady Usha Vance over fears it would be "a MAGA event."
"We are known for our hospitality, and we welcome visitors from other countries as our valued guests," Henrik Skydsbjerg, the manager of Tupilak Travel, said in an email.
"With this delegation however we were afraid that it would turn out to be a MAGA event [which] we did not want to be part of."
Vice President JD Vance is now accompanying his wife on the trip. The itinerary has changed so they will only visit the Pituffik Space Base on Greenland's northwest coast. Earlier plans for the trip had included Usha Vance visiting Greenland's capital Nuuk, historic sites and attending the Avannaata Qimussersu dogsled race in Sisimiut.
...
U.S. President Donald Trump has said his attempts to annex Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark, is needed "for international, for world security." In a message to Greelanders earlier this month, Trump said he supports Greenlanders' right to determine their own future but U.S. control would happen "one way or the other."
An overwhelming majority of Greenlanders do not support Trump's plan. In a poll, conducted between January 22 and January 26 for Danish newspaper Berlingske and Greenlandic paper Sermitsiaqt, 85 percent of respondents said they did not support joining the U.S. Protests took place outside the U.S. consulate in Nuuk on March 15.
Usha Vance's planned trip to Greenland drew concern from the governments of Greenland and Denmark, and the change in itinerary has been welcomed by officials.
Quote:President Donald Trump escalated his stance on acquiring Greenland on Wednesday, suggesting the United States would use any means necessary to take the world’s largest island.
While taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office, the president said the U.S. needs to acquire Greenland from Denmark for security purposes as it competes with Russia and China for dominance in the Arctic region.
“We need Greenland for national security and international security,” Trump said. “So we’ll, I think, we’ll go as far as we have to go.”
“And the world needs us to have Greenland, including Denmark. Denmark has to have us have Greenland. And, you know, we’ll see what happens. But if we don’t have Greenland, we can’t have great international security,” he added.
The president’s comments followed his refusal to rule out using military force to take Greenland, and they echoed a stance he has long made clear: acquisition of the island is “necessary” from a security standpoint.
On his Inauguration Day, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, “Greenland is necessary, not for us — it’s necessary for international security. … You have Russian boats all over the place, you have China’s boats all over the place — warships — and [Denmark] can’t maintain it.”
Recognized for its geopolitical significance, Greenland and the Arctic region play an integral role in international communication systems, global trade routes, and military dominance.
Vice President JD Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, visited the island this week to woo officials, while the president’s son recently made a pilgrimage to the Arctic region.
On Tuesday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a report outlining its annual threat assessment.
“China’s long-term goal is to expand access to Greenland’s natural resources, as well as to use the same access as a key strategic foothold for advancing China’s broader and economic aims in the Arctic,” the report said.
On the second day of the policy forum, Putin addressed the audience about Trump's push for Greenland.
"It can look surprising only at first glance, and it would be wrong to believe that this is some sort of extravagant talk by the current U.S. administration," Putin said, according to the Associated Press.
The Russian president pointed to the 1860s, when Washington first proposed annexing both Greenland and Iceland, though Congress ultimately rejected the plan.
Putin argued that the plans have historical roots and "it's obvious that the United States will continue to systematically advance its geostrategic, military-political and economic interests in the Arctic," per the AP.
He voiced Russia's concern over the broader trend, adding, "We are certainly concerned about NATO members describing the Far North as the region of possible conflicts." Finland and Sweden have both joined the alliance in recent years.
While insisting that Russia "has never threatened anyone in the Arctic," Putin said he will continue to monitor recent developments and "mount an appropriate response by increasing our military capability and modernizing military infrastructure."
Putin also left the door open for diplomacy, suggesting that cooperation in the Arctic with "friendly" states, which may include "Western countries," remains possible. He maintained that time for joint projects will come soon.
Quote:King Charles III was briefly hospitalized on Thursday after experiencing "temporary side effects" from a scheduled cancer treatment, Buckingham Palace said in a statement. As a result, his engagements for Thursday afternoon and Friday were canceled.
Why It Matters
The 76-year-old monarch's health has been under close public scrutiny since early last year, when he revealed he had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer. Though he stepped back from public-facing duties for about three months, King Charles continued to carry out essential state responsibilities, including reviewing government papers and meeting with the prime minister.
What to Know
His diagnosis has added to the strain on the royal family as it continues to adapt following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, who reigned for 70 years. Since succeeding his mother in September 2022, Charles has worked to demonstrate the relevance of the monarchy in a diverse and modern Britain. But maintaining that role requires considerable energy and commitment.
While the duties of a constitutional monarch are largely ceremonial, they can be demanding. Charles logged 161 days of official engagements during his first year on the throne, ranging from state ceremonies and diplomatic meetings to public appearances celebrating British achievements.
On Tuesday, King Charles and Queen Camilla postponed their state visit to the Vatican after doctors advised the Pope to rest following his ongoing illness. According to a statement from Buckingham Palacey, the King and Queen's decision to postpone the visit was a "mutual agreement."
His health challenges come as the royal family faces another setback: the recent cancer diagnosis of Catherine, Princess of Wales. The wife of Prince William stepped away from public life for more than six months before returning to her duties in late September.
Quote:Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said he thinks Russia has wielded influence over people in U.S. President Donald Trump's White House, as the U.S. attempts to broker a peace in the war.
"I believe Russia has managed to influence some people on the White House team through information," Zelensky told Time in an interview published on Tuesday morning.
"Their signal to the Americans was that the Ukrainians do not want to end the war, and something should be done to force them."
Zelensky has previously accused Trump of being trapped in a Russian disinformation bubble, remarks that angered the American president and his allies.
Why It Matters
Russia's war in Ukraine is at a crucial crossroads.
U.S delegates have been holding separate ceasefire with Ukraine and Russian talks in Saudia Arabia to begin the end of the long and grueling conflict as part of President Trump's election pledge to end the fighting.
European and Canadian leaders have said they are prepared to form a "coalition of the willing" to defend a peace agreement in Ukraine. Few dispute the U.S. will be key to any such deal, but Zelensky has questioned America's process.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to a limited ceasefire on attacks against energy infrastructure targets, the Kremlin has said, but he declined to sign on to the conditions of a broader ceasefire that Ukraine had agreed to.
What to Know
In the interview published on Monday, Zelensky said he hopes Trump's administration will see how a Russian victory in the war would represnt a loss for the entire West, Time reported. "They have their own ambitions. They see their role in history," the Ukrainian president said.
When suggested Trump seems to have reserved all the carrots for Russia, while the Ukrainians get the stick, Zelensky said, "If the carrot is poisoned, then thank God," alluding to the idea that the U.S. could sneak concessions from Moscow. He added that, "Maybe that's the sneakiness of this diplomacy."
Quote:Foreign ministers of two North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies credited President Donald Trump with successfully forcing an increase in defensive spending amongst member states — a feat that every president from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama tried, and failed, to achieve.
Following a meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday, Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna told Newsweek in an interview that he had "no doubt" about the U.S. commitment to the alliance.
He also said he was "happy as well that President Trump again has pushed European countries in NATO to invest more heavily in defense."
"I think that they would have done it and should have done it already 10 years ago, and we Estonians, we don't need to change our policies," Tsahkna said. "We have decided already that we are crossing the 2 percent agreed investment level. We decided last week that we reach at least 5 percent next year, and it can probably it's going to be even [higher]."
"So we see that all the Baltics, also Poland, which is a big country, is doing 5 percent within the next years," he said, adding, "it is not only because of President Trump. It's because we see the real threat from Russia. We have agreed in NATO the regional defense plans already during the NATO Summit in Vilnius two years ago, and we are just fulfilling the gaps that we have agreed."
In a separate interview, Lithuanian Minster of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys said that he believed NATO is "getting stronger ... for sure" thanks to "again and again, call from President Trump to invest more, to do more," which Budrys said would "build even more strength and power in the alliance."
"This is the most effective organization, the most long-lasting organization, as the alliance is working for 75-plus years already, its deterrence works, and it's effective," Budrys said. "So, we have to do more to be effective in the future, and that's what we heard with the first Trump administration. That's what we are hearing now, and I'm looking forward for it to be even more implemented into the actions. That's what we need."
Quote:Niger's expulsion of several Chinese oil executives over wage and employment disputes marks a reputational setback for China as it seeks to expand its influence across the African continent.
Niger, a former French colony located in the Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert, remains one of the world's least-developed nations, despite its significant resource wealth, including uranium.
Once a key U.S. counterterrorism partner, Niger's ties with the West have eroded in recent years—particularly after a 2023 military coup. The new junta expelled French peacekeepers fighting an Islamist insurgency and ordered the United States to vacate two drone bases, citing Washington's "condescending attitude."
Niger has openly embraced stronger security ties with Russia and secured heavy Chinese investment in its energy sector.
Rising Tensions
Earlier this month, Niger's junta expelled three Chinese oil executives serving as local directors of the West African Oil Pipeline Company, China National Petroleum Corporation, and the joint-venture refinery SORAZ, according to Reuters.
Oil Minister Sahabi Oumarou pointed to stark pay disparities, citing an average monthly salary of $8,678 for Chinese employees versus $1,200 for their Nigerien counterparts. "We are not satisfied with the way in which wealth is distributed between the state of Niger and the partner," Oumarou told reporters.
Another grievance involved the disproportionately high number of foreign nationals in managerial roles, while Nigeriens were more likely to fill lower-tier labor positions.
"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.
"Real Time" host Bill Maher argued in favor of pulling federal funding from NPR, insisting it has to go private in the age of hyper-partisan politics.
During his online "Overtime" segment, Maher read a viewer question asking the panel to react to the testimony of NPR CEO Katherine Maher (no relation) and PBS CEO Paula Kerger, who defended their outlets to the House of Representatives' newly-formed Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) subcommittee as GOP lawmakers call to strip them of taxpayer money over their left-wing bias.
He specifically called out his "namesake" Maher over her repeated assertions that NPR was "unbiased."
"Give me a break, lady," Maher reacted Friday. "I mean, they're crazy far-left."
The HBO host went on to say the country is "past the age" where the federal government can subsidize outlets like NPR and PBS.
"Why do we need to subsidize," Maher asked. "We're so polarized. These outlets became popular at a time when Republicans and Democrats didn't hate each other and weren't at each other's throats and didn't think each other was an existential threat. In that world, you can't have places like this, I think, anymore. They have to be private."
In her opening remarks, Katherine Maher said NPR plays an essential role in "delivering unbiased, nonpartisan, fact-based reporting" to Americans. She said NPR is the only "non-paywalled" news outlet with a reporter dedicated to covering veterans’ issues, and she believes local public journalism "has never been more important to American families."
At one point, she claimed she had "never seen any instance of political bias determining editorial decisions," drawing scorn from conservatives online.
Katherine Maher, who joined NPR in March 2024, was repeatedly grilled over her past social media posts touting various left-wing ideologies, which she distanced herself from. She also admitted it was a "mistake" for NPR to dismiss the Hunter Biden laptop scandal during the 2020 election.
Fox News Digital reached out to NPR for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
As unlikely as it sounds, support is growing among native Greenlanders for President Trump’s rhetoric about annexing the Arctic island — as well as actually becoming part of the United States.
The Post spoke to multiple Greenlanders on Thursday who quietly approved of Trump’s proposals to form a partnership with the island — or even take it over from its Danish rulers — but asked to speak anonymously after receiving death threats over their views and advocacy.
“For the American people, the highest-ranking valuable thing you can give another country is to be part of the United States,” said one resident of Nuuk, Greenland’s capital. “When Donald Trump says, ‘You can even join the United States’ — that’s the most valuable thing Donald Trump is saying he can give up.”
“I can’t say that,” this person added. “It’s like I will be killed. It’s f—ng crazy times here in Greenland; the fear-mongering, the divide and conquer of the media has been crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy.”
Though roughly 90% of the island’s population of just over 56,000 are Greenlandic Inuit, the media is primarily Danish — influencing the opinions of the native people, according to Trump supporter Lars Kleist.
“I think we need change here in Greenland. We are tired of the Danish colonialism,” said Kleist, a former local government employee who said he lost his job in 2020 because of his pro-independence views. “When you enter the town, everything is ruled by the Danish.”
Kliest, who received worldwide attention after he was pictured casting his vote in Greenland’s March 11 parliamentary elections while wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, said he would prefer a partnership with the US to annexation — but supports Trump all the way.
. . .
“Only one country can protect us — the US,” he said, noting Russia and China’s growing presence in the Arctic. “And the US economy gives more potential to increasing incomes per person, maybe up to 40% in the future.”
The State Department formally announced Friday it is closing the US Agency for International Development (USAID) after the Trump administration prevailed in a federal court case challenging the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) cost-cutting actions.
“Foreign assistance done right can advance our national interests, protect our borders, and strengthen our partnerships with key allies. Unfortunately, USAID strayed from its original mission long ago. As a result, the gains were too few and the costs were too high,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
Ex-DOGE official Jeremy Lewin announced USAID’s shuttering in an internal memo earlier Friday — and said the State Department “intends to assume responsibility for many” of the agency’s functions and programs, according to ABC News.
“Thanks to President Trump, this misguided and fiscally irresponsible era is now over. We are reorienting our foreign assistance programs to align directly with what is best for the United States and our citizens,” Rubio added.
“We are continuing essential lifesaving programs and making strategic investments that strengthen our partners and our own country. This is yet another promise made and delivered to the American people.”
. . .
The move had been in the works, but was given a boost by a federal appeals court decision earlier Friday by a three-judge panel on the Richmond, Va.-based Fourth US Circuit Court of Appeals.
Circuit Judges Paul Niemeyer, an appointee of former President George H.W. Bush, and Marvin Quattlebaum, Jr., an appointee of President Trump during his first term, rejected a request to halt Musk’s termination of employees and contracts brought by 26 current and former USAID employees.
. . .
“The only evidence cited by plaintiffs in support of their motion, which was subsequently relied on by the district court, were social media posts and news reports,” wrote Quattlebaum of Maryland federal judge Theodore Chuang’s decision to pause DOGE’s actions.
. . .
Up is down, left is right and sideways is straight ahead. - Cord "Circle of Iron", 1978 (written by Bruce Lee and James Coburn... really...)
Quote:The U.S. will launch military attacks on Iran if Tehran does not engage in talks with Washington on limiting its nuclear program, President Donald Trump said on Sunday, after Iran's foreign minister dismissed direct contact between the two countries.
...
The president told reporters on Friday that "very bad things" will happen to Iran, should Tehran refuse to "talk it out" with Washington, against a backdrop of deepening fears of a possible military confrontation between Iran and the U.S.
What To Know
Trump told NBC on Sunday that if the Iranian regime did not "make a deal" with the White House, "there will be bombing."
"It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before," the president said.
In separate remarks on Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran had "rejected" direct negotiations between its government and the Trump administration, but stressed that "that the path for indirect negotiations remains open."
U.S. and Iranian officials are "talking," Trump said on Sunday.
Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, told state media on Thursday that Iran had responded to Trump's missive via Oman, but did not elaborate on the contents of the reply. The answer "fully laid out" Iran's stance, Araghchi said.
Iran has repeatedly said it will not engage with the U.S. on nuclear talks while facing "maximum pressure and military threats."
Trump last month unveiled a new raft of sanctions designed to exert "maximum pressure on the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran," cut Tehran off from access to a nuclear weapon and to curtail "Iran's malign influence abroad."
Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz, indicated earlier this month that "all options are on the table" to head off Iran's path to being a nuclear state. But Steve Witkoff, Trump's Middle East envoy, pushed for diplomatic negotiations rather than military solutions.
Quote:The entrance to the Republican Party of New Mexico’s headquarters was set on fire and defaced with graffiti in an alleged arson attack Sunday morning, authorities and Republican officials said.
The Albuquerque Fire Department has opened an arson investigation after flames broke out at the site just before 6 a.m. near where anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement graffiti was discovered.
The words ‘ICE = KKK’ were sprayed onto the side of the building in red paint, leading many GOP members to believe the fire was a politically motivated arson attack.
“We are deeply relieved that no one was harmed in what could have been a tragic and deadly attack. Those who resort to violence to undermine our state and nation must be held accountable, and our state leaders must reinforce through decisive action that these cowardly attacks will not be tolerated,” Republican Party of New Mexico Chairwoman Amy Barela said in a statement.
Firefighters were able to put out the blaze in just five minutes, limiting the flames to the entryway and preventing further damage to the Republican party HQ.
At the time of the attack, three Trump 2024 posters were featured in the front window, with additional ones posted inside the building’s walls.
The Democratic Party of New Mexico and its leaders were quick to condemn the vandalism, but had no comment regarding the fire.
“There is no excuse for political violence or vandalism of any kind, and I strongly condemn Sunday’s attack on the New Mexico Republican Party headquarters in Albuquerque. I am relieved that no one was hurt, and New Mexicans can rest assured that State Police and the Fire Marshal’s Office will assist the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms as needed during the investigation,” Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement.
Quote:A bombshell report from a clean energy group admitted that shifting to solar and wind may mean chaos for New York’s power grid as the state’s green energy law creates hurdles for cost and reliability.
The report from the New York Affordable Clean Power Alliance, which represents solar and wind energy firms, noted that the state’s timetable to phase out energy generated by fossil fuel is unrealistic — and even dangerous.
“The New York City area is forecasted to experience a generation shortfall starting in 2033, driven by an increase in peak demand and the planned retirement of existing dispatchable generation,” the report said.
“New York faces hurdles in maintaining reliability due to ambitious renewables targets, the projected retirement of much of its flexible fossil generation fleet, growing load, and extreme weather,” the report said.
The “intermittent nature” of wind and solar could create “challenges,” the report said.
“Unlike fossil fuel plants, which provide dispatchable generation around the clock, renewables depend on weather conditions, making real-time supply and demand balancing more complex,” the report said.
New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019 approved by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the legislature requires the state and its energy producers and consumers to move away from fossil fuels by slashing gas emissions by 40% by 2030 with the goal of achieving 100% zero-carbon-emission electricity by 2040.
The report cited a host of problems that has slowed down progress for ramping up renewables — including inflation-fueled supply chain issues; material and labors that have driven up costs; and delayed construction timelines for renewable wind and solar infrastructure.
Quote:There’s the “Rose Garden” strategy — and then there’s the “Cuo Garden” strategy.
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo is running a “Rose Garden” strategy in his comeback bid for mayor, keeping his interactions with the public and press to a minimum, an anti-Cuomo group claims.
“Andrew Cuomo plays the tough guy, but apparently he’s too scared to take a question from a voter. This guy claims he’s a crisis manager, but he’s not willing to answer any difficult questions about how he would actually do the job,” said Lauren Hitt, a spokesperson for the anti-Cuomo group New Yorkers for Better Leadership.
Front-runner Cuomo entered the campaign nearly a month ago and his camp dismissed the accusation as nonsense.
The term “Rose Garden” campaign was first used by then-Democrat candidate Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential election as an attack on incumbent Gerald Ford.
Carter accused Ford of running a “Rose Garden strategy” to get himself free publicity by signing bills into law and making pronouncements — using the prestige of his office to create PR opportunities without having to face scrutiny.
Similarly, Cuomo’s public exposure has been extremely limited, Hitt claimed.
She said Cuomo should be confronted more directly over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly the controversial order directing COVID-infected hospital patients into nursing homes, and various scandals that could dog him if elected mayor.
“Won’t Cuomo’s baggage get in the way of running the City? We won’t waste time trying to figure out what on earth an ‘emotional romantic relationship’ is, but it is clear the former governor continues to be dogged by lawsuits and other scandals,” said Hitt, referring to The Post’s bombshell story last week about Cuomo’s relationship with former top aide and adviser Melissa DeRosa.
Quote:The Wisconsin Supreme Court declined on Sunday to hear a case brought against billionaire Elon Musk by the Midwestern state's Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, over payments that the world's wealthiest man has offered to individuals who sign an election-related petition.
Why It Matters
The April 1 Supreme Court election in Wisconsin will determine whether the state remains under 4-3 liberal control or flip to a conservative majority, which could have implications for a range of issues for the state.
The tight nature of the race has turned it into a lightning rod for the national political temperature, turning it into a major test of how the electorate feels about President Donald Trump's second administration.
What To Know
An emergency petition against Musk, who had offered $2 million dollars in a giveaway to voters who signed an online petition against "activist" judges, with payouts of $1 million to each of two winners on Sunday at a rally ahead of the election.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court's decision to not hear Kaul's case was unanimous after two lower courts had already rejected the challenge.
Kaul's request was first shut down by Columbia County Circuit Judge Andrew Voigt and then by an appellate court on Saturday, effectively giving Musk the go-ahead.
Trump and Musk have backed Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel, while Democrats have backed Dane County Judge Susan Crawford. Two groups backed by Musk have already spent more than $20 million on Schimel's campaign, and Democratic donors including George Soros and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker have given millions to support Crawford.
Kaul filed a lawsuit on Friday trying to block Musk's payments on the basis that his offer is against a state law which makes it a felony to give voters anything of value in exchange for them voting.
Quote:Satellite images show collapsed buildings in Myanmar following the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck the country on Friday.
Why It Matters
The earthquake hit Myanmar and Thailand with an epicenter near Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city, followed shortly by another 6.4 magnitude quake and a 5.1 magnitude aftershock early Sunday morning.
The ongoing civil war in the country has increased the difficulty in rescue and recovery efforts.
What To Know
Initial reports described buildings toppled and casualties unknown, with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) warning that between 10,000 and 100,000 people could have died. As of Saturday, the confirmed death toll was reported as over 1,600 people and an additional 3,400 injured, according to The Associated Press.
Images provided by Planet Labs PBC show an overview of a temple complex and the surrounding area of the city along the banks of the Irrawaddy River. The images show the before (left) and after (right) of the city.
President Donald Trump on Friday offered U.S. support for the recovery effort, even as critics warn that his administration's cuts to foreign aid could impede the response.
Locals continue to search through collapsed buildings and rubble, trying to find and rescue survivors.
Quote:Palestinian militant group Hamas has accepted a ceasefire proposal from regional negotiators, the organization said on Saturday, as Israel said it pushed back on the terms with a "counter-proposal" backed by the U.S.
Why It Matters
Renewed Israeli air and ground attacks on Gaza earlier in March shattered two months of fragile calm in the territory and killed hundreds of people, according to Hamas-run authorities in the strip. The Israeli military has said its fresh attacks have killed several high-ranking Hamas officials.
What To Know
A first-stage ceasefire was agreed in January, under intense pressure from the then-incoming President Donald Trump administration. The restarting of military operations in Gaza threw the future of the hard-won pause into jeopardy.
The deal halted 15 months of war in Gaza that destroyed the densely-populated territory. Israel launched extensive ground and air operations on the strip after Hamas carried out its unprecedented attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking a further 251 hostage inside Gaza. 59 hostages are believed to still be in Gaza, and 24 of those held in the strip are thought to be alive.
...
Hamas said on Saturday that it had accepted a new proposal from Cairo and Doha to stop fighting in the enclave.
"Two days ago, we received a proposal from the mediators in Egypt and Qatar," said Hamas chief, Khalil al-Hayya. "We dealt with it positively and accepted it."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Saturday that the country had submitted a "counter-proposal" to the ceasefire mediators "in full coordination" with the Trump administration.
Reuters reported on Monday that Egypt had put forward a fresh proposal, under which Hamas would release five hostages still held in Gaza each week, citing anonymous security sources.
After the first week, Israel would implement a second phase of the ceasefire, according to the report. The proposal also reportedly included a timeline for all of the hostages to be released and for Israel to fully withdraw its military from Gaza.
"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.
News of the World
Honestly, the article should state that Iran didn't care about complying with the now-defunct nuclear deal instead of claiming that the nuclear program advanced a lot as if Trump were guilty of it. The deal was already dead, it just happens that Trump admitted it and started sanctioning Iran during his first term. Biden had a chance to continue punishing Iran for that, but simply preferred to unfreeze billions of dollars and let them send the money to Iranian accounts in Iraq instead. Events like October 7th would have been delayed probably even for a whole decade otherwise. 
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Every year, Dems always say it is bad to have a shutdown and always call out Republicans for such. Schumer on video from 2023 calling out Republicans for a possible shutdown for example. But if there was a government shutdown this time, it would totally have been owned by the Democrats and was already being labeled the Schumer Shutdown.
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