Quote:FBI special agents on Sunday arrested dual U.S.-German citizen Joseph Neumayer at JFK International Airport in New York in connection with an attempt to destroy the Branch Office of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a Sunday press release.
Why It Matters
Tensions remain high following the deaths of two Israeli embassy staff members who were shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., last week.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the suspect "a vile antisemitic murderer," and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called him "depraved" for his act.
This occurs as Israel has launched a new campaign in Gaza targeting the Palestinian militant group Hamas, reigniting tensions across the Middle East. Israel's campaign in Gaza since Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023, has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, the Associated Press reported, citing local health authorities. In Hamas' attack on Israel, 1,200 people were killed and some 250 were taken hostage.
What To Know
According to a complaint unsealed in the Eastern District of New York, Neumayer is alleged to have left a dark-colored backpack next to the embassy building on May 19, having arrived in Israel in April. He was initially arrested in Israel and transferred to U.S. custody on Sunday.
"This defendant is charged with planning a devastating attack targeting our embassy in Israel, threatening death to Americans, and President Trump's life," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. "The Department will not tolerate such violence and will prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent of the law."
Neumeyer is alleged to have spit on a security guard as he walked past, left a backpack, and fled as the security guard failed to detain him. Inside the backpack, authorities discovered three Molotov cocktails, which contained flammable fluid.
Authorities tracked Neumeyer to his hotel where he was arrested.
Neumeyer's social media revealed that earlier on May 19, he posted, "join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. Death to America, death to Americans, and f--k the west."
Other social media posts from an account believed to be used by Neumeyer revealed his threats to assassinate President Donald Trump, the DOJ wrote in its press release.
If convicted, Neumeyer faces a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison, and a maximum fine in the amount of $250,000.
Quote:Amid its ongoing restructuring efforts, CVS plans on closing hundreds more stores in 2025, which the company says will streamline operations and help it adapt to shifting consumer needs.
Why Is CVS Closing Locations?
In its recent annual report, filed in February, CVS announced that it would be closing 271 retail stores in 2025 as part of its "enterprise-wide restructuring plan intended to streamline and simplify the organization."
This follows the closure of around 900 locations between 2022 and 2024. A spokesperson for CVS told Newsweek that these closures will enable the company to optimize its "existing stores and pharmacies."
The spokesperson said that the closures were based on several factors, including "population shifts, consumer buying patterns, store and pharmacy density, pharmacy care access, and community health needs." This will enable the company to better meet customers' needs and was not a response to industry pressures.
Where Are CVS Closing Locations?
CVS has not released a list of locations that will be closed amid this strategic realignment, and declined to provide any details of which states or cities may be affected.
However, according to consumer-focused website The Krazy Coupon Lady, citing local news sources, 34 CVS locations have either already closed or announced scheduled closures in 2025:
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Quote:Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new plan on Wednesday to "aggressively revoke" student visas issued to international students from China.
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The Trump administration has cracked down on Ivy League institutions and sought to revoke the student visas of several international students since Trump took office.
Among other things, President Donald Trump and other officials have accused Harvard University and Columbia University of not doing enough to combat antisemitism on campus grounds amid student demonstrations protesting Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Trump's administration also tried to pull approval for Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which allows the university to enroll international students. A judge later halted the administration's efforts.
The administration has also temporarily paused all new student and exchange visitor visa interviews at U.S. consulates and embassies. Amid the pause, the White House is considering implementing a new policy that would require foreign student visa applicants to go through a social media vetting.
Quote:Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Tuesday that gun violence in the state has reached its lowest level since 2006, when the state began tracking this data.
In communities participating in the state's Gun Involved Violence Elimination initiative, the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) reported a 15 percent decline in shooting victims and a 9 percent decline in shootings resulting in injury from January 1 to April 30 compared to the same period last year, the governor's office said in a press release.
Why It Matters
The data comes from 28 police departments outside of New York City participating in the GIVE initiative. These police departments report around 90 percent of violent crimes involving firearms outside New York City.
The initiative aims at reducing shootings and other firearm-related crimes by providing state funding to local law enforcement agencies for equipment, overtime and personnel. It also provides training and technical assistance to those agencies.
What To Know
The police departments involved in the GIVE initiative include Albany Police Department, Binghamton Police Department, Auburn Police Department, Jamestown Police Department, Elmira Police Department, Poughkeepsie Police Department, Amherst Police Department and Buffalo Police Department.
Cheektowaga Police Department, Lackawanna Police Department, Watertown Police Department, Greece Police Department, Rochester Police Department, Hempstead Police Department, Nassau County Police Department and Niagara Falls Police Department also participate in the GIVE initiative.
Other law enforcement agencies following the GIVE initiative are Utica Police Department, Syracuse Police Department, Middletown Police Department, Newburgh Police Department, Troy Police Department, Spring Valley Police Department, Schenectady Police Department, Suffolk County Police Department, Ithaca Police Department, Kingston Police Department, Mount Vernon Police Department and Yonkers Police Department.
Quote:Massive hailstones, described as "DVD-sized" and edging close to "gargantuan" in magnitude, battered parts of Texas as severe thunderstorms ripped through the region over Memorial Day weekend.
Reports confirmed hail reaching nearly 6 inches in diameter in locations including Afton and Menard, Texas, putting the area at the center of a rare and dangerous weather event.
Why It Matters
This outbreak of exceptionally large hail posed significant risks to residents, property, and infrastructure across Texas, a state already accustomed to severe weather.
The event coincided with the busy Memorial Day weekend, disrupting holiday plans and triggering warnings across the Plains and South.
What To Know
On Monday, MyRadarWX senior meteorologist Matthew Cappucci posted some of the hailstone measurements on X, formerly Twitter.
"When it comes to GIANT hail, there's no place like Texas! Texas got MELON-SIZED hail both yesterday AND today!" Cappucci posted. "Anything over 4.72 inches is considered 'DVD-sized.' Anything over 6 inches is a rare category called 'gargantuan.' Yes, that's the real term!"
Researchers with the In-situ Collaborative Experiment for the Collection of Hail In the Plains (ICECHIP) project, funded by the National Science Foundation and led by Northern Illinois University, traveled alongside storm chasers to document and measure hail.
Quote:Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is among the top fundraisers in New York City's mayoral race despite the loss of some matching funds, according to the latest campaign finance data.
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New York's mayoral primary will be held in June, and whoever wins the Democratic nomination will be heavily favored ahead of the November general election, as the city is reliably Democratic. Still, some of the city's Hispanic and Asian communities drifted toward Republicans in last year's presidential race. This year's city elections will test whether Democrats are able to win back those voters, or if Republicans can build off of President Donald Trump's gains.
Fundraising can be a major indicator of how viable a campaign is—as running a citywide campaign in New York isn't cheap. Candidates are hoping to leverage their fundraising to topple Cuomo's polling lead with less than four weeks until the primary.
What to Know
Cuomo has so far received the most money in terms of private donations but has not received as much in public matching funds as some of the other candidates in the race.
He has received about $3.9 million in private donations and $1.5 million in public funds, according to the New York City Campaign Finance Board.
State Representative Zohran Mamdani, who has emerged as a favorite among the city's most progressive voters, has the highest total fundraising with $1.7 million in private funds but $6.7 million in public matching funds. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander has raised $1.7 million in private funds and received nearly $4.6 million in public funds.
Quote:The White House slammed "unelected judges" after a federal court on Wednesday unanimously ruled that President Donald Trump does not have "unbounded authority" to levy sweeping global tariffs under an emergency-powers law.
The Context
Wednesday's ruling from the U.S. Court of International Trade came in response to two groups of plaintiffs who sued the Trump administration over the tariffs, saying he violated the Constitution by sidestepping Congress to impose the duties.
The federal court's three-judge panel said in its summary judgment: "The question in the two cases before the court is whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 ('IEEPA') delegates these powers to the President in the form of authority to impose unlimited tariffs on goods from nearly every country in the world."
"The court does not read IEEPA to confer such unbounded authority and sets aside the challenged tariffs imposed thereunder," the panel said.
One of the judges on the panel is a Trump appointee. The other two were appointed by President Ronald Reagan and President Barack Obama.
What To Know
A White House spokesperson reiterated Trump's criticisms of other countries' "nonreciprocal treatment" of the U.S. in a statement responding to Wednesday's ruling.
"These deficits have created a national emergency that has decimated American communities, left our workers behind, and weakened our defense industrial base – facts that the court did not dispute," the spokesperson told Newsweek.
Quote:San Francisco's public high schools will implement a sweeping change to their grading system this fall, replacing traditional methods with a policy that allows students to pass with scores as low as 41 percent.
The initiative, part of a broader "Grading for Equity" push, is stirring concern among educators, students and parents over academic standards and college readiness.
The Context
Similar policies across other Bay Area districts—such as Dublin, Oakland and Pleasanton—have seen mixed results and strong community reactions. Dublin Unified attempted a pilot of equity grading in 2023, which included removing zeros for missed assignments and awarding a minimum of 50 percent for any "reasonably attempted" work.
That pilot, however, was met with outrage and resistance. Parents created petitions, formed WhatsApp groups and filled school board meetings to protest what they saw as a lowering of standards for their children. The Dublin school board eventually suspended the initiative, though individual teachers were still allowed to use the methods at their discretion.
The experiment in San Francisco comes amid — or despite — a broader rethinking of DEI initiatives after the election of Donald Trump, who ran on a platform of excising what he and many others said were "unfair" equity practices in the government and private sectors.
What To Know
Superintendent Maria Su's plan in San Francisco was not subject to a public vote by the Board of Education, drawing criticism for lack of transparency. The new policy, set to affect more than 10,000 students across 14 high schools, significantly changes how academic performance is measured.
Homework and classroom participation will no longer influence a student's final grade. Students will be assessed primarily on a final exam, which they can retake multiple times. Attendance and punctuality will not affect academic standing.
The plan was first revealed in the fine print of a 25-page agenda and reported by The Voice of San Francisco, a local nonprofit. The outlet reported that the district is hiring Joe Feldman, an educational consultant known for his book Grading for Equity, to train teachers this summer.
"If our grading practices don't change, the achievement and opportunity gaps will remain for our most vulnerable students. If we are truly dedicated to equity, we have to stop avoiding the sensitive issue of grading and embrace it," Feldman said in a 2019 blog post for the School Superintendents Association (AASA).
Feldman's book outlines how traditional grading can reinforce socioeconomic disparities and proposes alternative strategies for more equitable assessment. According to The Voice of San Francisco, the new system will be modeled in part on the San Leandro Unified School District, where students can earn an A with a score as low as 80 percent and pass with a D at just 21 percent. Under the forthcoming San Francisco policy, a score of 41 percent will qualify as a C.
Quote:Vladimir Putin's helicopter was targeted by Ukrainian drones as he visited the Kursk region in a surprise visit last week, a Russian military official has claimed.
The alleged attack took place as the Russian president visited the border region for the first time since Moscow claimed it had repelled Ukrainian forces from the area last month.
Putin's helicopter was "at the epicenter" of a "large-scale" Ukrainian drone attack on May 20, Yury Dashkin, commander of a Russian air defense division, said, according to Kremlin newswire Tass.
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This is the first known instance in which the Russian president is reported to have flown through an active drone attack.
What To Know
Russia's defense ministry was forced to shoot down dozens of drones during the incident, according to Dashkin, who said in an interview aired by the state-run Rossiya-24 TV channel that the intensity of the assault escalated significantly as the presidential aircraft flew over Kursk.
He said Russian air defense systems engaged the drones to ensure the safety of the presidential helicopter.
Quote:The "threat is real" to NATO, the chief of the British Army has said, warning of "serious challenges" to the alliance as worries swirl that Russia could launch an attack on NATO in the next few years.
"We really have got some serious challenges to deal with collectively," General Sir Roly Walker, the head of the British Army, said during an address at the U.K.-based think tank, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) on Wednesday.
"The biggest challenge we face, of many, is simply a lack of time," Walker said, adding a "sense of urgency" is needed to "respond to the threats we face."
NATO officials have been increasingly ringing alarm bells over how much of a threat Russia will pose to the alliance in the next few years, particularly after inking a possible ceasefire deal in Ukraine that would free up hundreds of thousands of soldiers bogged down along the frontlines.
Assessments vary, but one judgment from Denmark's Defense Intelligence Service, published in February, said it believed Russia would be able to wage a "large-scale war" against NATO in the next five years if the U.S. declines to be involved.
Oleh Ivashchenko, the head of Ukraine's foreign intelligence service, said earlier this week Russia would be able to mount some form of attack on Europe two to four years after the end of the Ukraine war—but could be ready to do so much quicker if sanctions are lifted.
The more than three years of full-scale war in Ukraine has wreaked havoc on Moscow's land forces, but other swathes of its military, like its air force and much of the navy stationed away from Ukraine, have been largely unscathed.
Quote:Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 50,000 Russian troops were massing at the border near the Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine and Moscow may be preparing for a large-scale summer offensive.
Kyiv's forces have been battling in Russia's Kursk region since a cross-border offensive last summer, but they have been forced back by Moscow's recent advances. Russia has hailed the recapture from Ukrainian forces of a number of Russian towns and villages.
"Their largest, strongest forces are currently on the Kursk front to push our troops out of the Kursk region and to prepare offensive actions against the Sumy region," Zelensky said on Tuesday ahead of his visit to Germany, Sky News reported.
Trump 'Not Happy' With Putin
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed increasing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him "CRAZY!" on Sunday after deadly missile strikes hit Ukrainian cities. President Trump also expressed annoyance with Zelensky's rhetoric.
Trump is attempting to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, but progress is slow, and he has said he would walk away if he saw that no deal could be made.
"I'm not happy with what Putin is doing," the president said on Sunday.
"He's killing a lot of people, and I don't know what the hell happened to Putin. I've known him a long time. Always gotten along with him, but he's sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don't like it at all.
"We're in the middle of talking, and he's shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities. I don't like it at all."
Further direct talks between Russia and Ukraine are due after their first set of negotiations in more than three years on May 16 produced only a mass prisoner swap and vague statements from the Russian delegation about working towards a ceasefire.
Russia has said it will only agree to a peace deal that addresses what it calls the "root causes" of the conflict, namely Ukrainian ambitions to join the U.S.-led NATO defensive alliance and policies that restrict the expression of Russian culture inside Ukraine.
But Ukraine accuses Russia of seeking to seize control of the country and remove its sovereignty in an imperial war of aggression.
Quote:Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed a trilateral meeting between himself, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin to break the deadlock on ending Moscow's invasion.
Fighting continues between Russia and Ukraine, and Trump has expressed increasing frustration with the lack of progress towards peace, threatening to walk away from brokering the process entirely if he does not see a deal ahead.
"We are ready to meet at the level of leaders. Both the American side knows this, and the Russian side knows this," Zelensky said on Tuesday, ahead of his visit to Germany on Wednesday.
Zelensky said he is open to any configuration of talks. "If Putin is not comfortable with a bilateral meeting, or if everyone wants it to be a trilateral meeting, I don't mind. I am ready for any format," he said.
Trump Blasts Putin Over Strikes
Direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations are expected to continue soon after their first set of negotiations in more than three years took place in Istanbul on May 16, resulting in a mass prisoner swap.
The low-level delegation sent to meet Ukraine's group of high-ranking officials in Turkey had cooled hopes of a major breakthrough on a ceasefire. Zelensky was also in Turkey, offering to meet Putin personally, but the Russian president declined the invitation.
Quote:A Russian military officer once key to Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine who had not been seen in public in an official capacity for nearly two years, has been spotted in Algeria, according to U.K. intelligence officials.
In a post on social media, U.K. intelligence reported Sergei Surovikin attended a military parade in the North African country.
Surovikin, whose reputation for acting brutally earned him the nickname of "General Armageddon" had largely disappeared from public view following a failed June 2023 mutiny and march on Moscow by Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, with whom he was closely associated.
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Reports of Surovikin's arrest following the failed mutiny were never confirmed by Russian authorities but his appearance in Algeria raises questions about his current role in the military and Moscow's footprint in Africa.
What To Know
In its update on Tuesday, the U.K.'s Ministry of Defence said that a "notably thinner" Surovikin appeared in Russian embassy photographs at a Victory Day event in Algeria on May 9.
This was probably his first public appearance in an official role since 2023 and he is likely in the North African country as head of military specialists at the Russian embassy there, U.K. defense officials said.
Surovikin is a former commander of Russian forces in Ukraine and served as commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces. He had been linked to Prigozhin, who had been a vehement critic of Moscow's conduct in the war in Ukraine.
Prigozhin led his Wagner group of mercenaries in a mutiny which saw them stop short of Moscow in a move denounced as "treason" by Putin. U.K. intelligence said Tuesday Russian authorities were probably suspicious of Surovikin's association with Wagner dating back to Moscow's intervention in the Syrian civil war in 2017.
Quote:A Russian school textbook on how to operate drones has been published and will be studied by teenagers as part of the country's educational curriculum.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: 8th and 9th Grades will be taught in technology classes in schools in Russia which has made great leaps in its production of the devices used in Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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As part of Russia's war effort in Ukraine, Moscow has used drones supplied by Iran to target civilian infrastructure. At the same time, Russia has significantly developed its domestic production of drones, as has Ukraine.
The course is a sign of the growing militarization of Russian society and is the latest attempt by the Kremlin to expose children to government messaging.
What To Know
Russia's education ministry approved on April 30 the textbook produced by drone maker Geoscan, which is under U.S. sanctions, in partnership with Prosveshcheniye, Russia's largest schoolbook publisher.
A foundation for intellectual development headed by Putin's youngest daughter, Katerina Tikhonova, acquired a 10 percent stake in Geoscan, Russian outlet Verstka reported in November 2023.
The textbook is part of a national plan to train 1 million drone operators at more than 500 schools and 30 universities by the end of the decade, Moscow Times reported.
"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:One person is dead and 11 others injured following a mass shooting early Sunday morning in the Mountain View community of southwest Catawba County, North Carolina.
According to the Catawba County Sheriff's Office, deputies and Hickory Police officers responded around 12:45 a.m. to reports of multiple people shot at a residence.
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In total, 12 victims have been reported. One person was pronounced dead, another is in critical condition, and several others remain hospitalized, officials said. Local and state-level investigators are currently working at the scene to identify the suspect or suspects involved and determine a motive.
What To Know
Catawba County lies in the western region of the state, approximately an hour north of Charlotte. The shooting took place at a home on a section of Walnut Acres Drive, according to officials statements and images of the residence.
Witnesses report that there was a large party at the residence before the shooting, with around 100 attendees. During the gathering, several individuals began discharging firearms, leading to chaos and panic among the crowd.
Drone footage taken by the North Carolina station WBTV shows the house cordoned with tape, with several law enforcement vehicles parked outside and investigators collecting evidence.
Quote:Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, a Democrat, has drawn criticism from right-wing commentators and social media after making a gesture that bears similarity to the controversial one previously made by Elon Musk and Steve Bannon, for which they faced heavy backlash.
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Musk during President Donald Trump's second inauguration in January made a gesture that many claimed was a Nazi salute, while the tech mogul and his allies defended it as a harmless and well-intentioned gesture meaning "my heart goes out to you." Musk made the gesture twice.
Musk responded at the time to the criticism with a message on X, saying: "Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired."
Bannon, host of the influential War Room podcast and former White House strategist, then made a similar gesture during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February and saying, "fight, fight, fight."
Supporters of Musk and Bannon have also claimed that the pair have made a "Roman salute," which was depicted in 18th and 19th-century art, but there is no historical evidence from ancient Rome that it was a common practice.
What To Know
Booker spoke at a Democratic convention in California on Saturday, ending his speech with a gesture where he put his hand over his heart, then extended his hand out to the crowd – much in the way Musk and Bannon did, though not as forcefully as Musk did it.
The video was first posted by Richie Greenberg, a San Francisco-based political commentator and former GOP mayoral candidate for the city, and quickly spread among MAGA-social media.
Quote:Anew analysis of U.S. Census Bureau figures by real estate company Redfin has found that 49 percent of newly built apartments completed in the last quarter of 2024 hadn't been rented out within three months, the fifth quarter in a row this figure was below 50 percent.
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A near record number of new apartments were completed in the fourth quarter of 2024, which coincided with a year-on-year rent fall of 1 percent in April 2025, according to Redfin.
This suggests a surge in building has provided some relief to renters, but the latest figures could concern developers looking to sell properties.
What To Know
Redfin's analysis of Census Bureau data found 49 percent of newly built apartments that were completed between October and December 2024 hadn't been rented out three months later, a slight rise on the 47 percent recorded for the third quarter of 2024.
Notably, this was the fifth consecutive quarter that the rental adoption rate for newly built apartments was below 49 percent with Redfin saying the market is continuing to "lag behind pre-pandemic norms."
For one- and two-bedroom apartments, 44 percent of the newbuilds had been rented out within three months, compared to larger three-bedroom-plus apartments where the figure was 53 percent.
The analysis also concluded that the vacancy rate for buildings up for rent with five or more units was 8.2 percent in the first quarter of 2025, which tied with the fourth quarter of 2024 as the highest figure since 2021.
Quote:The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has elevated the risk level of a recent cookie recall to Class I—the highest and most serious category—amid concerns over undeclared allergens.
New Grains Gluten Free Bakery announced a product recall that was publicized by the FDA earlier in May. The company found that some of its baked goods, including four types of cookie, may contain eggs, soy, or milk, despite consumers not being advised of this.
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According to the FDA, millions of people in the U.S. have food allergies or food sensitivities. Food sensitivities can range from mild reactions to potentially life-threatening symptoms. The FDA recognizes nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, sesame, fish, tree nuts, crustacean shellfish, peanuts, wheat and soybeans.
The inclusion of these ingredients in a product without proper disclosure poses a serious risk of allergic reactions, which can range from mild discomfort to life-threatening anaphylaxis.
What To Know
The affected products, which include gluten-free varieties of Chocolate Chip, Frosted Sugar, Coconut Macaroon, and Brownie Chocolate Chip cookies, were found to contain undeclared allergens such as egg, milk, and soy.
These allergens were not properly identified on the packaging due to print quality issues that rendered ingredient lists and allergen warnings either unreadable or missing.
Compounding the problem, the lot codes and date codes printed on the cookie packaging were also unreadable or absent, making it difficult for consumers and retailers to identify and isolate affected batches.
Quote:The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) initiated a recall of about 24,000 kitchen faucets made by BASDEHEN and sold on Amazon.com, after tests showed these products could leach dangerous amounts of lead into drinking water.
Why It Matters
Lead is a potent neurotoxin that can cause irreversible health effects, particularly in young children, including cognitive impairment, behavioral issues, and lower IQ. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated that no safe blood lead level in children has been identified. Early action against dangerous consumer products, such as contaminated faucets, is critical to preventing lasting harm and public health crises across American homes.
The recall highlights growing concerns over imported plumbing products and their role in contaminating U.S. drinking water, raising new questions about product oversight, e-commerce platforms, and consumer protections.
What To Know
The CPSC advised consumers to immediately stop using and properly dispose of the affected faucets, which pose a particular risk to infants, young children, and pregnant women, according to a CPSC recall notice. Testing found excessive lead levels in the faucets, with the CPSC urging Americans to check their kitchen and bathroom fixtures for the recalled model.
About 24,000 units are impacted by the recall and were sold on Amazon from May 2024 through May 2025 for about $30.
When reached for comment, the CPSC directed Newsweek to a press release published by the commission on May 15 that warns consumers of nine Chinese-made faucets that pose dangerous lead exposure risks to those who use them.
"These warnings follow a CPSC enforcement sweep targeting dangerous faucets manufactured in China. None of the Chinese firms has agreed to conduct an acceptable recall," the press release said. "Earlier this week, CPSC issued a public health and safety finding to expedite public warnings about these faucets because individuals may be in danger from these product hazards."
Quote:Three different companies' products have been pulled from shelves in the past four days due to concerns about salmonella contamination.
Why It Matters
Salmonella causes symptoms from diarrhea and fever to severe, sometimes life-threatening infections in vulnerable groups. U.S. consumers are being urged to thoroughly inspect their deli, salad, and produce purchases, as healthy individuals are at risk.
The widespread nature of both the distribution and consumption of these products underscores the importance of rapid response and cross-state coordination to contain foodborne outbreaks and protect public health.
What To Know
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced voluntary recalls this week on products made and distributed by Supreme Service Solutions, The Coastal Companies, and Isabelle's Kitchen Inc.
Products withdrawn include fresh cucumbers, salads, salsas, and vegetable trays that were sold to supermarket chains, food service distributors, and local grocers, with official notices warning consumers not to eat, sell, or serve any affected items.
Quote:Millions of residents in Texas, Minnesota, and Michigan are under air quality alerts this weekend as authorities warn of unhealthy levels of ozone and fine particle pollution.
Why It Matters
The alerts come as wildfires are burning across Canada, creating harmful conditions and affecting air quality.
Smoke and airborne pollutants can be especially hazardous for individuals with respiratory conditions.
So far this year, wildfires have scorched over 1.58 million acres in Canada—roughly 40 percent above the 10-year average for this time of year, CNN reported.
What To Know
The air quality issues affecting these three states stem from a combination of factors. In Texas, high temperatures and stagnant atmospheric conditions have created an environment conducive to ozone buildup. In Minnesota and Michigan, strong northerly winds are carrying smoke from the Canadian wildfires, impacting air quality across the Midwest and Great Lakes regions.
Residents in affected areas are advised to check air quality forecasts, limit outdoor activities, avoid exercising outside during peak pollution hours, and use air conditioning systems to keep indoor air clean. Health officials warn that these alerts may extend into the following week if weather conditions persist.
Minnesota
In Minnesota, the entire state is under an Air Quality Alert issued by the state's Pollution Control Agency. It remains in effect until 6 p.m. on Monday, June 2.
Smoke from massive wildfires burning in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada, has been pushed south by northerly winds, blanketing Minnesota in a dense haze.
Quote:President Donald Trump announced Friday that he is doubling the tariff on steel to 50 percent, a sharp escalation that could drive up costs for housing, automobiles, and other steel-based goods as he announced what he called "a blockbuster agreement" to let U.S. Steel merge with Japan's Nippon Steel.
Why It Matters
Trump in March announced that the U.S. would apply a 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, followed shortly by the announcement that he would seek to make a deal with Japanese steel manufacturing firms to acquire Nippon Steel, creating one of the biggest steel manufacture companies in the world.
Some praised the measure as vital to helping breathe fresh life into America's domestic production, while others worried that the increased costs would hurt sectors reliant on steel and aluminum, impacting access to overseas markets in the face of retaliatory measures.
What To Know
Speaking at U.S. Steel's Mon Valley Works–Irvin Plant in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, Trump highlighted Japan's Nippon Steel while defending his administration's trade policies. Since he took office, the price of steel products has risen by approximately 16 percent, according to the government's producer price index.
Trump told workers, "It's headquartered in the great city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where it belongs."
The president announced Nippon Steel's "record-setting" $14 billion commitment to future of the company.
Quote:Egypt, traditionally a U.S. ally, could be seeking to acquire Chinese J-35 fighter jets, according to aviation and defense outlets.
Newsweek has contacted the Egyptian Foreign Ministry and China's State Council Information Office (SCIO) for comment.
Why It Matters
The J-35 fighter jet, modeled after the American F-35, is gaining more appeal as China, competing with the U.S., seeks to expand its influence in South Asia, the Middle East and the broader Arab region.
What To Know
Egyptian Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Abdel Gawad has reportedly shown interest in China's J-35 stealth fighter, according to the Belgian-based Army Recognition Group, which specializes in military analysis.
Reports have not been confirmed by the Egyptian or Chinese authorities.
Retired Egyptian Army Major General Sayed Ghoneim, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi-based Institute for Global Security and Defense Affairs (IGSDA), pointed out to the display of a model of a J-35 during an Egyptian event earlier this month marking 45 years of military ties with China, as an indicator of interest in buying the jets.
According to Ghoneim, Egypt may be pushing against the United States, which has hindered the upgrade and upkeep of Egypt's fighter jet fleet.
Quote:Chinese scientists have developed a new material that could lead to stealthier missiles and combat aircraft.
The technology could potentially compromise the effectiveness of U.S. missile defense systems, including President Donald Trump's much-hyped "Golden Dome."
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The United States is concerned about the growing intercontinental missile (ICBM) stockpiles of nuclear-armed China and Russia, including faster-than-sound hypersonic missiles. These arsenals are expected to become even more capable in the coming years.
Trump has ordered work to begin on the "Golden Dome," a satellite-based missile shield. Beijing has said it's "gravely concerned" about the project, which draws inspiration from the Strategic Defense Initiative, or "Star Wars," proposed by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s during the Cold War.
What To Know
Aircraft and missiles emit strong thermal radiation, created by superheated components such as exhaust nozzles, which raises the risk of detection. These temperatures can also degrade and even destroy the structure of standard materials.
A Chinese research team led by Professor Li Qiang of Zhejiang University detailed a possible solution to this problem in a study published in March.
Their new material is designed to evade both microwave and infrared detection technologies widely used in modern military surveillance, even when exposed to extremely high temperatures, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
To test its stealth potential, the team compared the material to a standard blackbody, or a surface that absorbs various types of radiation.
Even when heated to 700 degrees Celsius (1,292 degrees Fahrenheit), the material emitted a far lower radiation temperature—422 degrees Celsius—than the blackbody's 690 degrees.
Quote:China continues to challenge the United States' maritime containment strategy in the Pacific Ocean by sending an aircraft carrier to contested waters near Japan, a key Washington ally.
Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a news conference on Wednesday that China's naval activities "are entirely in accordance with international law and international practice" and also urged Japan to view the matter "objectively and rationally."
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment by email.
Why It Matters
Under the U.S.'s island chain strategy, three defensive lines are established by leveraging U.S.-aligned territories to restrict China's access to the Pacific Ocean. The closest one to the East Asian power is the first island chain, consisting of Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines.
China has the world's largest navy by hull count, according to a Pentagon report, with more than 370 ships and submarines, including two aircraft carriers in active service. This naval fleet enables China to expand its military presence and reach within and beyond the island chains.
The recent deployment of the Chinese aircraft carrier comes as the U.S. Navy has sent a pair of aircraft carriers to different waters in the western Pacific Ocean this week: the USS Nimitz, operating in the South China Sea, and the USS George Washington, operating near Japan.
What To Know
The Chinese aircraft carrier CNS Liaoning, previously spotted in the East China Sea north of Japan's southwestern Senkaku Islands, passed through the Miyako Strait southeast toward the Philippine Sea on Tuesday, the Joint Staff of the Japanese Defense Ministry announced.
Quote:The United Kingdom is hoping to purchase American-made fighter jets, capable of both carrying and deploying nuclear weapons, according to a report in The Sunday Times.
The British newspaper cited anonymous senior officials familiar with the matter, who said the U.K. intends buying Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning stealth fighter aircraft, but that other options are also being evaluated.
The Sunday Times reported that the potential deal was part of the country's broader strategy to address threats posed by Russia, and that the "highly sensitive" talks between the Pentagon and the Ministry of Defence have been led by Admiral Sir Antony David Radakin, head of the UK's armed forces, and Secretary of State for Defence John Healey.
When contacted for comment, the Ministry of Defence directed Newsweek to an interview given by Healey on Sunday morning, in which he said that such discussions "are not conducted in public," but refused to rule out whether the purchase was an option.
Why It Matters
Combined with other actions taken and statements made by the U.K. government in recent days, including tomorrow's release of the 2025 Strategic Defence Review, the purchase would signal a significant escalation in Britain's assessment of the threats posed by Russia and the urgency of countering these.
Additionally, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has recently set out plans to increase the country's defense budget to 2.5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 2027, up from the current 2.3 percent. This follows calls from NATO officials for member states to devote a greater portion of their budget to counter Russian threats, and similar requests from President Donald Trump
What To Know
According to the U.S. Air Force, the F-35A Lightning possesses a range of more than 1,350 miles and is capable of carrying payloads of up to 18,000 pounds. Variants of the F-35 have already been certified to carry B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bombs, a type of low-yield nuclear munitions.
Having decommissioned its stockpile of tactical, air-delivered nuclear weapons following the end of the Cold War, the U.K. has relied on its "Trident" system as a nuclear deterrent. The arsenal is exclusively capable of being deployed by four Royal Navy Vanguard-class submarines.
Quote:Major Zaur Gurtsiyev, who commanded Russian air operations during the brutal siege of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol has been killed in an explosion in Russia's Stavropol.
Russia's Investigative Committee named Gurtsiyev, 34, as one of the two male victims in the blast on Wednesday night, which they believe was caused by an improvised explosive device.
"Investigators are considering all possible versions of the crime, including a terrorist act," the committee said in a post on Telegram.
...
Why It Matters
Gurtsiyev played a key role in one of the most devastating chapters of Russian President Vladimir Putin's ongoing war in Ukraine. The Russian military assault on Mariupol in March 2022 killed thousands of civilians. Hundreds of thousands of others were trapped for weeks in Russia's siege of the Ukrainian port city, which is located on the Sea of Azov.
Gurtsiyev had also served as deputy mayor of Stavropol.
What To Know
The explosion took place near a residential apartment building. Surveillance footage of the incident circulated by Telegram channels linked to Russian law enforcement agencies purportedly showed the moment Gurtsiyev was caught up in the blast. The video shows one man approaching another near a parking lot.
Quote:Atop Russian official praised North Korean troops for assisting President Vladimir Putin's military in the Ukraine war.
Sergei Shoigu, secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, said the troops deployed by Pyongyang to Russia had fought "valiantly" in the Kursk region, Kremlin newswire Tass reported on Thursday.
Why It Matters
Just months ago, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov dismissed claims by Ukraine and South Korea, denying reports that North Korean troops were involved in the conflict. However, Moscow and Pyongyang issued statements confirming the deployment in April. The praise from Shoigu highlights the growing ties between the two nations amid the ongoing war.
What To Know
Kyiv and Seoul said in December that Pyongyang had deployed an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 servicemen to Russia to fight Ukrainian forces.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Shoigu said the troops deployed to Russia by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un fought as if they were defending their own country.
"They fought for the liberation of our land, as for the liberation of their own land," the former defense minister said, adding that he thanked North Korean officials for their assistance in the border region of Kursk, where Ukraine had launched a cross-border incursion last year.
In April, Moscow said it had repelled Ukrainian forces from the area.
Andriy Kovalenko, an official on Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said in March that North Korean troops were storming the front lines in Kursk in "columns."
Quote:Ukraine will send a delegation to Istanbul for a new round of direct peace talks with Russia on Monday, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Sunday, as the conflict rages on with deadly missile strikes and the largest drone assault of the three-year war.
Ukrainian negotiators plan to present a roadmap for a long-term peace settlement during the upcoming talks in Istanbul, according to a document reviewed by Reuters.
The proposal outlines an initial 30-day ceasefire as a first step, followed by the mutual return of prisoners and the repatriation of Ukrainian children taken to Russian-controlled territory.
A meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin would follow.
...
Why It Matters
The talks come amid mounting tensions after a Ukrainian drone operation reportedly destroyed more than 40 military aircraft's from Putin's war machine deep inside Russian territory. A Ukrainian security official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said the drone strike targeted airfields including the Belaya air base in Irkutsk, located over 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) from Ukraine. It marks the first confirmed Ukrainian drone activity in the region.
What To Know
The official stated the long-range operation was planned over a period of 18 months and was personally overseen by President Zelensky. The drones, hidden in containers and transported by truck, reached their targets without being detected, according to Ukrainian sources.
Quote:A surprise Ukrainian drone attack is being described as "Russia's Pearl Harbor" by some commentators online after 41 military aircraft were hit on Sunday.
...
Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, and mediated by the United States, have remained in a delicate position for months as both sides continue to attack each other despite engaging in discussions to agree a peace deal.
President Donald Trump has regularly voiced his frustration with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, particularly with what Trump has perceived as a potential lack of interest in actually attaining a peace deal.
Zelensky during an explosive argument with Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office in February said that Russia had already blown up previous deals made with Ukraine, and Trump has questioned whether Putin is just "tapping him along" and drawing out negotiations while seeking to prolong the conflict that started in February 2022.
What To Know
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said on Sunday that "enemy strategic bombers are burning en masse in Russia," saying that Ukraine is conducting "a large scale special operation aimed at destroying enemy bomber aircraft," Euro News reported.
The Ukrainian attack follows ground advances by Moscow troops in recent days in Ukraine's Sumy border region.
Trump administration sources told CBS News on Sunday that the White House was not aware that an attack was coming.
"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.
A federal appeals court put the brakes Thursday on a lower court order that overturned most of President Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
A full 11-judge panel on the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit stayed the order by the Manhattan-based Court of International Trade while a White House appeal is heard.
The Court of International Trade had ruled that Trump exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by imposing a 10% flat duty rate on dozens of countries around the world — as well as 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico and 20% tariffs on China in response to illegal fentanyl trafficking.
The tariffs had been challenged by a dozen states and five small businesses — which the appeals panel gave until June 5 to respond to Thursday’s stay.
Wall Street shrugged off the about-face, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing up 117 points, the Nasdaq rising almost 75 points, and the S&P 500 gaining more than 23 points.
Trump slammed the trade court’s ruling as “horrific” and a threat to “presidential power,” in a Truth Social post Thursday night, marking his first public comments on the matter.
“Where do these initial three Judges come from? How is it possible for them to have potentially done such damage to the United States of America?” the president seethed in the 510-word-long post.
“Under this decision, Trillions of Dollars would be lost by our Country,” Trump argued, further describing the ruling “Country threatening” and “so wrong, and so political.”
He expressed hope that the Supreme Court “QUICKLY and DECISIVELY” takes up the case and rules in his favor.
“The pause will not affect the negotiations in any way if people out there in the world simply look at the court decision,” White House trade adviser Peter Navarro told reporters following the order.
“The court was clear, as I said, that [the] President has broad authority to impose tariffs,” he added, in a nod to a passage from the lower court ruling that noted the president has other avenues apart from emergency powers to impose duties on imports.
“This morning, we were getting plenty of phone calls from countries saying, ‘We saw the rule,’ and so what we’re going to continue to [do is] negotiate in good faith,” Navarro continued.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) filed a resolution on Wednesday to expel Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) from the House of Representatives after a federal assault charge was brought against the Democrat earlier this week in connection with her confrontation with law enforcement outside a Newark immigration detention center.
“On May 9th, McIver didn’t just break the law, she attacked the very people who defend it,” Mace said in a statement. “Attacking Homeland Security and ICE agents isn’t just disgraceful, it’s assault.”
“If any other American did what she did, they’d be in handcuffs,” the South Carolina Republican continued. “McIver thinks being a Member of Congress puts her above the law. It doesn’t.”
“She should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Acting New Jersey US Attorney Alina Habba slapped McIver with two felony counts on Monday, accusing the congresswoman of using force to interfere with federal agents during a chaotic protest earlier this month at the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark.
McIver faces up to eight years in prison if convicted of the charges.
Video footage of the scrum released by the Department of Homeland Security shows McIver throwing elbows at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent and striking a Homeland Security Investigations officer in the arm outside the detention center.
McIver, who has represented the Garden State’s 10th Congressional District since September 2024, has denied the allegations, slamming the charges on Monday as “purely political” and blaming federal agents for the confrontation at the ICE-run detention facility.
Longtime Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler slammed President Trump for “sowing chaos” nationwide after federal agents handcuffed one of his aides inside his lower Manhattan office.
The lawmaker’s verbal tirade came after Department of Homeland Security officers entered the Big Apple office Wednesday and accused his staff of “harboring rioters” in a dramatic confrontation caught on video.
“President Trump and the Department of Homeland Security are sowing chaos in our communities, using intimidating tactics against both citizens and non-citizens in a reckless and dangerous manner,” he said in a statement to Politico.
“If this can happen in a Member of Congress’s office, it can happen to anyone — and it is happening.”
The video, obtained by Gothamist, showed one agent aggressively restraining a teary-eyed female staffer, while another employee asked for a warrant and blocked a second officer from entering a private section of the congressional office, located in the same Varick Street building as federal immigration court.
“I’m a federal officer, we’re here checking on something,” the male agent said to the employee standing in his way, the footage showed.
“We have the right to check. You are harboring rioters in the office,” he argued in the heated back-and-forth that ended with the staffer granting him access to the back office.
Nadler said that the “deeply troubling” incident showed a clear violation of legal protocols.
Federal Protective Service officers went to the congressman’s office to conduct a security check after receiving reports that protesters were hiding inside, DHS told The Post in a statement.
. . .
Federal Protective Service officers went to the congressman’s office to conduct a security check after receiving reports that protesters were hiding inside, DHS told The Post in a statement.
So Federal Officers with probable cause after receiving reports of rioters in the building, and Nadler wishes to condemn the officers... and not his staff for harboring them?
President Trump on Friday claimed China “totally violated” a temporary truce with the US to lower tariff rates and trade restrictions for critical minerals as the world’s two largest economies negotiate.
“China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US. So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
He did not specify how China violated the trade agreement, which the two nations reached earlier this month.
. . .
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said trade talks with China have “stalled.”
Both China and the US had slashed their tariff rates on the other by more than 100 percentage points, bringing China’s duty on the US down to 10% from 125% and Trump’s levy on China down to 30% from 145%.
. . .
The US Court of International Trade mentioned in this article had their ruling that hamptered Trump's power overturned by the US Court of Appeals (above).
President Donald Trump made it clear he is losing patience with Vladimir Putin, leveling some of his sharpest criticism at the Russian leader as Moscow pounded Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles for a third straight night.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” Trump wrote in a social media post on Sunday night.
Trump said Putin is “needlessly killing a lot of people,” pointing out that “missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever.”
The attack was the largest aerial assault since Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022, according to Ukrainian officials. At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured.
The U.S. president warned that if Putin wants to conquer all of Ukraine, it will “lead to the downfall of Russia!” But Trump expressed frustration with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well, saying that he is “doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does.”
“Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop,” Trump wrote on social media.
The president has increasingly voiced irritation at Putin and the inability to resolve the now three-year-old war, which Trump promised he would promptly end as he campaigned to return to the White House.
He had long boasted of his friendly relationship with Putin and repeatedly stressed that Russia is more willing than Ukraine to reach a peace deal.
But last month, Trump urged Putin to “STOP!” assaulting Ukraine after Russia launched another deadly barrage of attacks on Kyiv, and he has repeatedly expressed his frustration that the war in Ukraine is continuing.
. . .
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. Supreme Court has unanimously rejected a multibillion-dollar lawsuit filed by the Mexican government that sought to hold American gun manufacturers legally accountable for the rampant cartel violence south of the border.
In a decision authored by Justice Elena Kagan, the Court ruled that Mexico's claims were barred by the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), a 2005 federal statute that largely shields gunmakers and sellers from liability when crimes are committed with their products.
"Today's unanimous Supreme Court decision shutting down this ridiculous lawsuit against our company represents not only a big win for Smith & Wesson, but our industry, American sovereignty and, most importantly, every American who wishes to exercise his or her Second Amendment rights," Smith & Wesson President and CEO Mark Smith told Newsweek in a statement.
"This suit, brought by Mexico in collaboration with U.S.-based anti-Second Amendment activist groups, was an afront to our nation's sovereignty and a direct attack on the Constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans. It is also only the latest example of their strategy of attacking our company and our industry by bringing one frivolous lawsuit after another, in a blatant abuse of our legal system to advance their anti-Constitutional agenda."
Why It Matters
Thousands of firearms found in Mexico have been linked to U.S. manufacturers and dealers in the past, with the weapons fueling violence, which has then led to mass migration into the United States.
What To Know
Big-name manufacturers, such as Smith & Wesson, had appealed to the justices after a lower court allowed the suit filed by the Mexican government to proceed.
Mexico had alleged that America's firearms companies had engaged in business practices that created a supply of firearms that were then smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border and ended up in the hands of cartels, failing to exercise "reasonable care."
Mexico sought to challenge the PLCAA, which was passed by Congress in 2005 and signed into law by then-President George W. Bush.
The country's case was initially dismissed by a Boston federal judge in 2024, but an appeals court overruled Dennis Saylor's decision.
Quote:David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California and SEIU-United Service Workers West's president, was injured and detained by federal agents during a series of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in downtown Los Angeles on Friday.
Newsweek reached out to SEIU via its online form on Saturday for comment.
The Context
As reported by Newsweek, hundreds of people flooded the streets of downtown Los Angeles on Friday following a series of reported raids carried out by ICE earlier that day.
The raids resulted in the detention of at least 44 individuals and sparked protests, with demonstrators clashing with law enforcement. ICE agents used pepper spray and smoke grenades to disperse the protesters.
What To Know
Reports say Huerta was observing and documenting ICE operations when he was allegedly pushed to the ground by federal agents, resulting in a head injury.
ABC News said, at one point, a scuffle broke out involving federal agents, during which Huerta appeared to be pushed and struck his head. In one video, a federal agent is seen pushing him while his hands are at his hips, causing him to fall to the ground.
Huerta was hospitalized for treatment and later transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center, where he remained in custody, the Los Angeles Times said.
A SEIU press release updated Friday, stated: "David Huerta, President of SEIU California and SEIU- United Service Workers West, has been released from the hospital where he was treated for injuries sustained during his arrest and at this time remains in custody."
Quote:House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's call to place active-duty U.S. Marines near Los Angeles on "high alert" amid ongoing protests, saying during a Sunday interview appearance on ABC News that the move is not "heavy-handed."
Newsweek has reached out to Johnson for comment via email on Sunday.
Why It Matters
Federal immigration enforcement operations sparked protests across California for a second day in a row on Saturday. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carried out raids in Paramount, Los Angeles County, following similar actions at several locations throughout other parts of the city on Friday.
The Trump administration has pledged to carry out the largest mass deportation in U.S. history and has conducted numerous ICE raids, some of which have swept up individuals with proper documentation. Earlier this week, protests erupted over claims that detainees were being held in the basement of a federal building—allegations ICE has denied. A spokesperson previously told Newsweek that the agency "categorically refutes the assertions made by immigration activists in Los Angeles."
Some protestors have thrown rocks at law enforcement, with one allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail, as well as burning items in the street. Agents have used tear gas on the crowds.
The clashes highlight deepening conflicts between sanctuary jurisdictions and federal immigration policy, as Trump has implemented sweeping changes through executive orders and utilized the wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expand deportation authority.
President Donald Trump announced the deployment of 2,000 National Guard to quell the protests. California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the move, saying local law enforcement was already mobilized and the presence of the National Guard was "purposefully inflammatory," would "escalate tensions" and "erode public trust."
What To Know
Hegseth said in a Saturday evening post on X, formerly Twitter, that in addition to mobilizing guards, nearby Marines may also be called upon, writing, "And, if violence continues, active-duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert."
Quote:Elon Musk's father Errol has called his son's feud with President Donald Trump a "mistake," saying the pair "have been under incredible stress for five months."
Why It Matters
The world has watched the dramatic fallout between Trump, one of the most powerful men on the planet, and Elon Musk, the world's richest man.
It started with Musk's criticism of Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which he called "outrageous," "pork-filled," and a "disgusting abomination."
Things escalated when Elon Musk claimed on social media, without providing evidence, that Trump was named in files about child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019—something the White House has denied.
What To Know
Errol Musk was in Moscow to speak at the Future Forum 2050, a conference on Russia's development headlined by Alexander Dugin, an ultranationalist firebrand often referred to as "Putin's philosopher".
Musk-senior told Russian media that Elon Musk's comments had been "a mistake," according to the national daily newspaper Izvestia.
"They've been under incredible stress for five months. Give them a break," Errol Musk said. "They had to get rid of the opposition, try to restore normalcy, focus on ordinary matters, and so on. They're exhausted and tense, so something like this isn't unusual."
He went on to say that he believes his son and Trump will come to a resolution soon.
His remarks came after Trump said that the Tesla CEO would face "very serious consequences" if the tech billionaire started to fund Democrats in the wake of their fallout.
Quote:Air quality alerts have been issued across six states on Friday, as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to impact parts of the U.S.
Why It Matters
Health authorities warn that worsening air quality presents a health hazard, especially for vulnerable populations such as children, seniors, and individuals with existing medical conditions.
At least two people have died and tens of thousands have been evacuated in Canada as a result of the blazes, according to reports.
What To Know
The National Weather Service (NWS) published alerts for parts of Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nebraska.
The alerts warned that elevated levels of particulate pollution were anticipated due to smoke from the blazes.
They also advised residents in affected areas, particularly those in sensitive groups, to avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor activities.
Quote:A recall has been issued for thousands of cases of Dr Pepper Zero Sugar that were mislabeled and contained the full-sugar product, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The products were distributed to retailers in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.
Newsweek contacted Keurig Dr Pepper, which owns the product in the United States, and PepsiCo, which bottled the beverages, for comment via email outside of regular working hours.
Why It Matters
This mislabeling poses potential health risks to consumers, particularly for individuals managing conditions like diabetes or those monitoring their sugar intake
The FDA has issued a Class II risk classification for the recall, indicating that the consumption of the mislabeled products may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences.
What To Know
The FDA said the company-initiated recall affects 19,203 cases of Dr Pepper Zero Sugar 12-fluid ounce cans, sold in 12-pack and 24-pack cartons.
The affected cans were produced at a Pepsi bottling facility in Jacksonville, Florida, which is licensed to manufacture Keurig Dr Pepper products, according to the FDA.
The affected products have the product code XXXXRS05165, and a best-by date of February 16, 2026.
The recall was initiated on May 23, 2025, and the FDA classified it as a Class II recall on June 5, 2025.
A can of regular Dr Pepper contains 39 grams of sugar, while the Zero Sugar version has zero grams, but contains the artificial sweeteners aspartame and acesulfame potassium.
Quote:August Egg Company has issued a recall on Friday for 1,700,000 brown cage-free and certified organic brown eggs due to potential fears of salmonella.
Newsweek reached out to the company after hours via phone Friday night for comment.
Why It Matters
Numerous recalls have been initiated this year due to the potential for the following: damaged products, foodborne illness, contamination and undeclared food allergens.
Millions of Americans experience food sensitivities or food allergies every year. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the nine "major" food allergens in the U.S. are eggs, milk, fish, wheat, soybeans, Crustacean shellfish, sesame, tree nuts and peanuts.
The FDA warns that salmonella is an organism that could cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in frail or older people, young children and those with weakened immune systems.
What To Know
The FDA says in its alert that some of the eggs were distributed to grocery stores including Save Mart, FoodMaxx, Lucky, Smart & Final, Safeway, Raleys, Food 4 Less and Ralphs.
Those eggs were distributed from February 3, 2025, to May 15, 2025, with sell by dates of March 4, 2025, and June 4, 2025, in both California and Nevada.
The FDA says additional eggs were distributed from February 3, 2025, to May 6, 2025, with sell by dates of March 4, 2025, and June 19, 2025, in Walmart stores in Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, California, Washington, Nevada, Arizona and Wyoming.
Quote:Kroger has announced recalls of multiple products in May, citing concerns including potential salmonella contamination to manufacturing defects.
The products range from food to kitchen items and kids' jewelry, and the recalls affect Kroger locations and its subsidiary stores nationwide.
Dinty Moore Beef Stew
Cans of Dinty Moore Beef Stew, 20 oz, produced by Hormel Foods Corporation, have been recalled due to the possibility that the products may be contaminated with foreign matter.
The recall impacts Kroger stores in Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, West Virginia and Kentucky.
It also affects subsidiary stores that stock the products, such as Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Food4Less, FoodsCo and Smith's.
The recalls were issued on May 29 and May 30.
Customers who have purchased the products are advised not to eat them and can return them for a full refund. They can be identified by their product code 37600-21583 and a best buy date of February 2028.
Cucumbers, Vegetable Platters and Salad Trays
Kroger stores have recalled several salad items following a cucumber recall from Bedner Growers due to possible salmonella contamination.
The items are:
Deli Fresh Veg Tray Medium
Deli Spring Mix Salad Tray
BRHD Hummus Veg Platter Small
BRHD Hummus Veg Platter Medium
Cucumbers
The products were recalled on May 21 and affected stores in the Greater Memphis area of Tennessee, as well as Arkansas, Mississippi, and Western Kentucky.
Kroger stated that any of these salad items purchased between May 8 and 21, as well as cucumbers purchased between May 14 and 21, should not be consumed.
Quote:Albertsons Companies has issued a voluntary recall of multiple store-prepared Greek salad products sold across 12 states and Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified the alert as a Class I recall—its highest and most urgent warning level.
The salads were made using cucumbers linked to a multistate salmonella outbreak traced back to Bedner Growers Company.
Newsweek has contacted Albertsons, via email, and Bedner Growers Company, via online contact form, for comment.
Why It Matters
A Class I recall is reserved for products that pose a serious health risk with a "reasonable probability" of causing illness or even death if consumed. The recalled Greek salads were sold under several store brands in high-traffic northeastern grocery chains.
The FDA warning elevates the urgency for consumers who may still have the product in their refrigerators, particularly those with compromised immune systems, children, and elderly individuals more vulnerable to foodborne illnesses.
What to Know
Recalled Products:
AMCE Greek Salad AUTHENTIC FS
Sold refrigerated in clear plastic containers by the pound
UPC: 293070 #####
READY MEALS Greek Salad SS
Sold refrigerated in clear plastic containers by the pound
UPC: 292483 #####
Star Market Greek Salad FS
Sold refrigerated in clear plastic containers by the pound
Quote:Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been returned to the United States to face criminal charges more than two months after being mistakenly deported to El Salvador, the Department of Justice confirmed Friday.
The 29-year-old has been indicted by a grand jury in the U.S. for allegedly transporting undocumented migrants. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said during a press briefing that Abrego Garcia worked for nine years as a human trafficker.
"Our government presented El Salvador with an arrest warrant, and they agreed to return him to our country," Bondi said. "We are grateful to President Bukele for agreeing to return him to our country to face these very serious charges. This is what American justice looks like."
Abrego Garcia's legal team later said they had not been informed by the government about their client's return, finding out through the press.
"The government disappeared Kilmar to a foreign prison in violation of a court order. Now, after months of delay and secrecy, they're bringing him back, not to correct their error but to prosecute him," attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said in a statement. "Due process means the chance to defend yourself before you're punished, not after. This is an abuse of power, not justice."
Why It Matters
Abrego Garcia was among the 230 migrants who were deported to El Salvador in March, where they were initially at the maximum-security Terrorism Confinement Center, known as CECOT.
The Trump administration has faced increasing pressure from the courts and Democrats to return the El Salvadoran immigrant who had been living in Maryland since he arrived in the U.S. illegally in 2011.
What To Know
A sealed indictment, filed in a Tennessee federal court last month, states that 29-year-old Abrego Garcia is part of an elaborate, decade-long conspiracy to transport thousands of undocumented migrants, including children and some gang members, across the country from Texas, the DOJ said.
Quote:The United States fetched Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador on Friday, nearly three months after his mistaken deportation, charging the Maryland-based migrant who became a flashpoint in the Trump administration's immigration policies with federal human trafficking crimes.
The 29-year-old Salvadoran national is accused of taking part in a human smuggling ring for around nine years, according to a Tennessee grand jury indictment filed on May 21. The indictment was made public on Friday, as Abrego Garcia was en route to the U.S. to be arraigned.
Friday afternoon, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Abrego Garcia had landed back in the U.S. "to face justice", after the Trump administration previously avoided facilitating his return from his home country despite an order by the U.S. Supreme Court.
His attorneys said at a media briefing Friday evening that the government was playing "dirty tricks".
Why It Matters
After it emerged Abrego Garcia was deported following an "administrative error" under the Alien Enemies Act, the Trump administration insisted that he was a known MS-13 gang member and criminal, despite not presenting evidence. The indictment finally lays out the allegations against him.
What To Know
The ten-page indictment filed in Tennessee charges Abrego Garcia with:
Conspiracy to transport aliens
Unlawful transportation of undocumented aliens
Bondi said Abrego Garcia would be tried on these charges and, if found guilty, serve a sentence in the U.S. before being returned to El Salvador.
Abrego Garcia's legal team told reporters Friday evening that he would be rigorously defending the allegations against him.
What Did Abrego Garcia Allegedly Do?
The indictment alleges that between 2016 and 2025, Abrego Garcia and a group of others "conspired to bring undocumented aliens to the United States from countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Ecuador, and elsewhere." These migrants passed through Mexico before reached the U.S.
The Salvadoran allegedly used cell phones and social media to coordinate the operation, taking payments from the individuals they were smuggling.
The indictment repeats the claim that Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang, linked to the aforementioned countries and originating out of Los Angeles, and that he used his status within the gang to "further his criminal activity".
Quote:A California appeals court has ruled that it is illegal for drivers to hold a cellphone while using a navigation app—even if they are not tapping or swiping.
Why It Matters
The ruling significantly broadens the scope of California's distracted driving law and could impact thousands of drivers who routinely glance at maps while holding their phones.
What To Know
The court determined that simply holding a phone and looking at a map while driving qualifies as "operating" the device under California law—making it a ticketable offense.
Mounted phones that are operated with a single swipe are still permitted, but holding a phone at any point while driving, even passively, now crosses the legal line, according to the ruling.
The ruling stems from the case of Nathaniel Gabriel Porter, who was ticketed after he was seen holding his phone in his left hand while looking at a mapping app. Although he was not interacting with the phone's screen, a police officer pulled him over and issued a $158 fine.
Porter contested the ticket, and a lower court initially sided with him, ruling that "merely observing GPS directions on the phone does not constitute the kind of active use or manipulation to trigger an infraction." But the appellate court reversed that decision, ruling that the law's intent goes beyond physical manipulation of the phone.
"When legislators adopted the current state law prohibiting drivers from 'operating' a cellphone while driving, they did so 'to reduce distracted driving resulting from advancements in modern phones and to encourage drivers to keep their eyes on the road,'" the court wrote.
Under the statute, passed in 2016, drivers must use mounted devices if they wish to access their phones for any reason, including navigation. Fines can start at $20 for a first offense but often increase because of additional fees and penalties.
Quote:President Donald Trump took a victory lap on Friday after an appeals court ruled that he can bar the Associated Press (AP) from attending certain White House events.
The Context
The Trump administration in February barred the AP from covering events in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One and other restricted areas because the news outlet refused to comply with Trump's directive to call the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America."
The AP filed a lawsuit in response, saying that the administration violated the First and Fifth amendments by retaliating against the outlet for its editorial decisions.
What To Know
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia paused a lower court's order that had lifted the White House ban on the news agency's journalists and photographers.
"We grant in part the government's motion for a stay pending appeal," the panel of judges said in their ruling.
"Big WIN over AP today," Trump wrote on his social media website, Truth Social. "They refused to state the facts or the Truth on the GULF OF AMERICA. FAKE NEWS!!!"
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden initially denied the AP's request for an immediate restraining order but granted a preliminary injunction in April, ordering the White House to restore the AP's access to presidential events. McFadden emphasized in his ruling that the government cannot exclude journalists based on their viewpoints.
The Trump administration appealed McFadden's order and the appeals court ruled in a 2-1 decision Friday that the administration can bar AP journalists from some areas, like the Oval Office and Air Force One, while the lawsuit works its way through the courts.
Quote:Prosecutors released new excerpts from Luigi Mangione's spiral notebook, detailing the alleged killer's motive for targeting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
A Wednesday court filing described detailed planning and ideological motivations, including Mangione's stated desire to avoid civilian casualties.
Mangione, 27, was arrested five days after Thompson was shot and killed outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on December 4, 2024. Authorities have characterized the crime as premeditated and politically motivated, and the evidence is now at the center of upcoming court proceedings.
Newsweek reached out to Mangione's legal team for comment.
Why It Matters
The killing of Thompson, CEO of the country's largest health insurer, has highlighted deep public frustration with the American health insurance system and ignited debate over the potential for violent acts as a form of protest.
In the wake of the crime, health insurance employees expressed heightened fears for their safety. The case has drawn both public condemnation and some support for Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges in his federal and state cases.
What To Know
According to the court filing, Mangione's diary entries chronicled months of planning. He allegedly surveilled Thompson near the Midtown hotel the night before the killing.
An August 15, 2024, entry read: "I finally feel confident about what I will do. The details are coming together. And I don't feel any doubt about whether it's right/justified. I'm glad in a way that I've procrastinated bc it allowed me to learn more about UHC."
It said that after considering another target, he chose the health insurance industry.
"The target is insurance. It checks every box," the August entry read.
Mangione's red notebook, seized during his arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania, contained statements allegedly explaining his rationale for targeting UnitedHealthcare and seeking maximum public impact. He reasoned that attacking the CEO at an annual investor event was "targeted, precise and doesn't risk innocents."
Quote:Wes Moore, the Governor of Maryland, has said there is "no evidence" the 2,000-gallon (7,570-liter) diesel fuel spill in Baltimore's harbor is currently impacting drinking water.
Crews in Baltimore were racing to contain the fuel spill that began at Johns Hopkins Hospital and spread over a mile to a marina in the city's harbor, prompting a coordinated response from local, state and federal agencies through the night and during Thursday morning.
Moore, writing on X, said: "UPDATE ON OIL SPILL: As of this morning, we have no evidence to suggest there is any impact on drinking water in the area.
"But we still have more work to do.
"We ask that everyone use alternate routes AWAY from Harbor East to help ensure our emergency crews can do their jobs."
Quote:Former President Joe Biden has called the investigation into his competence to serve during his term in the White House "nothing more than a distraction."
President Donald Trump directed the White House on Wednesday to probe Biden's executive actions, including pardons and the alleged use of an autopen for signatures. The inquiry also alleges Biden's top aides masked his "cognitive decline."
"Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn't is ridiculous and false," Biden said in a statement.
"This is nothing more than a distraction by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans who are working to push disastrous legislation that would cut essential programs like Medicaid and raise costs on American families, all to pay for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and big corporations."
Why It Matters
Trump's order marks a significant escalation in his targeting of political adversaries, and could lay the groundwork for claims that a range of Biden's actions as president were invalid.
However, the president's pardon power is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, and Trump has presented no evidence that Biden was unaware of the actions taken in his name.
What To Know
In a memorandum on Wednesday, Trump ordered his White House counsel, in consultation with the attorney general, to investigate whether "certain individuals conspired to deceive the public about Biden's mental state and unconstitutionally exercise the authorities and responsibilities of the President."
The memo said the investigation would look into "any activity" to "purposefully shield" the public from information about Biden's physical and mental health, documents that were signed by autopen, and those who directed the use of it.
Trump has frequently suggested that Biden was wrong to use an autopen, a mechanical device that replicates a person's authentic signature.
The Justice Department, under both Democratic and Republican administrations, has recognized the use of an autopen to sign legislation and issue pardons for decades.
Biden's age and health were top concerns among voters during his presidency.
Quote:President Donald Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to join talks on Iran's nuclear program and may help bring the negotiations to a close. In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump described an "over hour-long" call with Putin, during which they discussed Iran, nuclear weapons, and Russia's response to a Ukrainian drone strike.
Trump wrote both leaders agreed that Iran "cannot have a nuclear weapon," and claimed Putin suggested he could "be helpful" in reaching a quick resolution. He also accused Iran of "slow walking" talks and urged urgency.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House as well as the Kremlin and Iran's foreign ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
An offer from Putin to join the nuclear negotiations would coincide with a growing strategic alliance between Russia and Iran, both of which seek to counter Western power.
Russia's entrance into the nuclear talks could add pressure to Iran, but it could also shift the diplomatic balance away from Washington's preferred framework. It also marks a moment where Moscow, despite its war in Ukraine and increasing isolation from the West, asserts its role in shaping high-stakes global security issues.
What to Know
According to Trump, Putin said he would be willing to join discussions and "could, perhaps, be helpful" in pushing Iran toward a final nuclear agreement. While Russia was previously a party to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—a multilateral agreement that placed limits on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief—it has taken a backseat amid shifting diplomatic dynamics and the U.S. withdrawal under Trump's prior administration.
After the call, Putin aide Yury Ushakov confirmed Trump's account, saying the U.S. president believed "Russia's assistance may be necessary" and would welcome Moscow working with the Iranian side.
Quote:A North Carolina high school student who was suspended in April 2024 for using the term "illegal alien" during class has secured a $20,000 settlement, a public apology, and the removal of references to racial bias from his school record, according to court documents first obtained by The Carolina Journal.
The settlement between the Davidson County Board of Education and the student's family is pending judicial approval in federal court.
"On Friday, we filed a motion asking the court to approve a settlement that would resolve this matter. Because Christian is a minor, a court hearing is required before the settlement can become final," Dean McGee, Senior Counsel for Educational Freedom, Liberty Justice Center, which is representing student Christian McGhee, adding, "We'll have more to say after that hearing, which is currently scheduled for July 1st. We're pleased to take this important step toward clearing our client's name."
Newsweek reached out to the school district via email for comment on Wednesday.
Why It Matters
This case raised national questions about free speech, students' rights, and school discipline policies in the United States.
The legal dispute tested the limits of First Amendment protections in educational settings, and the resulting settlement has been cited as a notable development in debates over language, race, and disciplinary practices in public schools.
The story has garnered widespread media attention and sparked discussion about the balance between promoting inclusive school environments and safeguarding constitutionally protected speech.
What To Know
The Davidson County Board of Education agreed to issue a public apology, pay $20,000 in compensation, and expunge all references to racial bias from the student's school records as part of a lawsuit settlement, according to filings with the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina.
Quote:Eight young adults have been charged in connection with a mass shooting at a North Carolina house party earlier this month, with four facing more than 10 counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to the Catawba County Sheriff's Office.
Several others have been charged with aiding and abetting and accessary.
Newsweek has reached out to the Catawba County Sheriff's Office and the FBI Charlotte office for comment via email on Saturday.
The Context
Law enforcement responded to reports of people being shot at a residence in Catawba County, approximately an hour north of Charlotte, around 12:45 a.m. on June 1. Twelve victims were reported, one of whom died.
"The investigation indicates more than one shooter was involved in the incident," Major Aaron Turk of the Catawba County Sheriff's said in a June 1 press conference, later noting that "more than 80 shots were fired."
An estimated 130 to 160 mass shootings have occurred in the United States so far this year, according to data from the Mass Shooting Tracker and the Gun Violence Archive.
What To Know
Over the past week, law enforcement officials, working with the FBI, have arrested several people in connection with the shooting, for charges related to attempted murder, accessory, and aiding and abetting.
Although the victims at the party range in age from 16 to 58, the suspects are young adults. The deceased victim has been identified as 58-year-old Shawn Patrick Hood of Lenoi, North Carolina.
Quote:The Kremlin confirmed a Ukrainian attack on the Kerch Bridge that connects Russia to Crimea, but said the crossing remains operational and there was no damage, despite video footage capturing the moment an underwater explosion rocked the structure.
Ukraine's security service (SBU) revealed on June 3 it had carried out a special operation targeting the Crimean bridge, saying it had mined the underwater supports and the explosions left it "in disrepair." It was followed by a naval drone attack.
It was the third attack against the Crimean Bridge—a strategically important road and rail structure, and a symbol of Moscow's occupation of the Ukrainian peninsula—since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Why It Matters
The Crimean Bridge is a critical supply and transport route for Russian forces in their ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The Kerch Bridge is also a physical representation of Moscow's view that the peninsula is an inseparable part of Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. Ukraine regards Crimea as its territory and the Russian occupation as temporary, and says it will never recognize Moscow's sovereignty.
What to Know
The SBU's latest operation against the bridge follows its mass drone strike on Russia's nuclear-capable strategic bombers on June 1—dubbed by some observers as "Russia's Pearl Harbor"—delivering a double blow for Moscow.
In a post on Telegram, the SBU said its agents had mined the underwater supports of the bridge in an operation months in the planning, detonating the first device at 4:44 a.m. local time on Tuesday.
The SBU said it had "badly damaged" those supports with the explosives, which had the blast equivalent of 1,100 kilograms of TNT. "In fact, the bridge is in disrepair," the SBU said.
Quote:China urged all parties involved in the Russia-Ukraine war to cool down the conflict in response to Kyiv's stunning Operation Spiderweb against Russian airfields, which destroyed a number of Moscow's strategic nuclear bombers deep inside Russia.
The operation has been dubbed "Russia's Pearl Harbor" because of its shock value and significance. Ukraine said it hit 41 aircraft in total, causing an estimated $7 billion of damage, in a major material and psychological blow to Russian security.
Russia and China have deepened their strategic partnership over the course of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Beijing has supported Russia's war economy through large-scale oil purchases after Western allies imposed tough sanctions over the invasion.
Asked by Newsweek about the recent Ukrainian operation, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC, said China's position is "consistent and clear".
"It calls on all parties to abide by the 'three principles' for cooling down the situation, namely, no spillover of the battlefield, no escalation of the conflict and no fanning the flames," the spokesperson said.
"China will continue to maintain communication with the international community and play a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the crisis."
Quote:Kazakhstan's defense ministry said it is investigating the "appearance of unidentified objects in the sky," after footage widely circulated on social media claimed to show a botched launch of Moscow's experimental Oreshnik missile.
Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry via email for comment.
Why It Matters
Russia fired its Oreshnik missile for the first time at Ukraine in November, targeting a Ukrainian military site in the central city of Dnipro.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described the missile as a new hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), able to travel long distances at 10 times the speed of sound, or Mach 10.
Ukrainian authorities initially reported Moscow had fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and had traveled up to Mach 11. The Pentagon later said the missile was modeled on Russia's RS-26 Rubezh ICBM.
Moscow said the missile was impossible to intercept and able to carry nuclear warheads. Footage showed the missile carried six warheads which slammed into different targets close to one another in Dnipro.
Ukraine on Sunday launched coordinated drone attacks on multiple Russian air bases across the country, with one official claiming to have destroyed 13 Russian aircraft.
Quote:During his Wednesday phone call with President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to respond to Ukraine's large-scale drone strike on military aircraft.
Trump shared details of his 75-minute call with Putin in a post to Truth Social.
Despite Putin's threat, Trump described the call as a "good conversation" but acknowledged it was not one "that will lead to immediate Peace."
Why It Matters
Ukraine's operation "Spider's Web" saw a large-scale and simultaneous series of drone strikes against air bases in Russia on Sunday. SBU sources said the strike attacks included Belaya Air Base in Irkutsk Oblast, 2,500 miles from the front line in Ukraine.
The drones were transported to Russia, hidden in trucks with retractable roofs, which were parked near the air bases. The drones were then launched remotely. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the strikes had destroyed 34 percent of Russia's strategic cruise missile carriers.
Pro-Russian military bloggers compared the strikes to the Imperial Japanese Navy's December 7, 1941, attack on Hawaii's Pearl Harbor.
What Did Trump and Putin Discuss?
Wednesday's phone call was the first time Trump has spoken to Putin since he warned the Russian leader he was "playing with fire" by attacking Ukraine during peace talks.
Trump said he spoke to Putin for more than an hour, with the pair discussing the recent attacks as well as "other attacks that have been taking place by both sides."
Quote:Russia plans to seize half of Ukraine by the end of next year, according to Kyiv, which has released a map outlining purported territorial expansion plans that could put Moscow on a collision course with President Donald Trump's repeated calls for peace talks.
Ukrainian Presidential Office Deputy Head Colonel Pavlo Palisa made the claims, and they were followed by Trump warning that he would use further sanctions against Moscow if the war dragged on.
Newsweek has contacted the White House and the Kremlin for comment.
Why It Matters
The map presented by Kyiv shows territorial intentions far beyond the formal demands Moscow has made before it would agree to a ceasefire. But Trump has warned of further sanctions on Russia if it drags out peace negotiations.
A bipartisan sanctions bill in the U.S. seeks to impose a 500-percent levy on imports from countries that buy Russian oil and raw materials.
What To Know
Palisa told reporters Thursday that Russia intends to capture all of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts by September 1 and create a buffer zone along the northern Ukrainian-Russian border by the end of this year.
Palisa also said Moscow intended to occupy all of Ukraine on the east (left) bank of the Dnieper River and capture the regions of Odesa and Mykolaiv by the end of 2026, which would deprive Ukraine of access to the Black Sea.
Why It Matters
The map presented by Kyiv shows territorial intentions far beyond the formal demands Moscow has made before it would agree to a ceasefire. But Trump has warned of further sanctions on Russia if it drags out peace negotiations.
A bipartisan sanctions bill in the U.S. seeks to impose a 500-percent levy on imports from countries that buy Russian oil and raw materials.
What To Know
Palisa told reporters Thursday that Russia intends to capture all of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts by September 1 and create a buffer zone along the northern Ukrainian-Russian border by the end of this year.
Palisa also said Moscow intended to occupy all of Ukraine on the east (left) bank of the Dnieper River and capture the regions of Odesa and Mykolaiv by the end of 2026, which would deprive Ukraine of access to the Black Sea.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) published a map Palisa had presented. It pointed to Moscow's plans to seize roughly 85,000 additional square miles of Ukrainian territory and hold a total of 129,000 square miles by the end of 2026, over half the total area of Ukraine.
Yuriy Boyechko, founder of Hope for Ukraine, which helps those living on the front line, told Newsweek that Moscow will not stop its current offensive until December and warned that it will occupy new regions of Ukraine by the end of 2025.
However, the Washington, D.C., think tank ISW said Friday that Russian forces are highly unlikely to be able to make the advances Palisa suggested in this time frame, given the current pace of Moscow's advances, and if Ukraine continues to receive Western aid.
The ISW said that Palisa's map suggests Moscow will try to seize and leverage positions in Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions to push on and capture all of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Quote:Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview that aired on Sunday revealed the difficulty that followed the high-profile blowup between himself and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office in late February.
Zelensky, speaking with ABC News' Martha Raddatz in Ukraine, described the situation as "quite complicated" as he had to try and repair relations with his American counterpart.
"It's important that I defend my position and I was trying to do that in the Oval Office," he said.
Why It Matters
Trump had said he would end the conflict in Ukraine within 24 hours of retaking office, but later he admitted that the situation was fairly complicated, at times saying that Ukraine is "more difficult, frankly, to deal with." Trump also said he worried Russian President Vladimir Putin may be trying to drag out peace negotiations while pressing on with the war that began in February 2022.
The lack of progress has prompted Trump to start taking a more laid-back approach to the conflict, best encapsulated last week when he compared the warring nations to "young children fighting like crazy...in a park."
"You try to pull them apart and they don't want to be pulled apart," he said. "Sometimes you have to let them fight for a while."
What To Know
Trump and Zelensky had a falling out on February 28 when the Ukrainian leader visited the White House to sign a deal that would grant the U.S. access to his country's vast mineral reserves in a move the U.S. assured would create strong economic ties and deepen the threat to Russia continuing to escalate the conflict.
In the now-famous exchange, Zelensky asked about the value of deals when Putin had broken previously agreed upon ones, which in turn provoked an angry response from Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Trump declared that Zelensky had "no cards" to play in the conflict and needed the U.S. to have any chance of survival.
Quote:Kharkiv has been hit by a barrage of Russian drones, missiles and bombs in what has been described as the biggest attack Ukraine's second-largest city has faced in Vladimir Putin's invasion.
"Kharkiv is facing the most powerful attack it has had in the entire full-scale war," posted Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov on Telegram after strikes overnight Friday that other officials said had killed at least three people and injured 19.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
Russia launched a mass missile and drone strike against Ukraine the previous night, which targeted major cities, including the capital Kyiv, and the far-western regions.
There had been anticipation over Moscow's response to Ukraine's bold drone attacks earlier in the week, dubbed Operation Spiderweb, which Kyiv said had taken out of commission one-third of Russia's air-bomber fleet. Later attacks also damaged the construction of the Kerch Bridge between Russia and Crimea.
What To Know
Kharkiv Oblast is in Ukraine's northeast and located along the war's front line, is a regular target of Russian missile, drone, and glide-bomb attacks from across the border.
At least 40 explosions were reported across Kharkiv overnight Friday, as civilian targets were struck by drones, including a nine-story residential building, local enterprise, a home, and other facilities, officials said.
Terekhov reported that 48 Shahed drones, two missiles, and four guided aerial bombs were launched toward the city, in particular its Osnovyanskyi and Kyiv districts.
At least three people were killed and 18 injured. Among the latter were two children, including a 1-month-old baby, according to local authorities.
Quote:Ukraine has struck a Russian train carrying military equipment, destroying 13 tanks and more than 100 armored vehicles
The Southern Defense Forces of Ukraine posted about the Saturday attack, along with multiple others, on social media.
Why It Matters
Ukraine's attack marks a significant tactical gain as it continues to pressure Russian logistics and supply chains.
The strike on a Russian freight train transporting military equipment—particularly locomotives hauling armored units—deals a substantial blow to Moscow's ability to reinforce its front-line positions quickly.
What To Know
Kyiv also had to "repel" multiple Russian assaults, the Southern Defense Forces of Ukraine said, with five taking place near Malynivka and toward Poltavka.
Two Russian attacks near Piatykhatky and toward Pavlivka "on the position of our defenders" were described as "useless."
In the 24 hours leading up to Saturday, Ukraine recorded more than 800 Russian attacks using different types of kamikaze drones and had itself carried out more than 350 drone strikes, dropping around 450 munitions.
In the southern region, Russian forces carried out 12 airstrikes in the past 24 hours with a total of 47 guided bombs hitting settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Front-line towns and villages in the Mykolaiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions were hit by artillery and drone attacks.
In total, 41 attacks were recorded in 22 different places. In the Kherson region, two people were killed and 10 others were injured due to the shelling, according to Kyiv.
Russian forces would also purportedly try to seize Kherson Oblast and create a "buffer zone" along the border in northern Ukraine by the end of this year.
But neither of these scenarios is likely in this period, the ISW said. In Donetsk, Russia had only advanced around 30 miles from the outskirts of Avdiivka in the last 15 months. Moscow would struggle to capture the rest of Kherson region, which required crossing the Dnieper River, the ISW added.
Quote:Russian soldiers have advanced into Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, the Moscow's Defense Ministry has said.
Why It Matters
Moscow is pushing into new territory in a region which has remained under Ukrainian control throughout the conflict, while simultaneously blaming Ukraine for stalling peace negotiations.
Russian control of the Dnipropetrovsk region, just west of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia, would mean a threat to Kyiv from the southeast.
What To Know
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a post on Telegram on Sunday: "Units of the 90th Tank Division of the Center Forces Group have reached the western border of the Donetsk People's Republic and continue to develop the offensive in the territory of the Dnipropetrovsk region."
Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) maps do not yet show the invasion of the Dnipropetrovsk region, according to analysis by the independent Russia-language news channel Agency News.
However, the maps show that the combat zone is located in close proximity to the region's border, according to OSINT project DeepState.
Pro-Russian blogger Yuriy Podolyaka wrote about the announcement on Telegram, saying: "As they say in such cases, now officially…But in fact, we have already entered there on a fairly wide front."
Russian TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov was one of several who previously claimed that the Russian army had entered Dnipropetrovsk in May.
Quote:Moscow's economy is sliding toward the brink of "stagflation," according to a new report published by a Russian economics research organization close to the country's government.
The report's author, Dmitry Belousov, head of analysis and forecasting of macroeconomic processes at the Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-Term Forecasting (CAMAC), said that the "economic dynamics" in Russia are "rapidly declining, with a risk of a technical recession in the second and third quarters" of 2025.
Why It Matters
After the invasion of Ukraine, Russia's economy has been seriously affected by sanctions imposed by Western countries trying to cripple its ability to finance the war, but it crucially avoided entering a recession. Now, however, the economy is facing a risky combination of factors—including rising prices, slowing growth and an acute labor shortage—that is threatening its stability and outlook.
In a sign that the Kremlin is aware of how fragile the country's economic position currently is, Russia's central bank cut its key interest rate to 20 percent on Friday, down from a two-decade high of 21 percent.
What To Know
According to the report released earlier this week and authored by Belousov, GDP growth in Russia slowed down to 1.4 percent in Q1 2025 compared to a year earlier. While inflation is slowing down, it remains very high, at 9.8 percent.
While slowing investments in machinery and equipment has played into this slowdown, Belousov said that it has been accelerated by "growing problems in construction," with the number of new projects now declining, and falling consumer demand, especially when it comes to non-food products. According to the report, consumer spending has been stagnating since mid-2024.
Quote:A United States amphibious warship capable of projecting military power from sea to shore has begun its transit to Japan—the U.S.'s ally in Northeast Asia—for forward deployment.
The deployment of USS Tripoli—an America-class amphibious assault ship—demonstrates Washington's commitment to the defense of Japan, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said on Monday. It added, "The security environment in the Indo-Pacific requires the most capable ships."
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Defense and Foreign ministries for comment by email.
Why It Matters
According to the U.S. Navy, amphibious warships are "capable of sailing in harm's way" and enabling rapid combat power buildup ashore in the face of opposition. The Tripoli and other U.S. amphibious assault ships resemble small aircraft carriers, as they can carry fighter jets.
China, which challenges the U.S.'s naval dominance in the western Pacific Ocean with the world's largest navy by hull count, has been rapidly building its own amphibious force for a potential island-landing campaign across the contested Taiwan Strait and South China Sea.
Japan, which hosts 55,000 U.S. military personnel, is part of the first island chain—along with Taiwan and the Philippines—under the U.S.'s maritime containment strategy, which seeks to restrict China's access to the wider Pacific Ocean through U.S.-aligned territories.
What To Know
The Tripoli departed Naval Base San Diego in California on May 19 to forward-deploy to Sasebo in Japan, the U.S. Pacific Fleet announced, adding that the deployment was part of a "scheduled rotation" of forces in the region, as the Tripoli would replace its sister ship, USS America.
Quote:The Philippines has released footage showing Chinese maritime forces operating near its largest outpost in the South China Sea's disputed Spratly Islands archipelago.
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Philippine military for comment via written requests.
Why It Matters
China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, citing "historical rights," which puts it at odds with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and Indonesia. In 2016, an arbitral tribunal in the Hague dismissed the sweeping claims featured in China's "nine-dashed line" map as incompatible with maritime law. Beijing rejected the decision.
The Philippines has mounted a stiff challenge to expanding Chinese activities in its exclusive economic zone. The resulting standoffs between Chinese and Philippine government vessels have raised concerns that Manila's Mutual Defense Treaty with Washington could pull the U.S. into a conflict with its East Asian rival.
What To Know
On Wednesday, the People's Television Network, a Philippine state-owned broadcaster, released footage showing Chinese vessels operating off the coast of Thitu Island, well within the 12-nautical-mile (13.8-mile) territorial sea claimed by Manila.
The ships included a Chinese coast guard cutter, a People's Liberation Army Navy warship and what appeared to be two vessels from China's so-called Maritime Militia. The agency did not specify when the footage was taken.
Administered by the Philippines since 1971, Thitu is the largest of the Spratly Islands under the country's control and hosts a small permanent population.
Quote:Chinese officials responded to complaints on Thursday over export controls on rare earth elements—a group of metals crucial to a range of technologies, from electric motors to missile guidance systems.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment.
Why It Matters
China dominates the rare earth industry, accounting for 70 percent of mining and 90 percent of chemical processing. The imbalance is an Achilles' heel for Washington, which sees dependence on its top military rival as a national security threat.
Beijing exploited this vulnerability in April, curbing exports of seven rare earths after President Donald Trump raised tariffs. The restrictions, along with investment bans on 17 American companies, were loosened last month after the United States and China reached a 90-day ceasefire in Geneva, Switzerland.
Negotiations have since stalled. Trump has accused China of violating the agreement, without specifying how. Beijing believes Washington breached the consensus by tightening export controls on AI chips produced by Chinese tech giant Huawei "anywhere in the world" and by planning to revoke Chinese student visas.
What To Know
U.S. officials have said the country is still withholding rare earth shipments and magnets. European car manufacturers have complained of disruptions, and Japanese automaker Suzuki has reportedly halted production due to a parts shortage.
Asked about the restrictions during the Chinese Ministry of Commerce's regular press conference, spokesperson He Yadong said it was "international practice" to maintain export controls on rare earths, citing their dual-use civilian and military applications.
"The Chinese government will review applications for export licenses related to dual-use items in accordance with laws and regulations, and will approve those applications that meet the requirements to facilitate compliant trade," he said.
Quote:China has accused President Donald Trump of causing severe disruption to global supply chains after he doubled the United States' steel and aluminum tariffs to 50 percent.
Trump hiked the Section 232 tariffs in a proclamation that took effect on June 4, after reevaluating the impact of importing large quantities of the metals, which he says pose a threat to national security because they undermine domestic production.
He Yongqian, spokesperson for the Chinese Commerce Ministry, stated at a press briefing on Thursday that China has "repeatedly emphasized that the Section 232 tariffs are typical unilateralist and protectionist actions."
She said the World Trade Organization (WTO) determined they violated its rules, state media reported.
"The U.S.' latest tariff hike on steel, aluminum, and their derivatives not only harms others and itself, failing to enhance industrial security, but also severely disrupts the stability of global industrial and supply chains," the spokesperson said.
"China urges the U.S. to respect economic laws, abandon zero-sum thinking, stop overstretching and abusing the concept of national security, uphold the rules-based multilateral trading system, address concerns through equal dialogue, and work together to maintain the stability of global industrial and supply chains."
Quote:Anew framework for resolving state-to-state disputes may be viewed by China as means of further extending its influence in the Global South—but some observers say the newly minted International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) is more show than substance.
China was joined by 32 other founding members on May 30 for the launch ceremony, where Beijing's top diplomat Wang Yi hailed the IOMed as "an example of civilization's belief in harmony."
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. State Department and Chinese Foreign Ministry with emailed requests for comment.
Why It Matters
Unlike existing institutions such as the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague and the International Court of Justice, the IOMed aims to facilitate the resolution of international disputes through bilateral mediation.
That dozens of nations—from Indonesia to Serbia—have already signed on signals China's growing influence at a time when the United States under President Donald Trump retreats from global institutions like the World Health Organization and cuts funding for long-standing tools of American soft power such as USAID.
What To Know
In his remarks at the signing ceremony, Wang praised the newly minted framework as filling an "institutional gap" while aligning with Chinese President Xi Jinping's preference for resolving disagreements through dialogue and consultation.
"China has been actively exploring ways of hotspot issue settlement that carry the Chinese touch, so as to lend our thoughts to countries seeking to resolve problems or disagreements with others," Wang said.
He added that the IOMed had been conceived in accordance with the United Nations Charter and would promote decision-making on an egalitarian basis in pursuit of "win-win outcomes."
Quote:China has deployed naval vessels beyond an island chain in the Western Pacific—a strategic barrier to contain its forces—passing through waterways near Japan, a close United States ally.
Newsweek has reached out to the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment by email.
Why It Matters
Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines form the First Island Chain—an arc of allied territories aimed at limiting China's access to the broader Western Pacific under a U.S. containment strategy. The Chinese navy is the world's largest by hull count, with more than 370 vessels.
The Chinese military has frequently used waterways around Japan—including the Osumi Strait and the Miyako Strait—for naval deployments beyond the First Island Chain. Beijing claims that it is exercising its rights under an international maritime law treaty.
Since mid-May, China has sent multiple warships to waters east of the First Island Chain, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry—including a naval task group led by the aircraft carrier CNS Liaoning and another centered around the amphibious assault ship CNS Anhui.
What To Know
The Joint Staff of the Japanese Defense Ministry reported that two Chinese naval vessels—the Type 055 destroyer CNS Lhasa and the Type 054A frigate CNS Weifang—transited the Osumi Strait, south of Japan's main island of Kyushu, between Wednesday and Thursday.
Quote:North Korea has righted a naval ship that capsized and was damaged during a botched launch in May, restoring its balance and mooring it to a pier, state media confirmed.
The launch failure was an embarrassment for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who oversaw the incident and scolded the officials responsible, later saying they would be held criminally liable.
The destroyer is now set for repairs in the Rajin Dockyard over the next 10 days, North Korea's KCNA reported, with a deadline for its "perfect restoration" set by Kim for before a major party congress in late June.
Why It Matters
Kim is trying to modernize North Korea's navy, part of a broader revamp of the armed forces. The North Korean navy is a modest fleet largely made up of aging warships and smaller fast attack craft.
Pyongyang is also pressing forward with its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.
What To Know
Outside experts say it remains unclear how severely the 5,000-ton-class destroyer was damaged. Kim called the failure a "criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility, and unscientific empiricism."
The destroyer became unbalanced and was punctured in its bottom sections after a transport cradle on the stern section slid off and became stuck, KCNA said at the time.
North Korean law enforcement authorities have detained at least four officials over the incident, including the vice director of the Workers' Party's munitions industry department, according to state media.
North Korea's main military committee said those responsible would be held accountable for their "unpardonable criminal act."
Quote:In a significant diplomatic step with implications for global alliances, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced he will attend the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, this month, after being invited by Canada.
Prime Minister Mark Carney's office confirmed the invitation was made in a call with Modi.
Why It Matters
Modi's attendance at the G7, of which India is not a member, signals an improvement in the relationship between India and Canada after a very rocky period and came after reports that no invitation would be forthcoming for Modi this year, triggering criticism of Modi from his political opponents.
India's association with the G7 group of industrialized democracies underlines its strategic importance for the United States and its allies at a time of growing geopolitical polarization.
While India is the world's largest democracy, it is also part of the BRICS alliance alongside Western rivals China and Russia, making the world's most populous nation a key pivot point in global affairs. Russia was excluded from what was formerly the G8 in 2014 after annexing Crimea.
What To Know
Prime Minister Modi took to X on Friday to announce he had received and accepted a personal invitation from newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Modi posted: "Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests. Look forward to our meeting at the Summit."
The Carney-Modi call marks the highest-level dialogue between the two countries since ties soured under his predecessor Justin Trudeau's government.
Carney's new administration appears to have shifted to a more pragmatic tone: prioritizing trade, diaspora ties, and democratic values over lingering espionage-related disputes. India, for its part, views reengagement as a sign of Western acknowledgment of its strategic indispensability.
India-Canada relations have been in the deep freeze since September 2023, primarily stemming from Canadian allegations—vigorously denied by India—linking Indian agents to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and Sikh separatist leader.
Canada's intelligence service had also identified India as one of the countries that could attempt to meddle in Candian elections.
Quote:Births in Japan fell to a record low last year, according to newly released government data, as the country faces a deepening demographic crisis.
Newsweek has contacted the Japanese Foreign Ministry for comment by email.
Why It Matters
Japan's steadily declining births and overall aging population present serious long-term risks, threatening to sap the world's fifth-largest economy of vitality and strain its social welfare system.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has labeled the trend a "quiet emergency" and made reversing it a central pillar of his agenda.
What To Know
The number of babies born to Japanese citizens in 2024 fell to 686,061, a 5.7 percent drop from the previous year, according to statistics the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare released on Wednesday. It marked the first time since 1899, when record-keeping began, that annual births fell below 700,000.
For the 18th consecutive year, deaths outpaced births, resulting in a net population loss of 919,237, the ministry said.
Japan's fertility rate also declined, falling to 1.15 expected births per woman—down from 1.2 in 2023. A rate of 2.1 is widely considered the replacement threshold for a stable population without large-scale immigration.
Japan is not alone. China and Taiwan face similar demographic declines, while South Korea—which has the distinction of having the world's lowest fertility rate—joined Japan last year as a "super-aged society," meaning people 65 and older make up 20 percent of the population.
What People Have Said
Kei Nishiuchi, the CEO of SoujouData Inc., a data science consultancy in Tokyo, told the Fuji News Network: "As the number of elderly increases and the working-age population shrinks, we're starting to see an impact on the economy's overall productivity. Even the very assumptions behind how our society redistributes resources—such as who pays taxes and who provides eldercare—are being called into question.
Quote:The United States on Wednesday vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The Context
The U.S. has played a key role as an interlocutor in ceasefire talks between Hamas and the Israeli government with respect to Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip.
Israel launched its military offensive against Gaza in retaliation against Hamas for its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Since the war started, tens of thousands of Gazans have been killed and millions have been displaced.
What To Know
The U.S. was the only Security Council member nation to vote against this week's measure, which called for humanitarian aid to be allowed to resume in Gaza.
All 14 other members of the council voted in favor of the resolution, which described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as "catastrophic" and called on Israel to lift all restrictions on the delivery of aid to the 2.1 million Palestinians in the territory.
For a Security Council resolution to pass, it must receive nine votes with no vetoes from its five permanent members: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
The U.S. has vetoed four resolutions calling for ceasefire since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel. It abstained from voting on one resolution, allowing it to pass last year.
The U.S.'s acting ambassador to the UN, Dorothy Shea, told the Security Council before the vote that the resolution would undermine Israel's security. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, thanked the U.S. for its vote and said the resolution's failure to made the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas a condition for the ceasefire would have handed Hamas "time, leverage and political cover."
Quote:A representative of a left-wing faction fighting alongside the Islamist Hamas movement in Gaza has told Newsweek his group is open to a temporary ceasefire in their war with Israel and called for greater efforts to establish a unity government among different Palestinian parties.
Amid an apparent deadlock in Israel-Hamas negotiations being mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) issued a statement on Friday urging Hamas "to intensify efforts, in cooperation with the Arab mediators, to reach an agreement to halt the aggression—even if only for 60 days."
The message, which emphasized "the grave dangers our people face if an immediate ceasefire is not achieved," came as Hamas said it was consulting with its allies on the path forward in talks. Hamas has demanded a deal that would provide stronger guarantees toward a lasting cessation of hostilities, a position the U.S. and Israel have dismissed.
Speaking with Newsweek on Thursday, DFLP Political Bureau member Motasem Hamada explained that this statement "was an attempt by us to reach a 'partial step' that would guarantee a ceasefire, open the crossings, and meet the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people in Gaza because we observed that living conditions had worsened and that the specter of famine was beginning to loom large."
"Our call to Hamas coincided with other positions with which Hamas consulted," Hamada said, "and based on this position, it formulated its position, which was rejected by the Israelis and the Americans."
Ultimately, Hamada said, the group seeks a solution based on United Nations Security Council resolution 2735, the measure put to a vote Wednesday and vetoed by the U.S., and is fighting to secure new governance that would include both top Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, which leads the West Bank-based Palestinian National Authority.
"We want an immediate ceasefire, unconditional aid for our people in the Gaza Strip (food, medicine, fuel, infrastructure, medical care, etc.), an Israeli withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip, a meaningful prisoner exchange, and the return of the Gaza Strip to the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority under the administration of a national unity government."
"This requires convincing both Fatah and Hamas," Hamada said, "and this is what we are working on."
Quote:Threats from both Iran and Israel are intensifying, pushing them closer to direct military conflict in an already volatile and war-torn region. Alongside Israeli military drills, stalled diplomatic talks, and proxy skirmishes, these hostile warnings signal a dangerous escalation.
Why It Matters
A potential full-scale war between Iran and Israel would further destabilize an already volatile Middle East, with serious implications for global security. Iran's missile advancements and unwavering position on nuclear enrichment, combined with the firm red lines set by the U.S. and ongoing, yet slow moving, attempts at diplomacy between Washington and Tehran, have intensified tensions. Such a conflict could disrupt global oil supplies, involve international powers, and deepen regional instability.
These five critical indicators highlight just how fragile the situation has become:
1. Iran's Missile Fuel Shipments
Iran has reportedly ordered thousands of tons of ammonium perchlorate from China, a key ingredient for producing solid-fueled ballistic missiles, aiming to reinforce its military capabilities. According to The Wall Street Journal, the materials, which could be used to manufacture up to 800 missiles, are expected to be delivered in the coming months, and some may be distributed to Iranian-aligned militias, including the Houthis in Yemen. The procurement appears to be part of Iran's strategy to strengthen its regional alliances and missile arsenal as it resists limiting its missile development in nuclear talks.
2. Israel Ready to Strike
Israel is actively preparing for a possible strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, contingent on the outcome of ongoing U.S.-Iran negotiations. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have conducted extensive military drills simulating a multi-day offensive against Iranian targets, underscoring the seriousness of these preparations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has emphasized Israel's right to defend itself and declared that any agreement must block Iran from enriching uranium. While Trump recently cautioned Netanyahu that a strike would be "inappropriate" while diplomacy continues—saying the sides are "very close to a solution"—he has also left open the possibility of supporting action if talks collapse.
3. Iran-Linked Militias
Tensions between Israel and Iran are rising through proxy forces in the region. On Wednesday, Israel launched rare airstrikes in Syria—its first in nearly a month—after two projectiles were fired from Syrian territory. Israel blamed Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, while Damascus denied aggression and reported heavy losses. According to a report by Reuters, a Syrian official suggested Iran-backed militias in the country's Quneitra region may be provoking retaliation to destabilize the area. Around the same time, Yemen's Houthis launched a ballistic missile at Jaffa in support of Palestinians. This growing coordination among Iranian-linked militias signals a dangerous expansion of the conflict beyond the core Iran-Israel axis.
Quote:Israel's government has ordered the country's military to intercept the humanitarian ship carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists to Gaza and stop it from reaching the embattled territory.
"I have instructed the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to act so that the Madleen does not reach Gaza, and to take whatever measures are necessary to that end," Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement published on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday, referring to the vessel carrying the Swedish activist.
Why It Matters
Israel's 11-week blockade of aid into Gaza was condemned by activists, NGOs and even some of the country's closest allies, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government repeatedly ignored calls to ensure Palestinians in the occupied territory receive enough food and humanitarian assistance to avoid starvation.
While Israel has recently allowed aid into Gaza under the management of U.S. contractors, the delivery of lifesaving essentials to the Palestinian population has been botched, with several people being killed by Israeli gunfire in a series of incidents at an aid distribution center.
The U.N.'s humanitarian chief said that the aid allowed into the Gaza Strip now by Israel was just "a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed."
Thunberg, possibly the most prominent climate activist in the world, is onboard the Madleen flotilla together with 15 other people to bring aid to Gaza directly, picking up where she says Western governments are failing. But the success of the humanitarian aid ship's mission is in doubt as the Israeli government shows a strong hostility to the activists' plan.
What To Know
According to the latest update provided by the crew aboard the ship, Thunberg and her fellow activists were getting closer to Gaza and had reached Egypt on Saturday after having left from Catania, Italy, a week ago.
The activists, who come from several countries across Europe and the world, expect to broadcast their arrest once they reach Gaza. They may not make it that far, based on Katz's statement.
Quote:Asenior Iranian official has announced that Tehran is drafting a counter-proposal to the latest U.S. offer on its nuclear program, rejecting the American plan as insufficient and "clumsy."
The statement came as President Donald Trump warned time is running out for Iran to make a decision regarding its nuclear ambitions, revealing that Russian President Vladimir Putin may join the negotiations.
Ali Shamkhani, a top advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told Lebanon's al-Mayadeen TV that the U.S. offer fails to address a primary demand, which is the lifting of sanctions.
Newsweek has reached out to the State Department and Iran's foreign ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
The renewed push on negotiations underscores the urgency. While the U.S. seeks to curb Iran's uranium enrichment, Tehran is refusing to scale back without economic concessions. With Russia possibly entering the fray, the geopolitical stakes are rising in a region already mired in instability. Trump's framing of Iran's delay as deliberate "slow walking" adds new pressure to a rapidly narrowing diplomatic window. Iran's insistence on its "natural rights" could complicate efforts to revive a negotiated solution.
What to Know
Ali Shamkhani criticized the U.S. proposal as poorly constructed and lacking critical elements. He said Iran was already working on a new response. "After receiving the American proposal regarding the Iranian nuclear program, we are now preparing our new counter-proposal," he stated. Shamkhani underscored that the absence of sanctions relief rendered the U.S. plan unacceptable. He called the omission a "fundamental" failure and reaffirmed Iran's position that it would never give up uranium enrichment, a key component of its nuclear program.
'Time Running Out'
Meanwhile, Trump criticized Tehran for what he described as deliberate stalling. Writing on social media, he said, "It is my opinion that Iran has been slow walking their decision on this very important matter. We will need a definitive answer in a very short period of time." Trump also revealed that Putin could play a role in negotiations over Iran's nuclear ambitions, following an extended phone call between the two leaders. "We also discussed Iran, and the fact that time is running out on Iran's decision pertaining to nuclear weapons, which must be made quickly," Trump stated.
Quote:Iran is importing thousands of tons of missile fuel materials from China as it works to rebuild its diminished military capabilities following Israeli strikes and the weakening of its regional proxies, according to a new report.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Tehran has arranged for a shipment that includes ammonium perchlorate—used in solid-fuel ballistic missiles—which could enable the production of up to 800 missiles.
Newsweek has reached out to Iran and China's foreign ministries for comment.
Why It Matters
The shipment underscores Iran's push to restore its missile capabilities after Israeli strikes damaged key facilities and weakened its regional influence. It also reflects deepening ties with China as both face mounting U.S. pressure.
The development comes as nuclear diplomacy remains fragile: while the Trump administration has signaled openness to an agreement, it demands limits on Iran's regional and nuclear activities. Tehran seeks sanctions relief and security assurances.
What to Know
The shipment from China includes thousands of tons of ammonium perchlorate, a vital chemical oxidizer for producing solid-fuel ballistic missiles. This volume could enable the manufacture of up to 800 missiles and is expected to arrive in phases over the coming months, although Iran has not officially confirmed the deal. In response to Iran's expanding missile program, the U.S. recently sanctioned multiple individuals and entities in both Iran and China involved in procuring missile propellant materials.
Iran's Military Setbacks
The missile fuel shipments come as Iran seeks to recover from Israeli strikes that targeted its missile production facilities and proxy forces across Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen. These Israeli attacks were carried out in response to Iranian missile and drone assaults on Israeli targets, marking a cycle of escalating retaliation between the two countries. Despite temporary setbacks to Tehran's regional influence and military capabilities, the latest procurement signals Iran's determination to rebuild its strength amid ongoing tensions.
Port Explosion
An earlier shipment of missile fuel materials from China was linked to a devastating explosion at a major port in southern Iran, killing at least 70 people and injuring hundreds more. While Iranian officials have not publicly confirmed the shipment, state media reported that the blast was caused by accidental mishandling of highly volatile materials.
Quote:Turkey's ambitious naval expansion is taking shape as new details emerged about its first homegrown aircraft carrier, Mugem, now under construction in Istanbul.
With design and system integration work ongoing, priority will be given to homegrown aircraft, including unmanned combat drones and light jets, according to statements by Captain Hakan Uçar, director of the Turkish Navy's Design Project Office, reported by Jane's OSINT on Friday.
Newsweek has reached out to Turkey's Presidency of Defense Industries, overseeing defense projects, for comment.
Why It Matters
Turkey's defense industrial growth signals Ankara's drive to assert greater strategic autonomy and its importance both within NATO and for the Middle East under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Turkey's expanding naval and air defense capabilities—including a fifth-generation fighter jet —could also change global defense industry dynamics.
What To Know
About 285 meters long and 72 meters wide, Mugem will weigh arounds 60,000 tons and should carry up to 50 aircraft, with two runways for takeoff and one for landing, according to a description on the Turkish government's Directorate of Communications' website.
The ship will have a flight deck built for aircraft to take off from a short runway and land safely, known as the STOBAR system, according to Jane's OSINT, a prominent open-source intelligence and defense analysis provider.
Turkey, a NATO member since 1952, lacks a full-sized traditional aircraft carrier; its largest ship, the amphibious assault vessel TCG Anadolu, serves mainly as a drone carrier but has limited capabilities compared to a true carrier.
"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:President Donald Trump called for more troops to enter Los Angeles amid rioting in the Californian city that stemmed from protests against immigration enforcement.
The Republican president is deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops to L.A. to quell turmoul on the streets, despite opposition from Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.
Of those, about 300 National Guard troops were on the ground by Sunday morning, Newsom's office told ABC News.
"Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!" President Trump posted to his Truth Social platform in the early hours of Monday morning.
Why It Matters
Protesters have been demonstrating against the Trump administration's ICE raids in the city. Hundreds of protesters and federal immigration authorities in riot gear have clashed for three nights running.
The clashes highlight deepening conflicts between sanctuary jurisdictions and federal immigration policy, as Trump has implemented sweeping changes through executive orders and utilized the wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expand deportation authority.
Quote:Dramatic footage, above, showed two motorbike riders trying to break through police lines during the protests in Los Angeles against immigration enforcement in the city.
Newsweek has contacted the Los Angeles Police Department, via email, for comment.
Why It Matters
Protests have rocked Los Angeles at the weekend, with demonstrators attempting to deter immigration raids and detentions by federal officials seeking to deport those in the U.S. illegally.
While the raids are following legal directive from federal authorities, protests have erupted amid reports that detainees were being held in the basement of a federal building. ICE denied these allegations, with a spokesperson previously telling Newsweek the agency "categorically refutes the assertions made by immigration activists in Los Angeles."
Scenes have turned violent, showing with burning cars and protesters seen hurling heavy objects at police vehicles.
President Donald Trump has deployed National Guard troops to quell the unrest, despite opposition from state and local leaders, who accused him of fanning the flames.
What To Know
The first rider, draped in the national flag of Guatemala, can be seen revving his engine and driving from the crowd through the police line, though he was quickly stopped and forced off his bike.
Shortly after, a second motorbike rider tries the same, bursting through the line and colliding with an officer before falling off and also being detained.
As riot officers fired rubber bullets toward the crowd, voices can be heard yelling "stay on the line" and "hold the line."
Quote:More than a dozen cops were forced to flee their vehicles and shelter beneath an underpass as their cars were pelted with rocks thrown by protesters in Los Angeles on Sunday.
The demonstrators were on the streets to march against a wave of immigration raids ordered by President Donald Trump. The group of California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers appeared trapped as they hunkered beneath the bridge while missiles rained down, including – at one point – an electric scooter.
The chaos erupted in a cacophony of noise, as cars on the other side of the freeways honked their horns, rocks smashed into vehicles, and explosions from flash-bangs or firecrackers rocked the area.
Newsweek has reached out to California Highway Patrol by email seeking comment.
Why It Matters
The incident, which unfolded on Sunday afternoon, occurred during increasingly violent protests against a series of immigration raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE], which have targeted businesses and day laborers as they gathered for work across the city.
Trump has deployed the National Guard to LA, sparking condemnation from California Governor Gavin Newsom who said the move was a "breach" of state sovereignty and was "intentionally designed to inflame the situation."
What To Know
Sunday brought a third day of tensions as police and protesters faced-off across the city. Some skirmishes involved the use of tear gas and rubber bullets by authorities, while elsewhere demonstrators torched cars and thew make-shift missiles at the authorities.
Quote:President Donald Trump has responded to Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom's dare to "arrest" him over his response to the ongoing protests against raids by Los Angeles Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Trump was returning to the White House on Monday, when he was asked by reporters about Newsom's taunt to border czar, Tom Homan. "I would do it, if I were Tom," Trump said. "It would be great."
Newsom has condemned Trump's comments, in a post on X, calling them an "unmistakable step to authoritarianism."
Why It Matters
Wide-scale protests broke out in L.A. on Saturday after ICE carried out multiple raids across the city. The situation rapidly escalated after the Trump administration deployed the National Guard, despite objections from Newsom and other state and city officials.
While the raids are based on federal authorities' legal directives, protests have broken out following reports that detainees were being held in the basement of a federal building. ICE denied these allegations, a spokesperson previously telling Newsweek the agency "categorically refutes the assertions made by immigration activists in Los Angeles."
What To Know
Homan vowed over the weekend to continue the ICE raids everyday despite the protests, and warned that anyone who tried to interfere could face federal charges, including elected officials.
When asked if that could include Newsom or L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, Homan suggested it could.
"I'll say it about anybody," Homan told MSNBC. "You cross that line, it's a felony to knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien. It's a felony to impede law enforcement doing their job."
Both Newsom and Bass have criticized the border czar's comments, the L.A. mayor calling the threat "unnecessary" and saying she won't brawl with the federal government.
A defiant Newsom told Homan to "come and get me."
"Trump's border czar is threatening to arrest me for speaking out," Newsom vowed in a post on X. "Come and get me, tough guy. I don't give a damn,"
Quote:he area around San Francisco was rocked by an earthquake on Sunday night, as downtown demonstrations took place against federal immigration raids and President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles.
The 3.3-magnitude quake in California struck about 1 mile northwest of Pinole, about 20 miles north of downtown San Francisco, shortly after 9:30 p.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). There have been no reports of any injuries or damage to buildings.
Newsweek reached out by email, outside of usual working hours on Monday, to the office of San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, seeking further information and comment.
Why It Matters
A "community internet intensity map" on the USGS website revealed self-reports from more than 4,000 people who said they had felt the tremors. The respondents had submitted their experiences via the agency's "Did You Feel It?" questionnaire, and the data has not yet been checked or verified by scientists. Some "light" or "weak" shaking was reportedly felt across San Francisco, Berkeley, Concord, and northwards up toward Santa Rosa.
Protests in San Francisco began on Sunday in solidarity with Los Angeles against federal immigration enforcement, with isolated incidents of violence and looting. In response, Trump announced the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to restore order, without California Governor Gavin Newsom's consent.
Laughable indeed. They should better thank God it wasn't a 6 or 7-magnitude quake instead.
Quote:Authorities are investigating a deadly plane crash that occurred Sunday afternoon about 5 miles off the coast near San Diego, where a small aircraft carrying six people went down into the Pacific Ocean shortly after takeoff.
The U.S. Coast Guard reported discovering a debris field near Point Loma, and launched a coordinated search operation in waters approximately 200 feet deep. As of Monday, all six people aboard the plane have been confirmed dead, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The Context
This incident follows a string of aviation accidents in Southern California in recent months. In May, six people were killed when a private jet crashed into a residential neighborhood in San Diego, and another crash that month resulted in three fatalities and nine missing after a boat capsized nearby.
The current crash site is not far from those previous incidents.
What To Know
According to the FAA, the twin-engine Cessna 414 took off from San Diego International Airport at approximately 12:30 p.m. Sunday and was en route to Phoenix. The flight was returning to Arizona after departing from there a day earlier, according to FlightAware.
Shortly after takeoff, the pilot signaled distress, reporting he was struggling to maintain heading and altitude. Air traffic control instructed the aircraft to climb to 4,000 feet, but the pilot said the plane was only at 1,000 feet. Controllers attempted to guide him to land at a U.S. naval airport on Coronado Island, but the pilot responded that he couldn't see the runway. Moments later, he issued repeated "Mayday" distress calls before radar contact was lost.
FAA records reviewed by Newsweek show the aircraft was registered to Optimal Health Systems, a nutritional supplements company based in Pima, Arizona. However, the company clarified in a statement that it sold the aircraft in 2023 to private individuals and that the FAA's database may be outdated.
Quote:Former Vice President Kamala Harris defended the "overwhelmingly peaceful" protesters in her home state of California while criticizing President Donald Trump's deployment of National Guard troops as a "dangerous escalation" and "cruel" on the third consecutive day of violent clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement.
The protests, which began last week in response to federal immigration enforcement operations by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have escalated into sustained confrontations involving rock-throwing, alleged Molotov cocktails, burning vehicles, and arrests across multiple Los Angeles locations.
...
Trump's administration has pledged to carry out the largest mass deportation in U.S. history and has conducted numerous ICE raids, some of which have swept up individuals with proper documentation.
The president announced on Saturday evening that he had authorized the mobilization of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles after violence against law enforcement—specifically, ICE agents carrying out deportation raids in the city.
While the raids are following legal directive from federal authorities, protests have erupted amid reports that detainees were being held in the basement of a federal building. ICE denied these allegations, with a spokesperson previously telling Newsweek the agency "categorically refutes the assertions made by immigration activists in Los Angeles."
The clashes highlight deepening conflicts between sanctuary jurisdictions and federal immigration policy, as Trump has implemented sweeping changes through executive orders and utilized the wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expand deportation authority.
This reminds me of the reporter that once claimed that one of the Antifa protests that took place about 5 years ago was peaceful as well. It didn't matter if the scenario where they were broadcasting from was full of tires and even whole cars burning like crazy. Not to mention the protesters were also firing at people and breaking into stores back then.
Quote:California Republican lawmakers are largely backing President Donald Trump's decision to send the National Guard into Los Angeles amid immigration protests, with Representative Kevin Kiley telling Newsweek that the president chose to "protect federal officers and LA citizens because Governor Newsom has refused to do so."
Why It Matters
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have conducted raids across the country and have faced large protests in Los Angeles, as Trump's administration pledged to carry out the largest mass deportations in U.S. history.
While the raids are following legal directive from federal authorities, protests have erupted amid reports that detainees were being held in the basement of a federal building. ICE denied these allegations, with a spokesperson previously telling Newsweek the agency "categorically refutes the assertions made by immigration activists in Los Angeles."
The clashes highlight deepening conflicts between sanctuary jurisdictions and federal immigration policy, as Trump has implemented sweeping changes through executive orders and utilized the wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expand deportation authority.
Trump deployed 2,000 California National Guard troops to quell the protests in Los Angeles, sparking opposition from Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, who has said the move is "unlawful" and a "serious breach of state sovereignty." Some Republicans in the state, however, are siding with the president.
What to Know
Representative Kiley responded to Trump's move to call in the National Guard in a statement to Newsweek.
"The acts of violence, lawlessness, and obstruction we are seeing in Los Angeles pose an ongoing risk to public safety," Kiley said. "The President has chosen to protect federal officers and LA citizens because Governor Newsom has refused to do so. I am praying for everyone's safety during this time."
He said ICE officials are looking for "illegal immigrants with criminal convictions and existing deportation orders" and criticized Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for their handling of the situation, accusing them of choosing to "obstruct and interfere with these standard operations."
Quote:Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum has reacted following mass protests in Los Angeles over President Donald Trump's immigration agenda, urging the Mexican community there to remain peaceful.
During her daily press briefing on Monday, Sheinbaum condemned reported acts of violence over the weekend: "We do not agree with violent actions as a form of protest. Burning police cars appears to be more an act of provocation than of resistance. We condemn violence, no matter where it comes from. We call on the Mexican community to act pacifically and not allow itself to be provoked."
Why It Matters
Protestors clashed with federal authorities over the weekend in response to the White House's immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles. On Sunday morning, the first wave of up to 2,000 National Guard troops arrived in the city following the outbreak of demonstrations two days earlier. California Governor Gavin Newsom has since urged the federal government to reconsider the deployment and transfer control back to the state.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is facing widespread backlash as it moves forward with what it calls the largest mass deportation effort in U.S. history. Newsweek has revealed dozens of cases of non-violent immigrants being detained by federal agents.
While these raids are being conducted under federal authorities, protests erupted after reporters emerged that detainees were allegedly being held in the basement of a federal building. ICE has denied the allegations.
The clash between protestors and law enforcement casts a spotlight on the growing tensions between sanctuary cities and the federal government as Trump's White House reshapes immigration policy with sweeping enforcement measures.
Quote:Iran has seized on violent protests rocking Los Angeles to mock the United States, ramping up social media taunts and state media headlines.
As federal immigration raids triggered days of unrest and National Guard deployment, Tehran's outlets amplified scenes of chaos to question American stability and governance. The trolling reflects broader tensions between the two nations, with Iran eager to capitalize on U.S. domestic turmoil.
Newsweek has reached out to the State Department and Iran's foreign ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
By amplifying scenes of chaos tied to immigration enforcement, Tehran aims to portray the Trump Administration as fractured, authoritarian, and morally compromised at a time of tense nuclear negotiations and long-term strains.
Against this backdrop, Iran is leveraging social media and state media to frame the U.S. as unstable and hypocritical—part of a broader strategy to weaken its global credibility amid deepening diplomatic tensions.
What to Know
Iran's state-linked outlets have ramped up efforts to mock the unrest in Los Angeles, taking direct aim at former President Donald Trump's signature slogan.
The Tehran Times ran a bold front page reading "Make America Quashed Again," a clear play on "Make America Great Again." On social media, a military-affiliated X account echoed the jab with the caption "Make Mexico Great Again!" over a photo of a protestor waving a Mexican flag —tying the border crisis to America's internal chaos. The coordinated barbs cast the U.S. as destabilized and in decline, turning Trump's branding against him.
Quote:Costco has recalled potentially contaminated products including Coca-Cola's Topo Chico Mineral Water and a selection of Fresh & Ready Foods' sandwiches, in six states.
The Coca-Cola recall applies to Costco shoppers in Texas and Louisiana, while those in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Washington should be aware of the Fresh & Ready Foods recall.
Newsweek has contacted Costco outside of regular working hours via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The recalls target a wide geographic area and involve widely consumed items, raising safety concerns among Costco's large U.S. membership base.
The sandwiches were recalled due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that can cause listeriosis.
Listeriosis can result in fever, muscle aches, headaches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms. In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn. The infection can also be fatal in older adults and people with weakened immune systems.
The Coca-Cola product was recalled due to possible contamination with pseudomonas, a bacteria found naturally in water sources, which can cause Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. It can affect your skin, blood, lungs, GI tract and other parts of your body, and those with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable.
Quote:Mass protests across the country are being scheduled for Tesla CEO Elon Musk's birthday on June 28, led by the Tesla Takedown movement.
Despite no longer being part of the government, Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) policies and his continued impact as a private citizen are still being felt across the country, from mass governmental layoffs to his involvement in running companies with large government contracts.
The "Musk Must Fall" protests are planned for cities across the country, including in "red" states of Texas, Missouri, Georgia, and Ohio, with the Tesla Takedown team saying: "And our birthday gift to the Broligarch in Chief? A global party with one powerful message: Musk Must Fall."
Tesla has been contacted via email for comment.
Why It Matters
Musk retains a lot of power over global politics as he is capable of endless donations to political parties and aiding in message amplification as the owner of X (formerly Twitter).
According to public polls, he was an unpopular member of the Trump administration and, since leaving, has been in a public feud with President Donald Trump. Despite some political commentators recommending that Democrats try to win Musk and his billions over to their side, these protests show that Musk is still a deeply unpopular figure in American politics.
What To Know
Protests are planned for June 28 in 15 states: Virginia, California, Washington, Florida, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, Texas, Idaho, Ohio, Missouri, as well as the District of Columbia. There are also protests planned overseas in the UK.
Quote:Some U.S. states are attempting to ban Chinese citizens from buying land and property, amid souring diplomatic relations between the countries.
By 2024, more than two thirds of states had enacted or considered laws limiting or barring foreign land ownership including states that specifically mention China by name, according to POLITICO.
According to the non-profit membership organization the Committee of 100, in total 27 states have considered this kind of legislation. However, the group has not shared a list of those states.
Newsweek has rounded up a non-exhaustive list of states that have been involved in this kind of legislation, based on publicly available information. Some states do not name China explicitly, but name foreign nations that would likely include China.
Why It Matters
There has been a wave of concern over Chinese land purchases in the United States, some of which have taken place close to military bases. This comes amid soaring tensions between the U.S. and China including trade clashes between the two giants and national security concerns.
However, as of USDA data accurate to 2023, Chinese investors own land in the U.S. equivalent to roughly twice the size of the footprint of New York City.
What To Know
A number of states have considered legislation on the issue. In May, the Texas legislature passed a bill to ban people tied to the governments of China, North Korea, Russia and Iran from purchasing land in the state.
In January, Republican senators in Arkansas introduced the Not One More Inch or Acre Act which would prohibit any Chinese citizen, entity or foreign person acting on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from purchasing public or private real estate in the U.S.
Quote:Ukrainian drones struck two major facilities supplying Russia's military on Monday, dealing a double blow to President Vladimir Putin's war machine.
The facilities struck in early morning attacks were a plant in the Chuvash Republic, which produces navigation systems for Russian drones and missiles, and a gunpowder factory in Kazan, according to local reports.
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Why It Matters
Kyiv's efforts to target Russian military facilities will impact Putin's war effort in Ukraine. Efforts led by Washington to bring an end to the conflict are faltering, and both sides have launched large-scale attacks in recent weeks.
What To Know
On Monday morning, local media reported that Ukrainian drones struck a facility producing electrical equipment for Putin's military, located some 900 kilometers from the Ukrainian border in the Russian city of Cheboksary in the Republic of Chuvashia.
The head of the republic, Oleg Nikolaev, confirmed the attack. He said in a post on his Telegram channel that the facility suspended operations after it was struck by two drones.
No casualties were reported, he said.
The ASTRA Telegram channel, a project run by independent Russian journalists, published a video that appears to show the aftermath of the strike on the facility.
"Several explosions have rocked Cheboksary in the Chuvash Republic. Thick black smoke is visible over the city," the channel said.
Local residents reportedly saw at least two drones over the city before at least six explosions were heard and black smoke observed. Air defense systems were activated.
Ukrainian news outlet Focus said a second facility—"a gunpowder factory"—was struck in Kazan, a city in southwest Russia.
Quote:An F-16 fighter jet given to Ukraine reportedly shot down an advanced Russian plane thanks to the assistance of a Swedish reconnaissance aircraft.
German newspaper Bild said the Russian Sukhoi Su-35 jet had been downed in the northeast of the country in an operation it described as a "historic first."
Earlier, Ukraine's Air Force had said Saturday it had downed a Su-35 in Russia's Kursk Oblast, although it gave no further details.
The details of the incident reported by Bild and Ukrainian social media users have not been independently verified. Newsweek reached out to the Russian and Ukrainian defense ministries for comment.
Why It Matters
The fourth-generation F-16s arrived in Ukraine to much fanfare after the Biden administration finally allowed Kyiv's allies to provide them in a move that was hoped to change the battlefield calculus.
If confirmed, the operation in which an F-16 worked with a Swedish reconnaissance plane to down a Russian fighter would highlight a new level in Ukraine's aviation capabilities.
What To Know
During a fight on Saturday in the northeastern Sumy region, Ukraine's Air Force used its fighter jets to bomb Russian positions inside the country and in Russia's nearby Kursk region, Bild reported. The outlet said Russia sent a high-tech Sukhoi Su-35 "air superiority fighter" into battle to down the Ukrainian fighter jets, but the Russian pilot "flew into an ambush."
Ukraine had deployed a Swedish Saab 340 AEW&C (Early Warning and Control) reconnaissance aircraft, which had been discreetly tracking the Russian jet from hundreds of miles away.
Quote:The Ukraine war won't end until NATO withdraws troops from the Baltics, a top Russian official has warned.
Sergei Ryabkov, Russia's deputy foreign minister responsible for U.S. relations, nonproliferation and arms control, made the remarks in an interview with state-run news agency Tass.
Newsweek has reached out to the Kremlin and NATO for comment by email.
Why It Matters
Ryabkov's comments mark a shift in the Kremlin's position. He suggested that the conflict's roots lie not only in Ukraine itself but in NATO's eastward expansion. According to Ryabkov, the withdrawal of NATO forces from the Baltics would help bring an end to the war.
What To Know
NATO maintains a strong military presence in the Baltic States, with multinational battle groups and brigades stationed in Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
The military alliance bolstered its presence in the region in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It said in an update on June 6 that the eight battle groups "demonstrate the strength of the trans-Atlantic bond and the Alliance's solidarity, determination and ability to respond to any aggression."
Also, Sweden and Finland have switched from being neutral to joining NATO since the invasion.
The Kremlin had said Ukraine must abandon its ambitions to join NATO as a condition for ending the war, but Ryabkov appeared to signal to Tass that the alliance must withdraw completely from the Baltics as well.
Quote:Russian leader Vladimir Putin has approved a development strategy for Russia's Navy for the next 25 years, one of his key aides has said.
Nikolai Patrushev, who heads Russia's Maritime Board, told media that the Russian president had last month signed off plans for the Navy until 2050.
Retired U.S. Vice Admiral Robert Murrett told Newsweek on Monday that it was difficult to see how the strategy can transform Russia into one of the world's future leading naval powers.
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Russia has the world's third-most-powerful navy after China and the U.S. but it has faced setbacks in the Ukraine war due to Kyiv's drones and missile attacks, which pushed much of Moscow's Black Sea Fleet back from its main base in Crimea.
Amid its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia's military resources have been strained as Putin ramps up defense spending to record levels.
Patrushev's announcement highlights Moscow's long-term planning to keep its status as a naval power in the face of Western sanctions and military setbacks, raising questions about future security and geopolitical stability in the region.
What To Know
Patrushev, a former head of the FSB who has close ties to Putin, told the publication Arguments and Facts that the Russian president had approved on May 30 the "Strategy for the Development of the Russian Navy up to 2050."
Quote:The proportion of Russians who view the U.S. as the most hostile country towards Moscow has almost halved over the last year, according to a survey.
The poll by the independent Levada Center found 40 percent of respondents agreed that the U.S. was the most hostile nation towards Russia, down from 76 percent in 2024.
Aleksei Miniailo, an independent Russian sociologist who founded a separate polling group called Chronicles, told Newsweek Monday that the Levada figures show how fragile the effect of anti-U.S. propaganda in Russia actually is.
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Why It Matters
The Kremlin and its propagandists have framed Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a proxy war with the West, regularly issuing nuclear threats towards Kyiv's allies.
However the Levada center polling shows shows that this antipathy towards the U.S. is not shared by most Russians, which could be a backdrop to a thawing of ties between the countries since President Donald Trump came into office.
What To Know
The Levada Center asked 1,613 Russian adults between May 22 and May 28 about their attitudes to different countries in a poll with a margin of error no greater than 3.4 percent.
Quote:ndia is preparing to bolster its intelligence and surveillance capabilities with the acquisition of advanced I-STAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance) aircraft, in a major boost to the Air Force's ability to counter challenges posed by Pakistan and China, according to news reports.
Newsweek has reached out to India's Defense Ministry and the Pakistani government for comment.
Why It Matters
The reports follows the worst confrontation in decades with Pakistan and underlined India's plan to strengthen aerial reconnaissance and to reduce reliance on foreign arms.
Pakistan performed strongly in air combat in May with the help of jets from China, which is another strategic rival of India's and is also locked in territorial disputes.
Tensions remain high between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, despite U.S. diplomatic efforts that helped bring about a ceasefire.
What To Know
The project, at an estimated cost of 10,000 Indian Rupee (approximately $1.2 billion), involves integrating indigenous sensor systems onto foreign-made airframes and is expected to be reviewed by the defense ministry, according to news agency ANI, citing defense officials.
The systems for I-STAR have been developed by the Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) which integrates advanced airborne surveillance platforms for the Indian military. The I-STAR could mark a leap in the Indian Air Force's (IAF) ability to conduct precision strikes and monitor enemy movements.
Quote:India concluded a massive two-day air combat drill along its southern border with Pakistan, according to multiple Indian news outlets.
Newsweek has reached out to the Indian Defense Ministry and the office of Pakistan's prime minister for comment.
Why It Matters
The exercise took place nearly a month after India launched its military campaign "Operation Sindoor" targeting Pakistan in their biggest confrontation in decades following a deadly attack on a tourist bus in Kashmir that killed 26 people. Pakistan denied Indian accusations of involvement in that attack.
Four days of fighting was marked by an extensive air battle, one of the largest dogfights since World War II, before the two nuclear rivals reached a ceasefire agreement following U.S. diplomatic efforts.
What To Know
The Indian Air Force issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) earlier this week for a large-scale exercise scheduled for June 7 and 8, taking place in Rajasthan's southern sector near the Pakistan border. Aircraft deployed included the Rafale, Mirage 2000, and Sukhoi-30, according to Indian outlets including Firstpost, The Shillong Times, and Mathrubhumi English.
In May, Pakistan said it shot down several Indian planes, including the French-made Rafale and Russian Sukhoi, with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar saying Chinese J-10C jets were used in the operation.
Diplomatic tensions have continued despite a ceasefire agreed under U.S. pressure. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused Pakistan of disrupting infrastructure development in the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir following the Pahalgam attack, Reuters reported Friday.
Quote:The most-advanced but yet-to-be-commissioned Chinese aircraft carrier, CNS Fujian, was reportedly conducting operations in the disputed waters near South Korea, a United States ally.
Newsweek has reached out to the South Korean Foreign Ministry for comment by email. The Chinese Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a written request for comment.
Why It Matters
China and South Korea established the Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ) in the Yellow Sea under a 2000 agreement, where their 230-mile-wide exclusive economic zones (EEZs) overlap. In late May, China declared "no-sail zones" within the PMZ for military exercises.
What To Know
China has the largest navy in the world by hull count, with over 370 ships and submarines—including two aircraft carriers in active service. Its third carrier, the Fujian, is continuing sea trials as part of its "construction process," the Chinese Defense Ministry previously said.
Unlike its predecessors, which use a ski-jump flight deck for aircraft takeoffs, the Fujian is equipped with electromagnetic catapults, enabling it to launch heavier aircraft. A Pentagon report said that the warship is expected to become operational in the first half of 2025.
Citing "multiple South Korean government sources," the local newspaper The Chosun Ilbo reported on Friday that the Fujian conducted flight operations with carrier-based aircraft in the PMZ from May 22 to 28, while three Chinese "no-sail zones" in the area were in effect.
The report said this was the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier conducted such operations in the PMZ. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed to the newspaper that it had tracked and analyzed the Chinese naval activity, which lasted less than a week.
Quote:AChinese navy aircraft carrier has breached a second Pacific island defense line that is intended to keep the East Asian power's forces at a distance.
Newsweek has emailed the Pentagon and the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
The United States has established three island chains across the Pacific Ocean. The first, closest to China, is formed by three U.S. allies and partners—Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines. The second, centered on Guam—America's westernmost territory—stretches from Japan to New Guinea, just north of Australia. The last one links Alaska's Aleutian Islands with New Zealand via Hawaii.
While the U.S. maritime containment strategy aims to restrict China's naval access to the broader Pacific Ocean during wartime, the Chinese navy—the largest in the world by hull count—has repeatedly breached the First Island Chain as it expands its reach and presence, including a high-profile, long-range mission that circumnavigated Australia earlier this year.
What To Know
The Chinese aircraft carrier CNS Liaoning has been underway since late May, when it was first spotted in the East China Sea, west of the First Island Chain. It then passed through the Miyako Strait in Japan's southwestern waters and entered the Philippine Sea. It was previously tracked on May 30 while sailing southward in waters east of the Philippines.
A Chinese naval task group—consisting of the Liaoning and three other vessels—was tracked operating about 186 miles southwest of Minamitorishima (with shima meaning "island" in Japanese) on Saturday, the Japanese Defense Ministry said in a press release.
Minamitorishima is Japan's easternmost territory, located over 1,200 miles southeast of the country's capital, Tokyo. It has valuable mineral resources, including rare earth elements, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which administers the remote island.
Quote:At least four people have been injured following an explosion near a U.S. military air base in Japan.
Local and defense ministry officials said that four Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (SFD) members suffered slight injuries following the incident at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa on Monday.
Officials said the explosion took place during bomb disposal operations. Newsweek has contacted the SFD for comment by email.
Why It Matters
Okinawa hosts most of the U.S.' military facilities in Japan. Japanese media reported that the country's 101st Unexploded Ordnance Disposal Unit at the Kadena site has disposed of more than 1,890 tons without any accidents so far.
What To Know
A team from a explosives disposal unit in the 15th Brigade of the SFD was at the facility on the grounds of a U.S. military base in Yomitan Village, Okinawa Prefecture.
The unit is responsible for the disposal of unexploded ordnance dropped on the island during World War II, and had previously disposed of more than 1,890 tons and over 40,000 cases without incident.
During World War II, the U.S. military dropped about 200,000 tons of ammunition, around 10,000 tons of which remains unexploded, according to the newspaper Sankei.
Japanese news outlet NHK said that unexploded ordnance blew up at around 11:20 a.m. Monday [10:20 p.m. ET Sunday] local time after a shell exploded while it was being examined for rust.
Emergency services attending the scene said that four Japanese personnel suffered injuries which included finger lacerations and possible hearing damage, but none were life threatening.
NHK said its helicopters captured footage of the ammunition depot area at around 1 p.m. where personnel had gathered around a tent next to a vehicle that deals with unexploded ordnance.
Unexploded ordnance from the Battle of Okinawa 80 years ago is found daily and collected by the disposal team and taken to a temporary storage facility in Yomitan Village to assess further risk.
In reporting Monday's incident, Japanese media noted how the SDF had been established after a modified land mine exploded next to a kindergarten in Naha City, in March 1974, killing four people and injuring 34.
Quote:Japan's Defense Ministry says two Chinese aircraft carriers were spotted in the Pacific during the past three days. The ministry says it was the first time the two vessels have entered the Pacific simultaneously.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force confirmed that a fleet of five warships was navigating about 550 kilometers southeast of Miyakojima Island, Okinawa Prefecture, on Saturday afternoon, according to the ministry. The fleet included the Shandong aircraft carrier and a guided missile destroyer.
Officials said fighter jets and helicopters were seen taking off and landing on the Shandong on Monday when it was in Japan's exclusive economic zone north of Okinotorishima, the nation's southernmost island.
Another Chinese aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was spotted sailing within Japan's EEZ around Minamitorishima Island, which is part of Tokyo's Ogasawara Islands, on Saturday. Officials said the Liaoning was still in nearby waters on Monday, after it conducted aircraft takeoff and landing drills the day before.
The Liaoning and the Shandong are China's only two active aircraft carriers.
The ministry suspects that China's navy is trying to improve the operational capabilities of the warships, including long-range functions. Officials have continued caution and surveillance of the situation.
Quote:China's exports to the United States tumbled in May amid tit-for-tat import tariffs between the world's two biggest economies.
Chinese customs authorities say US-bound shipments slumped 34.5 percent in dollar terms from the same month last year.
Imports from the US sank 18.1 percent.
Beijing and Washington imposed tariffs of more than 100 percent in April.
However, some of the heat came out of the trade dispute in May as both sides agreed to cut back the levies and sit down for talks.
The next round of negotiations is set for London on Monday. China is sending Vice Premier He Lifeng, who heads up economic policy. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will be there for the US.
Quote:A high court in South Korea has said it will postpone the retrial of President Lee Jae-myung on charges of violating election law.
Local media have reported that it is very unlikely the retrial will go ahead while Lee remains in power.
South Korea's Supreme Court ruled in May, before Lee's victory, that he had violated election law by making false statements during his failed 2022 presidential bid. It sent the case back to the Seoul High Court after overturning an earlier ruling clearing him.
The high court announced on Monday it will indefinitely postpone the first hearing, which was scheduled for June 18.
The court said the move was based on the Constitution, which basically exempts sitting presidents from criminal prosecution.
Legal experts are divided over whether a sitting president's immunity extends to trials already underway. Neither the Constitution nor the law address the matter.
But South Korean media have reported the high court appears to have decided to shield Lee from standing trial during his term.
Lee is facing other criminal trials that some say put him at judicial risk. The ruling Democratic Party is reportedly pushing for legal revisions that halt trials while Lee is in office.
Quote:Iran's intelligence minister has said the country holds a vast trove of classified Israeli documents and plans to release them soon. The files detail Israel's nuclear program, foreign relations, and defense capabilities, according to state media.
The Israeli government has not commented on the claim, which comes amid rising tensions between the two countries and renewed scrutiny of Iran's own nuclear activities.
Newsweek has reached out to the Iranian and Israeli foreign ministries for comment.
Why It Matters
The disclosure adds a new layer of uncertainty to a region already on edge. Any release of secret Israeli nuclear data could destabilize diplomatic relations, provoke military retaliation, or undermine U.S.-led negotiations with Tehran. The episode also highlights the deepening mistrust between Iran and the West over nuclear ambitions, espionage, and covert operations.
What To Know
Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib said Tehran had acquired thousands of Israeli documents, describing them as a "treasure trove" capable of strengthening Iran's strategic position. He said the materials had been transferred under heavy secrecy to secure locations in Iran and would be published "soon."
"Talking of thousands of documents would be an understatement," Khatib said, adding that the transfer required "confidential" methods and a period of "media silence," according to Iran's state broadcaster.
Cyber Attacks and Espionage
Iran has not revealed how it obtained the documents it says it has or if they relate to the 2023 cyberattack on an Israeli nuclear center. State media called the transfer part of a wider intelligence campaign, highlighting its secrecy and complexity. Recent arrests of Israelis accused of spying for Tehran, though not officially linked, have raised speculation of a connection.
Meanwhile, a social media account closely linked to Iran's armed forces also posted a message in Hebrew shortly after the announcement, stating: "We know all your secrets now." The post appeared to signal a coordinated effort to amplify Tehran's claims and increase psychological pressure on Israeli officials.
Quote:Greta Thunberg became the focus of ridicule from Israeli officials and pro-government social media accounts after Israeli forces brought to an end a symbolic maritime mission aimed at delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The Madleen, a British-flagged yacht carrying Thunberg and other activists, was intercepted by Israeli naval forces in international waters and escorted to Ashdod port. Israeli authorities indicated the detained activists would be processed and repatriated; as of Monday, they were in custody. Officials dismissed the voyage as a publicity stunt, while activists accused Israel of unlawfully detaining them.
Newsweek has reached out to Thunberg's representatives as well as Israel's foreign ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
The incident highlights Israel's strategy of publicly discrediting high-profile critics amid its Gaza campaign, and the global struggle over the narrative of the situation.
While Israel says that it is letting aid into Gaza, foreign aid agences describe a humanitarian disaster that has intensified during the war waged by Israel since the Hamas attack in October 2023.
The Israeli seizure and ensuing mockery of the activists came amid an already polarized debate over the fighting in the devastated territory, where the Hamas health authorities say over 54,000 Palestinians have been killed. About 1,200 Israelis were killed in the Hamas attack on Israel, according to official Israeli sources and more than 200 were taken hostage, some still in Hamas captivity in Gaza.
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Interception at Sea
The Madleen set sail from Catania, Sicily, on June 1, carrying aid including baby formula, rice, medical kits, solar panels, and prosthetics. On Sunday, the Israeli navy intercepted the yacht in international waters about 115 miles (185 km) from Gaza. Shayetet 13 commandos and border units boarded the vessel.
Twelve people were aboard, including Thunberg and French politician Rima Hassan, along with journalists, medics, and civil society members. Organizers say the seizure violated maritime law and constituted kidnapping.
Quote:President Donald Trump responded on Monday to Swedish activist Greta Thunberg's claim that she was "kidnapped" by Israel while she and other pro-Palestinian advocates were on an aid boat bound for Gaza.
The Context
After the Israeli military intercepted the civilian vessel in international waters, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which operated the boat, released a pre-recorded video from Thunberg.
"If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel," the climate activist said in the clip.
What To Know
The president was asked Monday about whether he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed Thunberg during a phone call they had earlier Monday.
"Well, she's a strange person," he said. "She's a young, angry person. I don't know if it's real anger; it's hard to believe, actually. But I saw what happened. She's certainly different. Anger management. I think she has to go to an angry management class. That's my primary recommendation for her."
Trump was also asked about Thunberg's claim that she had been kidnapped.
"I find it—I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg," Trump said. "Is that what she said? She was kidnapped by Israel?"
"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:Following the launch of Operation Rising Lion — Israel’s military campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed decisive action, declaring Friday that the Jewish State will continue striking Iran “as long as necessary” to neutralize what he called an existential nuclear threat, concluding with a defiant message: “Long live Israel. Long live America,” and calling on God to “bless the forces of civilization everywhere.”
The Israeli premier framed the moment as a turning point in history, invoking both past atrocities and present dangers.
“For decades, the tyrants of Tehran have brazenly and openly called for Israel’s destruction, backing up their genocidal rhetoric with a nuclear weapons development program. In recent years, Iran has produced enough highly enriched uranium for nine atomic bombs — nine,” Netanyahu stated.
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Recent intelligence confirms that Iran has taken unprecedented steps to weaponize its uranium stockpile. Netanyahu warned that, if left unchecked, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a matter of months — or less than a year.
“This presents a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival,” the prime minister asserted, drawing a historical parallel. “Eighty years ago, the Jewish people suffered through the Holocaust, perpetrated by the Nazi regime. Today, the Jewish state refuses to be a victim of a nuclear holocaust at the hands of the Iranian regime.”
Reaffirming Israel’s long-standing security policy, Netanyahu reiterated: “Israel will never allow those who call for our annihilation to develop the means to achieve that goal. Tonight, Israel backs those words with decisive action.”
As part of the military campaign, Israel struck key Iranian nuclear and missile facilities, including:
Iran’s main uranium enrichment facility in Natanz.
Iran’s top nuclear scientists involved in bomb development.
Iran’s ballistic missile program, which could soon carry nuclear payloads.
Last year, Iran launched 300 ballistic missiles at Israel, each carrying roughly a ton of explosives. Netanyahu warned that Iran’s rapid missile expansion could soon equip these warheads with nuclear payloads, creating an existential threat to millions.
“Imagine 10,000 tons of TNT landing on a country the size of New Jersey — this is an intolerable threat that must be stopped,” he stated.
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Following the October 7 massacre, Iran’s previous plan to encircle Israel with a “ring of fire” failed, Netanyahu noted, adding that Israel devastated Hamas, struck Iranian proxies in Syria and Yemen, and retaliated inside Iran itself.
“Our Arab neighbors, too, have suffered from Iran’s campaign of chaos and carnage. Our strikes against Iran’s proxy Hezbollah led to the establishment of a new government in Lebanon and the collapse of Assad’s murderous regime in Syria, offering the people of those countries a chance at a better future,” he said.
Netanyahu also addressed the Iranian people, distinguishing them from their regime: “Our fight is not with you — it is with the brutal dictatorship that has oppressed you for 46 years. I believe the day of your liberation is near, and when that happens, the great friendship between our two ancient peoples will flourish once again.”
Warning that Iran intends to supply nuclear weapons to its terrorist proxies, making the nightmare of nuclear terrorism a reality, he cautioned that the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile program could soon extend the nuclear threat to Europe — and eventually America.
“Iran calls Israel the ‘small Satan’ and America the ‘great Satan.’ For decades, Iran has led millions in chants of ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Death to America.’ Today, Israel responds to those calls with action — and with our own call: Long live Israel. Long live America,” Netanyahu stated.
He also praised President Donald Trump for confronting Iran’s nuclear ambitions, stating, “he has made it clear, time and again, that Iran cannot have a nuclear enrichment program.”
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Calling Iran’s nuclear diplomacy a delaying tactic, Netanyahu declared that Israel must act now.
“Today, it is clear Iran is merely buying time, refusing to agree to this basic requirement of peaceful nations,” he said. “That is why we must act — and act now.”
Reflecting on past failures to confront rising threats, Netanyahu recalled how global leaders hesitated to challenge Hitler, leading to World War II, the deadliest conflict in human history.
“After that war, the Jewish people and the Jewish state vowed: Never again. Well, never again is now,” he warned.
Israel’s actions, the Israeli prime minister explained, stem from historical lessons: “When enemies vow to destroy you, believe them. When enemies build weapons of mass destruction, stop them.”
Quoting biblical doctrine, Netanyahu reminded Israelis of their duty: “When someone comes to kill you, rise and act first.”
“This is exactly what Israel has done today,” he continued. “We have risen like lions to defend ourselves.”
Echoing Moses’s ancient call, Netanyahu urged Israelis to be strong and courageous, adding: “Generations from now, history will record that our generation stood its ground, acted in time, and secured our common future.”
He concluded with a final call: “May God bless Israel. May God bless the forces of civilization everywhere.”
The operation continues, with Israeli forces striking additional Iranian military assets as tensions between Israel and Iran reach an unprecedented level.
Quote:Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared a state of emergency after launching a strike on Iran, according to several reports.
“Two sources with knowledge of the operation” told Axios that Israel had carried out a strike on Iran.
Per the outlet, “it’s not clear whether Israel has ordered strikes on Iran’s nuclear program.”
ABC News reported that Katz had declared “a special state of emergency in the country following what he called a preemptive strike against Iran.”
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Video footage posted to social media showed smoke reportedly “rising from several sites across” Iran’s capital of Tehran.
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Breitbart News previously reported that President Donald Trump expressed that he did not want Israel to launch an attack on Iran if there was a way to strike a deal with Iran regarding its nuclear program.
“I want to have an agreement with Iran,” Trump said on Thursday. “We’re fairly close to an agreement. We are fairly close to a pretty good agreement, it’s got to be better than pretty good. I’d much prefer an agreement. As long as I think there is an agreement, I don’t want them going in.”
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Quote:On Thursday’s broadcast of Newsmax TV’s “Greg Kelly Reports,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) stated that Iran made the Israeli strikes on it “inevitable” by vowing to expand enrichment, “And the effect of that was a giant middle finger to President Trump. And it was also telling Israel, you had better strike now, because if you wait any longer, we will have a nuclear weapon and we will use that to murder millions of your citizens.”
Cruz said, “I think, in many ways, what happened tonight was inevitable. It was inevitable because Iran, the ayatollah is a theocratic zealot who chants death to America and death to Israel, and, earlier today, he put us on this path, inevitably. President Trump had said repeatedly that Iran must completely dismantle their nuclear centrifuges, that they could either do so voluntarily through diplomatic measures, or the centrifuges would be dismantled through warfare. And, this morning, Iran put out a statement, said they would not dismantle their centrifuges, they were going to build more, they were going to enrich more uranium, and they were charging towards a nuclear weapon.”
He continued, “And the effect of that was a giant middle finger to President Trump. And it was also telling Israel, you had better strike now, because if you wait any longer, we will have a nuclear weapon and we will use that to murder millions of your citizens. And I think that’s — we’re seeing the direct consequences of Iran’s defiance and their genocidal desire to murder as many Israelis as possible.”
Quote:On Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Source,” Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon stated that Israel’s strikes against Iran earlier that day were undertaken because Iran was “plotting” “to attack us with nuclear capabilities.” And while Iran was engaging in negotiations with other nations, “they moved secretly with a military plan to attack Israel. And what we did was an act of self-defense.”
Danon said, “[W]e took a preemptive attack to defend ourselves and we are targeting the nuclear facilities and their ballistic missile centers in Iran. … We decided not to wait for Iran to attack us with nuclear capabilities. We knew that they were plotting to do that. And while they were talking with many countries and negotiating, they moved secretly with a military plan to attack Israel. And what we did was an act of self-defense.”
Danon further stated that Israel is protecting itself from “another Holocaust.”
Danon also stated that Israel’s goal is to deny Iran a nuclear capability and ensure that they don’t have ballistic missiles and also stated that Israel is particularly determined to act preemptively after the October 7 attacks and not wait for attacks to happen.
Quote:The commander in chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, General Hossein Salami, has been killed in Israel's strike, state media reported local time Friday.
Newsweek previously reached out to the White House via email for comment regarding the attack.
Why It Matters
Tensions in the region have escalated as Iranian Defense Minister General Aziz Nasirzadeh previously warned that Iran could attack U.S. bases if nuclear talks break down with President Donald Trump's administration or if hostilities continue to mount.
What To Know
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz first announced the strikes in a statement, saying that he initiated "a special state of emergency" in Israel following a "preemptive strike against Iran" and warned of potential drone and missile attacks against Israel and civilians.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio followed up with a statement: "Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region."
Rubio added: "Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel."
It was reported on Wednesday that the United States Embassy in Baghdad was also preparing for an ordered evacuation of nonessential personnel amid security threats in the region.
Salami leveled a threat to the United States last month, saying Iran would "open the gates of hell" if attacked by Israel or America.
He then took a swipe at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asserting that he was trying to pull the United States into an "unending war." The general said that Iran was prepared to fight but was also still prioritizing diplomacy at the time.
An Israeli military official previously told Newsweek that the strikes were part of "Operation Rising Lion," conducted after intelligence indicated that Iran had enough material to produce 15 nuclear bombs.
The operation Friday morning local time is reported to have involved dozens of attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities, military sites and military personnel.
Quote:Iran is preparing a substantial response to a large-scale attack conducted by Israel against key sites and personnel associated with the Islamic Republic's nuclear program and military, according to official Iranian media.
"Iran's response to the Zionist regime early Friday morning attacks will be decisive," state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) cited an unnamed official as saying in the aftermath of the Israeli attacks.
Iranian Armed Forces spokesperson General Abolfazl Shekarchi also told IRNA that Israel would be met with a severe response, while alleging that the United States played a role in the assault.
"The Zionist enemy, who carried out this action with the support of America and attacked residential areas, will pay a heavy price," Shekarchi said.
Another unnamed Iranian official was cited by Reuters as saying that "the response to the Israeli attack will be harsh and decisive," adding that consultations regarding the scope and timing of retaliation were being discussed at the highest levels."
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The attacks marked the most serious escalation yet in rising tensions between archenemies Iran and Israel, which twice last year exchanged direct strikes amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.
The prior Iranian operations, known as "Operation True Promise I" and "Operation True Promise II," both saw hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones launched against Israel in April and May of last year, respectively. In both instances, the U.S. and several other nations came to Israel's defense in intercepting the incoming salvo, but damage was reported to several sites.
While previous Israeli attacks largely focused on military sites in Iran, the latest strikes, dubbed "Operation Rising Lion," involved dozens of attacks on military and nuclear infrastructure as well as personnel, including the head of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Major General Hossein Salami.
Others reported by Iranian media to have been killed in the Israeli strikes include nuclear scientists Mohammad Mahdi Tehranchi and Fereydoon Abbasi.
In the immediate aftermath of the strikes, an Israeli military official told Newsweek that intelligence had concluded Iran had obtained sufficient capabilities to produce 15 nuclear bombs, presenting an "existential threat" to Israel.
Iranian officials have always denied seeking nuclear weapons. The country's nuclear program was subject to extensive restrictions in exchange for sanctions relief as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached in 2015 under then-U.S. President Barack Obama, but the deal was abandoned by President Donald Trump in 2018.
After former President Joe Biden failed to reach an agreement to revitalize U.S. participation in the JCPOA, Trump has sought to reach a new accord that would introduce stringent checks on Iran's nuclear program. Representatives from Washington and Tehran have held five meetings, with a sixth scheduled to take place Sunday in Oman.
But the Israeli military official with whom Newsweek spoke Thursday alleged that Iran was simultaneously advancing toward a nuclear weapon, approaching the "point of no return." The same phrase was included in a statement later issued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) detailing suspected Iranian nuclear weapons progress.
"In recent months, accumulated intelligence information has provided evidence that the Iranian regime is approaching the point of no return," the IDF statement said. "The convergence of the Iranian regime's efforts to produce thousands of kilograms of enriched uranium, alongside decentralized and fortified enrichment compounds in underground facilities, enables the Iranian regime to enrich uranium to military-grade levels, enabling the regime to obtain a nuclear weapon within a short period of time."
"Additionally," the IDF added, "in recent years, and more so since the beginning of the war, concrete progress has been identified in the Iranian regime's efforts to produce weapons components adapted for a nuclear bomb."
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
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Quote:Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed in his first interview since Israel launched its blistering attacks on Iran that the country's Islamic regime had pinpointed President Donald Trump as a threat to its nuclear program and actively worked to assassinate him.
"They want to kill him. He's enemy number one. He's a decisive leader. He never took the path that others took to try to bargain with them in a way that is weak, giving them basically a pathway to enrich uranium, which means a pathway to the bomb, padding it with billions and billions of dollars," the prime minister told Fox News' Bret Baier during a special Sunday edition of "Special Report."
"He took up this fake agreement and basically tore it up. He killed Qasem Soleimani. He made it very clear, including now, ‘You cannot have a nuclear weapon, which means you cannot enrich uranium.’ He's been very forceful, so for them, he's enemy number one."
Netanyahu revealed he was also a target of the regime after a missile was fired into the bedroom window of his home. He went on to call himself Trump's "junior partner" in threatening Iran's ability to weaponize nuclear arms.
Netanyahu said his country was facing an "imminent threat" of nuclear destruction and was left with no choice but to act aggressively in the "12th hour."
"We were facing an imminent threat, a dual existential threat," he said.
"One, the threat of Iran rushing to weaponize their enriched uranium to make atomic bombs with a specific and declared intent to destroy us. Second, a rush to increase their ballistic missile arsenal to the capacity that they would have 3,600 weapons a year…. Within three years, 10,000 ballistic missiles, each one weighing a ton, coming in at mach 6, right into our cities, as you saw today… and then in 26 years, 20,000 [missiles]. No country can sustain that, and certainly not a country the size of Israel, so we had to act."
Netanyahu said, by doing so, Israel is not only protecting itself but also protecting the world.
Iran has since retaliated with a large-scale ballistic missile attack on Israeli cities, although many of the projectiles were thwarted.
Netanyahu told Fox News he believes Israel's offensive measures have set back the Iranian nuclear program "quite a bit," sharing his belief that negotiations with the terrorism-sponsoring regime were clearly "going nowhere."
He also said his country is prepared to do whatever is necessary to eliminate the nuclear and ballistic missile threat Iran poses to the world.
Netanyahu has described the operation, coined as Operation Rising Lion, as "one of the greatest military operations in history." Addressing the Iranian people, he said they had been oppressed for 50 years by the same Islamic regime that has long threatened to destroy the State of Israel.
Quote:U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said the U.S. had "nothing to do with" Israel's attack against Iran but warned that any attack against the U.S. would be met with the "full strength and might" of the U.S. military.
"The U.S. had nothing to do with the attack on Iran, tonight," Trump wrote on Truth Social in the early morning hours of Sunday.
"If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before," he continued. "However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!"
Trump's comments came hours after the Israel Defense Forces claimed responsibility for a series of strikes on the headquarters of the Iranian Defense Ministry and a nuclear project, while Tehran unleashed a fresh barrage of deadly strikes.
"The IDF completed an extensive series of strikes on targets in Tehran related to the Iranian regime’s nuclear weapons project," the IDF wrote on X. "The targets included the Iranian Ministry of Defense headquarters, the headquarters of the SPND nuclear project, and additional targets, which advanced the Iranian regime’s efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon and where the Iranian regime hid its nuclear archive."
Despite Trump's statement, Iran says it has evidence that the U.S. was involved in the attack.
"We have solid proof of the support of the American forces and American bases in the region for the attacks of the Zionist regime military forces," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told foreign diplomats in a meeting broadcast on state TV.
The attacks traded by Israel and Iran represented the latest violence since a surprise offensive by Israel two days earlier seeking to decimate Tehran's nuclear program.
Ali Shamkhani, sanctioned by U.S. after Soleimani's death, was reportedly eliminated at his home in Tehran
Quote:Ali Shamkhani, Iran’s former Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Friday, according to Iranian state media reports.
Shamkhani was one of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s top senior advisors and was reportedly taken out in his home in Tehran by an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) airstrike.
The death of Shamkhani marks another significant blow by the Israelis in dismantling Tehran's military leadership.
Shamkhani served as one of Iran's top military officials for decades, beginning as the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Ground Forces.
The IRGC is one of the country’s most powerful centers. It was created after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and has evolved from a paramilitary, domestic security force into a transnational force that has come to the aid of Tehran’s allies in the Middle East, from Syria and Lebanon to Iraq, per the Times of Israel.
Lisa Daftari, Iran expert and Foreign Desk Editor-in-Chief, told Fox News Digital the elimination of Shamkhani "signifies a strategic escalation aimed at destabilizing Iran's regime at its core."
"This precise strike highlights a dual objective—not only targeting its nuclear ambitions but signaling an unequivocal threat to the power structure itself. Shamkhani's close ties to Khamenei amplify the gravity of the message, casting uncertainty and fear among the political elite," said Daftari.
She added, "The calculated nature of this move underscores an effort to fracture the regime from within, leaving no figure immune from vulnerability. This marks a chilling precedent for Iran's leadership."
Supreme Leader Khamenei entrusted Shamkhani and appointed him as commander of the Artesh Navy in 1989, where he helped rebuild Iran's naval capabilities post-Iran-Iraq War, according to the group United Against Nuclear Iran.
The Artesh Navy was left disorganized and with minimal levels of equipment following the war. Most notably, the U.S. Navy made a large mark, taking out nearly half of Iran’s Navy during Operation Praying Mantis in 1988, according to the Strauss Center.
Iran focused on naval procurement, building up its force with patrol boats, anti-ship missiles, and fast attack craft warships.
Quote:Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) hit the Isfahan nuclear site in Iran on Friday night, a location where uranium moves beyond enrichment to the "reconversion" process of building a nuclear bomb.
"The strike dismantled a facility for producing metallic uranium, infrastructure for reconverting enriched uranium, laboratories, and additional infrastructure," the IDF said on Friday.
On Friday evening, video footage posted by Iranian media showed Iranian air defenses attempting to intercept a fresh wave of Israeli attacks on the site, adding it to a list of nuclear sites targeted that includes the key Natanz facility.
The IAEA has confirmed that a nuclear facility in Isfahan was struck by Israel. In a statement on X the IAEA posted that four critical buildings "were damaged in yesterday’s attack, including the Uranium Conversion Facility and the Fuel Plate Fabrication Plant. As in Natanz, no increase in off-site radiation expected."
"Isfahan’s uranium conversion facility is at the heart of Iran’s quest for domestic fuel cycle mastery," Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy’s Iran program, told Fox News Digital.
At Isfahan, uranium is converted into a state suited for gaseous enrichment.
"Crippling this capacity at Isfahan would disconnect the dots between Iran’s diverse nuclear industry and potentially handicap future efforts to prepare uranium for enrichment."
Quote:Just hours following Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear and military facilities, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a direct appeal to the Iranian people and said: "This is your opportunity to stand up [to the regime]."
The regime’s standing not only with the international community, amid its vast support of state-sponsored terrorism, which has impacted neighboring nations from Syria and Yemen to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, coupled with years of internal unrest, could mean regime change is on the horizon.
"We are in the midst of one of the greatest military operations in history," Netanyahu said Friday. "The Islamic regime, which has oppressed you for almost 50 years, threatens to destroy our country."
The Israeli leader said Jerusalem’s goal in hitting Iran’s top military targets is to thwart the nuclear and missile threats that Iran poses towards the Jewish nation, which he argued weakens the regime and poses a unique opportunity for dissidents within.
Minority groups make up some 50% of the Iranian population, and some Iranian specialists have argued that if the minority groups, which are frequent targets of oppression in Iran, were to unite against the regime, they could play a critical role in toppling the regime.
Iran has faced increasing opposition since the death of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman, who in September 2022 was arrested by Iran's morality police and later died in a hospital due to her injuries.
Quote:Israel’s precision strike on Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure may open a rare strategic window for the Trump administration. With experts telling Fox News Digital the U.S. has an opportunity to pressure Tehran toward a nuclear agreement — one that could not have been achieved through diplomacy alone.
The Israeli military told Fox News Digital that the operation in Iran was carried out by Israeli forces but in coordination with the United States. While U.S. troops did not participate in the attack, defense cooperation continued throughout the strike — and during Iran’s retaliation on Friday, when U.S. forces helped intercept Iranian missile attacks on Tel Aviv.
"This was an Israeli operation," an IDF official said, "but we were closely coordinated with the Americans. There was real-time intelligence and continuous contact."
Avner Golov, vice president of Mind Israel, told Fox News Digital "We’re not trying to pull the U.S. in — Israel is the right model for what a responsible ally looks like: doing the hard work, asking for minimal support, and delivering strategic value."
He added, "No one wants a war. Israel achieved this result in just a few days. It was effective and disciplined. We don’t want to stay in a prolonged war — and certainly don’t want to drag the U.S. into one. Israel is the model — a way for the U.S. to stay globally influential through a partner that delivers results with minimal investment."
Robert Greenway, director of the Allison Center for National Security at The Heritage Foundation, said, "The President’s messaging so far has been careful to distinguish that these attacks are unilateral Israeli actions — not U.S. attacks. That’s largely to prevent retaliation against American infrastructure. But if U.S. assets were attacked, we would become a participant — and Iran can’t handle Israel, let alone the United States."
"The President made it clear that he preferred a diplomatic solution," Greenway added, "I believe that was sincere, even though he knows the Iranians full well. He anticipated that the prospects might have been remote — but it was worth trying."
Quote:Israeli authorities triggered alerts for renewed missile attacks on Sunday, including around Tel Aviv, after deadly Iranian missiles destroyed buildings overnight and President Donald Trump urged both sides to "make a deal."
Why It Matters
Israel launched the first of a series of airstrikes across Iran late on Thursday, U.S. time, kicking off a "preemptive" campaign it said was needed to take out Iran's nuclear facilities, its ballistic missile stockpile and other military sites.
An Iranian official said 78 people were killed and more than 300 injured in Tehran as Israel declared a state of emergency and prepared for Iran's response.
Tehran then launched waves of drone and missile strikes on Israeli territory. Israel said it had intercepted "most" of the missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles.
Both sides have continued firing at one another in the days since.
Iran canceled planned negotiations with the U.S. on its nuclear program on Sunday, and both sides indicated they would launch further strikes.
Trump on Sunday said in a post to his Truth Social platform said "many calls and meetings now taking place" to secure "PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran." The fate of the nuclear limitation talks is not clear.
What To Know
The Israeli military said on Sunday afternoon local time that sirens were sounding across the country after Iran launched an unspecified number of missiles. Local media later reported the alerts had ended.
Iranian state media said the military had attacked the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv, Haifa, in the north, and Ashkelon in the south.
At least seven people were killed and more than 100 injured when an Iranian ballistic missile hit Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv, overnight on Sunday, domestic media reported. Other reports put the death toll at six people.
Israel's police said residential buildings took a "direct hit that caused extensive damage."
Another four people were killed in Tamra, a Palestinian-Israeli town in Israel's north, authorities said.
A total of 13 people have been killed in Israel since Friday, and nearly 400 more injured, Israeli authorities said on Sunday. Nine of the injured are in a serious condition, officials said.
Quote:Asource within Yemen's Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, has told Newsweek that the group would persist in its battle with Israel after reports that Israeli forces carried out a targeted strike against senior figures at a meeting.
The Israeli attack, which comes amid an unprecedented exchange of strikes between Israel and Ansar Allah's Axis of Resistance coalition ally, Iran, was reported by a number of Israeli outlets as well as Saudi Arabia's Al-Hadath network.
The reports cited unnamed sources suggesting that the target was Ansar Allah military Chief of Staff Mohammed Abdel Karim al-Ghamari. Al-Hadath also reported that Ansar Allah-led Supreme Political Council President Mahdi al-Mashat was in attendance as well at the meeting.
Their fates have yet to be confirmed.
The Ansar Allah source with whom Newsweek spoke to declined to discuss the details of the strike but affirmed that the group was prepared to move forward with its missile and drone campaign against Israel even in the case of losing high-level leaders.
"We are all projects of martyrdom, and we are not afraid of being targeted," the Ansar Allah source said. "Every leader is succeeded by a thousand leaders."
Quote:Israel has escalated its ongoing conflict with Iran, striking the world's largest gas field and other energy infrastructure as part of a two-day assault that had otherwise largely targeted sites and personnel tied to the Islamic Republic's armed forces and nuclear program.
Iranian semi-official media outlets, including Tasnim News Agency and Fars News Agency, reported on Saturday that an Israeli drone struck Iran's South Pars Gas Field, which is shared with Qatar, where it is known as the North Dome Gas Field. The attack was said to have targeted Phase 14 refineries of the Iranian section, with at least one unit reportedly on fire, leading to a suspension in operations.
Footage circulating on news channels and social media appeared to show flames and smoke rising from a section of the complex, which is located in the Kangan area of Iran's south coast province of Bushehr. The Iranian Petroleum Ministry also issued a statement Saturday confirming strikes against the South Pars Oil Field and the Fajr Jam Gas Refining Company.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has yet to publicly comment on the attack.
Fox News cited an Israeli official as saying Saturday that Israel conducted a single strike on Iranian gas infrastructure near the southern city of Bander Abbas, serving as a warning against Iranian strikes against Israeli population centers.
The accuracy of the comments has been confirmed to Newsweek.
A 'New Phase'
The Israeli attack marks the first of its kind against Iranian energy infrastructure, raising concerns about the potential broader impact of the escalating conflict on global energy security and prices.
Gregory Brew, senior analyst specializing on Iran and energy at the Eurasia Group, referred to the strike as "a warning shot from Israel, threatening more damage against Iran's energy infrastructure in the event Iran escalates its retaliatory operations."
"The target of the Israeli attack was one of four onshore gas processing facilities and was linked to phase 14 of the enormous South Pars field—a portion of the fields output will be affected, but most will not," Brew told Newsweek.
"South Pars supplies a significant portion of Iran's domestic gas market," he added. "Israel—which is concentrating on military targets and Iran's nuclear program—is clearly signaling that it is prepared to escalate against Iran's energy infrastructure, if necessary."
Nader Itayim, a Dubai-based editor specializing in Middle East energy politics at Argus Media, also described the Israeli strike as "a warning shot to Iran," one meant to indicate that Israel could take the conflict "to that next level."
Quote:A Hezbollah spokesperson told Newsweek on Friday that the Lebanese group remains committed to a ceasefire agreement with Israel after the country launched a sweeping series of attacks against Iran.
"Hezbollah is committed to the ceasefire agreement, even though Israel has not respected this commitment over the past period," the spokesperson said. "It continues to kill, assassinate, and attack areas, including entering border villages and remaining at the five points."
Reuters also cited a Hezbollah official on Friday as saying that the group "will not initiate its own attack on Israel in retaliation for Israel's strike."
Hezbollah was one of several factions aligned with the Iran-led Axis of Resistance coalition to intervene in support of the Palestinian Hamas movement when it launched its October 7, 2023, surprise attack that set off a still-ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
Last year, Israel intensified operations against Hezbollah, killing its longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in September, and destroying much of the group's senior command and weapons stockpiles. Hezbollah signed a truce with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in November, though Israeli forces have continued to conduct occasional attacks in Lebanon and occupy five areas across the border.
Hezbollah portrayed the ceasefire as a defeat for Israel, while Israel announced victory over the group. Hezbollah has since repeatedly accused Israel of "breaking its promises" by failing to adhere to the terms of the deal, while rejecting Israeli allegations that the group was violating the conditions of their ceasefire.
At least for the time being. Let's see if this impasse lasts more than a week.
Quote:Russian President Vladimir Putin held phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday after Israel pelted Iran with a series of strikes.
Why It Matters
Israel launched strikes against Iran in the early morning hours Friday as it mobilized Operation Rising Lion, an effort Israeli officials say is designed to preempt a reportedly planned Iranian attack and disrupt Tehran's nuclear capabilities. Israel and the U.S. have both been concerned about whether Iran could be working to create nuclear weapons.
Russia is a key ally to Iran on the world stage.
The strike marks an escalation in the longtime tensions between the two adversaries, fueling concerns of a wider war, particularly about possible involvement of the U.S., which has military bases in the region. The diplomatic and economic impacts of the attack rippled across the globe on Friday.
What To Know
The Kremlin on Friday confirmed Putin's communications with both countries' leaders in a statement posted online Friday.
"President of Russia emphasised," in his call with Netanyahu, "the importance of resuming the negotiations and resolving any issues pertaining to Iran's nuclear programme exclusively via political and diplomatic means. In addition, the Russian leader expressed willingness to provide mediation so as to prevent further escalation," the Kremlin said in a statement posted on its website.
Speaking to Pezeshkian, Putin "stressed that Russia condemned Israel's actions, which had been carried out in violation of the UN Charter and international law. The Russian side has been fully supporting the efforts to resolve the situation around Iran's nuclear programme peacefully and has proposed concrete initiatives aimed at reaching mutually acceptable agreements," the statement said.
Quote:China said it is "deeply worried" by Israel's strikes on Iran and that it is willing to play a role in de-escalating the situation, which threatens to plunge the Middle East region into all-out war.
Why It Matters
Israel hit Iranian military and nuclear sites and killed a number of senior officials, including the commander-in-chief of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hossein Salami.
Israel said the operation, called "Rising Lion," is ongoing and could last days. Israel said the strikes were pre-emptive and to prevent a planned Iranian attack, and also to stop Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb.
What To Know
In response to Israel's attack, Lin Jian, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said, according to state media, that "China is highly concerned about Israel's attacks on Iran and deeply worried about the potential serious consequences of these actions."
Lin also said Beijing, which has been developing closer ties with Tehran, including a 25-year cooperation agreement, "opposes any violation of Iran's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, and opposes actions that escalate tensions and expand the conflict."
"The renewed sharp escalation of the regional situation is not in the interest of any party," he continued.
"China urges all relevant parties to do more to promote regional peace and stability and to avoid further escalation of tensions. China is willing to play a constructive role in helping to de-escalate the situation."
Quote:Arab countries that have often been at odds with Iran joined in condemning Israel's massive attack on the Islamic Republic and its nuclear program.
Newsweek contacted the Israeli government for comment.
Why It Matters
The Arab condemnation of Israel's attack raises a question over long-term peace prospects in the region and the reconciliation that had been pursued under the Abraham Accords between Israel and Arab countries from the first presidency of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Despite often being at odds with Shiite Iran, the largely Sunni Arab countries have been trying to avoid a regional war that could also prove damaging to their economies and see them placed in the firing line.
What To Know
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reacted strongly to the Israeli attacks, denouncing the strikes on what it called "the brotherly Islamic Republic of Iran".
"While the Kingdom condemns these heinous attacks, it affirms that the international community and the Security Council bear a great responsibility to immediately halt this aggression," it said in a statement.
The United Arab Emirates, which has some of the closest links with Israel of any country in the Middle East, also brought strong condemnation.
"The Ministry reaffirmed the UAE's belief that promoting dialogue, adhering to international law, and respecting the sovereignty of states are the best foundations for resolving current crises," its foreign ministry said.
Quote:A manhunt is under way in Minnesota after two state lawmakers were targeted and one of them killed on Saturday morning in what Governor Tim Walz called an "act of targeted political violence".
Melissa Hortman, 55, a Democrat, and her husband were killed in Brooklyn Park, a city near Minneapolis.
John Hoffman, 60, also a Democrat, and his wife were shot several times at their home about 15km (nine miles) away in a related attack. He is out of surgery and stable.
A search is on for the suspect who police say was impersonating an officer. He has been named as Vance Luther Boelter, 57 and there is a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
The roads around the scene in suburban Brooklyn Park were quiet on Saturday night, with a discreet police presence and little sign locally of the manhunt for the suspect.
Boelter served on the state's workforce development board with Hoffman, a state senator, but officials are still investigating whether he knew either politician.
Police said he tricked his way into the victims' homes using a false badge and uniform and was even driving a car that looks like a police vehicle equipped with emergency lights.
The first emergency call was made at 02:00 local time regarding the incident involving state senator Hoffman and his wife.
Then another call was placed to police at 03:35, which led officers to check on House Speaker Hortman.
The police exchanged gunfire with the suspect at Hortman's home, but he managed to escape.
Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said police are engaged in an "extensive manhunt" alongside the FBI, SWAT and hundreds of police officers. He said police took the suspect's car and believe he is travelling on foot.
Authorities are warning people in the area not to answer their door for a police officer unless there are two officers together.
But let's learn WHY did this might have happened in the first place.
Quote:The Dem Minnesota state lawmaker who was assassinated by a crazed gunman in a rubber mask crossed party lines just days earlier and made a critical vote revoking health care coverage for illegal migrants.
Melissa Hortman, the state House Democratic leader, was the only member of her party to side with Republicans and vote to repeal taxpayer-funded healthcare coverage for adult illegal immigrants as part of this year’s budget bill.
She and her husband were gunned down on Saturday in Brooklyn Park just outside of Minneapolis, shortly after the same assassin is believed to have gravely wounded Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.
Cops are on the hunt for the suspect, Vance Luther Boetler, 57, a political appointee of Gov. Tim Walz, who allegedly left behind a sick “manifesto” listing the names of 70 politicians, including Walz, according to authorities.
Just days earlier, on June 10, Hortman cast the decisive vote on a state budget bill that stripped access to MinnesotaCare benefits for illegal migrants over the age of 18.
“I did what leaders do, I stepped up and I got the job done for the people of Minnesota,” she told KTTC-TV, adding that she understood the anger of her fellow DFL members.
“They’re right to be mad at me. I think some of them are pretty, pretty angry. I think that their job was to make folks who voted for that bill feel like crap, and I think that they succeeded,” she said.
She appeared visibly upset as she said she had voted for the healthcare provision solely to uphold the budget deal, which was later passed by the state Senate. Walz is expected to sign the budget into law.
“I know that people will be hurt by that vote, and we worked very hard to get a budget deal that didn’t include that provision,” she told the House on Tuesday following a four-hour debate,
The state legislature in Saint Paul is extremely narrowly divided. The state House is controlled by Republicans, who have a majority of just one seat (67-66) and the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (as Minnesota Dems are called) holds the state Senate by the same margin (34-33).
Based on a previous report, authorities might have found a manifesto and No Kings papers, plus 70 names of politicians including Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. Let's see if the investigators confirm this later on.
Quote:The wife of suspected political assassin Vance Boetler is being detained and questioned after cops found a weapon, ammunition, cash and passports in her car during a traffic stop on Saturday morning, a report said.
Jenny Boetler was stopped by police while driving in a car with several relatives near Onamia, Minnesota, late Saturday morning around 10 a.m., local KTSP reported.
[Photo & Footnote: Jenny Boetler was listed as the president and CEO of Praetorian Guard Security Services.]
In the car she had a weapon, ammunition, cash and passports, that report stated citing law enforcement officials.
Two cop cruisers were at the scene for two to three hours, according to that report.
Boetler was held for questioning but was not arrested.
It is not clear whether the Boetlers lived with each other, as Vance Boetler was known to live at a residence in Camden, Minnesota, which was raided by SWAT teams on Saturday afternoon.
The couple previously ran the company Praetorian Guard Security.
Jenny was the President CEO of the company and was billed as bringing “years of organizational operations and logistical oversight,” according to the company’s website.
Vance Boetler boasted security experience in Eastern Europe, Africa, North America, and the Middle East, including in the West Bank, Southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, the website stated.
Quote:Published Jun 14, 2017 at 8:28 AM EDT
A mass shooting at an early morning GOP baseball practice in Viriginia Wednesday has left House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and several aides shot.
Scalise was shot while he stood near second base, Alabama Representative Moe Brooks told CNN.
At least one other aide was also hit in the chest by a gunman with a rifle who opened fire the a baseball practice in Virginia Wednesday morning, Fox News confirmed.
Alexandria Police Chief Michael Brown gave an update on the shooting at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park. The shooting, he said, took place at about 7:09 a.m. and that police were there within three minutes of the report.
"Two of our officers returned fire," he said, adding that he would not give any other details Brown said that the FBI are collecting evidence and collaborating with Alexandria police. "It's an active scene," he said. In their initial report police said there were multiple gunshots.
Republican senator Rand Paul of Kentucky told MSNBC that he saw two congressional staffers on the ground after the shots began. Paul, who was practicing his swing in a batting cage next to the field, said he hid behind a tree with a staffer.
Police say they have arrested the shooter. Brooks, who was an eye-witness to the shooting, told CNN that the shooter "appeared to be a white male. "He wasn't skinny, but he did not appear to be obese either," he said.
President Donald Trump quickly issued a statement. "We are deeply saddened by this tragedy," he said of the shooting. "Our thoughts and prayer are with the members of Congress, their staffs, Capitol Police, first responders, and all other affected." Trump said he and Vice President Mike Pence are "monitoring developments closely."
So it has become a terrible anniversary for the US and state politicians indeed.
Quote:Multiple police officers were injured in Portland, Oregon Saturday night during a violent riot at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility.
A mob launched fireworks, smoke grenades and threw rocks at federal law enforcement, as they broke glass and forcibly entered the ICE facility, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital.
Four officers were injured during the attack, though federal law enforcement was able to secure the facility.
The riot came after the city hosted a “No Kings” protest at 1 p.m., which officials labeled a “large-scale free speech gathering.”
Tens of thousands of people marched through downtown and returned to Waterfront Park at about 4 p.m., which is about five miles from the ICE field location.
The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) declared an unlawful assembly near the facility at about 6:30 p.m. local time, warning it would use crowd control measures, including impact munitions or other physical force, if necessary.
About 30 minutes later, PPB said a medical event was reported within the ICE facility and medical personnel needed to enter.
They warned rioters not to interfere with police, or “force may be used against you,” the bureau wrote on social media.
At about 8 p.m., PPB said officers observed criminal activity including assault and criminal mischief and would be making targeted arrests.
“Do not interfere with police action,” the agency wrote in a subsequent post. “Failure to adhere to this order may subject you to citation or arrest.”
Quote:White House communications director Steven Cheung addressed the nationwide "No Kings" protests on Saturday, describing them as "a complete and utter failure with minuscule attendance."
Thousands of planned protests, which remained peaceful as the Army’s 250th anniversary parade commenced, followed a week of violent anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles and other cities.
No Kings organizers chose to hold the demonstrations the same day as the military parade, which coincided with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday.
"It is sad Democrats and liberals would rather support criminals and illegals instead of celebrating the 250th anniversary of our great U.S. Army and Flag Day," Cheung wrote in an X post. "But many more Americans are commemorating our brave military men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice and those who continue to serve our country."
Republican lawmakers cheered the effort, describing it as an "incredible opportunity" to showcase the strength, discipline and teamwork of the U.S. military.
"It’s an honor to support our service members in our nation’s capital," Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote in an X post. "Thank you to every man and woman in uniform for your dedication and service to our country!"
However, Democrats mostly criticized the Army celebration, citing its cost and alleging it was an excuse to celebrate Trump's birthday.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke out shortly after the parade began on Saturday, saying the celebration "should be about" service members.
Quote:Lefty New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warns that if former Gov. Andrew Cuomo wins the city’s mayoral race, he will use it as a stepping stone for a presidential bid.
“This is not just about New York City, but this is about the United States,” the far-left Dem told an enthusiastic crowd she stumped for fellow socialist and mayoral wannabe Zohran Mamdani at Terminal 5 in Manhattan on Saturday.
“I mean that literally, because Andrew Cuomo has made clear that if he wins this race, he wants to run for president of the United States of America,” AOC said.
Ocasio-Cortez, 35, an acolyte of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), 83, also fussed about Cuomo’s age and suggested that the 67-year-old is standing in the way of a new generation of leadership — after she became one of the first prominent Dems to support the re-election bid of memory-addled 82-year-old then-President Joe Biden last summer.
“In a world and a nation that is crying to end the gerontocracy of our leadership that wants a new day, that wants to see a new generation ascend, it is unconscionable to send Andrew Cuomo to Gracie Mansion once again,” the city congresswoman said.
Cuomo has never actually held Gracie Mansion before, as he was never mayor of the Big Apple, though he did serve as governor of the Empire State from 2011 to 2021.
“I have no idea where the far left got this silly new talking point, but the governor has said that — death aside — he’ll be finishing his own term,” Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi told The Post.
Quote:After Democratic California Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed and detained during a press event in his home state involving Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, his Republican colleagues blasted the senator for potentially breaking the law and making "a spectacle of himself" rather than doing his job.
Video of the incident showed Padilla trying to walk up to Noem while she was speaking at a podium during a press conference in Los Angeles. Padilla simultaneously attempted to shout over Noem, but law enforcement stepped in and forcefully stopped Padilla's advance.
Padilla was eventually taken to the ground and handcuffed, the video showed. Fox News reporters who were present said Padilla appeared to be detained for a period of time.
"I think [Padilla] should have been here in Washington voting," Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said of the incident when asked for a reaction. "He has a responsibility to his constituents, to show up at work, not to go try to make a spectacle of himself."
While Democrats are angerd by the way law enforcement handled the incident, Republicans like Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno and Majority Leader John Thune have signaled they want to learn the facts of what took place. Moreno said if Padilla broke the law, it would have been right to arrest him.
"The important facts are, was he committing a crime? Right? The fact that I'm a United States senator doesn't make me immune from laws. In fact, the Democrats are the ones that like to say 'nobody's above the law,'" said Moreno, who had not seen the video at the time Fox News Digital spoke to him.
"If you walked into the Senate chamber right now and started yelling and screaming and asking questions, you couldn't say, ‘Wait a second, I have a First Amendment right to do this.’ It would be more than frowned upon. The Capitol Police would escort you out of the building. If you refuse to leave, they would arrest you."
Moreno added he thought it was "a little ironic" that Democrats "cheered" as federal law enforcement raided President Donald Trump's house "with almost completely no justification whatsoever" but are condemning law enforcement now that one of them is caught in the crosshairs.
Quote:Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass says what is happening in her city does not compare to the 1992 Rodney King riots that followed the acquittal of white police officers who were videotaped beating the Black motorist.
Despite a growing list of arrests, tens of thousands of people taking to the streets and curfew put in place, Bass told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday that this is nothing like what happened more than 30 years ago.
"There is zero comparison," Bass told host Dana Bash. "I was at the epicenter when it was occurring."
"It was a citywide civil unrest," she continued. "It was the nation's worst in terms of the most costly, the number of people died, the number of people arrested. There is no comparison. And unfortunately, that is what is being pushed, as though the city is in chaos, there's civil unrest everywhere. For most Angelenos, they're like, what city are they describing? They are definitely not describing Los Angeles."
Bass said the anti-ICE riots are occurring within one to two square miles of a city that is 500 square miles. While speaking with Bash, she acknowledged that both police officers and rioters were injured during the unrest.
The mayor criticized ICE raids for their economic impact, noting the construction, fashion and restaurant industries.
"The disruption and the fear that has been caused by the raids has really had a devastating effect and has been a bodyblow to our economy. I don't think the president understands that we have entire sectors of our economy that cannot function without immigrant labor," she said.
On Saturday, the scene took a turn from peaceful to violent as rising unrest spurred police to deploy tear gas.
"The demonstration has taken the street. A DISPERSAL ORDER has been issued for all persons located on Alameda south of Aliso and North of Temple to immediately leave the area," the LAPD wrote in a warning on X.
"People in the crowd are throwing rocks, bricks, bottles and other objects. Less lethal has been approved. Less lethal may cause discomfort and pain. It is advised that all persons leave the area," another alert read.
Quote:Demonstrators turned out across the U.S. on Saturday to participate in coordinated "No Kings Day" protests, aimed at denouncing President Donald Trump's leadership.
While many of the events reportedly remained largely peaceful, several cities saw violent altercations, including a vehicular assault in Virginia and a shooting in Utah.
Why It Matters
The protests took place in hundreds of U.S. cities, according to Reuters, with large-scale gatherings reported in major hubs such as Philadelphia; Los Angeles; Austin, Texas; Portland, Oregon; and New York.
The rallies coincided with the president's 79th birthday and the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary parade in Washington D.C.
What To Know
In Portland, Oregon, officers deployed tear gas and flash grenades, with demonstrators breaching an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, according to the Daily Mail, which reported that four police officers were injured during the clashes.
In Culpeper, Virginia, a 21-year-old man, Joseph R. Checklick Jr., was arrested after allegedly driving his SUV into a dispersing crowd in a parking lot, striking at least one person.
Meanwhile, in Salt Lake City, shots were fired during a No Kings march, critically injuring one person. KUTV reported that police took a person of interest into custody after the shooting, which occurred downtown just before 8 p.m., according to the outlet.
Quote:ABC News dropped veteran correspondent and anchor Terry Moran on Tuesday after he had posted on social media that President Trump and a senior White House official were "world-class" haters.
"We are at the end of our agreement with Terry Moran and based on his recent post — which was a clear violation of ABC News policies — we have made the decision to not renew," the network said in a statement released by a spokesperson. "At ABC News, we hold all of our reporters to the highest standards of objectivity, fairness and professionalism, and we remain committed to delivering straightforward, trusted journalism." (Moran did not respond to NPR's requests for comment.)
Moran had been a foreign correspondent, chief White House correspondent and anchor of Nightline over his nearly three decades at ABC News. At one time, he was considered by executives as a potential evening news anchor in the mold of the late Peter Jennings.
Just six weeks ago, Moran had interviewed Trump, earning acclaim from many of his peers for gently pressing the president over his false claims about a man deported by the administration to El Salvador. Trump, irritated, told Moran in the middle of the exchange that he had "never heard of you."
"You're not being very nice," Trump said, suggesting Moran should not push back given the "big break" he had been given in getting the sit-down interview.
In December, the Walt Disney Co., ABC's corporate parent, agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Trump as a private citizen last fall over repeated assertions by anchor George Stephanopoulos that Trump had been found liable for rape in a civil trial. In fact, Trump was found liable for sexual abuse in a civil trial in New York City. (Disney agreed to pay $15 million to a foundation for Trump's eventual presidential library and $1 million for legal fees incurred by his lawyers.)
Quote:President Donald Trump on Wednesday hailed a favorable decision by a federal appeals court over his sweeping tariff policy as a “great” win for the United States.
Trump said on his social media site that the court’s decision Tuesday night to let the government keep collecting his sweeping import taxes while challenges to his signature trade policy continue on appeal means the U.S. “can use TARIFFS to protect itself against other countries.”
“A great and important win for the U.S.,” Trump wrote.
The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit extends a similar ruling it made after another federal court struck down the tariffs May 28, saying Trump had overstepped his authority. Noting that the challenges to Trump’s tariffs raise “issues of exceptional importance,″ the appeals court said it would expedite the case and hear arguments July 31.
The case involves 10% tariffs the Republican president imposed on almost every other country in April and bigger ones he imposed and then suspended on countries with which the United States runs trade deficits. It also involves tariffs he plastered on imports from China, Canada and Mexico to pressure them to do more to stop the illegal flow of immigrants and synthetic opioids across the U.S. border.
In declaring the tariffs, Trump had invoked emergency powers under a 1977 law. But a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled he had exceeded his power.
That ruling from the Court of International Trade came after several lawsuits arguing Trump’s tariffs exceeded his authority and left the country’s trade policy dependent on his whims.
The tariffs upended global trade, paralyzed businesses and spooked financial markets.
Quote:President Trump signed legislation Thursday to override California regulations that sought to make nearly all new vehicles electric by 2035 — while announcing plans for a new ban on windmills citing the “junkyard” optics of the area around Palm Springs.
Trump, citing the fact that 17 states — including New York and New Jersey — generally follow California emissions rules, said he would “officially rescue the US auto industry from destruction” by scrapping the Golden State’s ambitious regulatory plan for cars and trucks.
Trump said a trio of bills that he signed in the White House East Room would “kill the California mandates forever.”
“You can’t do anything about it, they can’t take us to court, they can’t do any of the things they can do with executive orders, and it’s permanent,” he crowed.
“They said it couldn’t be done,” Trump said. “They’d pass these crazy rules in California and 17 states would go by them. Automakers wouldn’t know what to do because they’re really building cars for two countries, when you have 17 states.”
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) was the lone Democrat in the upper chamber to support any of the Republican legislation. In the House, 35 Democrats backed the three measures.
Sacramento had mandated that 100% of new cars in the state be “zero-emission vehicles” by 2035 — with carmakers required to sell at least 80% electric vehicles and allowed to make up the remainder of their offering with approved plug-in hybrids.
Just 23% of new cars sold in California were “zero emissions” electric or hybrid varieties in the first quarter of 2025, according to state government data — ahead of the national market share.
Trump announced other priorities in his wide-ranging remarks, including touting nuclear power and trashing windmills, which he said his administration would curtail.
“We’re not going to let windmills get built because we’re not going to destroy our country any further than it’s already been destroyed,” Trump said.
Quote:A former FBI analyst who spent two years advising then-Rep. Adam Schiff while Schiff pushed the Trump-Russia narrative and led the first Trump impeachment subsequently “burrowed in” to the federal bureaucracy.
While presidents appoint more than 3,000 people for political positions, the federal government directly employs roughly 2.3 million people, most of whom serve in ostensibly nonpolitical, career positions. The Office of Personnel Management tracks when political appointees transition to career positions—a process often referred to as “burrowing in” to the bureaucracy—and Lucian Sikorskyj did so last September.
Sikorskyj moved from principal deputy assistant secretary for counterterrorism at the Department of Homeland Security to associate administrator for materials and safety at the Federal Aviation Administration on Sept. 8, 2024, according to OPM records. He received a pay bump from $180,000 to $214,500.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Sikorskyj remains at the FAA. (He has verified his LinkedIn profile by proving his identity via government identification.) The FAA has not responded to The Daily Signal’s requests for comment to confirm whether he remains at the agency.
After nine years at the FBI, Sikorskyj joined the National Security Council in June 2016 under President Barack Obama, where he stayed until October 2017. After working at NATO in Brussels, Belgium, and serving eight months in the office of the director of national intelligence, he joined the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in February 2019. The FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment on Sikorskyj’s work history.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Sikorskyj served as subcommittee staff director at the committee, working as “a senior advisor to the chair of the committee and nearly 15 members of U.S. Congress.” The profile also states that he “supported the speaker of the House of Representatives and their national security advisor.”
He also “led, co-led, or played a key role in major and complex congressional investigations, hearings, reports, and congressional delegations at home and abroad.”
In July 2021, he joined the Department of Homeland Security, where he stayed until May 2023, when he joined the White House National Security Council, according to LinkedIn.
Quote:An illegal migrant from Mexico is accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at cops during the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles last weekend — and he’d already been deported from the US once before.
Emiliano Garduno-Galvez now faces an attempted murder charge after being nabbed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Monday, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Ominous video footage released by ICE shows the Mexican migrant lurking around a tree wearing a black hoodie and face mask with what appeared to be a Molotov cocktail at his feet on Saturday, according to ICE
At one point he flicks a lighter, as if to test that it’s working, according to the footage.
Police were seen trying to push rioters away from the area before Garduno-Galvez allegedly chucked the explosive at them, ICE said.
Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin emphasized that “these are the types of criminal illegal aliens that rioters are fighting to protect,” in a statement Wednesday.
She added: “The Los Angeles rioters will not stop us or slow us down. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Mexican illegal migrant also had a rap sheet that includes two arrests last year for a DUI in Long Beach and grand theft in Anaheim.
A DHS official told The Post that local officials didn’t honor previous detainers to let ICE take Garduno Galvez into custody after his previous arrests.
Anti-ICE protests broke out in LA Friday after immigration agents raided multiple workplaces and hauled of illegal migrants, but kicked off in earnest on Saturday.
Rioters threw rocks and molotov cocktails at federal agents and local cops.
Protesters later began showing up at multiple locations across the city to block ICE raids, while picketing at the agency’s downtown detention center.
The protests, however, quickly turned violent as rioters began burning cars, shutting down highways and looting storefronts.
"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 Pentagon and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signaled on Monday that the United States does not plan to strike Iran as President Donald Trump prepares to meet with the National Security Council (NSC) at the White House.
The NSC meeting comes as the U.S. has repositioned both warships and military aircraft in the region to respond if the conflict between Israel and Iran further escalates.
"American Forces are maintaining their defensive posture & that has not changed," Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesperson, wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "We will protect American troops & our interests."
The Context
Israel launched a number of strikes against Iran last week, igniting the most serious escalation to date in their long-running conflict.
Both countries have lobbed missiles at one another since Israel first attacked Iran early Friday, local time, with Iran bearing the brunt of the cost in the days since.
Israeli airstrikes have decapitated Iran's military and intelligence leadership and targeted critical nuclear sites and scientists, killing more than 224 people since Friday. Israeli officials have said that 24 people in Israel have been killed and at least 500 were injured as a result of Iran's retaliatory strikes.
What To Know
Hegseth underscored America's defensive posture vis-à-vis Iran, telling Fox News that Trump's priority is still achieving a new nuclear agreement with Iran.
"We believe that Iran ... should not have a nuclear weapon," he told Fox's Jesse Watters. "That position hasn't changed."
"Right now, we've got assets in the region and we're going to defend them," he said, adding: "We're strong, we're prepared, we're defensive ... President Trump hopes there can be peace."
The Trump administration has been working to negotiate a new nuclear agreement in Iran since he took office in January. Trump scrapped the Obama administration's 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran in 2018, during his first term.
On Monday evening, the president issued a warning to Tehran residents, telling them to "immediately" evacuate the capital city.
"Iran should have signed the 'deal' I told them to sign," he wrote. "What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!"
Trump initially planned to be at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada until it wrapped, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that the president will leave early to deal with the Israel-Iran crisis.
Quote:President Donald Trump issued a warning on Monday evening telling "everyone" in Tehran to "immediately evacuate" the city. The U.S. president will also leave the G7 summit in Canada early to deal with the rapidly escalating crisis between Israel and Iran and has reportedly called a National Security Council meeting for when he lands in Washington, D.C.
The Context
Israel launched a number of strikes against Iran last week, igniting the most serious escalation to date in their long-running conflict.
Both countries have lobbed missiles at one another since Israel first attacked Iran early Friday, local time, with Iran bearing the brunt of the cost in the days since.
Israeli airstrikes have decapitated Iran's military and intelligence leadership and targeted critical nuclear sites and scientists, killing more than 224 people since Friday. Israeli officials have said that 24 people in Israel have been killed and at least 500 were injured as a result of Iran's retaliatory strikes.
What To Know
Trump posted Monday night on Truth Social, "Iran should have signed the 'deal' I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!"
Shortly after Trump's Truth Social post, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the U.S. president will leave the G7 summit in Canada earlier than expected.
"President Trump had a great day at the G7, even signing a major trade deal with the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Keir Starmer," Leavitt wrote. "Much was accomplished, but because of what's going on in the Middle East, President Trump will be leaving tonight after dinner with Heads of State."
...
Trump has been caught in a tug-of-war between the isolationist wing of the MAGA movement and foreign policy hawks since Israel launched its strikes last Thursday. Current and former Israeli officials have also pushed for the U.S. to wade into the conflict, with former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant telling CNN on Monday that Trump "has the option to change the Middle East and influence the world."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said regime change in Iran is not his goal, but he said it could "certainly be the result" of Israel's strikes, adding that the Iranian government is "very weak."
Netanyahu's comments came after Gideon Sa'ar, Israel's foreign minister, said Sunday that his country is not aiming for regime change, even as Israeli forces expand their offensive against Iran. Netanyahu also addressed reporting on Monday that Trump had vetoed an Israeli strike against Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei out of concern that it would further escalate the Israel-Iran conflict.
Such a strike would not "escalate the conflict, it's going to end the conflict," Netanyahu told ABC News' Jonathan Karl.
Quote:The U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv has sustained "minor damage" after an Iranian missile landed close to the building in the early hours of Monday, said the U.S. ambassador to Israel.
Why It Matters
Israel and Iran exchanged strikes for a fourth day into Monday after Israel launched its "preemptive" strikes on Iran's nuclear, missile and military sites late on Thursday U.S. time.
An Iranian official said 78 people were killed and more than 300 injured in Tehran as Israel declared a state of emergency and prepared for Iran's response.
Tehran has carried out several waves of retaliatory drone and missile strikes across Israel, as the Israeli military continues to target sites across Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called for both sides to "make a deal," but told reporters in separate remarks that "sometimes they have to fight it out."
Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, said on Monday that "the residents of Tehran will pay the price, and soon," after renewed Iranian ballistic missile strikes across Israel.
What To Know
Ambassador Mike Huckabee wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that no U.S. personnel were injured in the incident, but added that U.S. Embassy office and consulate would remain closed on Monday.
President Donald Trump, during his first term in office, opened the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and recognized the fiercely contested and divided city as the Israeli capital. The Tel Aviv branch has remained operational.
The U.S. State Department on Saturday said family members and selected nonemergency U.S. government personnel could leave the country, with all others sheltering until further notice. The Jerusalem and Tel Aviv offices would remain open, the State Department said at the time.
The U.S. pulled some of its staff from the wider Middle East, including the embassy in Iraq, ahead of Israel's initial strikes late last week.
Israeli authorities reported early on Monday that Iranian weapons had fallen close to the coastal area around Tel Aviv, causing damage to property and infrastructure.
Quote:The U.S. Navy's aircraft carrier USS Nimitz departed the South China Sea Monday morning, canceling a planned port call in central Vietnam as it changed course westward toward the Middle East.
At the same time, over 30 U.S. Air Force aerial-refueling tankers took off from American bases, heading east across the Atlantic. Officials have described some of these movements as routine or related to NATO exercises in Europe. The U.S. State Department has denied any direct U.S. involvement in Israeli airstrikes against Iran and emphasized that U.S. support for Israel is limited to defensive measures.
Newsweek has reached out to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and Iran's foreign ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
The repositioning of U.S. military assets comes as the Israel-Iran conflict enters its fourth day, after Israel launched strikes on Iranian territory last week. Iran responded with missile attacks on Israeli cities, with civilian casualties reported on both sides. The U.S. is moving forces to safeguard its personnel and prepare for potential escalation as the conflict deepens.
What to Know
The USS Nimitz was scheduled to visit Danang City, Vietnam, later this week. However, a formal reception set for June 20 was canceled due to an "emergent operational requirement," according to the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi. The aircraft carrier had recently completed maritime security operations in the South China Sea as part of what the U.S. Pacific Fleet described as the Navy's "routine presence in the Indo-Pacific."
Following the cancellation, ship tracking data confirmed the vessel was moving west toward the Middle East. The map shows the latest confirmed position of the Nimitz.
Massive U.S. Tanker Deployment
Meanwhile, more than 30 KC-135 and KC-46 aerial-refueling aircraft departed U.S. bases early Monday, crossing the Atlantic, according to data from Flightradar24.com. Such tankers are required to refuel aircraft participating in strikes far away from their home country, such as the Israeli jets hitting Iran.
However, U.S. officials stated that the tankers may participate in a scheduled NATO exercise in Europe. The State Department has instructed American diplomats to reassure host governments that the U.S. is not supporting Israeli air operations in Iran, and has not provided any refueling assistance to Israeli aircraft. The department also emphasized that U.S. support for Israel remains limited to defensive measures.
Quote:Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has called for a regime change in Iran, saying President Donald Trump should go "all in" to help Israel combat Iran's nuclear threat.
Why It Matters
Israel on Friday launched attacks against Iran's capital city of Tehran in what it called a "preemptive strike" and warned its citizens of retaliatory bombings from Iran.
Military tensions between the two countries have rapidly escalated in the days since; 224 people in Iran have died as a result of Israel's attacks on Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure, while 24 people in Israel have died and at least 500 were injured from Iran's retaliatory strikes.
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While speaking with Fox News' Sean Hannity Monday night on the strikes, Graham said, in part, "So here is the task at hand. Be all in, President Trump, in helping Israel eliminate the nuclear threat. If we need to provide bombs to Israel, provide bombs. If we need to fly planes with Israel, do joint operations. But here's the bigger question, wouldn't the world be better off if the Ayatollahs went away and replaced by something better? Wouldn't Iran be better off?"
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Graham also said, "No one can say that President @realDonaldTrump has not tried to seek peace regarding Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Iran. He has gone the extra mile and I appreciate that. However, you have to have willing partners to make peace. Iran played the same old game with the wrong guy. God bless Israel, God bless the United States and God bless President Trump."
Israel launched its strikes against Iran after the U.S. appeared to reach an impasse in its nuclear talks with Tehran and the country's defense minister, General Aziz Nasirzadeh, warned that Iran could attack American bases if talks broke down entirely or if hostilities continued to mount.
Quote:Israel now has "full aerial superiority" over the Iranian capital of Tehran, said its military, putting Iran's decimated leadership under significant pressure.
Commenting on the important moment in Operation Rising Lion, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said at a press briefing on Monday, June 16, they had "completed another wave of attacks in Tehran" which hit "more than 20 Iranian army and Quds Force headquarters."
"The wave of strikes last night opened with targeted strikes by air defense arrays designed to protect the centers of power of the Iranian army and a thorn force in the heart of Iran," Defrin said.
Why It Matters
The ongoing conflict has destabilized the Middle East and raised the stakes of a broader regional conflict drawing in wider geopolitical actors that could include the United States, Israel's main ally and Iran's longtime foe.
Tehran has accused Washington of supporting the attack, from which the United States initially distanced itself and made clear it did not participate in but later helped Israel counter Iranian reprisals.
After warning the U.S. and its allies not to help Israel repel its retaliatory attacks, an Iranian missile struck near the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv on Monday. So far, Israel has struck Iran's nuclear sites, airports, residential areas, and the largest gas field amid other critical infrastructure, and also killing senior officials.
Quote:Israel has said it has "eliminated" Iran's new top military commander.
"For the second time in 5 days—the IDF has eliminated Iran's War-Time Chief of Staff, the regime's top military commander," Israel Defense Forces said in a post on X.
"Ali Shadmani, Iran's senior-most military official and Khamenei's closest military adviser, was killed in an IAF strike in central Tehran, following precise intelligence."
There was no response from Iran.
Shadmani was appointed head of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters just five days ago, following earlier Israeli strikes that eliminated much of the Iranian military leadership.
Why It Matters
Israel's says its campaign against Iran is aimed at degrading Iran's capacity to develop a nuclear weapon. Its strikes have hit uranium enrichment facilities and missile infrastructure. Iran responded with more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones aimed at Israeli cities. On Tuesday, fresh explosions were heard in northern Israel as the conflict showed no signs of abating.
What to Know
Israel intensified its aerial offensive against Iran's military and nuclear infrastructure on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump earlier issued a stark warning to residents of Tehran, urging immediate evacuation.
Quote:Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov issued a warning on Monday related to potential issues at the Bushehr nuclear power plant due to Israel's ongoing strikes targeting Iran, saying the situation is "extremely dangerous."
Newsweek reached out to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Israel launched strikes against Iran in the early morning hours Friday as it mobilized Operation Rising Lion, an effort Israeli officials say is designed to preempt a reportedly planned Iranian attack and disrupt Tehran's nuclear capabilities. Israel and the United States have both been concerned about whether Iran could be working to create nuclear weapons.
Russia is a key ally to Iran on the world stage.
The strike marks an escalation in the long-standing tensions between the two countries, fueling concerns of a wider war, particularly about possible involvement of the U.S., which has military bases in the region. The diplomatic and economic impacts of the attack rippled across the globe on Friday.
What To Know
Ryabkov warned about the situation in remarks first reported by Russia's Tass News Agency.
"Naturally, the situation is extremely dangerous. So far, no serious damage has been done—according to our sources and information obtained from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)—but this is just a happy coincidence. The risks remain far too high," Ryabkov said.
He said that "the military standoff needs to stop in order to stabilize the situation."
Ryabkov also told Tass that Russia is "analyzing all available sources of information" pertaining to Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
Russia played a role in constructing the Bushehr plant, situated on the Persian Gulf. CBS News reported it is fueled by uranium produced in Russia, not Iran. It has not been targeted nor affected by the recent attacks, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said during an update on the situation in Iran to the IAEA Board of Governors.
The organization is monitoring the status of Iran's nuclear facilities and the levels of radiation at "relevant sites" across the country, Grossi said.
The level of radioactivity at the Natanz nuclear facility has "remained unchanged and at normal levels," indicating "no external radiological impact to the population or the environment from this event," he said. However, the IAEA has stated that there has been contamination within the plant.
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the attack with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian last Friday, according to the Kremlin.
He emphasized "the importance of resuming the negotiations and resolving any issues pertaining to Iran's nuclear programme exclusively via political and diplomatic means" in his call with Netanyahu.
Quote:Iranian authorities announced the arrest of several suspected Israeli Mossad operatives since Israel's strikes on military and nuclear sites as well as the execution of one formerly convicted spy, saying it was carrying out raids to counter foreign intelligence threats inside the country, Iranian state media reported.
Newsweek has reached out to office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and to the Iranian foreign ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
The announcement of intensified efforts against foreign spies come after Iran suffered heavy blows by Israeli forces, who eliminated the top of its military leadership as well as several nuclear scientists and struck its armed forces, its nuclear program and a number of other official sites.
What To Know
Two alleged Mossad spies were arrested in Tehran and were found in possession of large amounts of explosives and drone equipment, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported on Monday. In Alborz province, police said two were arrested a day earlier and accused them of producing explosives.
Meanwhile on Sunday, a man identified as Esmaeil Fekri was hanged. Arrested in 2023, Fekri was charged with attempting to transmit information strategic site location and personnel details in communication with Mossad operatives, the agency reported. At least two more were executed on similar spying charges in 2025, the news agency said.
Mossad agents deployed inside Iran planted explosive drones and launched precision strikes on missile defenses near Tehran to clear the way for Israeli jets ahead of the recent strikes, several media cited unnamed Israeli security officials as saying. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported that agents smuggled parts for hundreds of explosive-laden quadcopter drones and unmanned munitions into Iran over several months, according to insiders.
Days before the Israeli offensive, Iran said it had acquired classified documents on Israel's nuclear program, with Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh saying the move demonstrated Iran's "intelligence superiority" over Israel and praised Iranian "infiltration capabilities.
"This brilliant victory... not only shattered the fabricated myth of Mossad but also dismantled the pretentious façade of the sinister Zionist regime's security structure, delivering yet another strong blow to its hollow hegemony," he was quoted as saying by IRNA. Iran did not release the documents as it threatened.
Quote:The streets of Tehran were unusually empty Monday morning—no rush hour traffic, no crowded buses—just the low hum of uncertainty and dread as the conflict between Israel and Iran entered its fourth day.
After a weekend of Israeli airstrikes across Iran and a warning from Israel's defense minister that "the residents of Tehran will pay the price," panic and fear have taken hold of the capital. "It's horrible here," one resident told Newsweek, describing a city gripped by anxiety yet unsure of what comes next. Residents did not give their names for fear of reprisals.
Newsweek has reached out the foreign ministries of Iran and Israel for further commmet,
Why It Matters
This escalation opens a new front in the long-running Iran-Israel conflict, now directly threatening civilians on both sides. Tehran's densely populated urban centers and strained infrastructure make the city especially vulnerable to continued attacks, heightening fear and instability.
The echoes of the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980's deepen the psychological impact, reviving memories of prolonged urban bombardment.
What To Know
"Everyone's clueless! Some say it can't go long like this, some believe it'll take long. Let's see... everyone's leaving Tehran though," said a young woman in the capital, summing up the fear, confusion, and quiet flight underway. Streets normally packed with Monday traffic were strikingly clear, and some families have already begun relocating to smaller towns, fearing what may come next.
The tension has only deepened following Israel's vow to escalate. In a post on X, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned, "The residents of Tehran will pay the price, and soon," accusing Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei of becoming "a scared murderer who fires at Israel's civilian home front."
On Sunday, Israel warned Iranians living near weapons sites in Tehran to evacuate for their own safety. Meanwhile, Iran's missile attacks on Israeli cities continue to cause casualties and damage, raising fears the conflict could escalate further.
War Memories Return
The explosions now rocking Tehran echo the trauma of the Iran–Iraq War, when Iraqi missiles regularly struck the city in the 1980s. "I know from experience," one man said, "it is safer to stay in interior rooms or in basements, to be away from flying debris." His voice is part of a growing collective memory reawakened by the sound of blasts and sirens. Back then, families learned how to reinforce stairwells and avoid windows.
At the same time, a spirit of defiance is spreading across social media. "Nothing you can tell me about the crimes of the Iranian regime... but that doesn't mean I want my people bombed, maimed, killed, their homes in ruins," one Instagram user posted, echoing a view widely shared among Iranians who oppose the government but reject foreign strikes on civilians.
Quote:As Israel continues an unprecedented military operation against Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has openly called on Iranians to overthrow their government, going so far as to indicate that his forces' operations "could certainly" lead to a regime change effort.
Now, a number of opposition groups based in the country and abroad are calling for a mass uprising against the Islamic Republic.
Yet the Iranian government's domestic foes are composed of a diverse and largely fractured array of factions, including secular dissidents, militias organized along ethnic lines, Islamist militants and those seeking to restore a monarchy with ancient roots.
Most, if not all, are considered terrorist organizations in Iran, which has taken extensive efforts to suppress their activities in the 46 years since the establishment of the Islamic Republic. None have thus far been able to obtain a sufficient amount of popular support or material means to pose an existential challenge to the current system led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Each group also has its own aims and tactics, some of which directly conflict with others, complicating efforts to establish a united front amid the country's most devastating conflict since the 1980s Iran-Iraq War.
Israeli officials have declined to comment on record regarding potential efforts to foster ties with opposition groups active in Iran, but reports have emerged of operations tied to Israel taking place within the country, in addition to the large-scale air war being conducted by Israeli warplanes and drones since late Thursday.
With enthusiasm building among opponents of the Iranian government, analysts and former officials are treating with caution speculation of an insurrection capable of actually ousting the country's leadership.
'Three Levels' of Cooperation
Giora Eiland, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reserve major general who previously served as head of Israel's National Security Council, told Newsweek that he believed "Israel is being assisted this way or that way by some Iranians," though the true degree of cooperation remained opaque.
"We can assume that there are three levels of Iranians that, directly or indirectly, might help us," Eiland said. "First, when we located some of the Israeli groups that were inside Iran and launched drones from short distances against Iranian facilities, they might have been given some assistance from locals, I cannot verify it, but this makes sense."
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Quote:A cargo flight operated by Cargolux, a Luxembourg-based airline partially owned by a Chinese company, appeared to divert from its scheduled route from China to Luxembourg and instead head toward Iran, prompting speculation about a possible air bridge between Beijing and Tehran amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.
Flight CV9736, operated by Cargolux Airlines International, departed Zhengzhou, China, on June 15 with Luxembourg as its stated destination, according to data from Flightradar24. However, flight-tracking records indicate that the aircraft veered sharply toward Iranian airspace before disappearing from public radar after switching off its transponder over Turkmenistan, a country that borders Iran and is considered a close ally of Tehran.
Additional data from FlightAware suggests the aircraft made a stop in Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan, before proceeding to Luxembourg. AirNavRadar also recorded the aircraft passing through Turkmenistan’s airspace before disappearing from radar.
Cargolux has denied that the aircraft entered Iranian airspace, issuing a statement in response to growing online speculation that the flight was part of a covert delivery operation involving China and Iran.
Blaming the reports on “incorrect data” from public flight-tracking platforms, the company said: “We are aware of the recent information/statements circulating on social media regarding recent Cargolux flights alleged to be using Iranian airspace, based on the data received on a publicly available app. Cargolux would like to categorically state that none of its flights utilize Iranian airspace.”
“Our flight tracking systems provide real-time data, which confirms that no flight entered Iranian airspace,” Cargolux added. “Any claims to the contrary are completely unfounded. We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety and transparency in all our operations.”
The Epoch Times has reached out to Cargolux for further clarification regarding the route and stopovers of flight CV9736.
Chinese firm Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment Co. Ltd (HNCA) took a 35 percent stake in Cargolux in 2014. As part of the deal, Cargolux established Zhengzhou as its second hub after Luxembourg.
Meanwhile, there have been numerous reports of close alignment between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Iranian regime. Some analysts have warned of a China–Iran–Russia axis challenging U.S interests.
“Part of that alignment has to do with China’s economic dependence on Iranian oil. But China is also part of the anti-West axis that includes Iran as well as Putin’s Russia,” Clare Lopez, a former career CIA officer and former executive director of the Iran Policy Committee, told The Epoch Times in a 2023 interview.
Some experts say Iran has long sought security guarantees from China to protect it in case of fallout from its strategy of supporting various anti-Western proxies in the Middle East. Others say Beijing is using Iran as a destabilizing agent in the Middle East in support of its long-term goal of displacing the United States as the global hegemon.
Joseph Humire, executive director of the Center for a Secure Free Society, told The Epoch Times’ “American Thought Leaders” program in 2024 that China’s diplomatic efforts with countries like Iran are often about making a given region more “inhospitable” to the United States.
“The Sino-Iranian connection, in many respects, is probably the most dangerous one, even more so than the Sino-Russian connection, which is more talked about, I think, in foreign affairs,” Humire said.
Sunday’s incident comes as tensions in the Middle East remain high. Israeli forces last week launched a massive air campaign—code-named “Rising Lion”—targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and military sites. In retaliation, Iranian forces have fired waves of missiles and drones at Israeli targets.
Israeli military officials said Monday that Israel had destroyed 120 Iranian surface-to-surface missile launchers that had been firing at Israel, and that they had achieved “full air supremacy in the Tehran airspace.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Operation Rising Lion could result in regime change in Iran, though that is not its goal.
“We’re geared to do whatever is necessary to achieve our dual aim, to remove ... two existential threats—the nuclear threat and the ballistic missile threat,” Netanyahu told Fox News in an interview, adding that Israel is trying to “protect the world from this incendiary regime.”
The Iranian Ministry of Health claims that at least 224 people have been killed in the country since Friday, including several top military officials.
Late Sunday into early Monday, Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv and Petah Tikva, prompting a large-scale response from Israel’s multi-layered air defense system, which includes the Iron Dome.
Just before dawn, multiple explosions were heard in Tel Aviv—believed to be the result of interceptor systems neutralizing incoming projectiles. In Petah Tikva, Israeli authorities reported that one missile struck a residential building, shattering windows and damaging walls, though no fatalities were immediately reported.
Quote:Ukrainian delegates stormed out of the European Youth Event in protest following a speech delivered by Dasha Navalnaya, daughter of the late Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny.
They condemned the inclusion of Russian speakers while Ukrainian voices were absent at the June 13-14 event held at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, which was attended by European youth representatives, Ukrainian TV channel 24 Kanal reported.
The walkout centered on Navalnaya's appearance as a key speaker, which Ukrainian delegates called "insulting" given Russia's ongoing military actions in Ukraine. Delegates said they intend to bring their concerns to the European Parliament.
The objection to Navalnaya's speech came despite the fact that her late father was Russian President Vladimir Putin's most outspoken critic.
Why It Matters
The walkout highlights continuing tensions surrounding the participation of Russian citizens in European public events amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. It also highlights the sensitivities involved in international forums.
What To Know
Navalny died in an Arctic prison in 2024 where he was being held on charges that had been widely viewed as politically motivated. Numerous officials, including Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs, have accused the Kremlin of murdering Navalny.
Navalnaya, 23, a Stanford University graduate, is also a fierce Putin critic. Her mother, Yulia Navalnaya, has also pledged to continue Navalny's work.
The Ukrainian delegation, including representatives from the city of Lviv, left the event after learning that Navalnaya would serve as one of the main speakers.
A lawyer from Russia, Vyacheslav Samonov, also spoke at the event.
In a statement, the Ukrainian delegates expressed their outrage that Russian speakers were featured while Ukraine was not granted comparable participation, despite Lviv holding the title of European Youth Capital this year.
Quote:Russia has accused the U.K. of working with Ukraine in a plan to stage provocations involving a U.S. ship in the Baltic Sea.
In a statement on Monday, Russia's foreign intelligence service (SVR) said it knew of a plot to escalate the conflict in Ukraine with an operation in what is termed a "NATO Lake" due to its location surrounded by alliance members.
The statement provided no evidence for its claims and Moscow is often accused of pushing misinformation as a cover for its own activities.
It comes as Nichita Gurcov, senior analyst for Europe & Central Asia with ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data) told Newsweek suspected Russian destabilization activities appear to be picking up again across Europe following a lull earlier in 2025.
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Why It Matters
The Baltic Sea has been dubbed the "NATO Lake" following the accession to the alliance of Sweden and Finland. Countries surrounding the body of water have accused Moscow of increasing sabotage acts in the region, and the warning by Russian intelligence could prompt concerns about further acts of aggression.
What To Know
The statement by Russian intelligence on Monday said the government of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky intends to increase sabotage and terrorist activity against Russia to reverse problems faced by Kyiv's forces on the battlefield and counter war fatigue among the Ukrainian population.
The statement said coordinated operations by Kyiv and its allies were behind attacks on railways in Russia's Bryansk and Kursk regions, as well as Ukraine's drone strikes on Russian airfields on June 1, dubbed Operation Spiderweb.
Kyiv's upcoming plans, according to Russian intelligence, are to escalate the Ukrainian conflict, disrupt Russian-American negotiations and convince the White House of further military assistance to Kyiv.
The SVR also said that the Security Service of Ukraine and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense had been tasked with European special services "to intensify the preparation of a series of new bloody provocations."
One proposed scenario would involve a Ukrainian-led plan to stage an alleged Russian torpedo attack on an unnamed U.S. Navy ship, which would explode at a "safe distance" and be blamed on Moscow.
Quote:North Korea has airbrushed a top military commander from official photos run by state media after Kim Jong Un was reportedly enraged by damage sustained to a navy ship during a failed launch.
The 5,000 ton warship, a guided-missile destroyer, was damaged on May 21 when it keeled over during its launch. Former Navy Commander Kim Myong Sik and former Chongjin Shipyard manager Hong Gil Ho were subsequently erased from images of the North Korean leader inspecting the warship while it was under construction, NK News reported Friday.
Newsweek reached out to the North Korean Embassy in Washington for comment by email.
Why It Matters
The failed launch is reported to have deeply embarrassed Kim Jong Un as he attempts to modernize North Korea's navy. He vowed to hold those responsible criminally liable.
According to NK News, a U.S.-based outlet focused on North Korea, this marks the first time Pyongyang has erased individuals from state media footage since the execution of former North Korean Minister of State Security Jang Song Thaek in 2013.
What To Know
According to NK News, state media republished photos on Friday that were previously released in March, "this time deleting two key figures in a sign of their removal from leadership positions."
Kim and Hong were both removed from the images that were republished, with state media reporting that the the former shipyard manager was "clearly responsible for the accident."
Quote:North Korean officials rejected a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump intended to open the door for dialogue with North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un, according to a North Korea-focused analysis site.
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During his first administration, Trump maintained a personal correspondence with Kim, saying he "fell in love" after receiving "beautiful letters" from the North Korean ruler.
The pair met three times, for a photo op on the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone and two summits where Trump sought to persuade Kim to scale back his nuclear arsenal. The collapse of those talks was followed by a chill in bilateral ties and sharp escalation in tensions between the North and U.S.-allied South.
What To Know
Trump recently penned a letter addressed to Kim in an effort to resume dialogue, North Korea-focused analysis site NK News reported, citing an "informed high-level source" familiar with the matter.
Multiple in-person attempts to deliver the letter were rebuffed, however, by North Korean diplomats based at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the source said.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt declined to comment on the specifics of the alleged letter. "I'll leave that to the president to answer," she told reporters Wednesday.
Leavitt said the U.S. hoped to build on "progress" made during the first summit with Kim, held in Singapore in 2018, and that Trump "remains receptive to correspondence with Kim Jong Un."
Newly elected South Korean President Lee Jae-myung appears to be making early attempts to de-escalate tensions with the North. On Wednesday, he shut down the loudspeakers that for the past year had been broadcasting daily anti-North propaganda near the border.
North Korea appeared to follow suit Thursday, with its own loudspeaker broadcasts falling silent, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
Kim has vowed never to give up North Korea's nuclear weapons arsenal, calling it necessary to deter aggression by the U.S. and its allies. In 2023, the country's rubber-stamp legislature enshrined this capability in its constitution.
Quote:The United States teamed up with the United Kingdom—a major NATO ally—to conduct patrols in the East China Sea, where China has carried out controversial maritime activities.
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese defense and foreign ministries for comment by email.
Why It Matters
The East China Sea lies between China and the First Island Chain—an island defense line formed by Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines as part of a U.S. containment strategy aimed at restricting China's naval activities through America-aligned territories in the event of war.
China asserts its sovereignty in the East China Sea by maintaining a coast guard presence near a disputed, Japan-administered group of islets and by installing fossil fuel facilities in the region—raising Japan's concerns that it is attempting to alter the status quo in its favor.
What To Know
Official photos released on Saturday show USCGC Stratton—a U.S. Coast Guard national security cutter deployed in the western Pacific since mid-May—sailing alongside the Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Spey at an undisclosed location in the East China Sea on June 1.
In a news release on June 11, the Royal Navy said that the Spey joined the Stratton in the Korea Strait—a 120-mile-wide waterway north of the East China Sea that separates South Korea and Japan. The two ships conducted close maneuvering and communications training.
The Spey is also deployed in the Indo-Pacific region. The British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales is expected to arrive in the area soon with a task group as part of an eight-month deployment.
Quote:Japan and the Philippines—both treaty allies of the United States—have conducted a joint naval exercise in the contested South China Sea, where they were shadowed by Chinese warships.
The Chinese military confirmed that it conducted sea and air patrols in the South China Sea on Saturday, in response to the Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) organized by the U.S. allies.
Why It Matters
China, the Philippines, and other regional nations maintain overlapping sovereignty claims in the energy-rich South China Sea. Confrontations and clashes between the navies and coast guards of rival claimants are an ongoing problem.
The Philippines, which has a mutual defense treaty with the U.S., frequently conducts drills with allies to assert its sovereignty in the South China Sea. The latest joint exercise follows Japan's ratification of an agreement allowing reciprocal military visits with the Philippines.
What To Know
The MCA was conducted on Saturday in South China Sea waters west of Luzon, the Philippines' main island, according to Japan's Kyodo News. The drill involved the Japanese destroyer JS Takanami and the Philippine frigate BRP Miguel Malvar.
A pair of Chinese naval vessels monitored the allied warships in nearby waters, according to imagery from the Philippines' ABS-CBN News. The Chinese navy kept its distance and did not challenge the exercise, which focused on anti-submarine warfare, Kyodo News reported.
Quote:A United States naval task group, led by a warship capable of carrying stealth fighter jets, operated in the South Pacific Ocean amid China's growing naval presence in the region.
The USS America, an amphibious assault ship equipped with F-35B fighter jets, visited Sydney, Australia, alongside two other vessels, demonstrating the U.S. Navy's forward presence, the U.S. Navy said.
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Australia is a U.S. ally in the South Pacific, where American naval vessels frequently make port calls for stopovers and training. These include visits by the nuclear-powered submarine USS Minnesota to Western Australia in February and the Northern Territory in March.
Meanwhile, China is expanding its military reach and presence in the Pacific, leveraging the world's largest navy by hull count. From mid-February to early March, three Chinese naval vessels conducted a high-profile circumnavigation of Australia in a show of naval strength.
What To Know
The America arrived in Sydney on Saturday, followed by the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego and the amphibious dock landing ship USS Rushmore the next day. The ships conducted a scheduled visit as part of routine operations in the South Pacific, the U.S. Navy said.
This marks the first time the three amphibious warships, capable of projecting air and land power from sea to shore, have been moored simultaneously in Sydney on the Australian east coast, along with about 4,500 Navy sailors and Marines, according to the U.S. Navy.
This group of naval ships and its embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit—a U.S. Marine Corps crisis response force—forms the America Amphibious Ready Group, which is capable of conducting combat operations as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Quote:A federal judge in Massachusetts, William Young, has ruled that the Trump administration's decision to cut National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants—allegedly in response to executive orders targeting gender identity and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies—was "illegal" and "void."
In his ruling, Judge Young, a Ronald Reagan appointee, said he was reinstating grants that had been awarded to the organizations and Democratic-led states that had sued over the terminations, Reuters reported.
Why It Matters
Young is presiding over a non-jury trial involving two cases against the Trump administration over the funding cuts.
In one case, the American Public Health Association, United Auto Workers Union and others allege that the NIH unlawfully issued directives leading to the termination of grants. In a second case, a group of Democrat-led states accuses the NIH of unlawfully canceling research grants.
What To Know
Young accused the government of racial discrimination and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community in court on Monday, Bloomberg Law reported.
"This represents racial discrimination and discrimination against America's LGBTQ community. That's what this is," Young said. "I would be blind not to call it out. My duty is to call it out."
Prior to the ruling, Young heard arguments on the case. He challenged the government's position that DEI initiatives contributed to unlawful discrimination.
"Affirmative action had various invidious calculus based upon race. I understand that. That's not a license to discriminate," Young said.
Young said he saw "no evidence" that supports the government's argument.
"Point me just anywhere in this record where it's pointed out that any particular grant or group of grants is being used to support unlawful discrimination on the basis of race. From what I can see, it's the reverse," Young said.
The judge added that it was "palpably clear" that the directives and terminated grants were "designed to frustrate, to stop research that may bear on the health" of LGBTQ+ individuals.
I wonder why that judge thinks that the US government is forced to invest in such researchs.
Quote:Peter Andrew Stinson, a former Coast Guard lieutenant, expert sharpshooter, and former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) instructor has been arrested and charged with threatening to kill President Donald Trump.
According to charging documents, first reported by CBS News' Scott MacFarlane on X, formerly Twitter, the case includes an extensive record of social media posts spanning from 2020 through last week.
Federal prosecutors say the social media posts include separate, explicit threats by Stinson to use a gun, knife and poison President Trump.
Newsweek has reached out to the Justice Department (DOJ) via email on Monday night for comment. The FBI declined to comment when reached via email. The Coast Guard referred comments about the arrest and charges to the DOJ.
What to Know About Peter Stinson
Stinson, residing in Oakton, Virginia, self-identifies as a member of Antifa on his social media profiles, including Bluesky and X, formerly Twitter.
The criminal complaint affidavit filed by FBI task force officer Michael Blake says that he has posted statements advocating violence, such as "Violence is inherently necessary." In March 2025, he referenced using firearms in a post: "Target practice tonight. I set some [orange emoticon] on the railing. Let's shoot some oranges! Plink. Plunk. Boom. Bop."
Investigators interpret the "orange" references as coded language for Trump.
According to the affidavit, On, April 6, 2020, in response to a post that read, "Trump says the democrats 'shouldn't be allowed to win' the election because of how good a job he's done. He says they were 'artificially stopped' by the virus," Stinson posted, "What a [expletive] moron. Would someone just pull the proverbial trigger, please" and followed with an additional post the same day, reading: "I would do it. I would take the fall to save America. Too bad I don't have the operational skills to pull it off. I am willing to serve in a support capacity for someone else with the skills to take care of things."
The FBI confirmed Stinson's ownership of the social media accounts through subscriber information obtained from X Corp. and T-Mobile. The affidavit includes numerous posts where Stinson uses derogatory code names for Trump, including "the orange," "orange mf," and "Krasnov."
Quote:The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are offering $10,000 rewards for information leading to the arrest of two of the original four male migrants who escaped from Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark, New Jersey.
Why It Matters
The migrants' escape from the 1,000-bed, privately operated detention center on June 12 raised immediate safety and security concerns for residents in Newark and surrounding areas. Delaney Hall was a site for protests in May, with lawmakers like Newark Mayor Ras Baraka ultimately filing a federal lawsuit in June against interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba and a Homeland Security (DHS) official, alleging false arrest and defamation stemming from his own detainment outside the facility.
What To Know
Rewards are $10,000 per escapee, or $20,000 for information leading to both of their apprehensions.
Federal officials initially described the four detainees as "criminal illegal aliens" and "public safety threats," urging the public to report any information to law enforcement.
Officials said additional law enforcement resources had been deployed to track and apprehend the individuals. DHS reported that no widespread unrest occurred at the facility during the incident.
Quote:The Trump administration has announced it is creating a new app for those crossing the United States' borders legally.
In launching CBP Link, U.S. Customs and Border Protection stated that its existing app, CBP Home, would be used solely by immigrants who intend to self-deport.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem have promoted CBP Home as a way for illegal immigrants to safely leave the U.S. without facing ICE custody, but the app also had features for those who need to cross the border legally and often, including to and from Mexico.
What To Know
In an announcement on Monday, CBP stated that it was splitting the two apps to create a "user-friendly mobile application designed to reduce data requirements."
CBP Link will now allow users visiting the U.S. for leisure and work to access a single app that lets them apply for the Visa Waiver Program up to seven days in advance and pay for an I-94 form, which proves legal visitor status.
Those entering with perishable cargo needing inspection will also use the app to notify border agents, as will bus operators who need to submit manifests of who and what is on board their vehicles crossing in and out of the country. CBP Link is also where border crossers will find crossing wait times, the agency said.
This is the third change to CBP's app by the Trump administration.
It was called CBP One when Trump returned to the White House. It launched under that name during his first term, with similar functions to CBP Link. Under former President Joe Biden, its functions were expanded so immigrants seeking asylum could book appointments with CBP agents, but Trump shut this down in January.
In March, the app was repurposed into CBP Home, giving immigrants the option to log their intention to self-deport and then notify the government once they had returned to their home country.
It was reported in recent days that around a million people had used the app to avoid being taken into ICE custody, with the Trump administration telling immigrants they may have the option to return to the U.S. via a legal route later. Hundreds of thousands have lost their legal status in recent months, making them deportable.
Quote:Fuentes Farms Inc. is recalling boxes of their fresh cucumbers due to fears of potential Salmonella contamination.
Newsweek reached out to the company via email Monday for additional comment.
Why It Matters
Numerous recalls have been initiated in 2025 due to the potential of damaged products, foodborne illness, contamination and undeclared food allergens.
Millions of Americans experience food sensitivities or allergies every year. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the nine "major" food allergens in the U.S. are eggs, milk, fish, wheat, soybeans, Crustacean shellfish, sesame, tree nuts and peanuts.
The FDA also warns that Salmonella is an organism that could cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in frail or older people, young children and those with weakened immune systems.
Healthy people infected with Salmonella could experience vomiting, diarrhea or abdominal pain, the FDA says.
What To Know
In its alert, the FDA says that the cucumbers were distributed at flea markets in McAllen and Alamo, Texas areas.
The impacted product has a lot number of 357 and were sold in 40-pound boxes by 1-1/9 bushels. The cucumbers were sold from May 31 to June 3. The FDA alert says that as of Monday, there have been no reported illnesses and that "the recall is not part of any current food outbreaks."
Quote:A city in West Virginia has seen more than double its average rainfall for the first two weeks of June amid thunderstorms that pummeled the region this past weekend.
National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Jason Frazier told Newsweek that more thunderstorms are on the way.
Why It Matters
West Virginia faced a sudden weather crisis after torrential rain brought deadly flash floods to several communities this past weekend, with officials confirming fatalities and ongoing search efforts for missing residents.
Central and northern parts of the state, particularly Wheeling and nearby towns such as Valley Grove and Triadelphia, experienced what local officials described as remarkably high rainfall rates, resulting in rapid rises of creeks and widespread infrastructure damage.
What to Know
On Sunday, thunderstorms pummeled Morgantown, West Virginia, and dropped 1.84 inches of rain over roughly an hour and a half. Nearby Fairmont, which saw such torrential rains that an apartment building partially collapsed, received as much as 3 inches during the same timeframe.
For the first two weeks of June, Morgantown's average rainfall is 1.91 inches. However, the relentless storms have dropped nearly 2.5 times that, with the city receiving 4.63 inches of rain so far this month.
It is the eighth wettest start to June in Morgantown.
Emergency responders in West Virginia faced significant challenges due to washed-out roads, destroyed bridges, and widespread debris, hampering rescue and evacuation efforts. The state's governor, Patrick Morrisey, declared a state of emergency for Ohio County, granting expanded authority for disaster response and mobilizing resources such as state police, the Division of Natural Resources, and the National Guard.
Quote:Democratic U.S. Representative Hillary Scholten of Michigan has postponed a town hall, saying her name appeared on what authorities called a "hit list" belonging to Vance Boelter, the Minnesota man charged in the Saturday shootings that killed a state representative and injured a state senator.
...
The shootings were "targeted political violence," Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said during a Saturday news conference, adding that the attack was "a politically motivated assassination."
What To Know
"West Michigan, I want nothing more than to hear from you in person during town halls and other events," Scholten's team said on X, formerly Twitter. "However, after the events of this weekend, Team Scholten has decided to postpone our event tonight in Muskegon for the safety of everyone involved."
"Please stay tuned for the new date, and I hope to see you all there. Keep yourselves safe and well, West Michigan," the post said.
In an additional statement from Scholten's office sent to Newsweek, the lawmaker said, "Nothing matters more to me than the safety and well-being of the people I serve. After being made aware that my name was on a list connected to the recent tragic shooting in Minnesota, my office has made the difficult decision to postpone our planned town hall in Muskegon."
"Open, honest dialogue with West Michigan is at the heart of my service–and I will not be deterred from standing up for this community. Out of an abundance of caution and to not divert additional law enforcement resources away from protecting the broader public at this time, this is the responsible choice.
"We will reschedule this event as soon as possible, and I remain committed to ensuring every West Michigander has the opportunity to make their voice heard," Scholten said.
Quote:New details about Vance Boelter, including what he was wearing and what police found inside his vehicle, were revealed in court documents obtained by Newsweek.
Boelter, 57, is accused of fatally shooting Minnesota state Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman. He is also accused of injuring state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Joseph H. Thompson said at a press conference on Monday that Boelter targeted four different Minnesota politicians. One politician was not home at the time, and the other called the police after Boelter's attempts to get them to answer the door.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced at a press conference on Monday that the attorney's office intends to pursue first-degree murder charges against Boelter. Charges of second-degree murder and attempted murder were filed on Saturday, which are the highest charges that can be filed by complaint, Moriarty said. The move also allowed the attorney's office to obtain a nationwide arrest warrant.
"We intend to go forward on this case, because we are accountable to protect our community and hold people who commit crimes in this country accountable," Moriarty said.
The Context
Moriarty condemned the prevalence of political violence in her comments at Monday's press conference.
"The way we talk to and about each other has raised the temperature to unfathomable levels," Moriarty said. "We cannot continue on this way. In times of tragedy, but also in our daily lives, we need to find ways to support one another."
...
What Did They Find in Vance Boelter's Vehicle?
Officials searched a vehicle registered to Boelter and found at least three AK-47 assault rifles, a 9-millimeter handgun and a list of names and addresses of other public officials, according to the statement of probable cause.
Thompson said the list contained more than 45 Minnesota elected officials, including Hortman.
Officers also searched the surrounding area and found a ballistic vest, a disassembled 9-millimeter firearm, a mask, and a gold "police-style" badge, the document stated.
Boelter is listed as the purchaser of at least four of the recovered firearms.
But we can now gladly announce that Boelter is under custody now.
Quote:Vance Boelter sent a group text to his family members saying he "went to war" after fatally shooting Democratic Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband and injuring Democratic State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, according to an FBI affidavit.
The Context
Boelter has been charged with federal murder and stalking charges in connection to the Hortmans' shooting and the shooting of Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. The Hoffmans were both injured but are in stable condition as of Monday, officials said.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz described Hortman's killing as a "politically motivated assassination" and Joe Thompson, the acting U.S. attorney for the district of Minnesota, also described the shootings as "political assassinations."
What To Know
"Dad went to war last night ... I don't wanna say more because I don't wanna implicate anybody," Boelter texted his wife and family members around 6:18 a.m. on Saturday, according to the FBI affidavit.
The court filing said Boelter also separately texted his wife around the same time, writing, "Words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for this situation ... there's gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don't want you guys around."
Boelter, 57, researched his victims extensively before carrying out the shootings, officials said, adding that he also had a hit list with the names of 45 other elected officials. Thompson said the suspect went to the homes of four Minnesota state lawmakers "with the intent to kill them."
Law enforcement authorities say Boelter impersonated a police officers when he went to the lawmakers' homes, wearing a black tactical vest, carrying a handgun and driving a black SUV with police lights on it that also had a license plate saying "police."
The suspect was apprehended on Sunday after the most extensive manhunt in Minnesota's history, officials said. They later searched Boelter's wife's car and recovered two handguns, passports for her and her children and $10,000 in cash, according to the affidavit.
Boelter has been charged with murder and stalking, charges which could carry the death penalty if he's convicted. He also faces state charges of murder and attempted murder.
Quote:President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer have officially signed the U.S.-U.K. trade deal.
The world leaders, who are gathered in Kananaskis, Canada for the G7 summit, appeared in front of the press for a joint announcement on Monday.
"We have our trade agreement with the United Kingdom," said Trump. "It's a great deal for both. It will produce a lot of jobs, a lot income."
The announcement was almost immediately interrupted by Trump dropping the newly-signed deal papers as he held them up to show the media, leaving Starmer to scramble to pick them up.
Trump praised his relationship with the British leader, calling it "fantastic," while Starmer added it was a "very good day for both of our countries."
What To Know
Trump announced sweeping tariffs on almost every nation in April, before imposing a 90-day pause amid strong backlash and a roiling stock market.
The president vowed at the time to secure 90 deals in 90 days before the July 9 deadline. However, so far the initiative has yielded only two agreements—with the U.K. and China.
The U.K. was the first to reach a deal, which includes the auto and aerospace industries, with the U.S. in May but it has taken weeks for the details to be finalized.
Britain has been seeking U.S.-U.K. trade pact since it voted to leave the European Union in 2016. Talks began in earnest under Trump's first term but slowed under President Joe Biden. They resumed when Trump returned to office in January and gained momentum amid his push for tariff deals.
Quote:Canadian Prime Minister gave South African President Cyril Ramaphosa a warm welcome at the G7 summit in Calgary, less than a month after Ramaphosa's tense White House meeting with President Donald Trump.
"It is a great honor," Carney told Ramaphosa on Sunday. "I've been a long admirer of your leadership of South Africa."
Why It Matters
In May, Trump alleged that a genocide against white Afrikaaner people is taking place in South Africa and has accepted more than 60 into the United States as refugees.
During Ramaphosa's visit to the White House, Trump called for the lights to be dimmed and made the South African delegation and all the reporters in the Oval Office watch clips of Julius Malema, the head of the growing opposition party the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), chant "kill the Boer, kill the farmer." Newsweek has previously broken down the history the chant and South Africa's legal rulings on it.
Ramaphosa has repeatedly made it clear that his priority is to smooth over relations with America in the hope of coming to an agreement on trade and getting Trump to attend the G20 summit, which will be hosted in South Africa in November.
Meanwhile, America and Canada are still reeling from their trade war, temporarily halted by a 90-day pause on tariff implementation.
What To Know
Carney shook Ramaphosa's hand, welcoming him to Canada.
"We've met a bit in the past," Carney said. "And I've been a long admirer of your leadership of South Africa and now your leadership of the G20."
"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:Iran blasted dozens of missiles at Israel Thursday morning, striking a key hospital and other civilian centers in the south in the latest back-and-forth airstrikes between the two countries, according to officials and reports.
The Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheba, the main hospital in southern Israel with 1,000-plus beds, took a direct hit and sustained severe damage, a video taken inside the facility shows.
“Dozens of ballistic missiles were launched at Israel in the last barrage from Iran, with several hits to civilian population centres (including the Soroka hospital in southern Israel),” an Israeli military official told The Post. “IDF Homefront Command Search and Rescue teams have been dispatched to several reported impact sites.”
Several people were injured in the attack, but an exact number was not immediately clear.
The attack came after Israel struck Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, according to Iranian state television.
Israel Defense Forces had blasted an evacuation warning across social media that included a satellite image of the nuclear plant, which sits in the city of Arak, in the middle of a red circle indicating a blast zone.
“Dear citizens, for your safety and well-being, we urgently request that you immediately evacuate the designated area in Tehran’s Area 18. Your presence in this area puts your life at risk,” the IDF Farsi wrote on X.
The facility was fully evacuated before the attack, according to Iran’s state-run station.
Thursday’s round of strikes also targeted several locations in Tehran and other areas across Iran.
Arak is home to heavy water nuclear reactors that produce a byproduct of plutonium, which can potentially be used in construction of nuclear weapons, The Times of Israel reported.
Quote:One of America’s “doomsday planes” made flight to Joint Base Andrews in Washington, DC Tuesday night as President Trump weighs whether to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The E-4B Nightwatch – which was designed to protect the Secretary of Defense and other national security officials and keep the government operating in the time of nuclear war – was spotted by flight trackers, and made a long, winding route to the capital.
The aircraft left Bossier City, Louisiana just before 6 p.m. on Tuesday and landed in Maryland at 10 p.m. after skirting the coast and looping around the border of Virginia and North Carolina, data from flight tracking site FlightRadar shows.
Confusion was sparked after the flight issued an unusual callsign, ORDER01 instead of the usual ORDER6, according to flight data.
The US fleet of four E-4Bs makes regular flights year-round to maintain military readiness.
The E-4B serves as an airborne command center for the President, Secretary of Defense, and the Chairs of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to ensure continued critical command, control and communication in case of emergencies.
Each E-4B Nightwatch can contain a crew of up to 112 people and has a range of more than 7,000 miles.
Their importance to the US Air Force is demonstrated in the fact that they feature unique capabilities which cannot be copied by any other US Air Force aircraft.
They are capable of withstanding nuclear blasts, cyberattacks and electromagnetic effects, and are equipped to fire retaliatory missiles.
Quote:The US Navy’s newest and biggest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is set be deployed to the Mediterranean, according to a report.
It’s the latest public movement of military hardware to the region as the Iran-Israel conflict ratchets up.
The USS Ford, America’s flagship 1,100-foot nuclear-powered carrier, is expected to be sent to Europe as soon as next week, making it the third US aircraft carrier group in the region, CNN’s senior national reporter Zachary Cohen reported on Wednesday.
The $13 billion carrier’s deployment — likely to the Mediterranean Sea — had been scheduled last year, sources to the network.
But it will still be seen as an unmistakable sign of increased global tensions surrounding the ongoing airstrikes between Israel and Iran.
The Ford will join the USS Carl Vinson, which is already in the Persian Gulf, and the USS Nimitz — which the US announced it was sending from Southeast Asia earlier this week.
It comes after President Trump teased a possible US strike on Iran following the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejecting calls for unconditional surrender.
Several other US warships have left a US naval base in Bahrain as part of increased military movements around Iran, it was reported on Wednesday.
Aerial refueling tankers have also been sent to the region.
On Monday, the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier left the South China Sea and set off for the Middle East amid soaring tensions in the region.
An “emergent operational requirement” saw the ship cancel a scheduled docking in Danang City, Vietnam, planned for later this week, the US Embassy in Hanoi said in a statement on Monday.
Quote:President Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “keep going” with airstrikes on Iran Wednesday after handing the regime in Tehran his “ultimate ultimatum” with a word of warning that it was “really late” to restart nuclear talks.
Trump repeated his demand for “unconditional surrender” by Iran without confirming any attack plans were in the works — wishing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei “good luck” and pronouncing him “totally defenseless” as Israel dominates Iran’s airspace after six days of attacks.
“Very simple — unconditional surrender,” Trump urged the ayatollah during a flagpole-raising event on the White House lawn.
“That means, ‘I’ve had it. I’ve had it. I give up, no more!’” the president told reporters.
“Then we go blow up all the nuclear stuff that’s all over the place there. They had bad intentions.”
That appears to be at least one part of Trump’s “ultimate ultimatum” to Iran, as he’s cooled to the anti-American theocracy’s alleged outreach following Israel’s surprise offensive.
“I said it’s really late. You know? I said it’s very late to be talking,” the president noted, revealing that Iranian officials have sought a White House meeting after blowing through a 60-day deadline to reach a deal limiting its nuclear program.
At least publicly, Khamenei has rejected Trump’s demand that he concede defeat and a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry warned that “American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region.”
“The US President threatens us,” Khamenei wrote on X. “With his absurd rhetoric, he demands that the Iranian people surrender to him. They should make threats against those who are afraid of being threatened. The Iranian nation isn’t frightened by such threats”
“It isn’t wise to tell the Iranian nation to surrender. What should the Iranian nation surrender to?” the ayatollah asked. “We will never surrender in response to the attacks of anyone.”
Asked about the ayatollah’s response, the president responded: “I say good luck.”
Trump has vacillated for days between wanting to agree to a deal and potentially joining Israel’s bombing of Tehran’s nuclear facilities — and appeared to do so again during a chat with journalists later in the Oval Office.
“I like to make the final decision one second before it’s due, because things change, especially with war. Things change with war. It can go from one extreme to the other,” he said.
“Don’t forget, we haven’t been fighting. We add a certain amount of genius to everything, but we haven’t been fighting at all. Israel’s done a very good job today, but we’ll see what happens.”
Quote:President Trump said Wednesday he rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to help mediate the Iran-Israel conflict — telling him to focus on brokering an end to the Ukraine war first.
“I spoke to Putin yesterday and he actually offered to help mediate,” Trump told reporters on the White House lawn as he erected a large new flagpole.
“I said, ‘Do me a favor, mediate your own. Let’s mediate Russia first.’ I said, ‘Vladimir, let’s mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later.'”
Trump rejected the offer after attempting for months to force Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Putin to make peace — with the US leader left fuming last month when the “absolutely CRAZY” Kremlin chief instead continued to bomb civilian areas of his neighboring nation.
Russia and China are among the largest nations friendly toward Iran’s government, which is believed to be running low on supplies of rockets and drones less than a week into the conflict.
Tehran’s air defense capabilities have been largely knocked out — as Israel bombs notable Iranian nuclear facilities in an effort to block the development of nuclear weapons. The Jewish state also has assassinated leading Iranian military officials and scientists since Friday.
Trump is openly weighing US intervention in the conflict and threatened to kill Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei if his government attacks American troops in the region.
Quote:The United States was working to organize evacuation routes for Americans in Israel — as the Jewish state and Iran continued to fire barrages of missiles at each other.
It comes after the embassy revealed it would be shut from Wednesday through Friday in order to comply with Israeli guidance.
The US Embassy in Jerusalem was working on the evacuation arrangements, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee announced in a post on X.
Huckabee urged US citizens still in Israel to sign up for updates through the State Department’s Smart Traveler program as tensions mounted.
The warnings came as intense Israeli airstrikes continued to pummel Iran’s capital early Wednesday — a day after President Trump demanded “unconditional surrender” from the Islamic Republic’s leaders.
Quote:Israel’s military warned people Thursday to evacuate the area around Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor.
The warning came in a social media post on X. It included a satellite image of the plant in a red circle like other warnings that preceded strikes.
Israel’s seventh day of airstrikes on Iran came a day after Iran’s supreme leader rejected US calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause “irreparable damage to them.” Israel also lifted some restrictions on daily life, suggesting the missile threat from Iran on its territory was easing.
The Israeli military said Thursday’s round of airstrikes targeted Tehran and other areas of Iran, without elaborating.
Already, Israel’s campaign has targeted Iran’s enrichment site at Natanz, centrifuge workshops around Tehran and a nuclear site in Isfahan. Its strikes have also killed top generals and nuclear scientists.
A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1,300 wounded.
In retaliation, Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones, killing at least 24 people in Israel and wounding hundreds. Some have hit apartment buildings in central Israel, causing heavy damage.
The Arak heavy water reactor is 55 miles southwest of Tehran.
Heavy water helps cool nuclear reactors, but it produces plutonium as a byproduct that can potentially be used in nuclear weapons.
That would provide Iran another path to the bomb beyond enriched uranium, should it choose to pursue the weapon.
Iran had agreed under its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers to redesign the facility to relieve proliferation concerns.
In 2019, Iran started up the heavy water reactor’s secondary circuit, which at the time did not violate Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
Britain at the time was helping Iran redesign the Arak reactor to limit the amount of plutonium it produces, stepping in for the US, which had withdrawn from the project after President Donald Trump’s decision in 2018 to unilaterally withdraw America from the nuclear deal.
Quote:Iran is rapidly burning through its ballistic missiles after having launched more than 400 since the start of the conflict on Friday, just 20 of which hit urban areas, per data shared with The Post by Israeli military officials.
Prior to the start of Operation Rising Lion, Israeli officials estimated Tehran had roughly 2,000 missiles — meaning it has launched nearly a quarter of its stockpile in just six days.
The strike rate of 400 fired to just 20 urban hits is largely due to the efficacy of Israel’s Iron Dome system, which is made up of multiple types of air-defense systems that work in conjunction to eliminate missiles often before they reach Israeli airspace.
Iran’s drones have an even worse strike rate, with none of the 1,000 launched having impacted Israel, according to the latest data from Israeli military officials.
In fact, just 200 of the 1,000 drones even entered Israeli airspace at all.
“All were either intercepted by the Israeli Air Force and Navy, or fell short before reaching Israel,” an Israeli military official said.
Still, 26 people have been killed and more than 500 have been wounded in the Iranians’ strikes, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
However, an Israeli military official told The Post that the total casualties “are far below what the IDF anticipated when it planned the operation against Iran.”
Iran’s barrages have shrunk dramatically as the war rages on, according to a report by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America.
While Tehran came out of the gate on June 14 by firing 200 missiles, it launched less than half as many the next day with 75 launches, according to the report. That was followed by just 30 on June 15 and 65 on June 16.
Quote:Iran bluntly threatened the US on Wednesday that any involvement in its conflict with Israel would trigger an “all-out war” — as Tehran reportedly started prepping missiles for retaliatory strikes on American bases.
“Any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei warned in an interview with Al Jazeera.
The foreign ministry spokesman stopped short of elaborating, but thousands of American troops are based in nearby countries within range of Iran’s weapons.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei echoed the threat on Wednesday, warning that any US strike would have “serious irreparable consequences.”
Khamenei vowed too that Iran would never back down and said his country “does not answer well to threats” as he rejected President Trump’s earlier call for an unconditional surrender.
“Intelligent people who know Iran, the Iranian nation, and its history will never speak to this nation in threatening language because the Iranian nation will not surrender,” he said in a statement read out on state media.
“The Americans should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage.”
Iran’s spate of menacing remarks came after American officials told the New York Times that Tehran had already started preparing missiles to strike US bases in the Middle East if they joined the war — starting with those in Iraq.
Iran could also mine the Strait of Hormuz — a move that would trap American warships in the Persian Gulf, the officials said.
Quote:Iran on Wednesday called President Trump as “has-been warmonger” as its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei defiantly declared that Tehran isn’t frightened by President Trump’s “absurd rhetoric” — rejecting the United States’ demand to surrender in its war with Israel.
“The US President threatens us. With his absurd rhetoric, he demands that the Iranian people surrender to him. They should make threats against those who are afraid of being threatened. The Iranian nation isn’t frightened by such threats,” Khamenei said in a statement on X.
Khamenei also vowed Iran would never back down and that any US strike would have “serious irreparable consequences.”
“The US entering in this matter is 100% to its own detriment. The damage it will suffer will be far greater than any harm that Iran may encounter,” he raged.
“It was already suspected that the US was involved in the malicious move carried out by the Zionist regime, but considering their recent remarks, this suspicion is growing stronger day by day.”
Hours later, the Iranian government — which is quickly running out of missiles — resorted to name-calling while denying the US president’s assertion Wednesday morning that it is still willing to negotiate with Washington and even proposed sending a delegation to the White House.
“No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House,” Iran’s mission to the United Nations posted to X. “The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to “take out” Iran’s Supreme Leader.”
“Iran does NOT negotiate under duress, shall NOT accept peace under duress, and certainly NOT with a has-been warmonger clinging to relevance,” it added, referring to Trump.
The statements echoed remarks Khamenei made in a recorded speech played on state television Wednesday — hours after Trump demanded an “unconditional surrender” and warned the supreme leader that the US knew where he was.
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” Trump had said in a Truth Social post.
“But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Quote:Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei may be attempting to activate terrorist “sleeper cells” across the West as he repeatedly makes inflammatory statements rejecting President Trump’s calls for surrender, Middle East experts say.
As Iran is increasingly squeezed by Israel — losing far more than the Jewish state has in the nearly week-old war — Henry Jackson Society research fellow Barak Seener warned Wednesday that Khamenei may be seeking to awaken terrorist Iranian sympathizers across the world as he runs out of traditional resources.
“The very fact now that the Iranian regime is volatile, it’s targeted, and it’s highly vulnerable — that’s what actually makes it increasingly dangerous to the West, in that it has nothing to lose it has this about this sense of nihilism, and it affects the rational calculus,” Seener said during a call with reporters hosted the America-Middle East Press Association.
Khamenei on Wednesday rejected Trump’s demands that Tehran give up its nuclear program, calling the president’s demands “absurd rhetoric” while refusing to back down.
“The US entering in this matter is 100% to its own detriment,” he said.
“The damage it will suffer will be far greater than any harm that Iran may encounter.”
However, Iran is rapidly running low on ballistic missiles and missile launchers, making it exceedingly difficult for Tehran to follow through on any conventional threat to the United States, Israeli military experts say.
What’s more, Israel has effectively defeated Tehran’s proxy groups — such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon — since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, leaving the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps relatively alone in its fight, Seener said.
“The very fact that Hamas and Hezbollah are sitting this one out is also a humiliation to Iran,” he said.
“They don’t have their proxies to insulate them, which they have previously had.”
“These proxies have been significantly degraded, opening the skies directly for Israel to get to Tehran. And as a result of that, where can the IRGC flex? The only place where it can really flex now is the international community to potentially activate sleeper cells and to conduct malign activities at an even greater capacity than it had beforehand.”
However, it’s unclear how much capability Tehran would retain if Israel manages to end the IRGC’s core components and officials.
The Israel Defense Force killed IRGC commander Hossein Salami on Friday, though he was later replaced by former Iranian Minister of the Interior, Ahmad Vahidi.
“To what end does it have its ability to activate its sleeper cells or IRGC networks internationally, if the IRGC is command and control has been decapitated? Who gives the orders? Is somebody willing to put themselves on the line to conduct a terrorist activity, if they may not even get paid for it, right?” Seener said.
Quote:Former President Bill Clinton called on President Donald Trump to “defuse” the current conflict between Israel and Iran during an appearance on “The Daily Show” on Tuesday.
So far, the U.S. has stayed out of direct action in the conflict, but it has helped Israel shoot down missiles from Tehran.
There are some indications, however, that the Trump administration could move to get more directly involved in the conflict.
While the former president expressed skepticism about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump’s intentions regarding peace in the Middle East, he urged the current president to calm the situation and end the “outright constant killing of civilians.”
“First of all — they’re not talking about negotiating peace in the Middle East because the Israelis have no intention of… under Prime Minister Netanyahu, of giving the Palestinians a state. And now, they’re too divided and crushed to organize themselves to achieve it,” Clinton said.
He continued, maintaining that Trump agrees with Netanyahu in believing that the Palestinians “shouldn’t have a state.”
However, he added that neither leader wants to trigger a full-scale regional disaster.
“Mr. Netanyahu has long wanted to fight Iran because that way he can stay in office forever and ever. I mean, he’s been there most of the last 20 years,” the former president said.
“But I think we should be trying to defuse it, and I hope President Trump will do that.”
Clinton emphasized the importance of the U.S. protecting its allies in the region, while simultaneously advocating for restraint.
Nope, the nuclear deal didn't help neither Israel nor the US at all. And don't even think Iran's Arab neighbors felt very comfortable at home while that deal lasted.
Quote:China has begun evacuating its citizens from Iran and Israel as tensions grow in the region over the escalating bombardments in both nations.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry called on its citizens to board chartered flights out of Iran and Israel on Tuesday following President Xi Jinping’s call for a cease-fire between the warring states.
“Military conflict is not a way to solve problems, and the escalation of regional tensions is not in the common interests of the international community,” Xi said in his first public comment since the conflict broke out on Friday.
China’s evacuation order coincided with flights out of Israel for 139 people from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with the Tourism Ministry offering to help any foreigners coordinate flights out of the Jewish state.
Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová confirmed that a plane carrying 66 Czech nationals landed in Prague on Tuesday morning after they were transported by bus to an Egyptian airport.
“It was not possible to send the army plane straight to Israel,” the ministry said, due to the airspace closure around the Jewish state over Iran’s retaliatory attacks.
A Slovakia-bound plane carrying 73 passengers — mostly Slovaks but also Poles, Czechs, Austrians, Slovenians and others — landed in Bratislava overnight, said Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar.
Among the Slovak evacuees were five family members of diplomats working in Tel Aviv, officials added.
Quote:Chinese President Xi Jinping has broken his silence on the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, expressing deep concern a day after Beijing urged its nationals to leave Iran amid waves of Israeli bombardment.
His statement, delivered Tuesday on the sidelines of a summit in Kazakhstan, came just hours before President Donald Trump appeared to signal impending American military involvement—prompting criticism that such action would violate his "no new wars" campaign pledge.
Why It Matters
Iran received diplomatic support from China—a longtime strategic partner and leading export market—during the more limited exchanges of missile fire with Israel in both April and October of last year.
The latest crisis began Friday with Israel's surprise strikes on a range of Iranian targets, including nuclear facilities, missile batteries, senior military leaders and nuclear scientists. Iran responded with retaliatory missile and drone attacks.
...
What To Know
Beijing is "deeply concerned" about the surging tensions in the Middle East created by Israel's military strikes, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing Xi's remarks during a meeting with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.
"We oppose any act that infringes upon the sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of other countries," Xi said, adding that escalation is "not in the common interest of the international community."
The Chinese leader reiterated his call for de-escalation and said Beijing is ready to "play a constructive role" in restoring stability to the Middle East.
These were Xi's first public remarks on the current hostilities. On Monday, the Chinese embassy in Iran advised Chinese nationals to leave the country as soon as possible, designating four border crossings—with Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan—as priority routes.
It's curious how both of Xi's declarations sound quite incomplete for one article includes details the other omitted for some reason.
Quote:The foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Britain plan to speak with their Iranian counterparts later this week with a goal to sit down on Friday in Geneva, according to Reuters, who cited a German diplomatic source.
Newsweek reached out to the French Embassy to the United States, the German Federal Foreign Office, the British Foreign Ministry, and the European Union External Action Office by email Wednesday for comment.
Why It Matters
Israel last week struck Iran with a wave of airstrikes, which it described as a "preemptive" offensive based on "high-quality intelligence" that Iran was close to developing a nuclear weapon.
The strikes hit a variety of Iranian targets, including military personnel and nuclear scientists, in what Israeli leadership has called "Operation Rising Lion." Iran quickly retaliated, setting off six days of exchanges that has left Iran and Israel bloodied.
Israel's strikes have killed at least 585 people in Iran - including 239 civilians - and wounded another 1,300, according to a human rights group that has long tracked the country, Washington-based Human Rights Activists.
Iran's government has not offered overall casualty figures. Israel has said 24 people have been killed since Friday and 500 more have been wounded, according to Israeli officials.
Israel has also attacked Iran's state-run television network and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to rule out killing Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Both developments further fueled concerns among those on the left and the right that Israel is aiming for regime change in Iran, a charge Netanyahu has denied, though he's said Israel would welcome a collapse.
What to Know
The meeting will follow another planned meeting with the European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas at the German permanent mission in Geneva.
The source said the talks are not happening in a vacuum but will take place in coordination with the United States with the goal of convincing the Iranians to provide concrete guarantees that the regime will only seek "civilian purposes" for its nuclear energy program.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier this week said the Israeli attacks on Iran had significantly weakened Iranian leadership and may have undermined any chance to regain its former strength, leaving the country's future "uncertain."
Merz had also underscored his nation's commitment to a diplomatic solution even as the conflict between Israel and Iran continues to escalate, saying: "If a new situation were to arise, we would again be prepared to provide diplomatic assistance, as we were until last Thursday."
German Foreign Minister Johan Wadephul also appealed to Iranian leadership to end the conflict and assure that Tehran will not seek nuclear weapons, saying that it's "never too late to come to the negotiating table."
Brad McGurk, a former Middle East & North Africa coordinator for the National Security Council, told CNN's Anderson Cooper that he has "low expectations" that the meeting between European and Iranian officials will produce a result, but he urged Iran's leadership to find a "diplomatic offramp" for the conflict.
Quote:An American citizen was among at least 16 people killed in a deadly overnight Russian strike on Ukraine's capital, officials said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's military launched 175 drones, 14 cruise missiles and two ballistic missiles against Kyiv and the surrounding area overnight, Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, said. It marked Russia's deadliest attack on the city so far this year.
Newsweek has reached out to the State Department and the Kremlin for comment by email.
Why It Matters
The aerial assault marked the latest of a series of attacks by Russia in recent weeks. Efforts led by Washington to bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine are faltering, and both sides have launched large-scale onslaughts, with Russia intensifying nighttime strikes with long-range weapons across Ukraine.
What To Know
Ihor Klymenko, Ukraine's interior minister, told reporters that a 62-year-old U.S. citizen had died from shrapnel wounds.
Earlier, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said on his Telegram channel that a 62-year-old American was found dead in a house opposite where medics were providing assistance to victims of Russia's overnight strike.
At least 16 people were killed and 124 others were wounded in the attacks.
Quote:Russian troops were killed in a strike by Ukraine's forces on a convoy next to an abandoned gas station using a U.S.-supplied HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System), it has been reported.
The Telegram channel ASTRA said the strike took place in Makiivka, within the occupied Donetsk region last week and posted video that purportedly showed the aftermath of burning vehicles on the side of the road.
Newsweek could not independently verify the footage and has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
Ukrainian media outlets reported the strike, which shows the continuing role that the U.S-supplied weapon still plays on the battlefield. It comes as Kyiv's forces made gains near Makiivka, according to the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
What To Know
ASTRA reported that the Ukrainian HIMARS hit the Russian convoy in a strike in Makiivka on June 13 around 20 miles from the front line in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. The strike also destroyed a Russian Defense Ministry bus, and military vehicles.
The wheeled HIMARS fired several rockets and hit the convoy with hundreds of thousands of tungsten fragments, according to a clip of the incident's aftermath posted by X account WarTranslated.
Ukrainian media reports said eight Russian servicemen were killed and another 12 were injured. Most were in military unit 71443.
Two civilians were also killed, ASTRA said next to footage filmed from a vehicle driving past the scene, which shows a column of cars, a large fire and a hole in the road.
In its update on Sunday, the ISW said that geolocated footage published showed that Ukrainian forces had recently advanced northwest of Makiivka.
Ukraine continues to use HIMARS on the battlefield. In February this year, the weapon was reported to be behind a strike on a Russian military headquarters in Selydove in the Donetsk region, which killed a large number of commanders.
Overnight Monday, a Russian attack on Kyiv killed at least 15 people and injured 124 others during a nine-hour long barrage of kamikaze attack drones, as well as cruise and ballistic missiles.
Quote:Accused Minnesota assassin Vance Boelter’s most recent job was extracting eyeballs from corpses at a funeral home, according to a pal.
Boelter — a 57-year-old married dad who allegedly murdered Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and wounded another Minnesota pol and his wife early Saturday — was carrying out his gruesome extraction work as part of an organ donation program, said the friend and sometime roommate David Carlson.
“I knocked on his door, and I said, ‘Hey Vance, are you there?’ ” Carlson recalled of his interaction with the accused killer around 7 p.m. Friday — just hours before Boelter unleashed his carnage.
“He goes, ‘Yeah, I’m in bed, and I’m trying to get some rest for work,'” Carlson said from the home in north Minneapolis where Boelter rented a room from him.
“He’d always said, ‘I need rest for work so I’m sharp’ because he was extracting eyeballs. You gotta be sharp for that,” Carlson said.
That day, Boelter also eerily thanked Carlson and their other roommates for their friendship, the New York Times said.
It wasn’t unusual for Boelter — who once worked in the food industry and also as a manager at a 7-Eleven — to go to bed so early so he could be on call for work.
Boelter was on call for 12 hours between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. on the night he allegedly murdered the Hortmans at their Brooklyn Park home and tried to assassinate Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in nearby Champlin.
Quote:The Brooklyn Park home of murdered Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband was broken into overnight Tuesday, police said.
The house has been boarded up since Sunday following the grisly double murder, allegedly at the hands of accused political assassin Vance Boelter.
The former Minnesota house speaker and her husband, Mark, were gunned down after Boelter allegedly shot and wounded state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife.
“The home was once again processed by crime scene investigators for evidence of the burglary,” cops said. “The home appeared to have been searched by an unknown individual; however, the family has indicated that they don’t believe anything is missing.”
Authorities are asking neighbors to review their surveillance cameras for any sign of the intruder and to contact police with any information.
Boelter is facing federal charges including stalking and murder for allegedly hunting down lawmakers and their spouses in the North Star State. Cops said he had a cache of automatic weapons in his car and a hit list of 45 elected officials and abortion providers in the state.
Quote:Democratic socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani seemed to cry and talked about having faced discrimination himself — but refused to condemn the anti-Israel “globalize the intifada” rallying call Tuesday
Mamdani faced fierce backlash and a backhanded slapdown from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum for defending the slogan that has been denounced for allegedly stoking antisemitic violence after he defended its use on a podcast, saying it should be seen as a call to stand up for Palestinian human rights.
He further tried to downplay its hateful associations on The Bulwark podcast by contending the museum used it to describe the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by Polish Jews against the Nazis.
“I think what’s difficult also is that the very word has been used by the Holocaust Museum when translating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising into Arabic, because it’s a word that means struggle,” Mamdani said.
But Mamdani’s hand-waving assertion only inflamed critics, including fellow mayoral contender Andrew Cuomo and several Jewish leaders, who view the Queens state Assemblyman as harboring dangerously antisemitic views.
It also inspired a pointed subtweet from the museum itself, which noted it stemmed from 1987’s violent First Intifada by Palestinians against Israel.
“Exploiting the Museum and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to sanitize ‘globalize the intifada’ is outrageous and especially offensive to survivors,” the museum tweeted. “Since 1987 Jews have been attacked and murdered under its banner. All leaders must condemn its use and the abuse of history.”
While the subtweet didn’t mention Mamdani, a US Holocaust Memorial Museum spokesman confirmed it was referring to the liberal Democrat.
“Any claim that ‘globalize the intifada’ is not antisemitic or calling for violence against Jews is false and must be denounced,” museum spokesman Andy Hollinger said in a statement.
Mamdani emotionally responded to the backlash during a Wednesday news event – first repeating that antisemitism has no place in New York City or the US, before calling out the “dehumanizing language” he has faced as a Muslim candidate for mayor.
His eyes then filled with tears and he choked up as he spoke about Islamophobic death threats he has received.
The function of racism is “distraction,” he said.
“Antisemitism is such a real issue in this city,” he said. “It has been hard to see it weaponized by candidates who do not seem to have any sincere interest in tackling it, but rather as a pretext to make political points.”
The intifada outrage is the latest controversy that Mamdani has faced over his vocal anti-Israel stance — and comes a week before the June 24 primary, in which he is vying to become mayor of the nation’s largest Jewish city.
Quote:A father and son have both died after robbing a Connecticut bank and then being found with gunshot wounds following a six-hour standoff with police, according to authorities.
Shaun Fallon, 56, and his 27-year-old son Zachary Fallon wore medical masks as they threatened a teller at the Chelsea Groton Bank in Groton at around 10:30 a.m. last Thursday, fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to police.
Cops finally found the getaway car at a nearby Super 8 Motel around six hours later — sparking a standoff as the father and son claimed they “were armed with both firearms and explosives and refused to surrender,” Groton police said
“Two gunshots were heard inside the suspects’ hotel room” around six hours into the standoff, police said, with drones confirming that “both suspects were incapacitated by apparent gunshot wounds.”
A bomb squad finally cleared entry to the room, hours after the motel had been cleared of other visitors.
However, no explosives were found, police said, without detailing what weapons the pair had.
The father and son — both from Charleston, Rhode Island — were rushed to Lawrence Memorial Hospital where Zachary Fallon was pronounced dead hours later.
The father was hospitalized for several days but later died from his injuries on Monday, police told the Connecticut Post.
An official cause of death for both father and son will be determined by the medical examiner’s office.
Quote:The arson suspect accused of torching nearly a dozen NYPD cop cars in Brooklyn was identified Wednesday as an anti-Israel troublemaker with a string of protest-related arrests, cops said.
The NYPD blasted out Jakhi Lodgson-McCray’s photo on social media as they continue to hunt for the 21-year-old “Free Palestine” protester who they said set fire to 11 cop cars last week — causing at least $800,000 in damage. He is also accused of wrecking a statue during a rowdy Columbia University protest.
“There is zero tolerance for anyone who attacks the NYPD,” the department said on X.
“We believe that he acted alone,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said of the fiery June 12 incident near the Patrol Borough Brooklyn North headquarters.
“We have him on video for about 40 minutes prior to the incident. He is by himself, and, like I said, a substantial video canvass after the fact, where we track him all the way back to Manhattan.
“Several times during his escape, he changes his clothing,” Kenny said. “He’s wearing a hoodie cinched up so you can’t see his face, and wearing a mask. But we do believe that he acted alone, and obviously he targeted this location because it is a police facility.”
Police tracked down surveillance footage and identified Lodgson-McCray four days later, the chief said.
But the cop car caper isn’t the only reason police want to nab him.
“He’s also wanted for a criminal mischief incident in Columbia University back in September, where he disguised himself as a student and caused over $1,000 of damage to a statue on the campus,” Kenny said. “We believe, based on his social media, that he’s very active in the protest community, involving the Free Palestine movement.”
Quote:Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee skewered Democrats for burying their heads in the sand once again over the question of Joe Biden’s cognitive decline by skipping a hearing about the alleged abuse of the aging president’s autopen authority.
“Not a single Democrat is here today because not a single one of them gives a damn about the fact that they lied to the American people for four years,” erupted Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
“They knew. Every one of them knew that Joe Biden was mentally not competent to do the job,” he added. “And they’re not here because they can’t defend themselves.”
During the hearing, titled “Unfit to Serve: How the Biden Cover-Up Endangered America and Undermined the Constitution,” Republican senators voiced concern that the presidential autopen had been used for executive orders and pardons without Biden’s knowledge.
GOP committee members also lampooned prominent Democrats who ran cover for the oldest-ever president’s public slip-ups by playing a montage of their embarrassing evasions.
“I can’t even keep up with him,” said ex-White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who has since left the Democratic Party, in one clip. “He is sharp. He is on top of things”
“He has knowledge. He has judgment. He has strategic thinking,” House Speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said at another point in the video footage — despite having been part of the push to remove Biden from the 2024 Democratic ticket.
“Many elected officials, including some in this chamber, have used autopens — a mechanical device that replicates a signature. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, so long as we’re the ones actually making the decisions,” said Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.).
“But under President Biden, the autopen became a troubling symbol,” he added. “A symbol of an absentee president and an executive branch directed by nameless, faceless, aides that no one outside of Washington DC had ever heard of and no one ever voted for.”
Quote:Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent believes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could see historic boosts to his nation’s economy from the US-brokered minerals deal could discourage future Russian aggression.
“I always say economic security is national security,” Bessent told Post columnist Miranda Devine during an interview on her new podcast “Pod Force One,” adding that when the conflict ends, the US-Ukraine minerals deal could create post-Cold War growth levels for Kyiv’s markets.
Bessent explained that after the Iron Curtain fell, the Polish and Ukrainian economies were similar sizes, but that the Polish economy is now three times larger.
With the help of the minerals deal, Bessent is hopeful that Ukraine’s economy will gain similar momentum.
“If the Ukrainian economy could grow at that rate,” Bessent said, “I think the Russians might be afraid of them at that point.”
The long-awaited deal was finally agreed to in April, with Bessent signing on behalf of Washington.
The US-Ukraine partnership includes the establishment of a Joint Reconstruction Investment Fund, which will allow both nations to acquire oil, gas and critical mineral licenses and split any profits 50/50.
American military assistance to Ukraine will also be counted as a financial contribution to the fund, allowing Washington to continue supporting the war effort without dipping into taxpayer money.
Prior to its April signing, Zelensky had wavered on whether or not to join the deal, prompting a fiery exchange between himself, President Trump and Vice President Vance earlier this year.
That Feb. 28 meeting had devolved into a shouting match, derailing plans to sign the minerals bill into effect.
Quote:A 25-year-old illegal immigrant was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for trafficking guns to Mexico’s vicious Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Texas prosecutors said Wednesday.
Jorge Alberto Morales-Calvo pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges that he and a cohort used a cartel broker to buy heavy-duty arms for the narcotraffickers — including a Barrett .50-caliber rifle and a FN Herstal Belgium 5.7X28 caliber pistol, the feds said.
“The Department of Justice is looking to hit the cartels from every angle and at every opportunity, which includes vigorously prosecuting not just the member of these terror groups, but those that enable them as well,” Nicholas Ganjei, US attorney for Southern Texas, said in a statement.
“Those that arm or otherwise empower the cartels are going to the meet the full force of the federal criminal justice system,” he said.
On the day the $16,000 deal was due to go down, Morales-Calvo waited in a car outside while co-defendant Homero Arteaga, 45, inspected the guns to complete the sale — when the feds moved in.
Prosecutors said the Mexican national tried to flee but didn’t make it out of the parking lot.
He pleaded guilty on Jan. 8 and was sentenced to three years and five months in federal prison this week — and will be turned over to immigration agents for deportation when he gets released.
Arteaga pleaded guilty on Nov. 21 and was sentenced earlier to nearly five years in prison.
Quote:Gov. Kathy Hochul took a moment Tuesday to flaunt state spending on immigrant legal services that was already announced and secured in this year’s budget after City Comptroller and mayoral hopeful Brad Lander was detained by ICE.
“(Immigrants) don’t have the attention, they don’t have the lawyers, and that’s why the state of New York is providing $50 million to cover legal services for people who are finding themselves in this situation,” Hochul trumpeted outside a Manhattan courthouse after coming to Lander’s aid.
In making the comments, however, Hochul lowballed the figure as the state budget currently includes $64.2 million, not $50 million, for immigration legal aid.
And though the governor seemed to seek praise for the legal funding enacted into the new budget, Lander and his lefty allies have been pushing state officials for a much higher dollar amount.
During a press conference last week, Lander — who was escorting migrants from court hearings when he was detained Tuesday by federal agents at ICE headquarters — called for more than $134 million in additional funding for legal services for immigrants.
The detainment of the city’s chief financial officer sparked an outpouring of support from fellow progressives and prompted Hochul to come to his defense, blasting Lander’s arrest as “bulls–t.”
She later escorted Lander out of 26 Federal Plaza when he was released about four hours later after his charges were dropped.
Lander was cuffed on allegations he assaulted law enforcement, but video of the wild encounter does not appear to back up those claims.
Quote:A gun-toting crew of nine suspected Tren de Aragua gangbangers unleashed chaos at a Colorado apartment complex — just one year after the notorious Venezuelan gang seized properties across the state and sparked a wave of violent crime.
Chilling doorbell footage captured the disturbing moment the violent thugs brandished firearms and repeatedly knocked on the door of a Potomac Street apartment in Aurora on June 9, Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain shared during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
The heavily armed group pestered the complex for about a minute before they left, the footage showed.
“There is, without question, gang involvement in this,” Chamberlain said, explaining how the terrifying incident is “very reminiscent” of what the city experienced in the past at another apartment building.
“I look at these individuals like a cancer — not a benign cancer — they are a cancer that is causing victimization, they are a cancer that must be addressed, they must be cut out and they must be stopped.”
Two of the gang’s members, Larry Galbreath, 23, and Jordan Green, 22, have since been arrested, as police work aggressively to pursue the remaining individuals involved, who are all believed to be Venezuelan.
Cops also recovered a gun matching one seen in the video from a tatted and marked Galbreath, who also lived in the same building his crew allegedly targeted.
“I want everyone to understand and to know that we are ahead of this,” the police chief assured.
Quote:A gang of illegal migrants running amok in Queens’ “Market of Sweethearts’’ — extorting brothels, beating rivals and selling drugs and phony IDs to finance an illicit network based in El Salvador — has been busted.
Eight members of the notorious “18th Street Gang” were named in a federal indictment unsealed Monday — part of a criminal roundup that put a dent in the seedy migrant prostitution operation along Roosevelt Avenue that has plagued the Big Apple for years, according to prosecutors in bombshell court papers.
“These violent members and associates of the 18th Street gang allegedly relied on violence—including assault of innocent civilians and rival gang members—to exert and maintain control over a busy commercial corridor along Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher Raia said in a statement.
“Those arrested today acted and behaved with callous and cruel disregard for those around them.”
At least seven of the criminals are in the US illegally, prosecutors said.
According to the indictment, migrant gangbangers with street names such as “Pinocchio, Loco and Tanke” have been reigning over the Queens strip with the 18th Street offshoot “54 Tiny Locos.” Their crimes have included at least three mob beatings and exerting iron-fisted control over the sleazy sex-peddling market.
The gang — a rival to the notorious MS-13 gang — has trafficked drugs, strong-armed prostitution rings and peddled phony immigration documents, passports and driver’s licenses to fund the illegal operation, federal prosecutors said.
Quote:A 25-year-old illegal immigrant was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for trafficking guns to Mexico’s vicious Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Texas prosecutors said Wednesday.
Jorge Alberto Morales-Calvo pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges that he and a cohort used a cartel broker to buy heavy-duty arms for the narcotraffickers — including a Barrett .50-caliber rifle and a FN Herstal Belgium 5.7X28 caliber pistol, the feds said.
“The Department of Justice is looking to hit the cartels from every angle and at every opportunity, which includes vigorously prosecuting not just the member of these terror groups, but those that enable them as well,” Nicholas Ganjei, US attorney for Southern Texas, said in a statement.
“Those that arm or otherwise empower the cartels are going to the meet the full force of the federal criminal justice system,” he said.
On the day the $16,000 deal was due to go down, Morales-Calvo waited in a car outside while co-defendant Homero Arteaga, 45, inspected the guns to complete the sale — when the feds moved in.
Prosecutors said the Mexican national tried to flee but didn’t make it out of the parking lot.
He pleaded guilty on Jan. 8 and was sentenced to three years and five months in federal prison this week — and will be turned over to immigration agents for deportation when he gets released.
Arteaga pleaded guilty on Nov. 21 and was sentenced earlier to nearly five years in prison.
“Trafficking firearms on behalf of violent cartels is not just illegal, it fuels deadly cycle of violence on both sides of the border,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael Weddel of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“This case demonstrates how seriously we take these crimes and how we are using every tool and resource available to disrupt the illegal flow of weapons, dismantle cartel networks,” he said.
Quote:A US Attorney for New York was allegedly chased by a knife-wielding illegal immigrant with a lengthy criminal record who threatened to slit his throat on the streets of Albany Tuesday night, prosecutors said.
John Sarcone, the Trump-appointed US Attorney for the Northern District of New York, was allegedly chased and threatened outside the Hilton Hotel in Albany by Saul Morales-Garcia — an illegal migrant from El Salvador who was previously deported, WNYT reported, citing Albany County prosecutors.
Morales-Garcia, 40, allegedly aggressively advanced toward Sarcone with his weapon in hand — gesturing that he would slit the attorney’s throat as he lunged at him before chasing the US attorney down the street outside the hotel just before 10 p.m. Tuesday, that report stated citing local police.
Sarcone was uninjured, and nearby Albany County sheriff’s deputies picked up Morales-Garcia just moments after the alleged attack, according to local cops.
The alleged attempted slasher was previously convicted of a felony in El Salvador and has been deported from the United States at least once in the past, WNYT reported, citing investigators.
Albany County prosecutors said the incident appeared to be a “random” street encounter.
Morales-Garcia is currently in the country illegally and has a criminal record in at least three other states outside of New York, prosecutors said.
It is not known when Morales-Garcia entered the US or where he allegedly crossed into the country.
Quote:Hundreds of dangerous illegal migrant criminals have been shipped out of a New Jersey detention center, leaving the controversial ICE facility at just 20% capacity — after four violent detainees escaped last week during an “uprising.”
The 1,000-bed Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark — the largest of its type on the East Coast — is now holding only roughly 200 migrants, a Homeland Security official told The Post.
The facility has been a lightning rod of controversy, with Newark Mayor and New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Ras Baraka arrested by the feds during a protest at the center last month and four detainees escaping last week during a revolt.
It is unclear exactly how many illegal migrants have been moved out, but sources said they are all hardened criminals, including killers and rapists.
The detainees have been taken to other detention centers in Texas and Pennsylvania.
Insiders have largely blamed the private contractor running Delaney Hall — which only reopened in May — for the prison break.
GEO Group needs to properly “ensure security and staffing” and put in place “proper procedures” before it can “repopulate” the massive center, a source said.
“But for now, it’s going to be brought down to lower-level detainees until they get to the bottom of what exactly happened and hold them accountable for where they failed,” the insider said.
ICE awarded GEO Group a 15-year, $1 billion contract to operate the detention center in February.
The detention center had “a large amount” of violent illegal migrant criminals because “Newark is a cesspool of crime” and a sanctuary city, the source groused.
The four illegal migrants who fled the facility were behind bars for assault and burglary charges — and one of the escapees is still on the loose, sources said.
Quote:New York City has no plans to mow down the multi-million-dollar contracts it has with the owner of a landscaping company who was just convicted in a $2.4 million bribery scheme and a separate bid-rigging con.
Glenn Griffin, who owns Westchester County-based Griffin’s Landscaping, will get to keep the tree planting contracts he secured with the Parks Department — which total about $25 million — despite more than two dozen Big Apple councilmembers and other officials demanding that the city cut off its relationship with the landscaper.
Griffin, 56, was sentenced to two years in prison last Wednesday after he bribed a Town of Cortlandt employee to illegally dump truckloads of “harmful” concrete, soil and other unauthorized materials on public property, federal officials said.
He was also sentenced last week for conning the nearby village of Croton-on-Hudson by making “sham, non-competitive, and inflated bids” for entities that he didn’t work for to ensure he would be the lowest bidder each time, the feds added.
Still, Griffin’s Landscaping will be hired to help the Parks Department meet its goal of filling “every available” street tree planting location in less than a decade, with about 18,000 trees added each year.
The company has been one of the department’s highest-performing contractors since 2017. A Parks Department representative told The Post that the pool of qualified vendors for the work fulfilled by Griffin’s Landscaping is limited compared to other types of contracts.
The representative also defended the decision to keep the tree planting contracts with Griffin and his company, stating that it was “appropriate within the procurement rules and in the best interest of New Yorkers” — as long as the operations continue to be overseen by the city’s Department of Investigation.
Quote:FBI Director Kash Patel has declassified and shared documents with senators that he says "detail alarming allegations" about potential Chinese interference in the 2020 election.
Why It Matters
China has denied any nefarious involvement in swaying the election results in 2020, and again in 2024. Trump allies have alleged that China rigged the 2020 results in Joe Biden's favor, invigorating hardcore supporters to march on the Capitol, leading to the riot on January 6, 2021.
What To Know
Patel shared the update on alleged election fraud in a post on X, formerly Twitter, saying that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and potentially others are alleged to have been involved in interfering with the 2020 election outcome.
He also said he has turned over documents to Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican and chair of the Judiciary Committee, for further review.
"Specifically, these include allegations of plans from the CCP to manufacture fake driver's licenses and ship them into the United States for the purpose of facilitating fraudulent mail-in ballots—allegations which, while substantiated, were abruptly recalled and never disclosed to the public," Patel told Just the News.
Newsweek reached out to the FBI for comment.
On Tuesday, Grassley sent a letter to Patel seeking additional records and information related to the document, an Intelligence Information Report (IIR) that originated in the FBI's Albany Field Office in September 2020, a Grassley spokesperson told Newsweek.
"Chairman Grassley is in receipt of an FBI document responsive to a request he made based on legally protected whistleblower disclosures," the spokesperson said. "The document alleges serious national security concerns that need to be fully investigated by the FBI.
"Grassley is requesting additional documentation from the FBI to verify the production and is urging the FBI to do its due diligence to investigate why the document was recalled, who recalled it and inform the American people of its findings."
Grassley's letter, also shared with Newsweek, requests all communications between and among agents and intelligence analysts. Also, he asks Patel "to describe all investigative steps the FBI has taken, or will take, to determine the veracity of the allegations in the IIR as well as who recalled the IIR and the basis for the recall, if that basis extends beyond the request for the source to be re-interviewed."
The declassification of these reports now come years after they were allegedly not fully investigated and recalled from intelligence agencies by former FBI Director Chris Wray in the lead-up to Biden's 2020 victory over Trump.
Quote:U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has been asked by a Republican congressman to investigate "credible claims" that an elections service provider breached protocols during the 2024 election.
Representative Abe Hamadeh of Arizona requested an investigation into the handling of ballots by Arizona-based Runbeck Election Services in several western states, according to a news release from his office.
Newsweek has contacted the Department of Justice (DOJ) for comment via a contact form on its website as well as Hamadeh's office and Runbeck Election Services via email.
Why It Matters
Hamadeh's call for a federal investigation comes as election integrity remains a concern for voters and elected officials following the 2024 election, in which Republican former President Donald Trump defeated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
The DOJ has taken action in recent weeks to address concerns about election integrity, including demanding election records dating to 2020 from Colorado. FBI Director Kash Patel said on Monday that he has shared documents with lawmakers that reportedly detail "alarming" though unsubstantiated allegations about potential Chinese interference in the 2020 election.
Meanwhile, a legal challenge questioning the accuracy of the 2024 election results in Rockland County, New York, is moving forward.
What To Know
In his letter to Bondi, Hamadeh pointed to what he said were credible reports that boxes of printed blank ballots from several states were improperly mixed with returned mail ballots that were in the process of being prepared for tabulation in Runbeck's warehouse.
He did not provide any details about the origin of the allegations, which have not been confirmed.
He requested that the DOJ investigate the circumstances surrounding the mixing of the ballots at the warehouse, security measures that were in place to prevent such incidents and whether they were followed and the potential impact on the accuracy of election results in Arizona's Maricopa County and elsewhere.
Hamadeh's office also pointed to Patel's turning over of documents about an alleged plan for China to mass-produce fake driver's licenses and ship them to the U.S. to make fake mail-in ballots.
Quote:President Donald Trump’s administration is considering significantly expanding its travel restrictions by potentially banning citizens of 36 additional countries from entering the United States, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters.
Earlier this month, the Republican president signed a proclamation that banned the entry of citizens from 12 countries, saying the move was needed to protect the United States against “foreign terrorists” and other national security threats.
The directive was part of an immigration crackdown Trump launched this year at the start of his second term, which has included the deportation to El Salvador of hundreds of Venezuelans suspected of being gang members, as well as efforts to deny enrollment of some foreign students from US universities and deport others.
In an internal diplomatic cable signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department outlined a dozen concerns about the countries in question and sought corrective action.
“The Department has identified 36 countries of concern that might be recommended for full or partial suspension of entry if they do not meet established benchmarks and requirements within 60 days,” the cable sent out over the weekend said.
The cable was first reported by the Washington Post.
Among the concerns the State Department raised was the lack of a competent or cooperative government by some of the countries mentioned to produce reliable identity documents, the cable said. Another was “questionable security” of that country’s passport.
Some countries, the cable said, were not cooperative in facilitating the removal of its nationals from the United States who were ordered to be removed. Some countries were overstaying the US visas their citizens were being granted.
Other reasons for concern were the nationals of the country were involved in acts of terrorism in the United States, or antisemitic and anti-American activity.
Quote:The owners of the doomed Jet Set nightclub in the Dominican Republic, where 236 people were buried alive earlier this year, ignored obvious warning signs and building safety laws, leading to the catastrophic collapse, a bombshell new government report reveals.
Sibling club owners Antonio and Maribel Espaillat, who were arrested last week, overloaded the building’s roof, made structural changes without permits and refused to call off the ill-fated April 8 bash despite obvious signs of danger hours earlier, the report said, according to Dominican Today.
“The defendant Maribel Espaillat, aware of a falling debris incident hours before the collapse and in response to a request to suspend the activity, refused to do so, citing the absence of the defendant Antonio Espaillat López and the impossibility of stopping the party, prioritizing economic gain over the safety and lives of people,” the Public Ministry document said.
“The nightclub, originally a movie theater, underwent a change of use that involved an inadequate structural adaptation,” investigators said.
“A key column in the structure was subsequently removed, significantly affecting the roof’s stability, without any professional assessment or permit to support the modification, demonstrating high-risk behavior.”
The nightmarish mishap came in the midst of a celebration at the former hot spot, with the victims including popular performer Rubby Perez, the party’s headliner, and former MLB relief pitcher Octavio Dotel.
Quote:The ill-fated Air India Boeing may have had its emergency power systems activated when it crashed and killed more than 270 people last week — according to a new report that comes as the bruised-and-battered sole survivor helped carry his brother’s coffin after his sibling died in the tragedy.
Preliminary findings revealed the London-bound 787 Dreamliner’s emergency power generator was likely running when it plunged in Ahmedabad last Thursday — casting new doubt on whether the plane’s engines were functional during takeoff, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people close to the probe.
The doomed aircraft went down only 30 seconds after taking off for London Gatwick Airport.
The emergency power source, called the ram air turbine, automatically generates electricity and hydraulic pressure to keep critical flight systems running when the engines fail or hydraulic pressure drops, according to the report.
Pilots can also manually deploy the backup generator, if needed.
“In commercial aviation, a dual engine failure is extremely rare,” Anthony Brickhouse, a US-based aerospace safety consultant, told the outlet.
“Our engines today are more efficient and more reliable than ever.”
Boeing and engine maker GE Aerospace did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The 12-year-old plane was carrying 242 passengers and crew when it reached an altitude of 650 feet before crashing into a residential building, killing 30 people on the ground in the Indian city.
Quote:A rapper with the Israel-hating Irish band Kneecap appeared in a UK court Wednesday to face a terrorism charge for allegedly raising a flag of Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah — and saying “up Hamas” at a show.
Mo Chara, real name is Liam O’Hanna, was charged under the Terrorism Act last month for waving the flag of the banned group during a London gig in November 2024 while allegedly saying “up Hamas, up Hezbollah.”
O’Hanna arrived at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court with his fellow band members Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí.
He was released on unconditional bail until a hearing on August 20.
Kneecap gained prominence earlier this month when they performed at Coachella in front of a backdrop that read, “F–k Israel Free Palestine.”
However, prosecutor Michael Bisgrove insisted at Wednesday’s brief hearing that the case against O’Hanna was not about his “support for the people of Palestine or his criticism of Israel.”
The rapper is “well within his rights” to throw his support behind Palestine — but not defy a law that makes it illegal to display something giving reasonable suspicion of support of a known terrorist group, the prosecutor stressed, according to the BBC.
“The allegation in this case is a wholly different thing and deals with a video recording showing [Mo Chara] wore and displayed the flag of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organization, while saying ‘up Hamas, up Hezbollah,'” Bisgrove alleged.
The Belfast-based musicians, who rap in Irish and English and regularly display pro-Palestine messages during their gigs, previously said the flag had been thrown on stage by someone else.
Quote:The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum and a global symbol of art, beauty and endurance, has withstood war, terror, and pandemic — but on Monday, it was brought to a halt by its own striking staff, who say the institution is crumbling under the weight of mass tourism.
It was an almost unthinkable sight: the home to works by Leonardo da Vinci and millennia of civilization’s greatest treasures — paralyzed by the very people tasked with welcoming the world to its galleries.
Thousands of stranded and confused visitors, tickets in hand, were corralled into unmoving lines by I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid.
“It’s the Mona Lisa moan out here,” said Kevin Ward, 62, from Milwaukee. “Thousands of people waiting, no communication, no explanation. I guess even she needs a day off.”
The Louvre has become a symbol of tourism pushed to its limits. As hotspots from Venice to the Acropolis race to curb crowds, the world’s most iconic museum, visited by millions, is hitting a breaking point of its own.
Just a day earlier, coordinated anti-tourism protests swept across southern Europe. Thousands rallied in Mallorca, Venice, Lisbon and beyond, denouncing an economic model they say displaces locals and erodes city life. In Barcelona, activists sprayed tourists with water pistols — a theatrical bid to “cool down” runaway tourism.
The Louvre’s spontaneous strike erupted during a routine internal meeting, as gallery attendants, ticket agents and security personnel refused to take up their posts in protest over unmanageable crowds, chronic understaffing and what one union called “untenable” working conditions.
It’s rare for the Louvre to close its doors. It has happened during war, during the pandemic, and in a handful of strikes — including spontaneous walkouts over overcrowding in 2019 and safety fears in 2013. But seldom has it happened so suddenly, without warning, and in full view of the crowds.
What’s more, the disruption comes just months after President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a sweeping decade-long plan to rescue the Louvre from precisely the problems now boiling over — water leaks, dangerous temperature swings, outdated infrastructure, and foot traffic far beyond what the museum can handle.
But for workers on the ground, that promised future feels distant.
“We can’t wait six years for help,” said Sarah Sefian, a front-of-house gallery attendant and visitor services agent. “Our teams are under pressure now. It’s not just about the art — it’s about the people protecting it.”
Quote:Anti-Israel activists clashed with Egyptian authorities and fed-up locals during a doomed attempted march to the border of the Gaza Strip by a disorderly rabble of protesters.
Naive demonstrators taking part in a sit-in at a checkpoint outside the city of Ismailia, some 130 miles from the Rafah border crossing into the Palestinian territories, fought with both cops and Egyptian locals on Friday and Saturday, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Footage over the weekend showed activists wearing keffiyehs — the checkered calling card of the pro-Palestinian cause — clashing with fed-up Egyptian locals, some of whom could be seen hurling clubs and water bottles at the hapless protesters.
Frustrated Egyptians, some little more than children, could be seen pulling the activists off the road as they staged a sit-down at the checkpoint.
One clip showed “Free Palestine”-chanting activists — who were waving several different countries’ flags — being attacked by who they claimed were plainclothes officers.
Other protesters could be seen breaking down in tears as they pleaded with an unmoved line of helmeted Egyptian riot cops to let them through.
At least 88 foreign activists were detained or deported from Egypt over the weekend, Egyptian security sources confirmed.
Cops stopped vehicles some 20 miles outside Ismailia, en route to Rafah, and forced passengers with non-Egyptian passports to get out, protest organizer Global March to Gaza said in an Instagram post on Friday.
“There are now reports of force being used against participants with some being detained, harassed, physically harmed and deported,” the post read. “Hundreds of peaceful international participants of the Global March to Gaza remain in limbo as negotiations continue with Egyptian authorities.
Quote:Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano in south-central Indonesia erupted on Tuesday, spewing towering columns of hot ash into the air. Authorities raised the eruption alert to the highest level and expanded the danger zone to 8 kilometers (about 5 miles) from the crater.
Indonesia’s Geology Agency said in a statement it recorded the volcano unleashing 10,000 meters (about 32,800 feet) of thick grey clouds on Tuesday afternoon, following significant volcanic activities, including 50 in two hours, rather than the usual daily 8 to 10 activities.
The ashes expanded into a mushroom-shaped ash cloud that could be seen from the cities located 90 kilometers (about 56 miles) to 150 kilometers (nearly 93 miles) from the mountain.
There were no casualties reported.
Residents were warned to be vigilant about heavy rainfall triggering lava flows in rivers originating from the volcano
An eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki in November killed nine people and injured dozens.
The 1,584-meter (5,197-foot) mountain is a twin volcano with Mount Lewotobi Perempuan in the district of Flores Timur.
Indonesia is an archipelago of 270 million people with frequent seismic activity. It has 120 active volcanoes and sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
Quote:A family trio behind a Michelin-starred restaurant in Japan that had a steep fall from grace was arrested after nearly 80 diners reported coming down with food poisoning in February.
Hirokazu Kitano, 69, his wife Noriko, 68, and son Hirotoshi, 41, who all run the Kiichi restaurant in Japan’s Osaka Prefecture were arrested on Monday. Authorities suspect that they violated the Food Sanitation Act, which requires food industries to implement basic hygiene and safety standards.
In early February, Kiichi was ordered to suspend its services after a staggering 33 customers reported symptoms aligning with food poisoning and norovirus, including diarrhea, stomach pain and vomiting, Kyodo News reported.
Unperturbed by the mass illness tied to their restaurant, the Kitano family allegedly continued to operate behind closed doors and sold 11 traditional Japanese lunch box meals on Feb. 16 that investigators believe were contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms.
Even more people became sick in the following days. Norovirus was detected in the restaurant’s food for a second time, as another 23 diners reported food poisoning, all before the end of February.
The restaurant’s suspension was extended through March as police began to suspect that the food poisoning and norovirus cases were a result of poor management behind the scenes.
Eventually, Kiichi admitted to not enforcing strong hygiene practices among its staff.
“We take this series of incidents seriously and deeply regret it. We will work to ensure food safety by strengthening and thoroughly implementing our hygiene management system to prevent a recurrence,” the restaurant wrote on its website in late March.
Quote:Japan—an ally of the United States—intercepted two groups of Russian warships sailing off its coast over the weekend, as Russia's Pacific Fleet began a large-scale drill in the Far East.
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Japan forms part of the First Island Chain—a defensive line of islands in the western Pacific Ocean—along with Taiwan and the Philippines, under a U.S. maritime containment strategy aimed at restricting Russian and Chinese naval activities in the region in the event of war.
While fighting Ukrainian forces in Europe, Russia continues to flex its military power in the Indo-Pacific region by deploying naval task groups. This comes against the backdrop of an unresolved territorial dispute with Japan over a group of islets in the Russian Far East.
What To Know
A pair of Russian warships was spotted transiting the La Pérouse Strait—known in Japan as the Soya Strait—eastward into the Sea of Okhotsk from the Sea of Japan (referred to as the East Sea in South Korea) on Saturday, the Japanese Defense Ministry revealed on Monday.
The Russian vessels were identified by their hull numbers as the destroyer Admiral Tributs and the frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov, both assigned to the country's Pacific Fleet. The La Pérouse Strait lies between Russia's Sakhalin Island and Hokkaido, the northernmost Japanese main island.
Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry announced that, starting Monday, the Pacific Fleet would carry out a planned exercise in multiple areas across the Pacific Ocean—including the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan—lasting through the end of the month, Tass reported.
Ships assigned to the Pacific Fleet have been departing from their bases for designated areas, according to the report, which added that the exercise would involve up to 40 vessels, more than 30 aircraft and helicopters, over 5,000 personnel, and Bastion coastal missile systems.
A second group of Russian naval vessels passed through the Tsushima Strait—which lies between Japan and the Korean Peninsula—on Sunday, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry. The group transited northeast from the East China Sea toward the Sea of Japan.
Quote:Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington is on patrol in the western Pacific, where China has been expanding its naval presence.
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The George Washington is one of the U.S. Navy vessels homeported in Japan. The aircraft carrier, which is equipped with F-35C stealth fighter jets, returned to Yokosuka naval base near Tokyo in November 2024 after undergoing maintenance and upgrades in Virginia.
The George Washington's first patrol since returning to Japan comes as two Chinese aircraft carriers were deployed simultaneously to the wider western Pacific for the first time earlier in June, marking a major milestone in China's efforts to challenge U.S. naval dominance.
Another U.S. aircraft carrier, USS Nimitz, has been redeployed to the Middle East from the western Pacific amid the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict. This leaves the George Washington as the only U.S. aircraft carrier currently positioned to help keep China in check as of Monday.
What To Know
Officially released photos show the George Washington and its carrier strike group transiting the Philippine Sea on Monday. The U.S. Navy said the aircraft carrier is currently on patrol in the Seventh Fleet's operating area, which covers the western Pacific and Indian Oceans.
The Philippine Sea lies east of the First Island Chain—a defensive line formed by Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines as part of a U.S. containment strategy aimed at restricting the Chinese navy—the world's largest by hull count—in the western Pacific in the event of war.
In addition to the George Washington, which left its home port on June 10, the carrier strike group includes two other warships—the cruiser USS Robert Smalls and the destroyer USS Shoup.
It remains unclear whether the George Washington will also be sent to the Middle East, should the situation there worsen. The Nimitz is expected to relieve its sister ship, USS Carl Vinson, in the region, allowing the latter to return home, U.S. Naval Institute News reported.
The Chinese aircraft carriers CNS Liaoning and CNS Shandong remained underway in waters east of the Philippines as of Monday, each leading a naval task group and transiting westward, according to a map provided by Japan's Defense Ministry.
Quote:A pair of Chinese aircraft carriers are continuing operations in the broader western Pacific near United States allies as part of efforts to expand Beijing's naval presence in the region.
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China has the largest navy in the world by hull count, with more than 370 ships and submarines, including three aircraft carriers. Two of them—CNS Liaoning and CNS Shandong—are in service, while the third, CNS Fujian, is the most advanced, but has yet to be commissioned.
The Liaoning and the Shandong have been operating simultaneously in waters east of Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines—which form the First Island Chain under the U.S. containment strategy aimed at restricting China's naval activities.
While China flexes its naval power through a rare dual aircraft carrier deployment, the U.S. maintains only one aircraft carrier—USS George Washington—in the western Pacific, after USS Nimitz was redeployed to the Middle East as tensions rise amid the Iran-Israel conflict.
What To Know
Japan's Defense Ministry issued an update with a map on Tuesday regarding China's carrier deployment. As of Monday, the Liaoning and the Shandong remained in the Philippine Sea, each leading a naval task group and transiting toward the Philippines.
Between June 8 and Monday, June 16, the two vessels conducted a total of 290 and 230 aircraft takeoffs and landings, respectively, involving their fighter jets and helicopters. Both aircraft carriers were monitored by three Japanese warships, according to the update.
The map provided by ministry suggests that the aircraft carriers did not sail in formation while underway in the Philippine Sea. They were observed operating together during their first dual operation in the South China Sea last October.
While the warships remained outside Japan's territorial waters—which extend up to 13.8 miles from the coastline—they were tracked transiting within Japan's 230-mile-wide Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) during segments of their voyages.
The Liaoning became the first Chinese aircraft carrier to operate on the eastern side of the Second Island Chain—a defensive line centered on Guam that stretches from Japan to New Guinea in the south—when it was spotted within Minamitorishima's EEZ, Japan's easternmost territory.
Quote:Taiwan—a key security partner of the United States—has begun sea trials of its first indigenous submarine following its unveiling nearly two years ago.
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Communist China has long claimed Taiwan—a self-ruled, democratic island—as part of its territory, despite never having governed it. Beijing has vowed to achieve unification with the island, by force if necessary. U.S. officials believe Chinese leader Xi Jinping has instructed the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to be capable of taking Taiwan by 2027.
China has the world's largest navy by hull count, including numerous amphibious vessels capable of projecting air and land power from sea to shore during a potential island-landing campaign across the Taiwan Strait. In response to China's growing naval threat, Taiwan has been arming itself with anti-ship weapons—both U.S.-supplied and domestically developed.
Taiwan forms part of the First Island Chain under a U.S. containment strategy aimed at restricting China's naval activities in the Western Pacific during wartime. Meanwhile, the Taiwan Relations Act obligates Washington to provide the island with defensive weapons.
What To Know
The Taiwanese navy submarine Narwhal, also known as Hai Kun, conducted "navigation tests" on Saturday and "floating navigation tests" on Tuesday in Kaohsiung Harbor, located in the southern part of the island, according to shipbuilder CSBC Corporation, Taiwan.
During the floating navigation tests, the submarine's systems—including propulsion, rudder, electricity, communication, and navigation—were evaluated, the shipbuilder added. These systems will be fine-tuned based on the test results prior to the next stage of sea trials.
The submarine, unveiled in September 2023, is scheduled to undergo three stages of trials at sea: floating navigation, shallow-water diving, and deep-water diving. The diving tests will require the submarine to be fully submerged at progressively greater depths and pressures.
Quote:The Philippines' defense chief has again pushed back against China's claim that hosting U.S. missiles in the country amounts to a provocation.
"It's none of China's business; it's for Philippine defense," Gilberto Teodoro said in a recent interview with 60 Minutes when asked to respond to Beijing's objections.
Why It Matters
China asserts sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, citing historical rights—a position that puts it at odds with competing claims by the Philippines and several other neighbors. In recent years, Manila has stepped up its response to China's growing presence within the Philippine maritime zone.
Fierce clashes between Chinese and Philippine forces near disputed reefs have, on several occasions, left Philippine sailors injured. These incidents have put Manila's Mutual Defense Treaty with Washington in the spotlight, raising questions of whether U.S. forces could be drawn into a conflict with nuclear-armed China.
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What To Know
On the latest episode of 60 Minutes, which aired Sunday, Teodoro compared China to "the proverbial schoolyard bully." "It just muscles you over," he said.
The conversation turned to the Mid-Range Capability, or "Typhon" missile launcher, which the U.S. Army deployed to the Philippines ahead of joint military drills in April.
The system can be equipped with Tomahawk missiles—whose maximum range of 1,200 miles puts much of China's east coast within reach—as well as shorter-range Standard Missile 6s. Army officials have said the SM-6 is the only U.S. missile currently capable of intercepting a hypersonic missile, such as those possessed by China and Russia, in late flight.
China has repeatedly called for the Typhon to be removed from the Philippines.
Asked by interviewer Cecelia Vega whether the missiles are there to stay, Teodoro said he could neither confirm nor deny such a plan.
"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:Iranian dissidents are speaking out over Whoopi Goldberg’s “offensive” claim that life for black Americans is equivalent to living under Iran’s brutal autocracy.
“Whoopi Goldberg’s comparison between being black in America and living under Iran’s authoritarian regime is deeply misguided and dismisses the brutal realities faced by millions of Iranians,” Dr. Sheila Nazarian told Fox News Digital.
Goldberg sparked backlash during a heated argument with her “The View” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin on Wednesday. Griffin elaborated on the many human rights violations perpetrated by the ayatollah’s regime in Iran, including executions of gay people and imprisonment of women who go outside with their hair uncovered.
“Let’s not do that, because if we start with that, we have been known in this country to tie gay folks to the car. Listen, I’m sorry, they used to just keep hanging black people,” Goldberg insisted as Griffin pushed back and said the situations weren’t comparable.
“In the year 2025 in the United States, is nothing like if I step foot wearing this outfit into Iran right now,” Griffin said.
“It is the same,” Goldberg responded.
When Griffin tried to explain that life in modern-day America was night and day vs. the theocratic regime in Iran, Goldberg countered, “Not if you’re black.”
Nazarian, a renowned plastic surgeon whose family fled Iran in 1985 when she was 6 after her father was put on a government list to be killed, told Fox News Digital that Goldberg’s comparison was not only inaccurate but deeply offensive.
Quote:Thousands of cheering supporters lined the streets of Tenafly, New Jersey, to welcome hometown hero Edan Alexander, who at last returned safely to his family after enduring nearly 600 days of hell as a hostage of Hamas.
Alexander, wearing dark sunglasses and smiling from ear to ear, told The Post he was feeling “great” and said it was good to be back as the SUV he rode in rolled down the tree-lined main drag.
Chants of “Edan! Edan! Edan! filled the air as he drove by and gave high-fives to well-wishers.
People in the jubilant crowd held banners and signs reading “Welcome home Edan,” and wrapped themselves in Israeli flags. Some jumped up and down and sang “Am Yisrael Chai” — a Hebrew phrase translating to “the people of Israel live.”
The 21-year-old Israel Defense Forces staff sergeant was one of 251 Israelis taken captive by the terror group during the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks, and the last living American hostage to be released.
“We didn’t know if he was alive for a long time and that was very hard to think about,” Gaia Hamani, 25, of nearby Alpine, whose brother went to preschool and high school with Alexander, told The Post.
“He left everything. He left the comfort of his home in New Jersey. He didn’t have to go to the army. He volunteered to do that. It takes a lot of courage and strength to do that.”
After learning of his disappearance, Hamani said she and her mother put photos of Alexander in their wallets as a constant memento.
“We prayed for him all the time. I always think of him in relation to my brother — to think what he went through, I can’t imagine,” she said.
Alexander was severely tortured and often locked in a cage during his captivity, and frequently shackled at the hands and feet, deep within the terrorists’ underground tunnel network, according to the Kan public broadcaster.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Alexander’s freedom was achieved last month through Israel’s military pressure in Gaza, as well as political pressure by President Trump.
Hamani said she burst into tears when she was driving to the homecoming celebration and saw kids waving Israeli flags.
Quote:Israel’s defense minister on Friday warned Hezbollah to stay out of its fight against Iran, saying that the terror group’s leader “hasn’t learned from his predecessors.”
“I suggest that the Lebanese proxy be careful, and understand that Israel has lost patience with the terrorists who threaten it,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said after Hezbollah leadership condemned Israel’s airstrikes on Iran, according to the Times of Israel.
“The Hezbollah leader hasn’t learned from his predecessors and is threatening to act against Israel,” he said about the Iranian proxy groups’ former leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed by Israeli airstrikes in September.
Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem, who succeeded Nasrallah in October, said Thursday that the terror group would “act as we see fit” reading the conflict between Israel and Iran.
The group declared it was standing in full solidarity with Iran and that threats against Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would lead to “disastrous consequences.”
“Threats to assassinate [Khamenei] are foolish and reckless, and will have disastrous consequences… Merely uttering them is an offense to hundreds of millions of believers and those connected to Islam, and it is utterly reprehensible. Today, we are more determined and united around him,” Hezbollah declared.
Israel began to conduct airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites and its missile capabilities on June 13 after fears that their longtime enemy, which has repeatedly called for the destruction of the Jewish state, was close to creating a nuclear weapon.
Iran retaliated with a barrage of missiles and drone strikes on Israel — fully igniting the deadly conflict between the two Middle Eastern nations.
Quote:An Israeli childcare center was obliterated by a ballistic missile and dozens of Iranian military targets were bombed Friday — as Israel and Iran continued to pummel each other with strikes a week into their war.
Disturbing surveillance video showed an Iranian “cluster rocket” wiping out the daycare facility in Beersheba in southern Israel early on Friday, officials said.
“The building sustained significant damage. Miraculously, no children or staff were present — the attack occurred just after closing time on Friday,” the Colel Chabad Daycare Center acknowledged after the strike.
Hours later, sirens started sounding across other parts of the Jewish state as missile impacts were reported in Tel Aviv, the Negev and Haifa, Israel’s military said.
In the port city of Haifa, one hospital said it received 19 wounded people from the site of an Iranian missile blast. Two people had serious-to-moderate injuries and the rest were lightly hurt, the hospital said.
Israel’s paramedic service, Magen David Adom — or MDA, said a 16-year-old boy was in serious condition after suffering shrapnel wounds to his upper body and a 54-year-old man was in moderate condition after a shrapnel injury to his legs. The service didn’t specify which strikes the two had been wounded in.
Still, about 20 missiles were fired in the latest Iranian strikes, an Israeli military official said.
Quote:Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday endorsed Israel’s airstrikes on Iran, saying it was doing essential work for Germany and others.
“This is the dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us,” Merz told the ZDF broadcaster during an interview on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Alberta, Canada.
The phrasing came in response to a question from an interviewer who had used the term.
“We are also affected by this regime. This mullah regime has brought death and destruction to the world,” Merz added.
Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, lauded Merz’s remarks.
“Chancellor Friedrich Merz clearly described the realities in the Middle East with his choice of words,” Prosor told German news agency DPA. He added that Iran’s nuclear ambitions may be directed at Israel, “but they threaten the security of the entire world.
“The missiles currently hitting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem also threaten Berlin, Paris and London,” Prosor said. “The supply chain of terror must be interrupted.”
Prosor noted that Iranian arms shipments and Houthi attacks on international shipping had decreased recently, showing that pressure is working. “This is a litmus test for whether Europeans are willing to stand up for their values and interests independently.”
In the interview, Merz said he had “the greatest respect for the fact that the Israeli army had the courage to do this, that the Israeli leadership had the courage to do this.”
Quote:President Trump tore into the US intelligence community on Friday for having been “wrong” about how close Iran was to acquiring a nuclear weapon months ago, telling reporters that he now believes Tehran has a “tremendous amount” of enriched uranium that could build a bomb in just a few weeks.
Trump made the assessment after breaking from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s testimony before Congress in March that Iran was not building nuclear weapons.
“What intelligence do you have that Iran is building a weapon? Your intelligence community said they have no evidence that they are at this point,” the reporter asked Trump on the tarmac outside of Bedminster, New Jersey.
“Then my intelligence community is wrong,” the president said, asking who said that.
“She’s wrong,” he said of Gabbard.
The spy chief had also noted in her testimony that Iran’s uranium stockiples were at unprecedented levels for a non-nuclear state.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that “Iran has all that it needs to keep a nuclear weapon” and “all they need is a decision from the Supreme leader to do that.”
Trump was more lenient in his approximation Friday, saying it was either a “matter of weeks” or a “matter of months” before Tehran had all the components.
The president announced Thursday that he would be making his final decision on whether to strike Iran using the US military “within the next two weeks” if Tehran doesn’t “come to their senses” about the need to eliminate its nuclear program.
“We’re going to see what that period of time is, but I’m giving them a period of time, and I would say two weeks would be the maximum,” Trump added Friday.
He appeared to rule out using US ground forces to invade Iran.
Quote:Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar slammed as “shameful” a request by nine E.U. member states on Thursday that Brussels take action against goods and services originating from Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria.
“It is regrettable that even when Israel fighting an existential threat which is in Europe vital interest—there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession,” Sa’ar tweeted. “Shameful!”
Sa’ar was responding to Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot, who led the initiative together with his counterparts in Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
Prévot said they asked the European Commission to investigate “how trade in goods and services linked to illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory can be brought into line with international law.”
The move came in response to the July 2024 non-binding advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which Prévot claimed “clearly states that third countries must refrain from any trade or investment that helps sustain an illegal situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
“We have not seen a proposal to initiate discussions on how to effectively discontinue trade of goods and services with the illegal settlements,” the nine ministers reportedly wrote in a missive to the E.U.’s foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, that was seen by Reuters.
“We need the European Commission to develop proposals for concrete measures to ensure compliance by the Union with the obligations identified by the Court,” they wrote, according to the press agency.
The request comes ahead of a meeting in Brussels on June 23, where E.U. foreign ministers are expected to discuss Israel’s compliance with the human rights provisions of the bloc’s trade deal with Jerusalem.
The probe was proposed by Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, who wrote to Kallas in May requesting a review of the Hamas war.
Among those who did not back a review was Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, who suggested the E.U. meet with Jerusalem to raise concerns.
Kallas has said that E.U. sanctions against Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria were ready, but that the measures have been blocked by one of its member states.
Quote:Iran and Israel exchanged fresh attacks early on Saturday, a day after Tehran said it would not negotiate over its nuclear program while under threat and Europe tried to keep peace talks alive.
Iran’s Fars news agency said Israel had targeted the Isfahan nuclear facility, one of the nation’s biggest, but there was no leakage of hazardous materials. Iranian media also said Israel had attacked a building in the city of Qom, with initial reports of a 16-year-old killed and two people injured.
The Israeli military said it had launched a wave of attacks against missile storage and launch infrastructure sites in Iran.
Shortly after 2:30 a.m. in Israel, the Israeli military warned of an incoming missile barrage from Iran, triggering air raid sirens across parts of central Israel, including Tel Aviv, as well as in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Interceptions were visible in the sky over Tel Aviv, with explosions echoing across the metropolitan area as Israel’s air defense systems responded.
Sirens also sounded in southern Israel, said Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency service. An Israeli military official said Iran had fired five ballistic missiles and that there were no immediate indications of any missile impacts.
There were no initial reports of casualties in Israel.
The emergency service released images showing a fire on the roof of a multi-story residential building in central Israel. Local media reported that the fire was caused by debris from an intercepted missile.
Quote:Iran is questioning its “trust” in the US to engage in nuclear talks as Tehran has refused to restart negotiations until Israel halts its attacks.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi accused the Trump administration of using nuclear negotiations as a cover for Israel’s airstrikes on the country’s nuclear program, claiming the attacks came just two days before a new round of talks between US and Iranian officials were set to start.
“So they had perhaps this plan in their mind, and they just needed negotiations perhaps to cover it up,” Araqchi said Friday in an interview with NBC News.
“We don’t know how we can trust them anymore. What they did was, in fact, a betrayal of diplomacy.”
He vowed that negotiations would cease as long as Israel’s “aggression continues,” flatly rejecting Trump’s demands to scrap its uranium enrichment and balking at his “two week” deadline to reach a deal.
“I told him several times zero enrichment is impossible,” Araqui said of his meetings with special envoy Steve Witkoff, who he accused of contributing to a “lack of confidence” between the two nations.
He later called Tehran’s nuclear program a scientific “achievement” and a source of “pride and dignity,” insisting that even if it were bombed and destroyed, Iran would rebuild it using the knowledge and technology it has amassed over the years.
But Araqchi said US officials could resolve the issue with a single phone call to Tel Aviv to halt the attacks.
Well, Trump had granted them 60 days to reach a deal, and Israel attacked them on day 61. What did you expect from the Israelis? Plus that very same week, the White House learned about Iran moving suspicious materials from one location to another.
Quote:Russia said the use of a tactical nuclear weapon by the U.S. in Iran would be "catastrophic" after a report that it had not been ruled out as an option for President Donald Trump, who is considering joining Israel's strikes.
The question is whether a bunker-buster bomb would be sufficient to destroy Iran's Fordow uranium enrichment facility, which is built deep into a mountain and vital to any ambitions to build a nuclear bomb, or if it would take a tactical nuclear weapon to finish the job.
"There is a lot of speculation now," said Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, state news agency Tass reported. "Such a development of events would be catastrophic, but there is so much speculation that it is actually impossible to comment on it."
The Guardian had reported that tactical nuclear weapons were considered more capable of destroying Fordow given its depth, citing unnamed defense officials, but that Trump was not presented with or considering them as an option.
Later, Fox News reported that all military options were still on the table for the U.S., citing an unnamed top official, but that the military is very confident bunker-buster bombs could destroy Fordow.
There has been no official comment from the U.S. about whether the use of a tactical nuclear weapon is being considered.
When approached by Newsweek, the Pentagon declined to comment and pointed to a recent statement made by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who said on June 16 that he had directed "the deployment of additional capabilities" to the Middle East.
Quote:Three commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in separate strikes overnight into Saturday — including the “founder of the Iranian regime’s plan to destroy Israel,” officials in Tel Aviv said.
Saeed Izadi was assassinated when the Jewish state rained missiles down on an apartment in Iran’s Qom province, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
Izadi led the Palestine Corps of the overseas arm, known as the Quds Force, which was a “key coordinator” between Iran and Hamas — and helped arm the terrorist group ahead of its Oct. 7, 2023 massacre.
His main objective was to keep Hamas in control of Gaza, but he also directed forces who were operating from Lebanon, according to Katz.
“As part of his role, Izadi was responsible for increasing the financial funding from Iran to Hamas for terrorist activities against Israel,” Katz said in an X post.
The IDF also said it had “eliminated” Benham Shahriyari during a strike on his vehicle overnight in western Iran.
Shahriyari was “responsible for all weapons transfers from the Iranian regime to its proxies across the Middle East in order to directly advance the Iranian regime’s plan to destroy Israel,” Katz said.
Shariyari led the Quds Force’s Weapons Transfer Unit and supplied missiles and rockets launched at Israel to Hezbollah, Hamas and Yemen’s Houthis, according to the Israeli military.
“His elimination represents a severe blow to the ability of the terrorist organizations surrounding Israel to regroup and strengthen after being heavily damaged by the IDF during the war,” Katz said.
Quote:Israel struck one of Iran’s biggest nuclear facilities Saturday as part of an overnight campaign that dropped hundreds of missiles across the Islamic Republic — just as the US deployed six nuke plant neutralizing B-2 stealth bomber jets to be on standby for a strike, insiders told The Post.
The Air Force sent the bombers — the only aircraft that can deploy 15-ton bunker-busting bombs to take out Iran’s nuclear capabilities — from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to a military base in Guam and possibly Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, which could suggest President Trump is planning to use them sooner rather than later.
“They are finishing setting the theater to give Trump the ability to strike,” a source close to the Department of Defense told The Post, adding that other bombers will likely be sent to Diego Garcia in the Pacific.
Another White House insider added: “Moving assets into place gives the President full spectrum optionality. It shows he’s serious and increases his negotiating leverage, and it allows him to move quickly if he makes the decision to strike.”
The warplanes, which were flanked by supply planes, were using the call sign MYTEE21, which is typically associated with stealth bomber missions, according to The Times.
The B-2 bombers were spotted off the California coast around 5 a.m. eastern time — meaning it’s possible that the US could strike Iran as early as Sunday— though the anticipated stopovers in Guam and Diego Garcia, and Trump’s efforts at last-minute diplomacy, could prolong the possible timeframe.
The bombers each carry two 15-ton bunker buster bombs — the Israelis possess neither B-2s nor bunker busters — which have the capability to carry out an attack on Fordow, Iran’s only facilitiy, which sits buried 300 feet inside a mountain, where international inspectors have found uranium purified to near weapson grade.
The insiders said the bombers will likely be moved to Diego Garcia, a strategic military location in the Indian Ocean that the UK maintains sovereignty over.
Should the Trump administration decide to launch an attack from the Indian Ocean island, the US would need British permission.
“It shows that he means business and if Iranian leaders choose not to surrender unconditionally and destroy verifiably what remains of their nuclear facilities, President Trump now has the means to destroy them himself at a moment’s notice,” a third insider, a former Trump administration national security official, said.
“The clock is ticking on the future of the Iranian regime, and this deployment underscores that reality more than anything to date.”
There are already at least six US B-2 bombers at Diego Garcia, which the Pentagon deployed back in April in what analysts said was a warning to Iran amid growing tensions.
In a tense phone call on Thursday, Israeli officials told the Trump administration that they didn’t want to wait two weeks for the US to decide whether or not it would join the conflict, sources told Reuters. Israel believes it has a limited window of opportunity to strike and signaled that it could act alone.
Iran has continued to progress its nuclear weapon programming despite repeated warnings by the US and Israel, with Netanyahu warning that Iran intended to use the nukes for the “annihilation” of the Jewish state.
Entering the ninth day of conflict between the warring countries, the attack on the Isfahan nuclear site was intended to “deepen” the damage the Jewish state had already inflicted on the facility after a bombing back on June 13 strike, the Israeli Defense Forces said.
“We had already struck the site in the operation’s opening blow—and last night, we struck it again in a wide-scale strike to reinforce our achievements,” an IDF spokesperson said in an X post.
Quote:Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has chosen a secret list of three potential successors if he succumbs to the same fate as his growing list of valued lieutenants — another handful of whom were killed in overnight Israeli strikes Saturday.
Khamenei, 86, the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader since 1989, believes that either Israel or the US will try to kill him and crafted the list while holed up in a bunker, ordering his nation’s Assembly of Experts — the clerical body responsible for appointing the supreme leader — to choose from his handpicked pool should his enemies be successful, officials told The New York Times.
“If you need any more evidence that the ayatollah is shaking in his boots, look no further than him identifying his three stooges,” a source close to the White House told The Post.
Khamenei’s 55-year-old son, Mojtaba, also a cleric and close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, was once rumored to be a front-runner, but was not included on the ayatollah’s succession list, as Israel continues to dominate the skies over Tehran.
Although the list has not been published, a clear front-runner is the head of Iran’s judicial system Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, 68, due to his “willingness to be pretty ruthless in times of crisis,” Gabriel Noronha, an expert on Iranian politics, told The Post.
Assembly of Experts member Mohsen Qomi, 65, would be a strong “runner up,” said Noronha, fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. Qomi is a close confidant to Khamanei and a senior adviser on foreign affairs and communications.
Other possible successors include Assembly of Experts members Mohsen Araki, Alireza Arafi and Hashem Hosseini Bushehri. Arafi also serves on the 12-man Guardian Council, but Araki might have an edge due to his long tenure in the clerical assembly.
Noronha argued in a series of X posts that it’s possible that Khamenei left his son off the list to avoid being “seen as monarchic.”
Quote:Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard lashed out at the news media after President Donald Trump said Friday that she was "wrong" in her assessment of Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons.
The Context
Gabbard in March testified on Capitol Hill that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and that the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had not authorized the nuclear weapons program.
Her testimony has resurfaced in recent days, as Trump considers whether to join Israel in its offensive against Iran by authorizing a U.S. strike on Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility located deep underground in Fordo. Israel cannot destroy the site without the U.S.'s help, as it would require 30,000-pound bunker-busting munitions that only the U.S. can provide.
Israel has claimed for years that Iran is on the cusp of developing a nuclear weapon and Trump has also said he believes Iran was "close" to having one before Israel launched its strikes against Iran last week.
What To Know
"What intelligence do you have that Iran is building a nuclear weapon? Your intelligence community had said they have no evidence that they are at this point," a reporter asked Trump on Friday as he arrived in New Jersey.
"Well, then, my intelligence community is wrong," Trump said. "Who in the intelligence community said that?"
A reporter pointed out that it was Gabbard, to which the president replied: "She's wrong." He made a similar statement aboard Air Force One on Monday.
The DNI posted a clip of her testimony to X (formerly Twitter) after Trump's comments on Friday and accused the media of distorting her remarks.
"The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division," Gabbard wrote. "America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly. President Trump has been clear that can't happen, and I agree."
Quote:The head of the United Nations' atomic energy watchdog laid out in detail the dire consequences of a strike on working nuclear reactors in Iran, as Israel continues to pound facilities it says are linked to Tehran's ambitions to build a nuclear bomb.
Iran denies it seeks to develop a nuclear weapon and says its program is for civilian energy. But Iran has enriched uranium to a level that far exceeds any civilian energy needs, and is a short step away from that needed for nuclear weapons.
Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said at a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Friday that the biggest concern is the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran. Israel has not yet struck the plant.
"This is the nuclear site in Iran where the consequences of an attack would be the most serious," Grossi said, noting that it is an operating plant and "as such it hosts thousands of kilograms of nuclear material."
"Countries of the region have reached out directly to me over the past few hours to express their concerns and I want to make it absolutely and completely clear," Grossi said.
Why It Matters
Grossi's remarks come amid heightened concern around the targeting of Iran's nuclear facilities and the potential escalation of the conflict with Israel, with the United States weighing its involvement and Russia warning of potential fallout if facilities are badly damaged.
What To Know
Speaking via video link on Friday, Grossi said that there were real risks posed by an attack on the Bushehr nuclear plant, warning that "a direct hit could result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment."
"Similarly, a hit that disabled the only two lines supplying electrical power to the plant could cause its reactor's core to melt, which could result in a high release of radioactivity to the environment," he said.
Well, when they claim that Iran's neighbors are asking the agency to intervene, they failed to admit that Russia is one of those voices opposing the attack against Bushehr.
Quote:Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a warning Friday as U.S. President Donald Trump weighs getting involved in the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.
Why It Matters
Putin's comments came as Israel and Iran entered the eighth day of conflict, which Israel sparked last week by launching a series of airstrikes that incapacitated Iran's military and intelligence chain-of-command, destroyed nuclear infrastructure and killed key Iranian nuclear scientists.
The Associated Press reported that Israel's strikes have killed more than 600 Iranians, and more than 2,000 have been injured. Israel has also sustained losses, with officials saying that more than 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds more were injured by Iran's strikes, one of which hit a major Israeli hospital on Thursday.
What To Know
Trump is currently considering the possibility of launching a U.S. strike against Iran's main nuclear enrichment site, located deep underground in Fordo. Destroying the site requires U.S.-made bunker-busting munitions, which the Israelis do not possess. Trump has also demanded Iran's "unconditional surrender," a call that the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sharply rejected earlier this week.
Meanwhile Russia, a key strategic partner of Iran, has stepped in and tried to play a mediating role in the conflict in recent days. Putin on Friday voiced concern about rapidly escalating tensions between Iran and Israel.
Answering questions at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Russian leader said, "[we] are strongly worried about what's going on around the Iranian nuclear facilities and possible consequences."
Putin added that the Kremlin has asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for assurances of the safety of Russian personnel who are working on constructing two nuclear reactors in Iran's port of Bushehr. Putin said he had also raised the issue with Trump.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu has agreed with that, and President Trump has promised to support our legitimate demands," Putin said at the forum.
Throughout his remarks, Putin stressed that Russia has worked to maintain good relationships with both Iran and Israel, but added that Moscow also backs Iran's right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
Quote:President Donald Trump announced Saturday evening that the United States had conducted successful airstrikes against three key Iranian nuclear facilities.
In a Truth Social message posted just before the 8 p.m. hour on the East Coast, Trump said the attacks on the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites were complete and "all planes are safely on their way home." The strikes mark the first direct U.S. military involvement in the escalating Israel-Iran conflict that began nine days ago.
"A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow," Trump wrote. "There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Trump followed up with a post announcing he would address the nation at 10 p.m. ET.
The surprise bombing campaign — Trump had given Iran a deadline of two weeks to make a deal as recently as Thursday — effectively brings the U.S. into a new war in the Middle East, with the decision coming directly from a commander-in-chief who ran his successful campaign with an explicitly anti-war message.
The early responses from the right illustrated the divide among Republicans, and Trump supporters more broadly, about getting involved in the conflict in Iran.
"This is not constitutional," said Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a libertarian Republican often at odds with the new Trump administration.
Senator John Fetterman, the Democrat from Pennsylvania who is among strongest supporters of Israel in the caucus, called it "the correct move." On the other side of the aisle, Senator Lindsey Graham echoed that: "This was the right call. The regime deserved it."
Online, MAGA supporters and influencers were far less assured. Steve Bannon, among the more vocal opponents to U.S. military action in Iran, said on his War Room podcast: "You're kicking over a hornet's nest — this is as bad a place in the world as ever."
"The U.S. has become a combatant in the Persian War," Bannon said.
Tucker Carlson, who has become something of a resistance leader within MAGA for his furious opposition to the U.S. joining the war, had yet to react on social media.
The move to send American troops into Iranian airspace — to drop what are presumed to be the "bunker-buster" bombs known as Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP) — represents an extraordinary ramping up of tensions between Iran and the West, and nothing less than a reordering of American foreign policy.
Under three presidents, including Donald Trump in his first term, the U.S. has been reluctant to get directly involved in regional conflicts following the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. While Trump fired a few dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at Syria in the first year of his first term, and famously ordered the strike that killed Iranian military chief Qasem Soleimani in 2020, the potential for the U.S. joining a regime-change war in a country of 90 million people is another matter. The U.S. public is broadly against going to war with the Iranians, with 60 percent unsupportive of direct intervention, according to a YouGov poll last week.
Meanwhile, Israel has been encouraging a more direct American role in its bombing campaign. The early reaction from Israel suggested the country was largely with Trump's decision.
Quote:President Trump has launched the United States into the spiraling Israel-Iran war, ordering strikes on the latter Middle Eastern country in an attempt to crush its nuclear program.
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” Trump announced on Truth Social.
The president’s move to get the US involved in Israel’s military operations — ongoing since it launched large-scale airstrikes Friday that killed 20 of Iran’s senior military leaders — comes after he told reporters Wednesday, “I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
Iran had warned a US strike would trigger an “all-out war.”
Quote:Ukraine's parliament on Wednesday passed legislation allowing its citizens to hold multiple citizenships.
The legislation comes as the country grapples with a severe demographic crisis, exacerbated by the ongoing war with Russia, which has forced millions of Ukrainians to flee abroad.
Why It Matters
The reform would allow the millions of Ukrainians around the world who have been displaced by Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of the country in 2022 to hold on to their Ukrainian passports should they seek other citizenship.
What To Know
Ukraine's population has been shrinking since the collapse of the Soviet Union, when it stood at around 50 million. By 2021, the figure had dropped to approximately 40 million. Today, the government estimates the population has fallen further to about 32 million, with a diaspora of roughly 25 million, according to Reuters.
Now in its its fourth year, the war has driven more than 5 million Ukrainians to Europe and claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Ukraine's Ministry of National Unity said in a statement that multiple citizenship was "a strategic step to preserve the unity of the Ukrainian nation in the face of war, global mobility, and a large diaspora."
It was developed "as a response to demographic and security challenges, as well as the need to restore and maintain ties with millions of Ukrainians abroad," added the statement.
Oleksiy Chernyshov, Ukraine's minister for unity, said he hoped the legislation would restore the country's ties with members of the global Ukrainian diaspora. His ministry said 90 percent of Ukrainians abroad were in countries where multiple citizenship is allowed.
Quote:Russia sent to Ukraine some of its dead troops in a prisoner and body exchange to hide Moscow's true battlefield losses, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Ukrainian president said that Vladimir Putin was using the return of war dead to obscure the scale of military losses from the Russian public.
"Putin is afraid to admit how many people have died," Zelensky told the media briefing, according to the Kyiv Independent.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
Ukraine's General Staff said on Saturday Russian forces have sustained over 1,010,000 casualties—killed and wounded—since the start of the full-scale invasion.
While both sides keep tight-lipped about losses, Zelensky is accusing Moscow of hiding the scale of losses from the Russian public for fear of undermining any future mobilization.
What To Know
Zelensky's comments follow a prisoner and body exchange agreement in Istanbul on June 2 which was the most extensive of the full-scale war.
Ukraine recovered 6,057 bodies of its fallen soldiers while Russia took back only 78, according to Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky. Zelensky has said the vast majority of Russian soldiers killed on the battlefield remain in Russian hands.
But at least 20 of the bodies Russia returned as Ukrainian were actually Russian soldiers, some of whom had Russian passports according to Zelensky as part of a policy by Moscow to "break the reality in which we live."
The Ukrainian president also cited the case of an Israeli citizen who had died fighting on Russia's side whom Moscow had passed off as a Ukrainian soldier.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko had said on Thursday the remains of Alexander Viktorovich Bugaev, from Russia's 39th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade, had been returned to Ukraine disguised as a Ukrainian casualty.
Quote:Russia's economy, buoyed for months by wartime spending, may now be teetering toward recession, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Maxim Reshetnikov said on Thursday, according to Russian media reports.
Speaking at the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Reshetnikov said: "The numbers indicate cooling, but all our numbers are [like] a rearview mirror."
"Judging by the way businesses currently feel and the indicators, we are already, it seems to me, on the brink of going into a recession, he added, according to business news outlet RBC.
Why It Matters
The warning marks a significant shift as Russia faces the consequences of prolonged war-related spending, global sanctions and continued international isolation. For American policymakers and businesses, economic instability in Russia carries potential implications for global markets, energy prices, and ongoing geopolitical tensions, especially as sanctions and Russia's military operations in Ukraine continue to reshape the international economic landscape.
What To Know
Since sanctions were imposed following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia's economy had outperformed early predictions. High levels of defense spending supported growth and kept unemployment rates low even as inflation worsened. Wages rose with inflation, benefiting many workers in the short term.
Large signing bonuses for military recruits and death benefits for soldiers killed in Ukraine put additional money into poorer regions of Russia. However, economists have warned that the prolonged focus on military sectors, inflation, and a lack of foreign investment are increasing long-term risks and stagnation in other economic sectors.
At Thursday's event in Russia's second-largest city, intended to showcase the country's economic achievements and court foreign investors, Reshetnikov addressed Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, saying he wanted to give "the economy some love," according to Reuters.
Quote:Ukraine risks renewed armed conflict in the future if it does not recognize the results of referenda ballots Moscow held in 2022 in four Ukrainian regions that Russia claims to have annexed, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with Sky News Arabia.
The Russian president said Kyiv should recognize the referenda denounced as shams that Moscow said cemented its claim in the oblasts of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk. Putin, meanwhile, illegally annexed Crimea in 2014.
Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian foreign ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
In September 2022, Russia held a referenda on whether the regions Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts should be annexed by Russia after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February.
Russia does not fully occupy the four regions and the ballots were condemned internationally as shams. Putin then signed a treaty on the accession to Russia of the regions.
Ukraine is still fighting for these territories, but Putin's latest comments reiterate Moscow's red lines in any negotiations which because they are unacceptable to Kyiv, signal that a diplomatic solution to the war Moscow started remains distant.
What To Know
In an interview with Sky News Arabia, Putin warned Ukraine must recognize the 2022 referendum or face "opportunities for the resumption of armed conflict."
He also said that Russia was allegedly close to reaching an agreement with Ukraine during talks in Istanbul in 2022 and he wanted the Ukrainian leadership "to be guided by national interests and not by the interests of third parties."
Putin said long-term stability in the region required Ukraine to be neutral and refuse to join alliances and renouncing nuclear weapons.
He also accused the West of using Ukraine as a "tool" against Russia and that the country "deserves a better fate than being a tool in the hands of external parties acting against Russia."
His comments follow an address at this year's St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in which he said, "Ukraine is part of Russia," and that he considered Russians and Ukrainians to be "one people."
In response to Putin's comment "where the foot of a Russian soldier steps, that is ours," Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday "wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, he brings along only death, destruction, and devastation."
A Russian soldier on the frontlines in Ukraine murdered his comrade and ate the corpse to survive the grim wartime conditions — only to end up dying anyway, Kyiv’s military intelligence reported.
A call between two Russian soldiers who shared the jaw-dropping story of the cannibalistic ‘Brelok’, who killed his countryman ‘Foma’, was allegedly intercepted by Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence, according to the Kyiv Post.
“F–king hell… Brelok f–king ate him, f–k me… nobody went anywhere. Brelok took him out and then ate him for f–king two weeks,” the first caller said.
“No f–king way… Holy sh-t… F—k my bald skull. Was Brelok really found as a 200?” the other person replied, using Soviet era slang for a soldier found killed in action.
“Yeah, they say he was a 200. He ate his comrade. So yeah… something to think about. I was shocked myself,” the caller concluded.
The ghoulish cannibal was found dead, according to the report.
Russia has recruited hardened criminals — including murderers and convicted cannibals — to bolster its ranks during the country’s three-year invasion of Ukraine.
Denis Gorin, a cannibal from Sakhalin, who killed four people and was sentenced to 22 years in prison in 2012, ate part of the body of one of his victims, Politico reported, citing Radio Liberty.
Quote:Sweden scrambled military aircraft in response to Russian fighter jets spotted over the southern parts of the Baltic Sea.
Swedish Armed forces spokesperson Mikael Ågren said two JAS Gripen planes were deployed over Skåne and Malmö in response to the Russian aircraft which did not violate the airspace of NATO's newest member.
The incident follows a series of Russian aircraft spotted flying in the region during NATO military exercises over the last two weeks and a warning by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul of further operations by Moscow to destabilize the region.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry and the Swedish Armed Forces for comment.
Why It Matters
With Sweden's accession to the alliance, the Baltic Sea is dubbed a NATO Lake where members of the bloc surrounding the waters have reported a spike in Russian military activity. Sweden's deployment of aircraft is the latest sign of tensions in the Baltic region.
What To Know
Ågren said that Sweden's military deployed two JAS Gripen planes over Skåne and Malmö at 6:15 p.m. on Friday.
He said the operation was not part of a scheduled exercise and during a regular patrol by Swedish forces near the borders, Russian Sukhoi Su-30 planes were detected in international airspace.
Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet said it had received calls from readers who had seen three Swedish fighter planes over the Stockholm region.
Ågren said that there had been increased activity in the region and sightings of military aircraft over the Baltic Sea have become more frequent in recent weeks.
But he said people should not be concerned is they hear Swedish planes in the sky because "it's the sound of freedom you hear."
The incident comes as NATO's Baltops-25 exercises were coming to an end in the Baltic region which involved over 40 ships, 25 aircraft and approximately 9,000 personnel.
During this period, there was a spike in Russian military flights operating close to NATO airspace and U.K. Royal Air Force Typhoon jets based in Poland were scrambled six times in as many days in response.
Meanwhile, video posted on social media showed a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 fighter jet releasing flares over a U.S. Navy ship in international waters in the region.
Why would the Russian fighter blind the US Navy ship temporarily?
Quote:At least one person was killed in Ukraine Friday night as Russia continued its unrelenting attacks, despite both parties reportedly inching closer to a new round of peace talks.
A barrage of more than 20 Russian drones rained down on residential areas in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa and the northeastern city of Kharkiv overnight, according to officials. One civilian was killed and almost two dozen were injured, including two girls — 12 and 17-years-old — and three emergency workers.
The strikes sparked fires that caused the partial collapse of a four-story apartment building and tore through the upper floors of a 23-story high-rise, leading to the evacuation of about 600 residents.
The Kremlin’s attack also included 86 Iranian Shahed and decoy drones blasted across the country into Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on Telegram.
“Russia continues its tactics of targeted terror against our people,” Zelensky said in the post.
He called on Western countries to keep the pressure on Russia, including through sanctions.
“The sooner the sick people in the Kremlin lose the ability to finance the war, the more lives we can save in Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
In the 24 hours leading up to the nighttime attack, Russia bombarded its neighbor with hundreds more drones and cruise and ballistic missiles, according to Ukraine’s air force.
The attacks followed an assault on Kyiv Tuesday that killed 28 and injured 142 others — marking the deadliest onslaught on the capital city this year.
Meanwhile, the warring countries completed another round of prisoner exchanges on Friday, the second trade of POWs and soldiers’ remains in two days, though neither side specified how many people were involved in the swap.
Quote:The Philippines has released footage showing its coast guard responding Wednesday to reports of "illegal swarming" by dozens of ships belonging to China's so-called Maritime Militia.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Philippine Coast Guard via email for comment.
Why It Matters
Alongside its powerful coast guard, analysts describe the Maritime Militia as another tool for China to assert its territorial claims, with the ships frequently deploying in the dozens and occupying contested waters for weeks at a time. Beijing claims the ships, dubbed "Little Blue Men" for their distinctive hulls, are crewed by patriotic fishermen.
Beijing claims sovereignty over more than 80 percent of the strategic South China Sea, through which an estimated $3 trillion in trade passes each year. These claims put China at odds with several neighbors, including the United States' treaty ally, the Philippines, which has been pushing back against Chinese expansion within its exclusive economic zone.
What To Know
The Philippine coast guard dispatched two vessels and one aircraft "in response to reports of illegal swarming by Chinese Maritime Militia in Rozul Reef," wrote the agency's spokesperson, Jay Tarriela, in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.
Rozul Reef is the Philippines' name for Iroquois Reef, a feature located about 150 miles off the Philippines' Palawan province and well within the country's 200-nautical-mile (230-mile) exclusive economic zone.
The coast guard confirmed over 50 ships "both scattered and clustered together" around the reef, according to Tarriela.
The Philippine ships hailed the Chinese vessels, ordering them "to clarify their intentions, cease their swarming behaviors, and navigate in accordance with the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the 2016 Arbitral Award," he added.
Quote:The devastating property crisis that broke out in China after the collapse of giants like Evergrande is far from being resolved, experts say, as new home prices in the country continue falling and new construction projects get cut down.
The sector has gone "from a free fall" in the years following Evergrande's default in 2021 "to a gradual fall" today, Zhaopeng Xing, senior China strategist at ANZ, told Newsweek.
What Is Happening In China's Property Market?
China's property market has propelled the country's explosive economic growth over the past few decades, single-handedly lifting hundreds of millions of Chinese people out of poverty and into the middle class.
But since the collapse of giant developers like Evergrande and Country Garden, the sector has been sinking, threatening to drag the Chinese economy down with it.
Despite efforts from the government to revive the struggling property sector, which was once the country's economic powerhouse, recent data show that it is still unable to walk on its own feet and demand is failing to pick up.
New home prices fell 0.22 percent in 70 Chinese cities in May, the largest decline in seven months, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics. Existing home prices fell by an even bigger 0.5 percent, marking the steepest decline in eight months. In the same month, residential sales by value dropped 6.1 percent year-on-year, while real-estate investment plunged 12 percent from a year earlier.
Kent Deng, professor of economic history at the London School of Economics (LSE), told Newsweek that there has been "no real recovery so far" in the Chinese market.
"It is a story of housing oversupply," he said. "China has had 600 million permanent buildings, roughly two people a building. It will take 30-50 years to absorb them," he added. This same oversupply is leading prices to fall and new construction projects to be cut down.
Quote:China has been accused of "misleading" New Zealand—a United States security ally in the South Pacific—regarding its test of an unarmed but nuclear-capable long-range missile in 2024.
In a statement to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Chinese Foreign Ministry denied that Beijing had mischaracterized the test, claiming it was part of the military's routine annual training and was conducted in compliance with "international law and international norms."
Newsweek has reached out to both the Chinese Defense Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand for further comment via email. The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade did not immediately respond to a written request for comment.
Why It Matters
Last September, China—one of nine nuclear-armed states—publicized its first test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in over four decades. The missile's dummy warhead landed in international waters in the South Pacific, about 7,400 miles from its launch site.
It was reported that Washington and its South Pacific allies, Australia and New Zealand, received pre-launch notifications from Beijing, which the Pentagon later confirmed.
Both Russia and the U.S. regularly conduct unarmed tests of their nuclear missiles. The rare Chinese missile test over the Pacific comes against the backdrop of the rapid modernization and expansion of China's nuclear arsenal, which currently includes at least 600 warheads.
What To Know
Citing classified government documents, AFP reported on Wednesday that New Zealand's senior diplomats were concerned China had characterized the test as routine—a view the South Pacific country did not share—adding that "we do not want to see this test repeated."
In addition to criticizing China's "mischaracterization," New Zealand diplomats questioned Beijing's rationale for choosing the South Pacific as the missile's splashdown site, as well as the timing of the test, which they described as a "significant and concerning" development.
The test also marked the first time a nuclear-capable missile has been terminated within the South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone—established in 1986 under the Treaty of Rarotonga. However, the treaty specifically prevents only the testing of "nuclear explosive devices."
Kiribati—located within the nuclear-free zone and an ally of China—expressed discontent over the test. The island nation, which did not receive prior notification from Beijing, stated at the time that international waters in the region "are not isolated pockets of oceans."
Quote:The United States has transferred a third coast guard ship to Vietnam, as the former foes expand their defense partnership amid China's growing threats in nearby disputed waters.
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese defense and foreign ministries for comment by email.
Why It Matters
In 1995, the U.S. and Vietnam—former adversaries during the Vietnam War, which ended in 1975—normalized diplomatic relations. Following Washington's lifting of an arms sales ban in 2016, Hanoi acquired military equipment from its new partner, including training aircraft.
The bilateral defense cooperation comes against the backdrop of tensions in the South China Sea, where overlapping sovereignty claims by countries such as Vietnam and China, as well as the strong presence of the Chinese coast guard, continue to heighten friction in the region.
What To Know
The U.S. Mission to Vietnam announced on Wednesday that the former U.S. Coast Guard ship USCGC Mellon has been transferred to Vietnam as the high-endurance cutter CSB 8022. The ship arrived in Ninh Hoa, south-central Vietnam, the same day following a trans-Pacific voyage that began in Seattle, with stopovers in Hawaii and Guam.
The Vietnam Coast Guard received CSB 8020—formerly USCGC Morgenthau—in 2017 and CSB 8021—formerly USCGC John Midgett—in 2020. All three ships were transferred under a defense cooperation memorandum of understanding, according to the U.S. Mission.
"Through this cooperation, the United States and Vietnam is enhancing the development of maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, and humanitarian and disaster relief abilities, and supporting capacity to protect sovereignty," the U.S. Mission said in a statement.
The former U.S. Coast Guard vessels were built as Hamilton-class cutters designed for extended maritime operations, each weighing over 2,700 tons and having a range of 10,000 miles—the approximate straight-line distance between New York and Melbourne, Australia.
Quote:The Chinese military has concluded its unprecedented dual aircraft carrier deployment in the broader western Pacific, as one of the warships was spotted leaving the region, Japan has said.
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese defense and foreign ministries for comment by email.
Why It Matters
The Chinese navy is the world's largest by hull count, enabling the East Asian power to steadily expand its military reach and presence within and beyond the western Pacific, challenging U.S. naval dominance as well as the security of America's allies and partners.
Both of China's aircraft carriers in active service—CNS Liaoning and CNS Shandong—have been operating simultaneously in waters east of the First Island Chain, a U.S. maritime defensive line formed by Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines, for the first time since June 7.
This rare Chinese naval operation, closely monitored by Japan—a U.S. treaty ally—comes as the U.S. redeploys one of its two aircraft carriers, USS Nimitz, to the Middle East from the western Pacific, in response to rising tensions stemming from the Iran-Israel conflict.
What To Know
The Japanese Defense Ministry issued another update on the Chinese dual aircraft carrier deployment on Friday, revealing that the Liaoning and its naval task group returned to the East China Sea from the Philippine Sea after transiting the Miyako Strait that same day.
Meanwhile, the Shandong-led naval task group continued operating in waters east of the northern Philippines from Tuesday to Thursday. It remains unclear whether this Chinese flotilla will return to the western side of the First Island Chain by transiting the Luzon Strait.
Both waterways—located along the First Island Chain—are key gateways for China's naval operations in the broader western Pacific. The Miyako Strait lies in Japan's southwestern waters, while the Luzon Strait separates Taiwan to the north and the Philippines to the south.
Quote:As Israel and Iran exchanged missile fire on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Central Asian countries to deepen cooperation under China's "Belt and Road" infrastructure initiative. This marks the latest step in what analysts call Beijing's diplomatic offensive and was highlighted in a recent podcast by the China-Global South Project (CGSP).
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese embassy via email with a request for comment.
Why It Matters
China's global influence continues to expand, particularly in the developing world—often at the expense of the United States.
This trend has accelerated during President Donald Trump's second administration, which has withdrawn from a range of traditional U.S. leadership initiatives and soft power programs, including the World Health Organization, USAID and PEPFAR.
What To Know
At a summit in Astana, Kazakhstan on Tuesday, Xi announced a dozen cooperation agreements spanning green mining, trade, connectivity, personnel exchanges, and customs, according to Chinese state media. The previous week, China secured $11.4 billion in deals during the fourth China-Africa trade expo, hosted by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Changsha, Hunan Province.
The two powers are "going in very divergent directions," said Eric Olander, editor-in-chief of CGSP.
The CGSP podcast discussion turned to China's vocal support for Iran, after Xi spoke out Tuesday to rebuke Israel for sparking the ongoing conflict with its surprise attack last week.
Quote:India does not want war with Pakistan, but its neighbor is a legitimate target if it does not close "terrorist camps" and should avoid "nuclear blackmail", said Shashi Tharoor, chairman of the Indian Parliament's Committee on External Affairs.
The nations clashed over four days in May as India struck targets it alleged were terrorist infrastructure after the killing of the 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir. Pakistan denied any role in the Islamist attack on tourists and retaliated for the Indian strikes before the nuclear-armed neighbors agreed a ceasefire.
"We're not interested in war. We're focused on our own growth and development, on the well-being and prosperity of our people," Tharoor told Newsweek in Washington, D.C.
A member of parliament from the opposition Indian National Congress, Tharoor showed a unified front with the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on "Operation Sindoor." In Washington, his delegation met with Vice President JD Vance.
Tharoor said the Indian operation had been designed to send a message to Pakistan and to avoid civilian casualties while striking infrastructure of groups designated as terrorists by the U.S. and United Nations. Some elements of Pakistan's military are "deeply complicit" in terrorism targeting India and its denials are not believable, he said. "We want to send them a signal. Don't just think you can walk across the border and kill our people and get away with it because we're so nice. Sorry. We'll stop being nice."
"Probably the terror buildings and infrastructure we've demolished will be built again in six to nine months, and then what happens? That's the real question. Will Pakistan understand that as long as these things are on their territory, their territory becomes a legitimate target for reprisals anytime a terrorist attack happens?"
The office of Pakistan's prime minister did not respond to a Newsweek request for comment. Pakistan has said over 50 people were killed in the Indian strikes, 40 of them civilians. India said around 30 of its people were killed, mostly by Pakistani shelling. More than 20 were civilians.
Quote:Air India has revealed that one of the two engines on the doomed Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flight that crashed seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport was new, and the other wasn’t due for a service until the end of the year.
“The right engine was a new engine put in March 2025,” the airline’s chairman N Chandrasekaran told the local Indian news channel, Times Now.
“The left engine was last serviced in 2023 and (was) due for its next maintenance check in December 2025”.
Investigations are underway into how the flight bound for London’s Gatwick Airport crashed into a medical students’ hostel last Thursday, killing at least 270 people.
“There are a lot of speculations and a lot of theories,” Chandrasekaran said, “But the fact that I know so far is this particular aircraft, this specific tail, AI171, has a clean history.
“I am told by all the experts that the black box and recorders will definitely tell the story. So, we just have to wait for that.”
The plane’s two black boxes have been recovered allowing for analysis of the cockpit voice recorder, which captures audio including voices, alarms and background noises from the cockpit, and the flight data recorder, which logs flight parameters like engine performance and the plane’s speed and altitude.
Chandrasekaran said that it may be a month before preliminary results of the investigation are available.
Quote:North Korea fired more than 10 rounds of rockets into the Yellow Sea Thursday, just one day after South Korea held joint air drills with the US and Japan — in the latest sign of mounting tensions between the neighboring countries.
The missiles were shot from Pyongyang’s upgraded 240-millimeter multiple rocket launcher — believed to be capable of targeting South Korean population centers including the Seoul metropolitan area — which the hermit country unveiled last year.
“The projectiles, believed to be multiple launch rockets, flew tens of kilometers before falling into the Yellow Sea,”a South Korean military official told local media, adding South Korean and US intelligence are closely analyzing details.
On Wednesday, South Korea, the US and Japan held their first trilateral military air exercise of the Lee Jae Myung administration — the new leader elected earlier this month.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have increased in recent months, following North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s alignment with Russian President Vladimir Putin — supplying weapons and as many as 15,000 troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine.
South Korean officials are concerned that Pyongyang could receive economic aid in return and advanced military technology to further develop its weapons programs.
Kim has also continued to accelerate the development of his nuclear and missile program.
The reclusive leader has been visiting military industrial factories across the country, calling on them to ramp up production of shells in order to meet the demands of war in the 21st century.
North Korea also successfully built two 5,000-ton naval destroyers this year, with Kim calling the new battleship “convincing proof of the rapid transformation of our Navy.”
Quote:Japan broke a record for tourism in 2024, with people from all over the world visiting the island nation.
But the country has even bigger tourist goals for the years ahead.
Hokuto Asano, first secretary at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital in an interview that with the influx of tourists, the country is working to meet demand.
“Overtourism is a new challenge for the Japanese community,” said Asano. “So we need to pursue how to create a win-win relationship [between] Japanese local people and foreign tourists.”
News outlets have reported on a “two-tier” pricing system at restaurants, theme parks and other attractions, with tourists charged more for services and experiences than Japanese citizens are charged.
“The price of the restaurant, sushi restaurant in Japan, even hotel — the price is also increasing,” Asano said. “So Japanese people sometimes say [that] Japanese people cannot enjoy the domestic tourism.”
He added, “But there should be a difference in the taste or preference between Japan and Japanese people and international tourists. There should be a difference in the price and also product or service toward the international tourists.”
Quote:Accused Minnesota political assassin Vance Boetler wrote a deranged letter addressed to the FBI in which he wildly claimed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz instructed him to kill Sen. Amy Klobuchar, according to a report.
Boetler, 57, alleged in the rambling, conspiratorial letter that the former Democrat vice presidential candidate directed him to murder Klobuchar (D-MN) as part of a supposed plot for Walz to take her spot in the Senate, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported, citing people familiar with the writings.
The letter, which is one and a half pages long, is mostly incoherent and gives insight into the muddled mind of the Minnesota madman, those sources told the outlet.
Neither Walz nor Klobuchar responded directly to the information contained in the letter but each issued statements on the shootings following the report.
“Governor Walz is grateful to law enforcement who apprehended the shooter, and he’s grateful to the prosecutors who will ensure justice is swiftly served,” Walz spokesman Teddy Tschann told the Star Tribune.
Klobuchar said in a statement, “Boetler is a very dangerous man and I am deeply grateful that law enforcement got him behind bars before he killed other people.”
Boetler is accused of killing Minnesota House rep Melissa Hortman and her husband and shooting state senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette in an early morning targeted attack on June 14 during which the alleged killer donned a creepy latex mask and wore a police officer’s uniform.
At the home of Hortman, investigators got into a shootout with Boetler who fled — leaving behind a “manifesto” that listed the names of 70 politicians to kill – including Gov. Walz who once appointed the 57-year-old to a state-wide board.
Boetler was captured in a wooded area in Sibley County on Sunday following the largest manhunt the Land of 10,000 Lakes has ever seen — with SWAT teams swarming after getting a tip from a local resident who spotted the fugitive on a trail cam, the Star Tribune reported.
The maniac faces federal murder and stalking charges in addition to state charges and, if convicted, could face the death penalty.
Quote:Federal workers frequently violated work-from-home policies under the Biden administration, a government watchdog revealed in a report released Friday.
The “rampant telework abuse” was the result of “compliance failures and weak internal oversight” at former President Joe Biden’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM), according to the agency’s inspector general, which sampled the badging data, timesheets and remote-work agreements of dozens of federal employees.
“Under the previous administration, OPMʼs telework and remote work policies were mismanaged and oversight was virtually nonexistent,” OPM Acting Director Chuck Ezell said in a statement.
“That era of telework abuse is over,” Ezell declared. “At President Trumpʼs direction, OPM has restored in-person operations to ensure federal employees are working for the taxpayers.”
The report found 58.1% of employees sampled failed to meet minimum requirements for in-office work under Biden.
Nearly one-third (29.7%) had lapsed telework agreements, 21% had discrepancies in their paperwork and 15% did not have any approved agreements on file, OPM’s inspector general discovered.
The scope of the evaluation did not include determining the precise reasons for the noncompliance, but the OPM IG listed several possibilities, including “intentional fraud or abuse.”
“Weak or missing management controls” and “negligence or carelessness” by employees and supervisors were also listed among the possible reasons for the violations.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California) raked in between $7.8 and $42.5 million in 2024 — meaning her estimated net worth with venture capitalist hubby Paul Pelosi could now top out at $413 million, new financial disclosures showed.
The staggering sum is an eye-popping jump from 2023, when financial disclosures showed the couple’s net worth topping out at a possible $370 million.
Pelosi’s exact net worth is not known because lawmakers are only required to disclose ranges.
Market research firm Quiver Quantitative, which estimates a single figure based on daily stock values it tracks, placed the pair’s 2024 worth at $257 million — up $26 million from a year earlier.
But the value of their various other ventures — which include but are not limited to a Napa Valley winery, ownership in a political data and consulting firm and a stake in a Bay area Italian restaurant — mean Pelosi’s worth could be far higher in the estimated range.
A large chunk of the couple’s fortune has come from a sizable stock portfolio and timely trades, all done in Paul Pelosi’s name.
The former House Speaker, who’s so infamous for trading Missouri Rep. Josh Hawley named a bill after her, and her husband dumped 5,000 shares of Microsoft stock worth an estimated $2.2 million in July — one of their largest sales in three years — a few short months before the FTC announced an antitrust investigation into the tech giant.
They also sold 2,000 shares — worth an estimated $525,000 — of Visa stock, less than three months before the credit card company was hit with a DOJ monopoly lawsuit.
Quote:Nippon Steel’s $14.9 billion acquisition of US Steel closed on Wednesday, the companies said, confirming an unusual degree of power for President Trump after the Japanese company’s 18-month struggle to close the purchase.
Under the deal terms, Nippon bought 100% of US Steel shares at $55 per share, as it first laid out in its December 2023 offer for the well-known and struggling steelmaker.
The companies also disclosed details of a national security agreement inked with the Trump administration, which gives Trump the authority to name a board member as well as a non-economic golden share.
The measures represent an unusual level of control conceded by the companies to the government to save the deal, after a rocky path to approval spurred by high-level political opposition.
The inclusion of the golden share in particular to win approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, which scrutinizes foreign investment for national security risks, could drive overseas investors away from US companies, national security lawyers have said.
“The optics of a golden share – they suggest that it’s a little bit harder to divorce pure national security analysis from political decision making,” said Josh Gruenspecht, a national security lawyer at Wilson Sonsini.
Quote:Federal regulators have issued a rare, urgent warning over the risk of Boeing 737 MAX engines malfunctioning and letting smoke into an airplane cabin or cockpit.
Damage to the engine’s oil system can cause smoke from hot oil to enter the airplane ventilation system and fill the cabin or cockpit – presenting an extreme danger of incapacitating the pilots, the National Transportation Safety Board wrote in a report released Wednesday.
The recommendations were inspired by two incidents on Southwest Airlines flights, when CFM International LEAP-1B engines malfunctioned after bird strikes and poured smoke into the cabins.
In December 2023, a Boeing 737-8 filled with “acrid white smoke” shortly after takeoff from New Orleans, La. It was so thick that the captain struggled to see the instrument panel in the cockpit, the NTSB said.
An engine on another flight in March 2023 was similarly damaged by a bird strike, allowing fog to funnel into the passenger cabin shortly after departing Havana, Cuba.
Both flights required emergency landings, and there were no injuries, the safety agency said.
The NTSB is recommending modifications to the engines, which are used on Boeing 737 MAX planes and Airbus A32 jets.
In an urgent notice, it is asking the Federal Aviation Administration to evaluate whether LEAP-1A and LEAP-1C engines have the potential for the same issue.
The NTSB also expressed concern that flight crews are unaware of the potential smoke hazard and won’t know how to take action. The agency said it had urged the FAA to require operators like Boeing to alert crews of the smoke risk.
Quote:The human remains found in a ritzy Rhode Island beach town near pop icon Taylor Swift's mansion have been identified as police close the investigation.
The remains washed ashore on May 14 in the wealthy coastal enclave of Watch Hill, part of the town of Westerly, Rhode Island, just down the beach from a sprawling mansion owned by Swift.
The South Kingstown Police Department positively identified the remains of Eric Wein, 31, of Massachusetts, who was reported missing on April 18.
Police said Wein's vehicle was located in South Kingstown on April 10, days before he was officially reported missing.
Officials said no foul play was suspected and the investigation was concluded.
"We extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Wein’s family and loved ones during this difficult time," police said in a news release.
The discovery in Westerly comes three weeks after an unidentified male was found in the Seekonk River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Westerly and Pawtucket are about 48 miles apart.
Back in May, the beach town's top cop eased fears for residents, telling Fox News Digital that "there is no connection between human remains found and online fears of a serial killer in New England."
"As far as I'm concerned, as far as right now, this has nothing to do with any serial killer [or] any New England murderer," Westerly Police Chief Paul Gingerella previously told Fox News Digital.
Quote:Dozens of protesters gathered on the steps of the federal courthouse in downtown San Antonio on June 11, waving Mexican flags and signs with slogans like "Keep our city neat — no ICE." In front of them stood a tattoo-covered man wearing an obscene t-shirt and holding his own cardboard sign, on which he'd handwritten "Come to my show @ LOL on June 15."
Heads turned. Confusion turned to anger. The next day, Justin Governale said he saw photos of himself on local social media pages, labeled a "known agitator" by protesters who urged others to "share his face."
"I was like, 'Yeah, keep sharing my face. Let's go,'" Governale joked to Fox News Digital. "Free promotion."
Governale, a former Marine scout sniper, garnered a surge of online attention after crashing demonstrations against ICE and President Donald Trump last week in San Antonio to advertise his comedy show. Many felt he wasn't taking the issue of mass deportations and workplace raids seriously enough.
"Families are being separated and broken apart, meanwhile this guy is using it to publicize himself, sad," one Instagram user wrote in the comments under Governale's video.
"So many people on the left… were arguing with me," Governale said, and making assumptions about him — and his opinions — that weren't necessarily true.
His mother came to the U.S. as a migrant worker from Mexico, he said, picking cherries in Wisconsin. She didn't gain citizenship until Governale was 11 years old.
"When she became an American citizen, she was so freaking proud," he said. "I'm very fortunate to be here."
His mother's experience, coupled with his travels throughout Central America, where he met migrants embarking on dangerous journeys trying to get to the United States, let him see both sides of the issue.
Quote:Rhode Island’s Democratic-controlled state House on Friday approved legislation that would ban the sale and manufacturing of many semiautomatic rifles commonly referred to as assault weapons.
The proposal now heads to the desk of Democratic Gov. Dan McKee, who said in a post on the social platform X on Friday evening that he plans to sign the bill into law.
If that happens, Rhode Island will join 10 states that have some sort of prohibition on high-powered firearms that were once banned nationwide and are now largely the weapon of choice among those responsible for most of the country’s devastating mass shootings.
Gun control advocates have been pushing for an assault weapons ban in Rhode Island for more than a decade.
However, despite being a Democratic stronghold, lawmakers throughout the country’s smallest state have long quibbled over the necessity and legality of such proposals.
The bill only applies to the sale and manufacturing of assault weapons and not possession.
Only Washington state has a similar law.
Residents looking to purchase an assault weapon from nearby New Hampshire or elsewhere will also be blocked.
Federal law prohibits people from traveling to a different state to purchase a gun and returning it to a state where that particular of weapon is banned.
Nine states and the District of Columbia have bans on the possession of assault weapons, covering major cities like New York and Los Angeles. Hawaii bans assault pistols.
Quote:A Georgia couple whose baby was decapacitated during childbirth was awarded a $2.25 million verdict after their pathologist posted graphic autopsy videos on social media without their consent.
Dr. Jackson Gates and his Atlanta-based business will have to fork over the large sum to Jessica Ross and Traveon Taylor Sr. after a Fulton County jury found him liable of emotional distress, invasion of privacy, and fraud on Wednesday.
“This young couple trusted him with the remains of their precious baby,” attorney’s for the grieving parents said, noting that the doctor “poured salt into the couple’s already deep wounds.”
“Gates, in turn, repaid this trust by posting horrific images of their child for the world to see.”
The heartbroken couple hired the twisted doctor to perform an autopsy on their deceased newborn two days after their obstetrician allegedly applied excessive force to the baby’s neck when its shoulders became stuck in Ross’s pelvic area, causing it to detach during the traumatic July 2023 delivery.
The baby’s head was delivered vaginally, but the rest of the body was removed via C-section. The death was later ruled a homicide.
Gates posted numerous videos and photos to his Instagram later that month, showing the grisly postmortem examination of their infants “decapitated, severed head,” the couple said in their lawsuit.
The deranged pathologist initially removed the footage after receiving a letter from the couple’s attorney — but later reposted them, according to the lawsuit.
Quote:Socialist NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani once pushed to abolish the city’s admissions test for Gotham’s elite public high schools because he thought it was racist, The Post has learned.
The Queens assemblyman – who is second only to ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in most polls heading into Tuesday’s Democratic mayoral primary – hasn’t said much about the topic on the campaign beyond telling Chalkbeat last week he’d support an independent study of the Specialized High Schools Admission Test for signal out gender and racial bias.
However, when asked by the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club in February 2022 to describe legislation and policy changes he supports to address “the ongoing effect of slavery, racism, colonialism and discrimination” Mamdani – a former specialized test tutor – singled out spiking the SHSAT.
“As a graduate of Bronx Science, I have personally witnessed just how segregated New York City public schools are, especially our specialized high school,” he said at the time.
“I support measures to integrate our public schools and fully fund our education system, including the abolition of the SHSAT.”
The SHSAT under state law is the sole criteria for entry into the city’s eight elite public high schools, including Bronx High School of Science, Stuyvesant and Brooklyn Tech.
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said the ex-gov has been and “continues to be in favor to keep the exam is.”
Former far-left Mayor Bill de Blasio tried twice to change the law while Cuomo ran the state, failing both times.
Quote:United States and POW/MIA flags were hoisted and hung upside down at three separate sites in southern Brooklyn Friday, infuriating locals who blamed the disrespect on anti-American, far-left policies being pushed by New York pols.
The city Parks Department confirmed it sent crews Friday to fix the improperly-flying flags at John J. Carty Park and the Fort Hamilton Triangle in Bay Ridge, and Bath Beach Park in Bensonhurst. Carty Park is – next door to the Fort Hamilton Army base.
Hanging the American flag upside down is considered a distress signal under the U.S. flag code, but it’s also widely used as a stunt to show disrespect for the U.S. and its government.
“I’m honestly shocked this happened in Bay Ridge,'” said Michael Ragusa, a southern Brooklyn GOP operative and city correction officer.
“Just a few years ago, it was one of the last solid Republican neighborhoods left in Brooklyn. Now, it’s clear that the same un-American behavior spreading across the country is taking root right here — and New York City politicians are helping fuel it.”
Ragusa ripped Democratic Councilman Justin Brannan, who represents Bay Ridge, for joking on X that state Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar was behind the flag fiasco.
“It shows he’s not serious — about his job, his constituents, or this country,” Ragusa said.
The Parks Department said it alerted regional parks managers in Brooklyn to be on the lookout for similar incidents, but declined to say whether it had leads on who disrespected Old Glory.
Quote:An Australian college student died of a caffeine overdose after waiting several hours for the ambulance to arrive.
Christina Lackmann, 32, was a biomedical science student who was found dead in her home in Melbourne in April 2021, according to 9News.
Lackman had called emergency services at around 8 p.m. local time, saying she felt dizzy, numb and couldn’t get up from the floor.
Believing it to be vertigo, the operator labeled the case “non-urgent” — and the ambulance didn’t arrive until after 2 a.m., nearly seven hours since she had first made the frantic call.
After climbing through a neighbor’s balcony, paramedics discovered her body in her bathroom — alone aside from her distressed dog.
It appeared she had been deceased for some time.
A toxicology report indicated she had dangerously high levels of caffeine in her blood at the time of her death, and email exchanges showed she had received 90 200mg caffeine tablets that day.
“I am satisfied that Christina’s death was the consequence of the ingestion of caffeine tablets,” coroner Catherine Fitzgerald said.
“However, I am not satisfied to the requisite standard that Christina intended to take her own life, although this remains a distinct possibility.”
The coroner said that it was impossible to determine her likelihood for survival if the ambulance had arrived earlier, noting, however that overdoses are “largely preventable when treating clinicians know what they are treating.”
While relatively rare, caffeine overdoses can be swift and brutal.
Last March, a 28-year-old “workout queen” died from a caffeine overdose, which her heartbroken mother blamed on energy drinks.
In 2018, 21-year-old Australian musician Lachlan Foote died of caffeine toxicity after adding a teaspoon of caffeine powder to a protein shake.
Experts say most healthy adults can safely consume up to 400 mg of caffeine a day, which translates to four cups of coffee, 10 cans of soda or two energy drinks.
While it can vary based on individual factors, 5 to 10 grams of caffeine is considered a lethal dose for most people.
Quote:One person has died following an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Sydney’s central business district (CBD) prompting authorities to issue a health alert.
New South Wales (NSW) Health said 12 people who spent time in the city and surrounding suburbs between March and April had contracted the deadly disease.
“Sadly, one of the people who contracted the disease passed away in hospital last week,” a NSW Health spokesman said on Wednesday.
Authorities tested more than 165 cooling towers in the city and detected legionella bacteria in one.
The cooling tower is being decontaminated and further tests are being conducted to determine if it was the source of the outbreak.
Anyone who was in the Sydney CBD and surrounding suburbs between March and April is urged to be aware of symptoms including fever, chills, coughing and shortness of breath.
Symptoms can develop up to 10 days after exposure and anyone who experiences symptoms should see their doctor.
South Eastern Sydney Local Heath District Public Health Unit Director Vicky Sheppeard said 11 people with the disease had been hospitalised and one person received care out of hospital.
“Legionnaires’ disease is caused by infection with legionella bacteria,” Dr. Sheppeard said.
“Outbreaks sometimes occur when bacteria from environmental sources such as cooling towers atop large buildings become contaminated. It is not spread from person to person.
Quote:Australia’s medicines watchdog has confirmed it will investigate a report claiming several sunscreens did not offer the sun protection they advertised.
Consumer group CHOICE delivered the report last week, claiming it had tested 20 popular SPF50 and SPF50+ sunscreens and found 16 of them fell short of the protection they advertised.
SPF stands for “sun protection factor” and is the measure of how well the sunscreen protects a user from the sun’s UV rays.
An SPF 50 sunscreen is meant to block about 98 percent of the rays, meaning it will take 50 times longer to get burnt than with unprotected skin.
The consumer group tested the products with experts in an accredited sunscreen lab, with four products returning SPF results in the 40s, four in the 30s, and seven in the 20s.
The popular brands tested include Banana Boat, Cancer Council and Bondi Sands sunscreens.
In one example, the Banana Boat Baby Zinc Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50+ tested at 28, while the Coles SPF 50+ Sunscreen Ultra Tube tested at 43.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration has responded to the report and said it would investigate CHOICE’s findings and take “regulatory action as required”.
“Sunscreens with a primary purpose of UV protection are considered to be therapeutic goods and are regulated by us to ensure their safety, quality and efficacy,” the watchdog stated.
“It is a requirement under therapeutic legislation that statements on sunscreen labels are truthful and not misleading.
“It is also a legislative requirement that a sponsor of a therapeutic sunscreen product holds evidence that supports the SPF claim they make at the time they include the medicine in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.
“We will be investigating the CHOICE findings and will take regulatory action as required.
“We cannot comment on individual matters including whether products may be subject to investigation or compliance and enforcement activity, or the status of any such investigation and activity.”
One skincare company that says it takes the testing of its products seriously has been criticized by users following the release of the CHOICE results.
Quote:Security camera footage shows the ridiculous moment a group of would-be arsonists accidentally set their getaway vehicle on fire.
South Australia Police have released the footage from a residence in Port Pirie, 124 miles north of Adelaide, showing a car pulling up alongside a fenced-off building at night.
A man hops out of the vehicle, which remains idle, and begins to douse the area in liquid.
“As seen in the footage, three male suspects had attended an address in Young Street and doused the front of the residence with accelerant,” SA Police said in a statement.
The man can be seen emptying some form of container onto the residence in the suburb of Solomontown, with liquid spilling onto the footpath.
Before he returns to the car, he grabs another container and repeats the process.
Footage shows the inside of the vehicle become engulfed in flames as it begins to roll forward, before three perpetrators can be seen spilling out of the vehicle on both sides.
SA Police said the men then “ran off, abandoning the car in the street”.
“It is extremely likely they have suffered significant burns or injuries in the fire and police urge them to seek medical attention,” Police said.
“Anyone with information about the identity or location of anyone involved in this incident is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers immediately.”
When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered the vehicle on fire and another fire burning at the front of a nearby home.
Both fires were extinguished with a fire extinguisher.
Police said the occupants of the house were not injured, although the outside of the house had been charred by flames.
Quote:Nine people were taken to hospital and 200 evacuated following a chemical incident at a public pool in Melbourne’s north.
Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) were called to the Broadmeadows Leisure Centre about 6:15 p.m. on Friday night after people reported the smell of gas inside the center.
Firefighters found multiple people affected by the chemicals upon arrival.
A FRV spokesperson confirmed to NewsWire that nine people were taken to hospital for treatment following the incident.
About 200 people were evacuated from the leisure center while FRV hazmat specialists ventilated the premises.
A positive reading for sodium hydrogen sulphate was found by the hazmat specialists.
The center was confirmed to be safe to re-enter two hours later by FRV.
A Hume City Council spokeswoman said the incident was sparked by the occurrence of a chemical reaction during routine pool maintenance on Friday evening.
The spokeswoman said the nine people taken to hospital had been in contact with the council, and “we understand they are all doing well”.
“Following a thorough assessment by WorkSafe immediately after the incident, it was confirmed the facility was safe to reopen Saturday morning,” the spokeswoman said.
An internal review has been launched to confirm the incident’s cause, and to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
“We thank our staff and emergency services for their swift and professional response and thank the community for their understanding and support,” the spokeswoman said.
Sodium hydrogen sulphate, also known as sodium bisulfate, can be used to adjust pH levels in water.
"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
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She is caught on VIDEO!![[Image: QrnbKlx.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/QrnbKlx.jpg)
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Laughable indeed. They should better thank God it wasn't a 6 or 7-magnitude quake instead. 
It's curious how both of Xi's declarations sound quite incomplete for one article includes details the other omitted for some reason.
