California Gov. Gavin Newsom challenges Vice President JD Vance to debate: ‘How about saying it to my face?’
California Gov. Gavin Newsom challenged Vice President JD Vance to face off in a debate. “Hey @JDVance — nice of you to finally make it out to California. Since you’re so eager to talk about me, how about saying it to my face? Let’s debate. Time and place?” the Democratic governor said in a Friday post on his @GavinNewsom X account. So far, the vice president has not replied on the social media platform to Newsom’s challenge. JD VANCE RAILS AGAINST NEWSOM, LA MAYOR FOR DECLARING ‘OPEN SEASON ON FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT’ Fox News Digital reached out to Vance’s press team on Saturday, but did not receive a response by the time of publication. The vice president lambasted the Golden State governor and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass while delivering remarks in Los Angeles on Friday. Vance said that the governor “is endangering law enforcement,” adding, “The law enforcement officials themselves tell me as much.” Newsom communications director Izzy Gardon pushed back, calling Vance “a liar” in an email to Fox News Digital on Saturday. “Jose Vance is a liar. The Vice President’s claim is categorically false. There is no evidence to support his made-up claim — and we challenge him to produce any. The Governor has consistently condemned violence, including against law enforcement officers, and has made his stance clear over and over again. Here are at least a dozen examples,” Gardon wrote, providing a list of more than a dozen links to posts on the @CAgovernor X account. One of the posts reads, “Los Angeles: don’t take Trump’s bait. Trump wants chaos and he’s instigated violence. Those who assault law enforcement or cause property damage will risk arrest. Stay peaceful. Stay focused. Don’t give him the excuse he’s looking for.” Gardon’s reference to “Jose Vance” seems to be a play on Vance’s comment about “Jose Padilla” on Friday when apparently referring to U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif. “He knows my name,” Padilla said during remarks Saturday on MSNBC, calling Vance’s jab an “indicator of how petty and unserious this administration is.”
Days after Air India plane crash, Chennai-bound IndiGo flight with 168 passengers issues ‘Mayday’ call due to…; diverted to Bengaluru
An IndiGo flight from Guwahati to Chennai, with 168 passengers aboard, made an emergency landing at the Bengaluru international airport on Thursday after the captain gave a ‘Mayday’ call. Mayday is a distress call issued by aircraft, indicating a life-threatening situation. Read on to know more.
Family said daughter-in-law ran away, her decomposed body was found months later from…; reason for murder will leave you shocked
A shocking case has been reported from Haryana’s Faridabad, where the decomposed body of a woman was recovered from a pit in a residential area on Friday. The body was identified as that of 24-year-old Tanu, who was originally from Shikohabad in Uttar Pradesh. Read on to know more on this.
Americans agree with Trump that Iran poses threat to United States: poll
Amid a week of daily attacks between Middle Eastern juggernauts Israel and Iran, President Donald Trump has repeatedly drilled home a key point. “IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” the president wrote on social media. And speaking with reporters in the Oval Office at the White House, Trump highlighted, “I’ve been saying for 20 years, maybe longer, that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.” It’s a stance U.S. presidents have taken for a couple of decades. And it appears most Americans agree with Trump and his presidential predecessors when it comes to the possibility of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS THINK IRAN POSES REAL THREAT TO U.S. SECURITY Nearly three-quarters (73%) of registered voters questioned in a new Fox News national survey said they think Iran poses a real security threat to the U.S. That’s a 13-point boost since Fox News last asked the question six years ago. And the poll, conducted June 13-16, indicates wide support across the partisan spectrum. Majorities of Republicans (82%), Democrats (69%) and Independents (62%) agreed that Iran poses a threat. The survey also showed that 78% of those questioned said they were very or extremely concerned about Iran obtaining a nuclear bomb. And eight in 10 said what happens in the Middle East does matter in the U.S. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST POLLING FROM FOX NEWS Daron Shaw, a veteran GOP pollster and the Republican partner on the Fox News poll, said that “the increased sense that Iran constitutes a threat is real, but it also reflects the unique timing and circumstances surrounding this poll.” “The poll was in the field as images of Iranian missiles falling on Tel Aviv dominated television and the internet — the immediacy and clarity of the conflict undoubtedly contributes to how voters gauge what is at risk,” noted Shaw, who is also a politics professor and chair at the University of Texas. There was a similar response regarding the threat from Iran in a Ronald Reagan Institute national survey conducted earlier this month, before Israel’s initial attack last week sparked the daily bombardments by both nations. Eighty-four percent of those questioned in the poll, which was shared first with Fox News, said preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons matters to U.S. security and prosperity. FOX NEWS LIVE UPDATES ON THE ISRAEL-IRAN ATTACKS Trump is weighing whether the U.S. should join Israel in striking Iran to cripple its nuclear program and prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. “President Trump doesn’t often get a political softball sent his way. His decision to support Israel’s attacks on the Islamic Republic of Iran and the prospective decision to deal a limited but decisive blow to Iran’s nuclear ambitions by striking the Fordow facility can prove to be political mana from heaven,” veteran political scientist Wayne Lesperance said. Lesperance, president of New England College, noted that “If the President makes the case clearly and firmly to the American people, polling data suggests he would enjoy support from his own party, Democrats and Independents. What’s more, Trump’s decision and subsequent action would crowd out any of the issues or coverage like immigration, the budget, or tariffs in the near term. Politically, a decision to act against Iran is smart politics.” But Lesperance cautioned that “this all assumes that the attacks are successful. It also assumes Americans are tolerant of the repercussions of backlash over the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.” Fox News’ Dana Blanton and Victoria Balara contributed to this report.
Bernie Sanders endorses former punk rock musician with history of racist, sexist remarks
Progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders has endorsed a Democratic candidate for New York City comptroller who, as a former punk rock musician, has a history of making racist, sexist and homophobic statements online, according to a review by Fox News Digital. Sanders endorsed Justin Brannan, a Democratic New York City councilman who is now running for comptroller, saying he would fight corruption and stand for the working class. Brannan’s campaign website says that, in the music scene he comes from, “people look out for one another and pick each other up when they fall down.” Brannan says he has carried these values into his work as a New York City councilmember and that he will do so as a city comptroller. OUSTED DEM ‘SUPER MAYOR’ CHARGES WHOPPING PRICE TAG FOR TELL-ALL BOOK WHILE DODGING LEGAL TROUBLES However, a review of statements Brannan made on several music listservs during his years as a punk rocker in the ’90s puts a very different set of values on display, including statements mocking Puerto Ricans, Asians, homosexual individuals and others. On two different occasions in 1999, Brannan used the N-word, writing, “Yo n—- be representing Dead Kennedys and Social D in ‘Stir of Echoes’” and “Yo, this swizz n—- is deep.” In a 1998 post, Brannan also recounted an interview with a now-defunct music publication in which he said he preferred to shave his head bald, explaining, “I like to keep it nice and trim like the Nazis.” He then added, “I find myself more intimidating with the shaved head too when I smack up my b——.” Brannan also mocked Asians, writing in one 1999 post that “Chinese people can not drive” and in another, “one thing you’ll never see” is a “Chinese driving instructor.” That same year, he mocked “Homicide: Life on the Street” actor and New York City native Yaphet Kotto, writing “Yaphet Koto ? Yum. I like it with brown rice.” The Democratic candidate also repeatedly sparred with a disabled listserv member, writing posts such as, “If you are really crippled, thats pretty funny. Guess what I did today? I walked up and down stairs, all around the town. What did you do? Drool into a spitoon?,” “I think it would be funny to beat up a handicapped person” and “I just had a vision of you like Stephen Hawking. I made myself laugh. HAHAHAHAAHA! You parapalegic f—.” Brannan, along with other city employees, was also accused of bullying an autistic colleague during his time as a New York City government staffer. According to reporting by the New York Post, the staffer received an $850,000 court settlement paid for by the city in 2021. DEMOCRATS IN DISARRAY: KEN MARTIN’S TENURE SO FAR AT DNC RIPPED In 1999, shortly after returning from shows in Puerto Rico, Brannan said, “Everyone in Puerto Rico has a gun and doesn’t wear underwear.” Brannan also constantly used an anti-gay slur to insult others or make jokes, such as writing, “you f—— loser f–.” “He said he was gonna see some f—– punk show at Coney Island” and “Email me you f–.” The New York City primary election is scheduled for Tuesday, June 24. Brannan is running to replace the current city comptroller, Brad Lander, who is running for New York City mayor and was recently arrested by federal authorities for allegedly impeding an immigration enforcement arrest. DEMOCRATS MUST FIND A MESSAGE BEYOND CONSTANT ATTACKS ON TRUMP AND ICE, SAYS FORMER DEM ADVISOR Sanders has also endorsed New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Neither Brannan’s office nor Sanders’ office responded to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment ahead of the publication deadline.
Trump cuts G-7 summit short as Israel–Iran conflict escalates during his 22nd week in office
President Donald Trump spent his 22nd week back in the Oval Office participating in the G-7 Summit, while handling the conflict in the Middle East, after Israel launched preemptive strikes on Iran after months of attempted and stalled nuclear negotiations amid renewed concern that Iran was advancing its nuclear program. The country and the world waited during Trump’s 22nd week back as commander-in-chief to see how the president planned to respond to the crisis in the Middle East. The week began after the president celebrated his 79th birthday and participated in the massive parade in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States Army on Saturday. VANCE TO MEET WITH FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT, MARINES IN LA AMID ANTI-ICE RIOTS He then traveled Sunday night to Alberta, Canada, for the G-7 Summit, where he participated in multiple sessions of meetings with allies. The president met with leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the European Union. But the situation in the Middle East sent the president back to the White House a day early. Israel’s initial strikes on Iran June 12 were part of its “Operation Rising Lion,” which targeted Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure. The strikes have killed top Iranian military leaders and beyond. FLASHBACK: TRUMP LAUNCHED HIS FIRST PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN TEN YEARS AGO Iran said the strikes were a “declaration of war,” and launched its own strikes on Israel — with a barrage of missiles hitting the Jewish state throughout the week, with some breaking through the Israeli Iron Dome defense system and causing destruction. On his way back to Washington, D.C., the president stressed that Iran is “very close” to developing a nuclear weapon. Earlier in June, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s estimation said that Iranian stockpiles included 60% enriched uranium that could become 90%. And last week, Gen. Erik Kurilla, the U.S. Central Command chief, ahead of Israel’s preemptive strikes, said that Iran has the materials to build a nuclear weapon within one week. The Trump administration had been engaged in talks with Iran to make a deal on its nuclear program, and the president has urged the Islamic state to make a deal. But the country pulled out of ongoing talks with the United States. The most recent round of talks were scheduled for June 15. The president, Monday night, before leaving the G7, again said Iran “should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign.” “What a shame, and a waste of human life,” Trump said. “Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON.” The president added, in his Truth Social post, that he has “said it over and over again!” “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” Trump posted. TRUMP WEIGHS STRIKING IRANIAN NUCLEAR FACILITIES: ‘I MAY DO IT, I MAY NOT DO IT’ By Tuesday, the president announced that the United States has “complete and total control of the skies over Iran.” He also said that the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei’s location had been determined. The president said that Khamenei is “an easy target,” but is “safe” in his hiding spot. “We are not going to take him out (kill), at least for now,” the president said. “But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin.” As for whether the United States will strike Iranian nuclear facilities, the president said: “I may do it, I may not do it.” “Yes, I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do. I can tell you this, that Iran’s got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate,” Trump told reporters Wednesday. “And I said, why didn’t you negotiate with me before all this death and destruction? Why didn’t you go? I said to people, why didn’t you negotiate with me two weeks ago? You could have done fine. You would have had a country. It’s very sad to watch this.” Trump, dating back to his first administration, has said that he refuses to broadcast his military plans ahead of time. The White House said the president would make his decision on how to handle Iran in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement riots that broke out in Los Angeles earlier in June slowed as the president awaited a federal court ruling in California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s lawsuit against the Trump administration for sending in the National Guard without his authority. Trump, earlier in June, ordered the National Guard to L.A. to aid law enforcement amid the violent protests. On Thursday night, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled unanimously in Trump’s favor, saying that the president is allowed to keep control of the National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles. The ruling stayed a lower court order that ordered command of the troops back to Newsom. A president hasn’t made a decision about the deployment of a National Guard without the permission of the state’s governor since 1965. Trump, in a post to his Truth Social, praised the Court of Appeals for their decision, touting it as a “WIN.” “BIG WIN in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on the President’s core power to call in the National Guard!” Trump posted. “The Judges obviously realized that Gavin Newscum is incompetent and ill prepared, but this is much bigger than Gavin, because all over the United States, if our Cities, and our people, need protection, we are the ones to give it to them should State and Local Police be unable, for whatever reason, to get the job done.” The president added: “This is a Great Decision for our Country, and we will continue to protect and defend Law abiding Americans. Congratulations to the Ninth Circuit, America is proud of you tonight!” By Friday, Vice President JD Vance traveled to Los Angeles to tour a multiagency Federal Joint Operations Center and a Federal Mobile Command Center. The vice president also met with leaders
The woman raising 98 children with disabilities in Uganda
On a humid, late afternoon in November, Edith sits giggling loudly and bantering with two older members of her team during a lull between heavy rain showers. They watch as younger staff members dodge puddles and sweat through a daily aerobics routine in the muddy courtyard. As energetic pop music blares across the compound made up of three single- and double-storey buildings, seven-year-old Diego, who has cerebral palsy, heads up a concrete ramp towards a therapy room. His wrists twisted, he crawls forward slowly until Edith spots him. “Diego, my boy!” the 49-year-old calls out with a wide grin. She runs over to him, her loose dress billowing as she scoops him up and swings him quickly onto her hip. He gives her a high five, and the two laugh before turning their attention to the workout. The warmth and affection between Edith and her staff and the children at the orphanage make the place feel like it belongs to a very large family. Edith’s own journey as a disability rights figure in Uganda began in 2000 with the birth of her first child, Derrick, in Jinja. When Derrick was two days old, he turned yellow and cried excessively. So Edith and her husband, Richard, took him to a hospital where he was misdiagnosed with malaria. For two weeks, their son suffered convulsions, and upon seeing another doctor, he was found to have complications with his spinal cord after contracting meningitis. Witch doctors like Robert Apedu in Soroti District provide 77 percent of health services in rural areas. They offer a more convenient alternative to health facilities and medicines found in cities [Christopher Hopkins/Al Jazeera] “When he made three months, this is when I realised that my son was not growing as a normal child. He had poor head control. He had a curved spinal cord. He was very floppy,” Edith recalls while sitting in her office. Its walls are adorned with certificates of appreciation and merit, and a portrait of President Yoweri Museveni hangs above the door. As she looks out a window onto a playground full of children, Edith recalls how she and Richard struggled to get information about their son’s condition and were ostracised by their friends and family who were fearful of them and Derrick. “We started coming into the hospital, in and out. Home, hospital, home, hospital. And with his situation, especially with convulsions, people were like, ‘He has got epilepsy. He has demons.’ And this is where I was rejected by the community,” she says. “They were like, ‘She gave birth to a demon-possessed child.’” In the village of Omalera, Robert rubs a paste of plant matter and water onto the skin of Noah Oyara, 17, who has no use of his legs and also lives with hydrocephalus. Due to negative connotations surrounding his profession, Robert refers to himself as a ‘traditional healer’ or ‘herbalist’ [Christopher Hopkins/Al Jazeera] Historically and until today, education about disabilities has not been promoted through government-run schools or local clinics, leading many Ugandans to resort to traditional healing. Without a diagnosis and feeling helpless, Edith succumbed to social pressure and took her son to traditional healers. “I tried to take him to different witch doctors. They were cutting him all over the body, smearing him with their herbs, washing him with blood of the chicken, the blood of the goat. They could take us in at night to shower us with the blood of the chicken, but still, Derrick didn’t change,” she recalls. “It was just worsening.” But then an elderly couple at her church encouraged her to return to the hospital and supported her family. So Edith returned with Derrick to the hospital. After 12 months, he was diagnosed with permanent disability. The prolonged lack of treatment for meningitis had led to severe brain damage and cerebral palsy, leaving him nonverbal and unable to walk or feed himself for the rest of his life. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,213
Here are the key events on day 1,213 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Here is how things stand on Saturday, June 21: Fighting Drones and missiles launched by Russia overnight have damaged energy infrastructure in central Ukraine’s Kremenchuk district in Poltava, said local military authorities. One person was injured in the attack, according to Volodymyr Kohut, the region’s military governor, who did not provide further details on the extent of the damage. Russia had targeted the district’s refinery, according to a report by online news outlet Strana.ua. Politics and diplomacy Ukraine and Russia exchange more prisoners of war, officials from both countries said, the second swap in two days under an agreement struck in Turkiye earlier this month. All the captured soldiers were wounded, ill or under 25 years old. Neither side said how many soldiers had been freed. At Russia’s flagship economic forum in Saint Petersburg, President Vladimir Putin said he did not “rule out” his forces taking control of Ukraine’s northeastern city of Sumy as part of efforts to create a buffer zone along the border. The Sumy region is not one of the regions Moscow has formally annexed, although Russian forces have recently made inroads there for the first time in three years, with Putin claiming his troops had advanced up to 12km (7 miles) in the region. In a string of hawkish remarks, Putin also appeared to repeat his denial of Ukrainian statehood. Ukraine said Putin’s comments showed “disdain” for the peace process. The German military considers Russia to be an “existential risk” to the country and Europe, according to a Spiegel news magazine report that cites a new Bundeswehr strategy paper. Russia is verifiably preparing for a conflict with NATO, particularly by strengthening forces in western Russia “at the borders with NATO,” the report cites the strategy paper as saying. Germany can only counter this threat “with a consistent development of military and society-wide capabilities,” the document concludes. Putin has reaffirmed Moscow’s opposition to the spread of weapons of mass destruction, including any potential acquisition by Iran. Putin told Sky News Arabia that Russia supports Iran’s right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, emphasising that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has found no evidence suggesting Tehran seeks to build nuclear weapons. Putin also stated that Russia is prepared to assist Iran in the development of its civilian nuclear programme. Advertisement Economy At the economic forum in St Petersburg, Putin also urged officials not to let Russia fall into recession “under any circumstances”, as some in his own government warned of a hit to economic growth. Economists have warned for months of a slowdown in the Russian economy, with the country posting just 1.4 percent year-on-year growth in the first quarter of 2025, the weakest pace in two years. A decision by the OPEC+ group of leading global oil producers to speed up production now looks far-sighted and justified amid the Middle East conflict, said Igor Sechin, head of Russia’s largest oil producer Rosneft, at the forum. Sechin also said that there will be no oil glut in the long term despite the production rise, and that the European Union seeks to reduce Russia’s oil cap to $45 to improve the profitability of its purchases, not to cut Russia’s budget revenues. Adblock test (Why?)
Tehran is in shock – and we have fled with heavy hearts
Gilan, Iran – The prospect of war seemed to creep nearer to reality with each passing day, but perhaps few of the millions who have been forced to abandon their homes across Iran in the past week – including myself – could have known this new reality would impose itself so harshly or abruptly. The first explosions jolted people awake in Tehran shortly after 3am on June 13, when a large number of Israeli fighter jets and drones attacked dozens of areas across the country, and explosives-laden quadcopters and anti-fortification Spike guided missiles were launched by Israeli agents from inside Iran. Entire residential buildings were levelled in the capital, military sites and air defence batteries were targeted, and above-ground facilities supporting nuclear enrichment halls buried deep inside mountains in Isfahan province’s Natanz were bombed. Dozens of civilians were killed, as were a large number of top military commanders and nuclear scientists. In this photo released by the Iranian Red Crescent Society, rescuers work at the scene of an explosion after an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, on Friday, June 13, 2025 [Iranian Red Crescent Society via AP] Tehran was in shock the first morning after the attacks, as people struggled to process the terrifying news and evaluate their options while the authorities scrambled to mount a concerted response to the surprise hits. As the attacks came on a Friday morning – the last day of the weekend in Iran – most city streets were eerily quiet in the immediate aftermath, except for those where Israeli bombs had made an impact. Soon, however, hours-long queues had formed at almost every single fuel station across the sprawling capital, which has a population of nearly 10 million people and holds more than 15 million during busy workdays, as millions also commute from neighbouring cities like Karaj. Advertisement I went out to visit a few of the targeted sites in western Tehran: Multiple homes had been destroyed in the Patrice Lumumba neighbourhood, several floors of a 15-storey building providing accommodation for university professors had caved in at Saadat Abad and adjacent buildings were damaged, while the top two floors of another residential building had been completely wiped out in Marzdaran. All were successful targeted assassinations – including of several top nuclear scientists – and many civilians were also killed. Debris from an apartment building is seen on top of parked cars after a strike in Tehran, Iran, early on Friday, June 13, 2025 [Vahid Salemi/AP] Later that night, Iran’s armed forces began launching hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel in retaliation. Nearly one week on, at least 16 rounds of Iranian strikes have been launched, with no immediate end in sight as Tehran says it will continue to hit back so long as Israel is attacking. Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump teases triggering an all-out regional war by directly entering the war alongside Israel, which he and Washington’s Western allies already support with cutting-edge munitions, a massive fleet of refuelling planes and intelligence efforts. For the next few days, the Israeli attacks were ringing out across Tehran and the country during the daytime, terrorising civilians who saw the smoke and heard the explosions get closer to their homes or places of work. Both at home and at Al Jazeera’s Tehran bureau, I heard many explosive impacts, with some of the closer ones only about 2km (1.2 miles) away. Most of Tehran was shut down after the Israeli attacks ramped up, and the streets and petrol stations were more crowded than ever after Israel and Trump told people to evacuate immediately. The government said metro stations and mosques were opened as 24-hour shelters since it has built no dedicated shelters or come up with any clear security protocols, despite the ever-present threat of war. Red Crescent Society rescuers work at the scene of an explosion following an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, on Friday, June 13, 2025 [Iranian Red Crescent Society via AP] On Monday, after three days of evaluating the situation, my family and I decided to join the countless others who had already fled Tehran. After hurriedly packing some clothes and a few belongings in a suitcase, I drove from my own place to my girlfriend’s house to pick her up at about 4pm. Her parents, who work in healthcare, needed to stay in Tehran that day but they have since left as well, after Israeli air strikes intensified in their neighbourhood. We then picked up my mother – along with our four cats who have been staying with her – from her home in western Tehran, close to a major road which exits the capital. Israeli bombs were falling on multiple areas across western Tehran as we scurried to grab the cats and put them in their boxes. Advertisement The unmistakable sounds of the explosions, which leave a sickening, sinking sensation in your stomach no matter how many times you hear them, only added to the urgency – especially since the Israeli military had issued a new evacuation threat at about the same time and then bombed the state television headquarters. Smoke rises from the building of Iran’s state-run television channel after an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, on Monday, June 16, 2025 [AP] Fleeing north We left Tehran with heavy hearts, not knowing when we might return. The buildings were already mostly empty of residents. The feeling that we may not return to the same intact neighbourhoods was unavoidable, as was the terror we feel for those who wanted to leave but could not, whether because they are nursing a sick family member or because they simply lacked the means to do so. Iran’s ailing economy has been dragged under the weight of years of local mismanagement and US sanctions. The journey north, which usually takes about four hours, took close to 12. The highways were a sea of vehicles filled with families, pets and belongings. Roadside diners and service areas brimmed with people who had no idea
Arrest of Chinese nationals in swing state, Israel’s fight with Iran are ‘wake up’ call on CCP threat: experts
Recent arrests of Chinese nationals at the University of Michigan have resurrected concerns about CCP-owned farmland and property in the United States, particularly in Michigan, and caused some to draw parallels with the current conflict between Iran and Israel. Earlier this month, two Chinese nationals were charged with allegedly smuggling a “dangerous biological pathogen” into the U.S. to study at the University of Michigan in an incident that FBI Director Kash Patel described as a “sobering reminder that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate our institutions and target our food supply, an act that could cripple our economy and endanger American lives.” Later, a third Chinese national with connections to the university was arrested, renewing questions about China’s efforts to infiltrate and influence various sectors in the United States, including buying up farmland, which has been a growing concern nationwide. A 2023 report from the United States Department of Agriculture found that “foreign persons held an interest in nearly 45 million acres of U.S. agricultural land,” which represents 3.5% of all privately held agricultural land and 2% of all land in the country. NEW LEGISLATION AIMS TO TELL CHINA ‘NO’ ON BUYING UP AMERICAN FARMLAND While China is not at the top of the list of countries in that report, the arrests in Michigan have prompted calls from Congress to ensure that the CCP, viewed by many as the nation’s top geopolitical adversary, is not buying up farmland in the United States. Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts exclusively told Fox News Digital this week that China has been aggressively buying American agriculture, “which is why we need to have a heightened sense of vigilance around protecting our homeland.” Ricketts, along with Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, introduced the bipartisan Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure (AFIDA) Improvements Act that seeks to implement recommendations published by the Government Accountability Office in January 2024, which found the AFIDA was ill-equipped to combat foreign ownership of American agricultural land. “China’s land purchases aren’t just about acreage—they’re about access,” Michigan GOP Rep. John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the CCP, told Fox News Digital. “Even small parcels near military bases or critical infrastructure pose serious national security risks. In my home state, we’ve seen concerning cases like Gotion’s site near Camp Grayling. We need full transparency into who’s buying land and where—because the Chinese Communist Party shouldn’t be allowed to hide behind shell companies to gain a foothold in our country.” FBI DIRECTOR PATEL LEADS CHARGE TO ROOT OUT CHINESE INFLUENCE ON US SOIL China’s encroachment into Michigan’s agriculture was enough of a concern for Republican state Rep. Gina Johnsen to introduce legislation earlier this year banning foreign adversaries from buying up farmland. “Our state’s agricultural industry is a pillar of our economy. My community is an agricultural community,” Johnsen said. Our farms provide food security, jobs, and economic stability for countless residents. However, there is growing concern about losing our farmland to countries of concern.” Additionally, Chinese farmland has become a topic of conversation in the wake of revelations that Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear capabilities was aided by years of covert planning, surveillance and infiltration by Israeli intelligence. Code-named “Am Kelavi” (Rising Lion), the preemptive operation was the product of unprecedented coordination between the Israeli air force, the Military Intelligence Directorate, the Mossad and the country’s defense industries. For years, they worked “shoulder to shoulder” to gather the intelligence files needed to eliminate Iran’s most sensitive military and nuclear assets. As part of that operation, Israel was able to establish a drone base inside Iran, where Mossad operatives retrieved them from hiding spots to use against Iranian sites. Bryan Cunningham, president of Liberty Defense and former CIA intelligence officer, told Fox News Digital that the Israeli operation is a “wake-up call” for the United States about what a foreign adversary like China could potentially carry out in the United States. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “As an intelligence officer, part of me says, I wish that the sources and methods of building these drone factories inside the target countries hadn’t been revealed,” Cunningham said. “But on the other hand, it does serve as a wake-up call, hopefully for our policymakers, and it also ties in, and if I were the administration, I would make this tie in immediately and loudly with the Trump administration’s border strategy.” Cunningham continued, “Our borders are where you’re most likely to actually intercept these kinds of toxins, explosives, flares, 3D-printed weapons, ceramic weapons, whatever it is. So if it were me and I were the Secretary of Homeland Security, I would be tying this all together. You know, it is important to get people out of the country that have committed violent or other serious crimes in the country, but it’s also really important to prevent people like these guys from bringing in those kinds of materials.” The FBI is increasing its surveillance of Iranian-backed operatives inside the United States as Trump weighs strikes, a senior law enforcement official told Fox News on Friday. Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Heavey, Lucas Tomlinson and Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.