Dem Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed recounts smashing vodka bottle after beard criticism
In a recent podcast appearance, Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed admitted to destroying property in a liquor store in Detroit over remarks about the length of his beard, a sign of religious observance among Muslim communities. “He says, ‘Are you Muslim?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘Well, your beard is too short.’ I said, ‘Ok you’re gonna judge me? Ok, give me a second, I forgot something,’” El-Sayed said while on left-leaning YouTube show “Intellectually Petty.” “So, I walk back, I get a fifth of vodka, and put it on the counter. He’s like, ‘Hey, you can’t buy that,’ and I was like, ‘You’re right, and you can’t sell it.’ So, I smashed it on the ground and walked out.” The account is emerging as a new line of attack for some Republicans in the closely watched Senate race. SQUAD MEMBER SUMMER LEE CALLS ‘UPPER CLASS’ THE ‘ENEMY’ AT EL-SAYED RALLY Hunter Lovell, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee (RNC), believes it displays a willingness to become aggressive over matters of faith. “Abdul El-Sayed thinks he gets a free hall pass by using his religion as a way to promote violent extremism,” Lovell said. “In reality, Michigan voters see a deeply disturbed man with anger management issues who belongs nowhere near the United States Senate.” El-Sayed’s campaign, when asked about Lovell’s comments, did not address the incident in the liquor store. “Yes — Abdul is angry on behalf of the people. Unlike Trump who seems more focused on drapes in a ballroom, Abdul gets mad when everyday people get exploited,” Roxie Richner, a spokesperson for the campaign, told Fox News Digital. El-Sayed finds himself in a heated three-way Democratic primary to replace outgoing Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich. Voters will soon have to pick between him, fellow progressive Mallory McMorrow, a state legislator, and Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., a more establishment-leaning candidate. HOUSE DEM JUMPS INTO CROWDED MICHIGAN SENATE RACE El-Sayed has positioned himself as the most leftward-leaning of the three, espousing positions such as “Medicare for all,” free college education and the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Notably, El-Sayed has attracted criticism for his opposition to the current U.S. partnership with Israel, citing humanitarian concerns during the war in Gaza. He’s also drawn scrutiny for campaigning with Hasan Piker, a political commentator and media personality who has described Hamas, a U.S.-designated terror group, as the “lesser of two evils,” in its war with Israel and said that the U.S. “deserved 9/11.” El-Sayed himself has clearly said he condemns all forms of religious violence. In the wake of an attack on a synagogue in Temple Israel Michigan earlier in 2026, El-Sayed called it an act of “terrorism.” MICHIGAN DEMOCRAT DEFENDS APPEARING WITH HASAN PIKER, DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM PODCASTER’S CONTROVERSIAL REMARKS “He was an Arab American and a Muslim. I condemn what he did. There is never a justification for attacking innocent people or houses of worship. Never,” El-Sayed said in a press release. The Michigan Senate primary will be held Aug. 4.
Coast Guard ending race-based admissions for officer commissioning program under Trump DEI crackdown
EXCLUSIVE: The U.S. Coast Guard will be ending admissions for college students wanting to commission as officers that take race into consideration as part of the Trump administration’s continued anti-diversity, equity and inclusion initiative, Fox News Digital has learned. “The Trump Administration is more focused than ever on eliminating unconstitutional DEI policies like this one,” DHS General Counsel James Percival said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital on Friday. He added, “Racial quotas, like those included in this program for students who want to enlist and commission as officers in the U.S. Coast Guard, are a direct violation of the United States Constitution’s equal protection requirements. By getting rid of these unconstitutional diversity quotas, we are returning the Coast Guard’s focus to military readiness, upholding the law, and making America a safer place.” The College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI), program previously included a preference for students from schools that had met quotas for including students from specific racial groups. PETE HEGSETH DIRECTS MILITARY ACADEMIES THAT ALL FUTURE ADMISSIONS WILL BE BASED SOLELY ON MERIT The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced at end to those requirements on Thursday. “Eliminating racial quotas in federal programs remains a priority of the Justice Department,” Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said. “Access to opportunities like the Coast Guard’s pre-commissioning initiative should be based exclusively on merit, not the racial composition of your college. This resolution helps ensure that equality of opportunity.” ROGER GOODELL SAYS NFL WITH COOPERATE WITH FLORIDA AG PROBE INTO ROONEY RULE AND DEI HIRING PROGRAMS The Trump administration has taken similar steps to end DEI policies in the federal government and in the military as a whole. Last week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth spoke at the graduation ceremony at West Point, telling the cadets, “The battlefield does not grade on a curve, and you can’t throw your pronouns at the enemy. Combat is the ultimate test, and our best Americans must ace it.” He also accused West Point’s leadership of having attempted to turn West Point into a “woke Princeton.” Fox News Digital’s Preston Mizell contributed to this report.
CodePink’s Medea Benjamin confirms getting ‘serious’ Treasury Department query over Cuba trip
CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin publicly confirmed for the first time that her organization received an inquiry from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), seeking detailed information about its March trip to Cuba. The inquiry, which is often called an administrative subpoena, comes as the Trump administration signals a broad effort to increase federal scrutiny of nonprofit organizations operating in foreign-policy and activist spaces. Last October, after the murder of conservative leader Charlie Kirk, President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to strengthen enforcement against nonprofit entities that facilitate support for political violence. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reinforced that message this week, arguing that nonprofit organizations and fiscal sponsors can’t shield themselves from legal accountability when resources, funding, organizational infrastructure or grants are used to support unlawful activity and political violence. “We’ve made substantial progress, and I think in the weeks and months ahead, we’re going to have a lot to report,” Bessent responded to a question in the White House press gallery. He said, for example, that under new changes, the IRS will “demand that nonprofits know their grant recipients.” FEDS SUBPOENA HASAN PIKER, MEDEA BENJAMIN OVER CUBA TRIPS “So, if a grant recipient is violent, if they are suppressing people’s rights, then you are responsible for that,” Bessent said. “I think that’s a very good first step.” The shift reflects a growing administration focus on whether nonprofit networks are exercising sufficient oversight over the projects, activists and international campaigns they sponsor. Against that backdrop, the inquiry by the Office of Foreign Assets Control into the Cuba convoy fits within an effort by Treasury officials to examine whether activist organizations are complying with laws and other federal restrictions, such as sanctions laws. Speaking on camera in a video promoted by a far-left media platform, BreakThrough News, Benjamin said she and political streamer Hasan Piker first learned about the query when Fox News Digital broke the news last Saturday evening that Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control had launched an investigation into the financial and logistical details of CodePink’s and Piker’s trip to Cuba trip. DC DINNER TURNS CHAOTIC AS CODEPINK ACTIVISTS CORNER TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT: ‘BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS’ The Office of Foreign Assets Control enforces U.S. sanctions on Cuba, which restrict Americans from engaging in many financial transactions with the communist government and require travelers and organizations to comply with licensing and record-keeping requirements for authorized activities. “I actually didn’t get anything, and neither did Hasan Piker,” Benjamin said. “I mean, we heard this on Fox News, that there was this subpoena out, and I was going outside my front door, looking around for somebody to serve me.” Benjamin said the inquiry arrived by email and had been sent to CodePink co-founder Jodie Evans. Fox News Digital has learned that CodePink D.C. Coordinator Olivia DiNucci, who regularly harasses politicians as they are having dinner in D.C. restaurants, is also expected to get a query. “It turns out that it was an email that was sent to CodePink co-founder Jodie Evans, and it was so unofficial that it landed in our spam box,” Benjamin said. “So it was a letter, and it came from the Treasury Department, from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, known as OFAC.” FAR-LEFT ACTIVISTS STAY IN 5-STAR CUBAN HOTEL AS ISLAND SUFFERS TOTAL BLACKOUT While criticizing the manner in which the inquiry was delivered, Benjamin acknowledged that the request itself was serious because of the volume of information federal officials are seeking. “And I don’t want to say it’s not serious. It is serious, because they are asking for all kinds of information,” Benjamin said. “And this is a kind of intimidation tactic that means we have to get a lawyer, that we have to spend a lot of staff time, a lot of energy.” According to Benjamin, the inquiry includes roughly a dozen detailed questions about the trip and its participants. “They’re asking about 12 very detailed questions that include things like, ‘How did you get there? Where did you stay? What did you do every hour that you were there?’” Benjamin said. “I guess we have to tell them how many hours we slept.” Benjamin said approximately 170 people participated in the convoy and suggested the scope of the inquiry could require organizers to account for the activities of every participant. REVOLUTIONARY TOURISM: INSIDE THE $600M MARRIAGE OF DARK MONEY AND FAR-LEFT AGITPROP “There were 170 people, so I don’t know if they want to know what every single person did every single minute of the day,” she said. Benjamin also confirmed that organizers brought humanitarian supplies to Cuba. “What we brought — and we brought about $600,000 worth of aid — so it’s a lot, a lot of information that they want,” Benjamin said. Benjamin framed the inquiry as an effort to discourage Americans from traveling to Cuba or participating in humanitarian missions to the communist island, but said organizers would continue their activities despite the federal scrutiny. “And of course, this is to make people think, ‘Uh oh, should I go to Cuba? Uh oh, should I keep doing humanitarian aid?’” Benjamin said. “And the answer to that is, yes. We can’t be intimidated. In fact, we have to use this as another reason that we’re so angry at the U.S. government and redouble our efforts.” Meanwhile, Piker has insisted that he hasn’t received the Treasury Department query. He stirred up another set of headlines speculating that the “real goal” of the investigation is to target American Marxist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham, who has pumped $285 million since 2017 into a network of groups including CodePink and BreakThrough News, allegedly spreading pro-China propaganda and sowing discord with massive anti-American street protests. CodePink and BreakThrough News have been fixtures in those street protests, and Piker has supported them on his hours-long livestreams.
Federal judge orders Trump’s name removed from Kennedy Center, says only Congress can rename it
A federal judge on Friday ordered that President Donald Trump’s name be removed from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama appointee, said the iconic venue cannot be renamed without an act of Congress, ruling that the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees overstepped its “statutory bounds by unilaterally renaming” the building. As part of his ruling, the Trump administration will be required to take down all physical signage bearing Trump’s name and eliminate any references to a “Trump-Kennedy Center” from official materials. TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER’S BOARD VOTES UNANIMOUSLY TO APPROVE $257M RENOVATIONS AND TWO-YEAR CLOSURE “The Kennedy Center’s organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board’s unilateral say-so,” Cooper wrote. “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.” In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump criticized Cooper and Democrats for opposing changes to the iconic center. “I took great pride in taking over a losing Institution, and looked forward to making it into a Great and Prestigious WINNER for Washington, D.C., and indeed, the United States of America,” Trump wrote.. “Unfortunately, Judge Cooper and the Radical Left would rather see it DIE than have President Trump transform it into something that everyone could be proud of.” Roma Daravi, the Trump Kennedy Center vice president of public relations, said the board plans to appeal the decision. “We will review the decision carefully though the reality remains — the Center requires an urgent and significant restoration – a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges,” Daravi said. “With $257 million secured by President Trump and approved by Congress, the resources are in place and we remain committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy.” The ruling was part of a lawsuit filed by U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. BOARD VOTES KENNEDY CENTER TO BE RENAMED ‘TRUMP-KENNEDY CENTER,’ LEAVITT SAYS Cooper previously denied a request for a preliminary injunction filed by a preservation group to block the planned two-year closure of the Kennedy Center for a rehabilitation project. Trump secured $257 million from Congress as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to address disrepair and deferred maintenance of the Kennedy Center, which critics say has been neglected and mismanaged before Trump intervened. The funds appropriated by Congress are spent on maintenance, repairs, security, and capital projects related to the building and site. “Based on the fact that the Radical Left Democrats care more about opposing your favorite President, ME, than saving a dying Performing Arts Center, almost all of which lose large amounts of money throughout the Country, we are going to be working with Congress to transfer this failing Institution back to them so they can make a determination as to what to do with it,” wrote Trump. He noted that Cooper received a presentation by building and construction experts as to how structurally dangerous the Kennedy Center is, he wrote, noting problems with the venue, including rotting beams, parking areas that are subject to collapse, and various other safety issues. “But he was not ‘swayed,’ and said he wants the Building to, incredibly, remain open and, therefore, dangerous,” Trump said. “Judge Cooper should be ashamed of himself!” Beatty, who serves as an ex officio member of the board, praised Friday’s ruling. “Today’s ruling rightly affirms that this administration’s efforts to rename and close the Center have no basis in law,” Beatty said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “The Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump. He has desecrated this sacred memorial for his own vanity. I am proud to have fought for the rule of law and to protect this sacred institution.” Trump’s name was added to the venue last December following a unanimous decision by the board. In February 2025, Trump was elected chairman of the Kennedy Center board after removing 18 trustees appointed by former President Joe Biden.
House Republican Don Bacon says he wants ‘pariah state’ Russia booted from UN Security Council
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., who has repeatedly referred to Russia as a “pariah state,” reiterated his call for Russia to be ousted from the United Nations Security Council. “The United Nations General Assembly should vote on removing the Russians from the Security Council. Russia is a pariah state and should be treated that way,” Bacon asserted in a Friday post on X. The Russian Federation is one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. ISRAEL ACCUSES UN OF PLACING IT ON SAME SEXUAL VIOLENCE BLACKLIST AS HAMAS TERRORISTS, SEVERS TIES The other permanent members include the U.S., the United Kingdom, China and France. In a February 2022 post on X, Bacon wrote, “It is obscene reality that Russia now Chairs the UN Security Council. We should kick the Russians out of as many international organizations and forums as possible. Russia is a pariah state and should be treated as such.” In a December 2023 post, he declared, “The United Nations is an embarrassment with Russia sitting on the Security Council. Russia invaded its neighbor and is committing crimes against humanity. Kick Russia off the Security Council.” DRONE STRIKES APARTMENT BUILDING IN NATO MEMBER ROMANIA AS RUSSIA ATTACKS NEIGHBORING UKRAINE Bacon wants the U.S. to provide more military assistance to Ukraine. “Russia is losing on the battlefield and in the Black Sea. Its economy is in tatters. All it can do is bomb Ukrainian cities and civilians. This is why we must pass Russian sanctions and military aid to Ukraine. The House will vote on this in two weeks,” he declared in a Sunday post on X. PENTAGON SLASHES NATO COMBAT COMMITMENTS AS TRUMP PUSHES EUROPE TO DEFEND ITSELF The lawmaker, who has served in Congress since early 2017, announced last year that he would not run for re-election in 2026.
Pope Leo meets with Chicago’s far-left mayor, George Floyd’s family lawyer at the Vatican
Pope Leo XIV met with Chicago’s far-left mayor Brandon Johnson as the mayor led a Chicago delegation that included George Floyd family lawyer Antonio Romanucci in a Thursday trip to the Vatican. Johnson gifted Pope Leo with an array of apparel from Chicago, including a Chicago Cubs hat. Joining Johnson in the delegation were a number of political, spiritual and business leaders from Chicago, including Antonio Romanucci, according to CBS News. Romanucci served as co-counsel to Ben Crump as attorneys for George Floyd’s family in their record lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and Minneapolis police officers Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng. WHITE SOX INSTALLING POPE LEO XIV GRAPHIC NEAR HIS 2005 WORLD SERIES SEAT Also present in the delegation were multiple city aldermen, president of the Chicago Teachers Union Stacy Davis Gates and United Airlines director Kristopher Anderson, in addition to more than 40 other leaders. Pope Leo, a noted fan of Chicago’s other baseball team, the White Sox, refused to don the Cubs hat, joking that he was already wearing a hat, according to FOX 32 Chicago. During the visit, Johnson also presented Pope Leo with a key to Chicago and an invitation to visit Chicago, the city in which the Pope was born and raised, FOX 32 reported. POPE LEO SAYS COUNTRIES HAVE RIGHT TO CONTROL THEIR BORDERS, ADVOCATES FOR HUMANE TREATMENT OF MIGRANTS Johnson recounted the day — Oct. 5, 1979 — that Pope John Paul II visited Chicago and officiated Holy Mass in Chicago’s Grant Park, a day he called “the most spiritually inspiring day in Chicago history” in a letter to Pope Leo. Johnson invited Pope Leo to officiate a Holy Mass in Grant Park again in 2027. “Your Holiness, you were a young priest-in-training at the time. Perhaps you were there. Perhaps you would consider a repeat Papal visit nearly 50 years later to share your own message of hope, unity and service,” he wrote. The mayor’s office also conveyed their wishes to work with the Pope on political issues, offering up a series of gifts that stressed the mayor’s political priorities. The mayor offered Pope Leo letters from families of detained immigrants, a pin from the Southwest Community ICE Watch, a sanctuary city pin and a hat reading “Immigrants Make America Greater” from the Chicago Sister Cities International program, FOX 32 reported.
Anti-ICE agitator screams ‘I’ll kill your whole f- family’ day after Dem gov praises ‘peaceful protesting’
A day after Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill praised “lots of peaceful protesting” happening outside a New Jersey ICE facility this week, the Department of Justice announced it is searching for an agitator who threatened to kill a federal agent and his wife and children. Sherrill responded to the threats by calling on “everyone — especially members of federal, state, and local government” to “lower the temperature.” The anti-ICE agitator was caught on camera on Wednesday night shouting to federal law enforcement, “I’ll kill your whole f—— family, your whole f—— is dead. Your children, your wife, all dead.” The agitator added, “I have your face, motherf—–, you’re dead, dead.” Speaking with Fox News, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said, “That’s a federal crime, and not only threatening the ICE officer but think about how disgusting this individual is, threatening his family and his children with death.” “What is this man doing? He’s just doing his job, standing there,” he continued. “We see his face, and I promise you, we will find him, and when we find him, we will arrest him, because it is a crime not only to threaten law enforcement but not surprisingly to threaten their family as well.” WATCH: POLICE ABSENT FROM DELANEY HALL CHAOS AS AGITATORS BLOCK ICE VEHICLES AND AGENTS USE PEPPER SPRAY After days of confrontations between anti-ICE agitators and federal officials outside Newark’s Delaney Hall, Sherrill said before the incident that “over the last couple of days” there has been “a lot of peaceful protesting going on, which, we’re going to continue to support.” At the same time, Sherrill went on to say, “What seems to really be inciting a lot of this are really the ICE agents.” “The ICE agents really need to stay out of there,” she continued, adding, “That seems to really be inciting a lot of this right now.” In response to the man’s threats to agents, Sherrill told Fox News Digital that “threats of violence are unacceptable.” She added, “I am a military veteran who has taken oaths to protect the Constitution with everything up to and including my life — and we are ensuring that people can protest peacefully as we share concerns about the horrific conditions inside Delaney Hall.” “I am calling on everyone — especially members of federal, state, and local government — to keep people safe, de-escalate the situation, and lower the temperature,” Sherrill told Fox News Digital. ANTI-ICE AGITATORS CLASH WITH FEDERAL AGENTS OUTSIDE NEW JERSEY DETENTION CENTER AS TENSIONS ESCALATE Demonstrations have been ongoing for days after detainees in the facility wrote an open letter claiming they were not being fed, not receiving proper medical care and not being allowed to speak to their families. The demonstrations have turned violent at several points. On Wednesday night, keffiyeh-clad agitators clashed with ICE, hurling objects across a barrier as tensions continued to escalate. The agitators, protesting allegedly poor conditions for illegal immigrants held at the detention center, wielded mattresses and large traffic cones as makeshift shields. Video obtained by Fox News Digital shows agitators shouting, “kill yourself, bro!” and “how do you live with yourself?” while tossing mattresses and other objects at agents. EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: DEMS SLAMMED FOR DEMANDING ‘FIVE-STAR ACCOMMODATIONS’ FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AT ICE FACILITY The ICE agents deployed batons, pepper spray and threw objects back, in one instance tossing a wooden pallet at an agitator after yanking it away, according to video from the scene. Sherrill has called for the closure of Delaney Hall. She attempted to access the facility on Memorial Day, though she was denied entry by officials. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., was granted access to conduct congressional oversight, though Sherrill was not. Kim detailed his entry into the facility in a series of X posts, calling the conditions “unacceptable” and citing a carton of milk he saw that was set to expire the next day. Fox News Digital reached out to Sherrill for additional comment.
Blue Origin rocket explodes on launch pad during test
NewsFeed A rocket belonging to Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin exploded during a test at the Florida launch pad Thursday night. The explosion shook nearby homes and briefly painted the sky orange. Bezos said it was “too early to know the root cause” of the incident. No one was injured in the blast. The same rocket, New Glenn, failed a mission to deliver a satellite last month and prompted an investigation. Published On 29 May 202629 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
How Indian PM Modi’s efforts to isolate Pakistan ‘backfired’
Doha, Qatar – Thumping his fist on a lectern, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a direct challenge to the leaders of Pakistan. “India has been successful in isolating you, and we will intensify those efforts,” he said, addressing a large rally of supporters in the southern Indian state of Kerala, as dusk set in. “We will make sure that you are isolated around the world.” Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list It was September 2016, and Modi was responding to an attack by armed fighters in Indian-administered Kashmir days earlier, in which 18 Indian soldiers had been killed. “The leaders of Pakistan should listen: The sacrifice of our 18 soldiers will not go in vain,” the Indian leader said. Yet a decade later, Pakistan stands far from isolated: It is a close strategic ally of China, where the Pakistani prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, visited this week, and has reemerged as a trusted partner of the United States under President Donald Trump. Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir and Sharif have both visited Trump at the White House over the past year. Islamabad is the principal mediator between the US and Iran amid their ongoing war. Trump has also frequently praised the Pakistani leadership. In part, say analysts, that’s a reflection of Pakistan’s success in wooing Trump, and in capitalising on key geopolitical events to make itself an important diplomatic player for superpowers and regional players alike. But equally, say analysts, Pakistan’s growing diplomatic stature underscores missteps by Modi’s administration. Advertisement “Certainly, India’s strategy of undercutting and indeed isolating Pakistan, regionally and globally, has backfired in a big way,” Michael Kugelman, a senior fellow on South Asia at the Atlantic Council think tank, told Al Jazeera. Rubble of buildings in Muridke, Pakistan, hit by Indian missiles in May 2025 [Abid Hussain/Al Jazeera] The ceasefire and the Nobel nomination On May 10, 2025, Trump announced that he had secured a ceasefire between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan. “After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE,” he posted on his Truth Social platform. Shortly after, Sharif, the Pakistani PM, thanked Trump’s “leadership and proactive role” in securing the truce that ended four days of intense fighting involving ballistic missiles, fighter jets and drones. It was the worst fighting between India and Pakistan in decades: Dozens of people were killed on both sides of their heavily militarised border. The conflict erupted after the Indian military carried out attacks on “terror” sites deep inside Pakistani territory, in response to an attack by gunmen who killed 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. But unlike Sharif, Modi, who had cultivated a personal rapport with the US president – whom he had met just months earlier in the Oval Office – chose to remain silent, even as India’s foreign secretary confirmed the ceasefire. Days later, the US president offered to work with the two arch foes to find a solution to the Kashmir issue, which has defined India-Pakistan relations since 1947, the year the two South Asian nations achieved independence from British colonial rule. For India, Trump’s attempts to portray himself as a peacemaker between New Delhi and Islamabad were troubling: India has long insisted that its disputes with its neighbour were strictly bilateral, for the two countries to resolve among themselves – though US former President Bill Clinton had played a role in ending the 1999 Kargil War. In June, Modi was visiting Canada when Trump asked him to also fly over to Washington. Modi turned down the offer. He instead told the US president over the phone that New Delhi wouldn’t accept third-party mediation, and that the ceasefire in May was solely the result of bilateral conversations with Pakistan. Yet that tit-for-tat spiral of claims around the May truce continued. Trump has since insisted on more than 30 occasions that he brokered the ceasefire between India and Pakistan. He has claimed that he averted a nuclear war that could have killed millions. The US president also asserted that Indian fighter jets were shot down on the first day of the conflict, echoing the Pakistani narrative of downing several Indian planes. Advertisement New Delhi also failed to convince the international community on Pakistan’s role in the attack that triggered the May 2025 fighting in the first place, analysts say. “The world did not step back and encourage India to carry out strikes… World capitals noted that India did not provide proof of any Pakistani complicity in the Pahalgam attack,” Kugelman of the Atlantic Council said, referring to the scenic town in Indian-administered Kashmir where tourists were shot. Pakistan, he said, appeared to have won “the global battle of narratives”. “The fact that Pakistan was able to hold its own in a conflict and shoot down several Indian jets … that’s something that got a lot of attention around the world, including in the White House,” he added. New Delhi’s silence on the downing of the jets for almost three weeks further gave impetus to that perception. The country’s top general eventually acknowledged that several fighter planes were shot down by Pakistan, though India has never confirmed the number. Analysts say Modi’s refusal to give credit to the US president for the truce strained US-India ties. Pakistan, on the other hand, promptly acknowledged Trump’s efforts in achieving the truce and even nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize – an award the US president has said he deserved. Trump, who had accused Pakistan of “deceit and lies” during his first term, has since repeatedly praised Pakistani leadership, including army chief Asim Munir who led the war efforts against India. And to India’s dismay, Trump invited Munir to the White House for lunch – the first time that a Pakistani military chief who was not also president had been hosted by a US president. Trump has described Munir as his “favourite Field Marshal” and an “exceptional human being” –
Israel football dispute to ‘heat up’ after protest in Ireland-Qatar match
Ireland’s football match against Qatar was stalled by pro-Palestinian protests as pressure builds on upcoming games against Israel. By Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters Published On 29 May 202629 May 2026 Republic of Ireland midfielder Jamie McGrath has warned that the controversy surrounding Nations League games against Israel could intensify after their friendly win over Qatar in Dublin was disrupted by pro-Palestinian protests. Ireland are set to host Israel at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on October 4, while a September 27 fixture designated as an Israel home match is expected to be staged at a neutral venue. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Qatar’s match against Ireland was part of their preparations for this summer’s World Cup, where they begin their campaign against Switzerland on June 13. Ireland failed to qualify for the event. Earlier this month, leading Irish footballers joined with celebrities in a campaign calling for a boycott of Israel’s matches, but Ireland’s governing body for football (FAI) has said it will go ahead with the fixtures and that a refusal to play could lead to disciplinary measures. Tennis balls featuring the Palestinian flag were thrown on to the pitch in Thursday’s friendly, causing the match to be halted twice, and McGrath expected more protests to follow. “I’m sure it’s going to heat up over the next few months. We (the players) don’t want to be put into a position,” he told the BBC’s Northern Ireland bureau after the match. “It’s obviously a unique scenario. The people [protesters], we have to listen to them, they have the right to do what they do, as long as it’s done in a peaceful way, that’s all that matters. “Hopefully, the powers above us can work something out or use it for the greater good, I’m not sure what the process will be as it heats up. Advertisement “At the end of the day, we’re footballers and we don’t want to be caught in this, but sometimes we might have to.” In November last year, 93 percent of FAI members voted for its leadership to press UEFA to suspend the Israel Football Association from European competitions. On Tuesday, the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign held a protest at the Dail (Irish parliament). Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has also regularly weighed in on the debate and, ahead of the Qatar match, said his players must “win this war” against Israel in the upcoming matches. McGrath was pressed further on the matter as to whether he believed a resolution would be found ahead of the matches. “To be honest, I’ve no idea,” he replied. “We obviously touched on it a few days, I’m sure as it heats up, it might be taken out of our hands, I’m not sure.” Adblock test (Why?)