Cornyn clashes with progressive Rep Greg Casar in heated airport face-off over DHS shutdown
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, got into a heated exchange Monday afternoon over Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding after the progressive lawmaker attempted to interrupt the senator’s news conference. “Why don’t you tell the Democrats to vote to pay these poor people,” Cornyn told Casar, referring to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees who missed their first full paychecks due to the shutdown on Friday. “Let’s do it,” Casar, chair of the left-wing Congressional Progressive Caucus, responded. “No, you do it,” Cornyn shot back. “I’ve voted for it time and time again.” SCHIFF, BOOKER DEFLECT ON SHUTDOWN BLAME AMID TERROR CONCERNS, THOUSANDS OF DHS WORKERS WITHOUT PAY The shouting match comes as the DHS shutdown entered its fifth week Monday, with negotiations to end the stalemate appearing to stall in recent weeks. Senate Democrats near unanimously blocked a Republican effort Thursday to fully fund the agency, citing opposition to spending measures that do not rein in immigration enforcement. Cornyn, who is vying against Attorney General Ken Paxton, R-Texas, in a runoff election for a fifth Senate term, held a news conference outside the Austin airport on Monday to protest Democrats’ refusal to fully fund DHS. Casar, who represents the Austin area, crashed the event before Cornyn arrived. The airport is currently advising passengers to arrive at least 2.5 hours before departure due to a shortage of TSA workers. Cornyn also brought lunch to TSA employees who are reporting to work without pay — a gesture that Casar criticized. “Instead of bringing people burgers, he should bring them their paychecks,” Casar told reporters in response to the Whataburger haul following the altercation. Casar, however, has repeatedly voted against a full-year DHS appropriations bill that would fund the salaries of TSA employees through the end of September. The Texas Democrat has instead pushed for a standalone measure to fund TSA while leaving the immigration enforcement-related functions of DHS without funding. Republicans have characterized that proposal as a nonstarter, arguing that every individual employed by DHS — including those working for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — should be paid. House Democrats are expected to force a vote as early as this week on legislation that would fund the non-immigration portions of DHS. SWALWELL PRESSED ON DEMOCRATS’ RESISTANCE TO FULLY FUNDING DHS AMID IRAN THREAT Roughly 300 TSA officers have resigned and absences have more than doubled since the shutdown began, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Sunday. The departures come after many TSA employees — who often live paycheck to paycheck — were also required to work without pay during a 45-day shutdown in fall 2025. “At some point, when you’re not getting your paycheck, people are going to have to look for ways to support their families, which means they’ll be leaving the TSA for other employment,” Cornyn said Monday. “And that’s unacceptable.” Lawmakers are guaranteed their pay under the Constitution, though some members of Congress have deferred their salaries in solidarity with federal employees. Cornyn also excoriated Casar for declining to back a full-year DHS funding bill after a terrorist shooting at an Austin bar left the city reeling. The country has also seen terror-related attacks in New York City, Norfolk, Va., and West Bloomfield, Mich., over the past week. “How about all the terrorist attacks like we’ve seen down on Sixth Street?” Cornyn told Casar. “You want those to continue? These people are keeping us safe. Tell the Democrats to vote for funding the DHS.” Fox News Digital reached out to Casar’s office for comment.
Trump Kennedy Center’s board votes unanimously to approve $257M renovations and two-year closure
Plans to shutter the Trump Kennedy Center were made official through a board of trustees vote on Monday afternoon, setting up a two-year renovation process that some Democratic lawmakers believe should have required more congressional input. The board unanimously approved the changes, according to a source familiar with the vote. The source also said the board had set July 6 as the official closure date, installed Matt Floca, the center’s vice president of facilities operations, as the new president of the Trump Kennedy Center and ended its exclusive affiliation with the Washington Opera. The overhaul will include fixes to the building’s heating, ventilating, air-conditioning systems and elevators, among other structural renovations, according to plans for the project submitted to Congress. BOARD VOTES KENNEDY CENTER TO BE RENAMED ‘TRUMP-KENNEDY CENTER,’ LEAVITT SAYS Allocations for the project, set aside in Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, are set to cost $257 million. Last year, Trump installed a hand-picked set of board members, leading Democratic critics to condemn the center’s management and its renovation as direct control from the White House. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., an ex officio member of the board, blasted Monday’s vote, arguing the renovations were made unilaterally. “Unfortunately, recent actions by the president and certain board members have treated the center like a personal vanity project, including firing career management staff, removing trustees and sidelining ex officio members who are meant to provide congressional oversight,” Warner said on Monday. GRAMMY WINNER ACCUSED OF CAVING TO ‘WOKE MOB’ AFTER KENNEDY CENTER CANCELLATION Ex officio members provide lawmakers input on the management of the Kennedy Center. Ric Grenell, the now-former Kennedy Center president, pushed back on characterizations from Democrats, stating that lawmakers have had multiple opportunities to speak into the process. EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP-LED KENNEDY CENTER NEARLY DOUBLES FUNDRAISING FROM BIDEN ERA, SMASHING RECORD WITH $23M HAUL “We gave all that information to Congress. It was in the Big Beautiful Bill. We didn’t just come up with the $257 million number. We actually gave them specifics as to what needed to be fixed,” Grenell said. “My reaction is — last summer we gave you this information, you could have joined any number of the tours we were giving to members of Congress.” Earlier this year, President Donald Trump framed the renovations as key restorations. “Subject to board approval, I have determined that the fastest way to bring The Trump Kennedy Center to the highest level of success, beauty, and grandeur, is to cease entertainment operations for an approximately two-year period of time,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post in February. Trump promised the center would return with a “grand reopening” after the renovations are complete.
Mexican illegal alien allegedly used Roblox currency to solicit explicit content from kids under 10
FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an arrest detainer request for a Mexican illegal migrant who was charged with soliciting sexual content from children under 10 years old. Angel David Rubio Marin allegedly used “Robux,” the currency used in the Roblox video game platform, to entice children to send him sexually explicit videos and images of at least three young children under 10 years old. He was arrested in Prince William County, VA. Rubio Marin was previously charged with two counts of public masturbation, but was released in Virginia prior to the current charges, according to DHS. “This sicko preyed on innocent children by offering to pay them in a video game currency in exchange for child pornography,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital in a statement. ”This illegal alien was RELEASED from jail after an arrest for public masturbation. This case is a perfect example of why we need state and local cooperation with ICE.” SANCTUARY POLICIES LET ALLEGED CHILD PREDATOR ROAM FREE UNTIL DHS MADE PORTLAND, OREGON, AIRPORT ARREST “We are calling on Virginia sanctuary politicians and Governor Spanberger to commit to not releasing this child predator back into Virginia neighborhoods,” Bis added. “No one wants this pedophile loose on American streets.” Roblox is an online video game where users interact via chat. Robux is an in-game currency where players can purchase accessories and items for their character. The game is popular among young children. Roblox made clear that the platform’s filters make it impossible for users to share images or videos through in-game chat. ICE NABS IRANIAN NATIONAL WITH RAPE, SODOMY CONVICTIONS AFTER VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS MOVE TO CURB COOPERATION Rubio Martin entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown place and time, according to DHS. The department was quick to bash Democratic Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, who ended cooperation with state agencies and federal immigration authorities through an executive directive in February shortly after her inauguration. In a statement issued after signing the directive, she argued that requiring state and local officers to take on federal immigration duties diverts them from their primary responsibilities of enforcing Virginia law and investigating crimes. According to Spanberger, shifting those duties can damage relationships between police and residents and create an atmosphere of fear and mistrust that ultimately makes it more difficult for officers to effectively do their jobs. The directive also reverses the 287(g) program adopted under former Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. That policy allowed certain local law enforcement officers to carry out limited immigration enforcement responsibilities under the supervision of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including helping ensure criminal illegal migrants were not released back into communities and identifying illegal migrants already being held in local jails. Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger’s office but has not yet heard back.
Reporter’s Notebook: GOP weighs ‘nuking’ filibuster to pass Trump’s SAVE Act
You’ll hear volumes from congressional Republicans about the importance of passing the SAVE America Act in the coming days. The bill requires proof of citizenship to vote. “We need to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat in America,” said Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio. “The SAVE America Act is an important bill,” said Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., on Fox News. “So we’ve got to figure out how to get it passed.” TRUMP-BACKED VOTER ID BILL FACES GOP RESISTANCE AS TILLIS VOWS TO STOP IT And that is the conundrum facing Senate Republicans — figuring out how to get it passed. The SAVE America Act is the touchstone of President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda. In fact, the president warned he wouldn’t sign any other bill into law — except perhaps a DHS funding measure — until Congress aligns with his demands. Republicans agree on the importance of the SAVE America Act, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. is promising everything but passage. “I will be bringing the SAVE America Act to the floor, and we will be having a full and robust debate,” said Thune. That’s because Republicans can’t break a Democratic filibuster. “This is one of the worst things we’ve seen in America in a very long time,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. SCHUMER SWINGS AT HEGSETH OVER KING CRAB MEALS FOR THE TROOPS, BUT BIDEN-ERA RECEIPTS SHOW SIMILAR TAB “The real reason this president wants this bill to pass is to reduce the number of people voting in the November election,” said Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill. It takes 60 votes to break a filibuster. Republicans only have 53 votes in the Senate. So some Republicans advocate parliamentary ballistics to obliterate the filibuster. “I would nuke the filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act,” said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan. Cold War rhetoric permeates this entire debate. In fact, conservatives implored Thune to launch a pre-emptive first strike to terminate the filibuster before Democrats again win control of the Senate — be it this fall or a decade from now. “It’s really about the only way I can see preventing them from nuking the filibuster once they gain the majority in the Senate,” said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. Other Republicans want to force Democrats to filibuster the old-fashioned way — until they’re exhausted. “They should have to go hold the floor like it used to be in the old days. They can go and talk as much as they want. But sooner or later they’re going to run out of time,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. If everyone finally fades after days or weeks of debate, then the Senate doesn’t need a test vote to break a filibuster — needing 60 yeas. That means they can pass the bill with a simple majority: 51. Lots of Republican senators are now invoking the 1930s Frank Capra classic “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” That’s where Jimmy Stewart plays an idealistic senator who filibusters until he collapses in the Senate chamber. “They should have to go out there, hours on end, like a Jimmy Stewart moment,” said Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. But most Republicans reject the Jimmy Stewart approach. They’re not so much worried about unlimited debate during a talking filibuster, but the unlimited amendment process. “The talking filibuster, I think will be a goat rodeo. I mean, it could take two or three weeks. The Democrats will tee up all kinds of problematic votes,” predicted a skeptical Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. “I haven’t had anybody describe to me the project plan. Here are the number of days. This is how we counter people. We’ve got all of our political flanks covered. And this is how we succeed at the end.” But there won’t be an unlimited amendment process. While Thune will allow the debate to go on for a while (Fox is told perhaps a week or more, perhaps around the clock), he will maintain “ball control.” Thune won’t immediately tee up a test vote to end debate, needing 60 yeas. But Thune will immediately block all amendments from both sides. Like everything on Capitol Hill, it’s about the math. And while there will be a lot of talking about the SAVE Act and the talking filibuster, there’s not enough support on the GOP side of the aisle to unspool the Senate’s filibuster rules and precedents. “Many of us don’t believe that we should undo the filibuster because it holds the rights of the majority. And one day we’ll be back in the minority,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. “It’s a real splitter here.” Capito added that there was a “will” to deal with the SAVE America Act. But the parliamentary machinations it would take to blow up the filibuster to pass the bill do not exist. “There’s not enough numbers to get it done,” observed Capito. Trump and other conservatives are starting to dial up pressure on Thune. THUNE GUARANTEES VOTER ID BILL TO HIT THE SENATE DESPITE SCHUMER, DEM OPPOSITION: ‘WE WILL HAVE A VOTE’ “I think he’s a wonderful person. I do,” the president said of the South Dakota Republican on Fox News Radio. “But it’s not that he doesn’t want to do it. He doesn’t think he can do it. And that’s bad.” Despite criticism directed at Thune, some Republicans are defending him. “It’s not John Thune that’s killing it. It’s members of the Republican Party that are not convinced that a talking filibuster can be used to pass this,” said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo. “It will be an infliction of tremendous delays on other matters before the U.S. Senate without the positive results of passage of the SAVE Act.” It’s significant that the president has not called out Thune over his reluctance to end the filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act. However, Trump routinely demanded that former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., do just that during his first term. The president often lambasted McConnell’s stewardship of the
Supreme Court to hear Trump challenge to protected status for Syrian, Haitian nationals in US
The Supreme Court on Monday said it will review the Trump administration’s effort to revoke temporary legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian migrants living in the U.S. — a significant update that comes as the president looks to deliver on his hardline immigration enforcement promises in his second White House term. Justices on the high court let stand, for now, a pair of lower court orders that blocked the Trump administration from immediately halting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for the Syrian and Haitian migrants. The Supreme Court did agree to review the consolidated cases on an expedited basis, and said Monday that it will hear oral arguments in both cases next month. A ruling is expected by late June. SCOTUS TO REVIEW TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP The news comes as the Trump administration has moved to end the TPS designation for migrants from roughly half a dozen countries, including some 6,000 Syrians and 350,000 Haitians living in the U.S. under the program. The TPS program allows individuals from certain countries to live and work in the U.S. legally if they cannot work safely in their home country due to a disaster, armed conflict or other “extraordinary and temporary conditions.” Last week, Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked the high court to intervene and stay a lower court order from U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes that blocked the administration’s effort to immediately revoke temporary protected status designations for Haitian migrants. BIDEN-APPOINTED FEDERAL JUDGE RULES TRUMP’S ‘THIRD COUNTRY’ DEPORTATION POLICY IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL Sauer urged the high court to take up the broader issue of whether the Trump administration can revoke TPS protections for other migrants living in the U.S. — citing the Justice Department’s appeal of a similar case centered on TPS protections for Syrian migrants that was kicked to the high court earlier this year. “Unless the court resolves the merits of these challenges — issues that have now been ventilated in courts nationwide — this unsustainable cycle will repeat again and again, spawning more competing rulings and competing views of what to make of this court’s interim orders,” Sauer said last week. “This court should break that cycle.” Haitians were first granted TPS status in 2010 after the devastating earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people and left some 1.5 million in the country homeless. The protections were extended several times, including under the Biden administration in 2021 after the July assassination of Jovenel Moïse, Haiti’s last democratically elected president. The appeal comes as the Trump administration has sought to wind down most TPS designations, arguing the programs have been extended for too long under Democratic presidents. Trump officials have also taken aim at lower courts that have sought to block or pause their efforts to wind down TPS protections, accusing the lower court judges of exceeding their authority and unlawfully intruding on the executive branch’s authority on immigration policy.
TSA pay bill unveiled as shutdown leaves agents unpaid, strains airport security
FIRST ON FOX: A House GOP lawmaker is unveiling new legislation aimed at easing airport chaos that’s hitting travelers across the country during the ongoing partial government shutdown. Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., introduced a bill on Monday to ensure Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers are paid during shutdowns by creating a Transportation Security Trust Fund to help operations and personnel wherever needed. It would be funded by the Aviation Passenger Security Fee, also called the 9/11 passenger security fee in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. It’s a small cost collected by airlines — $5.60 for a one-way trip and up to $11.20 for a round-trip — for flights that originate in the U.S. and is meant to go toward passenger security. Langworthy’s proposal comes days after TSA agents missed their first full paychecks of the shutdown, which has now gone on roughly a month with no end in sight. ‘YOU CAN CRY ABOUT IT’: TEMPERS FLARE IN SENATE AS DHS SHUTDOWN DEBATE ERUPTS, STALEMATE DIGS DEEPER While they are entitled to back pay when the shutdown is over, the lack of a consistent paycheck and uncertainty over its duration have forced scores of TSA agents to call out sick and look for other ways to earn income to pay bills and feed their families. Travelers in places like Louisiana and Texas have been asked to arrive hours early for flights to accommodate longer wait times for security. Delays have also been exacerbated by bad weather in parts of the country, including up and down the East Coast. HOMELAND SECURITY REACTIVATES MAJOR GLOBAL ENTRY PROGRAM FOR TRAVELERS AMID SHUTDOWN “This is now the third time in just six months that TSA agents have been forced to work without receiving a paycheck,” Langworthy told Fox News Digital. “Morale and recruitment are taking a profound hit, and we’ve already lost more than 300 agents, putting the agency’s mission at grave risk.” He said his bill “will help ensure that our hardworking agents get paid, and that we retain the vigilant, professional workforce necessary to protect the traveling public.” “Doing nothing is a national security crisis waiting to happen,” Langworthy warned. Democrats walked away from bipartisan funding negotiations earlier this year after Congress passed federal budgets for all aspects of the federal government except for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Democratic leaders are protesting the Trump administration’s handling of illegal immigration and withholding support from any spending bill that funds Trump’s crackdown, turning down multiple compromise offers for guardrails from the White House. DHS oversees a wide variety of federal agencies, including the TSA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Secret Service, and others. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., announced Monday that Democrats would try to force a vote on funding all of DHS except for immigration-related agencies — likely a nonstarter for Republicans. The standoff has seen new significance as more and more TSA agents are forced to choose between working without pay and finding second jobs to make ends meet. Concerns have also been exacerbated by the U.S. and Israel’s operation in Iran, which has raised the national security threat level within the country.
DHS nabs Afghan man admitted under Biden after conviction for exposing himself to minor
FIRST ON FOX: An Afghan national let into the country during the Biden administration has been arrested by the Department of Homeland Security following a conviction for indecent exposure to a minor. Basir Ahmad Safi, who is in his 30s, was arrested by DHS on March 11, according to the agency. Before his conviction for indecent exposure to a minor, Safi was charged with lewd or lascivious exhibition, soliciting a child via computer, unlawful use of a two-way communications device and child abuse. He was admitted to the country in 2021 under former President Joe Biden’s “Operation Allies Welcome,” according to the agency. Two years later, in September 2023, Safi was arrested in Florida by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on those charges. In an emailed statement to Fox News Digital, DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis slammed the Biden administration for having allowed “this unvetted Afghan pedophile” in the U.S. ANGEL MOM WHOSE 13-YEAR-OLD SON WAS EXECUTED BY ILLEGAL GANG MEMBER URGES INCOMING DHS CHIEF TO ACT “He should NEVER have been allowed into our country or given the opportunity to prey on innocent children,” wrote Bis. DHS said Safi was arrested as part of a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations Jacksonville and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. By the time of his arrest, Safi’s status had been revoked, and he was unlawfully residing in the U.S., DHS said. Safi is being held in ICE custody pending removal. This comes after Rahmanullah Lakanwal, another Afghan national allowed into the country under Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome, shot two U.S. National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C. One of the service members, Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, of the West Virginia National Guard, died from her injuries. The other, Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically wounded but survived. GOP LAWMAKERS WOULD STRIP CITIZENSHIP FROM TERRORISTS AFTER ATTACKS TIED TO NATURALIZED CITIZENS According to DHS, the Biden-era Operation Allies Welcome relied on “unvetted referrals” to allow nearly 190,000 Afghan nationals into the country. The agency said those admitted into the U.S. included terrorists, sexual predators, pedophiles, domestic abusers and kidnappers DHS said that “understanding this massive threat to American national security,” President Donald Trump halted Biden’s Afghan refugee resettlement program almost immediately after returning to the Oval Office. Months later, Trump suspended the entry of all Afghan nationals into the U.S. ICE BUSTS HUMAN SMUGGLING RING THAT KIDNAPPED FAMILY, SEXUALLY ASSAULTED PREGNANT WOMAN Bis said that “under President Trump’s leadership, DHS has been focused on identifying, arresting, and removing public safety threats like Basir Ahmad Safi from our country.” A spokesperson for former President Biden did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
EU leaders reject military involvement in Strait of Hormuz amid war on Iran
Listen to this article Listen to this article | 4 mins info European leaders have rejected demands by United States President Donald Trump to help ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz as foreign ministers from the European Union gathered in Brussels to discuss skyrocketing oil prices during the US-Israeli war on Iran. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Monday said Berlin had no intention of joining military operations during the conflict. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “We expect from the US and Israel to inform us, to include us into what they’re doing there and to tell us if these goals are achieved,” he told reporters before the meeting in Brussels. “Once we have a clear picture of that, we believe we need to move into the next phase, namely, defining a security architecture for this entire region, together with the neighbouring states,” he said. Wadephul added that NATO had not made any decision on assuming responsibilities in the Strait of Hormuz after Trump on Sunday called for a naval coalition to deploy warships to secure the key Gulf waterway, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil shipments transit. The strait has essentially been shuttered as a result of the war, which has seen the US and Israel launch deadly attacks across Iran since February 28. Iran has retaliated by firing missiles and drones across the wider Middle East, roiling global energy markets. Trump’s call for countries to secure the waterway has been met with pushback from several European countries despite the soaring oil and gas prices. Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said on Monday that Greece would not engage in any military operations in the Strait of Hormuz while Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Italy was not involved in any naval missions that could be extended to the area. Advertisement Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said, however, that Europe should keep an open mind on helping to ensure freedom of navigation in the strait even if the continent did not support the US-Israeli decision to go to war with Iran. “We must face the world as it is, not as we want it to be,” Rasmussen said, adding that the EU must decide on a plan “with a view towards de-escalation”. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom said it was working on a collective plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restore freedom of navigation in the Middle East but doing so would not be easy. EU feels Trump’s pressure EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters before the meeting in Brussels that the bloc’s leaders would focus on how the EU could contribute to reopening the waterway. “We first need to discuss what the member states are willing to do in the Strait of Hormuz,” she said. “Of course, the needs to open the Strait of Hormuz are there right now.” Kallas said the strait’s closure, which has sent oil prices to more than $100 a barrel, was benefitting Russia’s war on Ukraine, which is largely funded by Moscow’s energy revenues. Reporting from Brussels, Al Jazeera’s Step Vaessen said what was clear is that European leaders are “increasingly feeling the pressure from Trump to help him reopen the Strait of Hormuz”. “There is very little appetite [on the part of EU leaders] for joining the war, especially because they feel left out of the loop,” Vaessen said. “They will be discussing a way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but that doesn’t necessarily mean sending warships.” In an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday, Trump said NATO faced a “very bad” future if his proposal for a military operation in the strait received no response or a negative one. France has suggested the EU could expand its Aspides mission, a small naval mission established in 2024 to protect ships from attacks by Yemen’s Houthis in the Red Sea. It currently has an Italian and a Greek ship under its direct command and may also call upon a French ship and another Italian vessel for support. But Germany has been among the EU members to express scepticism of the idea. “What does … Trump expect a handful or two handfuls of European frigates to do in the Strait of Hormuz that the powerful US Navy cannot do?” German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said in Berlin. “This is not our war. We have not started it.” Asked about Trump’s comments on the future of NATO, Pistorius said he did not anticipate the alliance to fall apart over the issue. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Iran officials tout ‘Trump-burning’ celebration amid battle of narratives
Tehran, Iran – Iranian authorities are organising street-level events across the country over the coming days to maintain security control and send more messages of defiance to the leaders of the United States and Israel in the third week of their war. Wednesday is the last day in the Iranian calendar, and Iranians have for thousands of years marked it with Chaharshanbe Suri, a festival of fire and celebration to symbolise the triumph of light over darkness and welcome Nowruz, or the Persian New Year. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The general prosecutor’s office in Tehran sent text messages to people on Monday to say they are prohibited from using fireworks and explosives or from lighting fires during celebrations, as is the custom, since they may be “misused by spying or rioting elements of the enemy”. But state television urged Iranians to mark this year’s festivities by making and setting ablaze effigies of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We must turn Chaharshanbe Suri into a devil-burning ceremony. Using whatever we can, from pieces of cloth to cardboard, let’s make figures of Trump and Netanyahu and burn them in the squares and streets,” state television said. It said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will continue to create a “regional Chaharshanbe Suri” by firing ballistic missiles and drones at other countries as the US and Israel bomb Tehran and cities across Iran. The IRGC released footage of a Sejjil long-range ballistic missile being fired for the first time during this war on Sunday, and reported more attacks on Monday while vowing to “pursue and kill” Netanyahu. The missile has a range longer than 2,000km (1,240 miles). Advertisement Tehran has ruled out any negotiations with Washington, and says it expects reparations and a guarantee against future attacks if the war is to stop. A giant mural unveiled at Valiasr Square in downtown Tehran this week showed Iranian ballistic missiles, accompanied by the text, “Until the world finds rest”. The streets of Tehran show a fraction of their usual hustle and bustle, but some businesses remain open for limited hours during the day, and the atmosphere turns more security-focused when night falls. There are numerous patrols by the paramilitary Basij forces of the IRGC, and pro-establishment supporters heed calls from authorities to congregate in mosques and at main city squares and streets to shout “Allah akbar” and “Death to America”. Multiple residents of the capital who spoke with Al Jazeera said pro-state groups have been organising nightly motorcades moving through various neighbourhoods, during which people wave their mobile phone lights and chant religious slogans using loudspeakers. “You are certain to face multiple checkpoints and roadblocks and have your belongings searched if you go out at night. You’ll see some during the day, too,” said a resident, who asked not to be named due to security concerns. “The checkpoints are often manned by several cars and sometimes heavy vehicles with mounted machine guns, and you see masked men with assault rifles. Some of them look to be very young,” he said. The Israeli army has started using its heavy surveillance and attack drones like Hermes and Heron variants to monitor and then launch munitions towards a number of major checkpoints in Tehran over recent days. Multiple Basij local commanders have since been killed, prompting state forces to stay on the move or set up checkpoints in tunnels and under bridges. The IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency on late Saturday released footage showing pro-establishment people queuing up at night to sign up for checkpoint or patrol duty for the Basij force. State media have also been widely circulating images of young women, dressed entirely in black chadors and veils and wearing black masks, wielding assault rifles and waving flags. Mohammad Zahraei, a senior Basij commander, confirmed on Sunday that the force is recruiting as much as possible, and said it will continue to operate as part of the security apparatus during the war. In a message last week, hardline parliament chief and former top IRGC commander Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said state supporters must only keep in mind one thing: “Street, street, street”. Advertisement Iranian authorities have issued threats of using lethal force against any public anti-establishment sentiment or street protests, saying arrested dissidents will face severe punishments, including execution and confiscation of assets. “Now the vile enemy, frustrated by not achieving field combat goals, is once again seeking to instill fear and chaos in the streets; but a blow even stronger than January 8 awaits the ‘neo-Daeshis’,” the intelligence directorate of the IRGC said in a statement last week. This was in reference to thousands being killed during nationwide protests in January, mostly on the nights of January 8 and 9, which the government blamed entirely on “terrorists” and “rioters” armed and funded by the US and Israel. The United Nations and international human rights organisations accuse Iranian state forces of being behind the killings. They have also called for the release of tens of thousands arrested during and in the aftermath of the protests. Iranian authorities continue to announce arrests linked with the ongoing war, noting this week that dozens were arrested for sending videos of impact points and checkpoints to “terrorist” media outlets outside of the country using tools to circumvent internet filtering. The internet remains entirely shut down more than two weeks since the start of the war, while signal-jammed satellite television networks offer the only alternative to state media outlets, which mostly focus on statements from local officials and successful IRGC attacks across the region. According to NetBlocks and other global monitors, a state-run internet provider in Iran that offered limited services to whitelisted individuals and entities was also largely taken down on Sunday afternoon, but no reason was provided. Adblock test (Why?)
Qatar Airways announces ‘limited’ flights to and from Doha
Airline says limited number of flights will operate as of March 18 between Qatari capital and dozens of destinations. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 2 mins info Published On 16 Mar 202616 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Qatar Airways has announced a limited flight schedule to and from the Qatari capital, Doha, as the US-Israeli war on Iran roils air travel in the region. The airline said on Monday that it would operate a limited number of flights from Wednesday to March 28. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The flights will operate to and from dozens of cities in Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North and South America, and the Asia Pacific. “With Qatar Airways scheduled flight operations still temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace, we want you to know that we are doing our utmost to support you with your journey, and to reunite you with your family and loved ones,” the airline said. “Qatar Airways will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe full reopening of Qatari airspace.” Air travel in several countries in the Middle East has been disrupted since the US and Israel launched a military assault on Iran on February 28. The US-Israeli attacks have prompted retaliatory Iranian missile and drone strikes across the region, including in several Gulf countries that serve as major air travel hubs. A flydubai plane prepares to land during a fire near Dubai International Airport in the UAE [File: AFP] Continued airspace restrictions have left many travellers stuck in the region with no means of getting home as the war continues. The United Arab Emirates, which has been the hardest hit by Iranian attacks, said on Monday that flights were gradually resuming at Dubai International Airport after a “drone-related incident” that sparked a fuel tank fire nearby. Advertisement In a statement, the airport said flights to and from Dubai were gradually resuming to “selected destinations”. Authorities also said they had contained the fire and no injuries were reported. Adblock test (Why?)