Congress barrels toward deadline pile-up as GOP divisions threaten Trump agenda
Congress returns facing looming deadlines, unfinished business and internal Republican divisions as the midterm elections draw closer. Lawmakers left Washington ahead of Memorial Day on the cusp of passing a massive immigration enforcement funding package. Doing so would have allowed Republicans to tackle other outstanding priorities. Instead, the budget reconciliation process — which Republicans planned to use to funnel roughly $72 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol — stalled after a surprise move by the Trump administration exposed deep divisions within the GOP. SENATE GOP ERUPTS OVER TRUMP DOJ ‘ANTI-WEAPONIZATION’ FUND, PUNTS ICE, BORDER PATROL FUNDING Now, the setback in the reconciliation process threatens to further push back other key agenda items, including the fast-approaching deadline to reauthorize a critical spy law, a colossal defense policy bill and a potential affordability-focused legislative package. The Senate is currently stuck on the reconciliation package after the Department of Justice unveiled its nearly $2 billion “anti-weaponization” fund geared to provide payouts to those who feel wronged by the government. Senate Republicans erupted over the fund during a closed-door meeting with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, demanding answers on whether people convicted of assaulting police officers during the riots of Jan. 6, 2021, would be allowed to get access to the taxpayer-funded money. Little has changed between the Senate GOP and administration since then, with Republicans putting the onus of dealing with the issue onto the White House. “The administration appreciated last week’s conversation and feedback,” a White House official told Fox News Digital. “We look forward to additional conversations as needed.” TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON $1.8 BILLION ‘SLUSH FUND’ THAT KILLED HIS AGENDA, SPURRED REPUBLICAN REBELLION The House is expected to take up the budget reconciliation bill upon Senate passage. But with no clear path forward, other pressing issues are beginning to crowd the congressional calendar. Congress will soon have to address the looming June 12 deadline to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). It’s a fight that lawmakers have punted on twice now over bipartisan demands for reforms to the program, despite the Trump administration pushing for a clean reauthorization. The spy law fight is one of the few horseshoe issues in Congress that blends Democrats and conservatives in a push for stronger privacy protections. While Section 702 allows the government to spy on foreign nationals abroad, there’s nothing in the law to prevent it from collecting data on Americans if they’re ensnared in those communications. House conservatives are seeking reforms that would require warrants to surveil Americans’ communications, close loopholes allowing the government to buy sensitive data from brokers without a warrant, and curb overly broad authorities permitting the incidental collection of information, according to a source familiar with the discussions. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: CONGRESS PASSES SHORT-TERM FISA 702 FIX, DELAYS LONG-TERM RENEWAL GOP privacy hawks in the Senate, including Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rick Scott, R-Fla., are expected to push for similar priorities in the upper chamber. Meanwhile, in the House, Democrats are likely to force a vote to rein in the president’s Iran war powers that could pass with modest GOP support. House GOP leadership shelved a war powers vote last week amid poor attendance from Republicans. Democrats are also expected to trigger a vote on legislation authorizing $1.3 billion in military aid to Ukraine and levy new sanctions on the Russian war effort. The measure faces an uphill battle to become law due to expected opposition from Republican leadership and the Trump administration. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is also facing pressure from a swath of House Republicans to get the ball rolling on a third budget reconciliation package ahead of the midterm elections. Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital that GOP lawmakers are having “great meetings” and he expects the conference to pass another budget reconciliation package by the end of July. Pfluger’s Republican Study Committee has consistently advocated for a package focused on affordability issues across the housing, energy and healthcare sectors. Enthusiasm for a third reconciliation bill has been less pronounced in the Senate. Congress is also beginning to make moves with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the colossal package that would open up $1.15 trillion to fund the Pentagon. It’s an annual must-pass piece of legislation that could be slowed by the more pressing fights on the Hill. Several lingering issues facing Congress come as time is dwindling to complete work before the midterm elections. Lawmakers will be gone for their typical August recess, but will also have almost the entirety of October off to campaign. That means that the next few weeks will be crucial, particularly for Republicans, who are trying to pass any outstanding parts of President Donald Trump’s agenda.
NYC landlord pleads for help as ‘9-year-squatter’ continues to drain him dry in court saga: ‘Twilight Zone’
EXCLUSIVE: NEW YORK CITY — A Brooklyn landlord says he has been trapped in a nearly decade-long legal nightmare that has cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid rent and legal fees, while New York courts repeatedly delay resolution as his tenant continues living in the apartment without making direct rent payments to the landlord. Thomas Diana, who owns a small eight-unit building in Park Slope, told Fox News Digital he has spent the last nine years trying to remove a woman who originally moved into one of his apartments as a live-in companion for an elderly, disabled tenant. Court records show the woman moved into the apartment in 2014 after responding to a Craigslist advertisement seeking a live-in companion for the tenant, who later died in 2016. What followed was nearly a decade of litigation spanning multiple courts and proceedings. After the elderly tenant’s death, disputes arose over the woman’s tenancy status, rent obligations and whether the apartment remained subject to New York rent-stabilization laws as Diana sought unpaid rent and possession of the apartment. SQUATTER TURNS COUPLE’S DREAM HOME PURCHASE INTO NIGHTMARE “This has gone on for nine years. Nothing about this is justice,” Diana told Fox News Digital. “Every time the case gets close to resolution, there’s another delay, another lawyer change, another new story.” Diana says the tenant has changed lawyers at least eight times in the ongoing legal saga, which Diana refers to as a “9-year squatter situation,” although the case technically centers around a dispute over rent stabilization laws with the two sides disputing nearly every aspect of the case. “It drained my daughter’s college fund,” Diana told Fox News Digital inside his home while wearing a now-outdated T-shirt that says, “Stuck with 8-year-squatter.” “Now we’re borrowing money to pay for college while this just keeps dragging on. It gets pretty stressful. People think eviction cases are like TV where it takes two weeks. In New York it can take years, and this one has turned into almost a decade.” IS MAMDANI’S SOCIALIST PUSH FOR RENT CONTROLS ABOUT TO WRECK THE NEW YORK CITY HOUSING MARKET? Attorneys for the tenant strongly dispute Diana’s characterization of the case, and the tenant at one point sued Diana, claiming the apartment had been improperly removed from rent stabilization protections. “Mr. Diana’s distortion of the facts in this case is a sad attempt to harass our client out of her rent-stabilized apartment, and he will not be successful,” Casey Gilfoil, an attorney with Brooklyn Legal Services, told Fox News Digital. Gilfoil said a judge has already ruled Diana improperly removed the apartment from rent stabilization and said the remaining issue before the court is determining the legal rent and any potential damages. Brooklyn Legal Services also says the tenant has money set aside in escrow pending the court’s final ruling. Diana pushed back, saying the court did not find that he committed fraud and that he followed the guidance he says he received from New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal when the apartment was deregulated years before the tenant sued. “The judge ruled there was no fraud,” Diana told Fox News Digital. “She said I incorrectly destabilized the apartment. I did it as they told me to.” Diana also disputed Brooklyn Legal Services’ claim that the tenant has years of rent saved in escrow, saying the numbers do not add up and that, based on court communications regarding her employment history, it is unlikely she has accumulated “anywhere near” $300,000. Diana says the occupant’s lawsuit relied on what he describes as a series of shifting and contradictory claims, including allegations that the original elderly tenant was not disabled, that the occupant had been on the lease and that the apartment was illegally deregulated. During depositions, Diana said his attorney challenged those claims with emails, photographs, rent records and testimony. He contends the allegations did not withstand scrutiny during questioning. “She got destroyed on all 18 claims,” Diana said. “And once those fell apart, they just made up new ones.” WASHINGTON POST BLASTS RENT CONTROL AS ‘FAILED POLICY’ THAT LEAVES RENTERS ‘WORSE OFF’ THAN BEFORE Court stipulations required the occupant to make monthly use-and-occupancy payments, similar to interim rent payments, of roughly $835 per month at one point, but Diana says those payments stopped years ago. He estimates total unpaid rent now ranges between $275,000 and $325,000. In her deposition, the occupant testified she has not worked full time in years and has limited income, a factor Diana says the courts have effectively allowed to justify continued nonpayment. Diana, who started a GoFundMe page to help with his financial struggles, says the prolonged case has left him struggling to maintain his building and cover basic expenses, including tuition for his children. “One apartment out of eight not paying rent wipes out any profit,” Diana said. “Judges talk in terms of months. They don’t talk about what $300,000 actually does to a family.” He also pointed to an overall problem with the system and described repeated housing court inspections that he says resulted in excessive and duplicative violations, which further delayed proceedings and increased costs. “They’ll cite you for a paint drip from 20 years ago and call you a slumlord,” Diana said. “Meanwhile, the tenant hasn’t paid rent in nearly a decade.” Diana says his case highlights what he views as a systemic imbalance in New York’s housing courts that allows bad-faith actors to exploit tenant protections indefinitely. “They tell you to sell your building. They tell you to accept a buyout, to pay the person who owes you hundreds of thousands of dollars,” he said. “That’s not justice. That’s legalized theft.” In April, the case was adjourned again until this summer, essentially guaranteeing that the saga will extend into its 10th year. “This court case has become a Twilight Zone Marathon,” Diana said.
One southern city you’ve never heard of is growing faster than anywhere else in America
CELINA, Texas — A few years ago, the city of Celina was a quiet ranching town surrounded by open fields an hour north of Dallas. Now, it’s the fastest-growing city in America, where bulldozers outnumber cattle and sprawling new neighborhoods are rising almost overnight. The boom transforming this once-rural community reflects the explosive growth reshaping North Texas, as families and businesses push beyond city hubs in search of more affordable housing, better schools and more space. But the rapid expansion is also testing Celina’s infrastructure, water supply and ability to preserve the small-town identity that drew many residents there in the first place. “If you drive around Celina, you can definitely tell that we’re the fastest growing city,” Mayor Ryan Tubbs told Fox News Digital. “We have a lot of road construction going on, a lot of new sewer and water lines, just all different infrastructure projects getting ready to service our residents of the future.” THE RED STATES RACING AHEAD IN AMERICA’S POWERFUL WEALTH BOOM — AND THE STATES FALLING BEHIND According to new U.S. Census Bureau estimates, Celina grew by 24.6% between 2024 and 2025 — meaning roughly one in four people in the city today did not live there a year prior. Despite this, residents say Celina has managed to hold onto the close-knit community feel that prompted many families to put down roots there. “Yes, we can see and feel the growth, but we haven’t lost our sense of community here in Celina,” resident Carolyn Harvey told Fox News Digital. The city’s rapid expansion mirrors the broader population boom unfolding across North Texas, where communities on the outer edges of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex are growing at some of the fastest rates compared to other cities in the country. THE RED-STATE WINNERS IN THE CLIMB TO BECOME AMERICA’S NEXT ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE The growth is reshaping not only the region’s economy, but also the political and cultural landscape of suburban Texas. These once-small, now-booming communities are gaining greater influence over schools, infrastructure and statewide priorities the more people relocate there. But the surge has also brought mounting pressure on roads, utilities and public services as cities like Celina race to keep up with demand. Tubbs said local leaders are trying to balance that growth by expanding infrastructure while continuing to attract more businesses and employers. “It definitely brings jobs, but it also brings a lot of challenges from an infrastructure standpoint, from water resources [and] road resources,” Tubbs said. “But it brings a lot of opportunities.” Much of the city’s workforce still commutes to nearby economic hubs like Frisco and McKinney, though officials hope new development will eventually allow more residents to work closer to home. Tubbs says that roughly 30% of residents work remotely, while the others commute to other North Texas cities. He also noted that the top employer in Celina is the school district with nearly 1,000 employees. Tubbs said the city hopes to preserve the sense of community that has long defined Celina, even as new residents continue pouring in. “If I was giving a recommendation for anybody else that’s moving to Texas, it’s just get involved,” Tubbs said. “Give back and see how much you get back from the community.”
Colombia’s outsider candidate defied the polls
NewsFeed Colombia’s presidential election is headed to a runoff on June 21. Far-right outsider, Abelardo de la Espriella, will face leftist senator, Ivan Cepeda. Professor Jorge Restrepo describes de la Espriella’s rise in the polls as a punishment vote against Colombia’s long-established political class. Published On 1 Jun 20261 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
‘Before, the land sustained us’: Who benefits from Guinea’s bauxite wealth?
Bembou Silaty, Guinea – Mamadou Aliou walks through the small village of Bembou Silaty in northwestern Guinea carrying an irresolvable contradiction. The 38-year-old works in the environmental health and safety department for a bauxite mining company, yet he is also an activist striving to improve life in his community, which often means criticising the actions of another mining company in the area. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “Before these companies arrived, we cultivated our land, and it sustained us,” Aliou told Al Jazeera. “We could cover our daily needs, especially food. But now, when a piece of land is registered and belongs to a mining company, you have nothing there any more.” The foreign-linked mining companies are part of the global scramble for Guinea’s bauxite. The West African nation holds the world’s biggest reserves of the ore, which is the source material for alumina and ultimately aluminium, a metal essential for car and aircraft frames, windows, wind turbines, and solar panels. Over the past three decades, Guinea has multiplied its bauxite production tenfold. More than a dozen projects of bauxite production are currently ongoing in the country, according to the online cadastre. As the global energy transition demands ever more aluminium, it has placed Guinea in a strategically crucial position. Approximately 75 percent of the bauxite exported by the country over the past decade has ended up in China, which produces 60 percent of the world’s aluminium. Companies from Russia, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates have also established themselves in the country to secure the ore. In Bembou Silaty, an Indian company that began operations in 2019 now holds an exploitation concession until 2034. Advertisement Located in the prefecture of Telimele (Kindia region), Bembou Silaty has undergone a transformation since bauxite was discovered on its land about five years ago. Yet, on the ground, many lament the cost: Contaminated water, loss of farmland, and a steep decline in agricultural productivity. Mamadou Aliou, left, speaks to another resident in Bembou Silaty [Nuria Vila Coma/Al Jazeera] ‘No land, no money’ In the traditional bauxite heartlands of Kindia and Boke, the main roads are in notably good condition, a cut above the rest of the country. Steady jobs in technical roles or transport logistics have created economic opportunities for some Guineans. Yet Bembou Silaty remains a quiet, peaceful village without electricity, and farming methods that are untouched by mechanisation. Less than 2km (1.2 miles) away, however, the lush green landscape and mild climate of the rainy season give way to the electric-powered site of the Indian mining company. There, excavators and trucks laden with bauxite constantly traverse the wide, unpaved roads, built to accommodate the heavy traffic, in a noisy, busy zone where the mining economy bulldozes its way forward. People working in technical roles at the mine can earn up to about $300 a month. For other locals who make a living from farming, most don’t have a regular wage and rely on the yield from their crops. Across Guinea, an estimated half of the population depends on agriculture for their livelihood. Locals in Bembou Silaty say every hectare claimed by mining is a hectare lost to farming, in a country that spent more than $500m importing rice in 2024. “They give you compensation for your land, but it’s not enough, and in the end, it’s mismanaged,” Aliou said. “Within a month or two, someone who received 50 or 100 million Guinean francs ($5,700-11,400) has nothing left. No land, no money. They have to start over, from below zero.” Locals who still own land continue to grow rice, cassava, peanuts and cashews in the village, but they have ever less space and agricultural productivity is falling. The village women have set up an association, “Allawalli” (which means “God help us” in Fula), to work cooperatively. Resident Fatoumata Binta Bah and her family lament having lost their land [Nuria Vila Coma/Al Jazeera] ‘Not enough’ Walking through the alleys of Bembou Silaty, a few houses stand out. They are made of cement, which withstands the rains better than the more common mud-brick homes, though many remain unfinished. Locals say they were built with compensation money. Advertisement Fatoumata Binta Bah, a neighbour of Aliou’s, comes from a family of farmers. They once cultivated cashews, their livelihood. Then the Indian mining company started up operations and offered them less than 50 million Guinean francs (about $5,700) for their land. That compensation, paid as a lump sum, seemed like a decent amount of money, she says. But now, the money is gone, and their new house is still incomplete. “The land they took from us was productive. That’s what we lived on,” said Bah, 20, as she prepared tea over a fire in the family courtyard. “In the end, it wasn’t enough,” she lamented. The Indian company did not respond to Al Jazeera’s questions on the purchase of land. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the village, surgical holes drilled into the ground mark where mining companies have tested for bauxite – a reminder to the farmers that the impact on the land is felt even before extraction begins. In a recent report, Djami Diallo, the Guinean minister of the environment and sustainable development, stated that each year, certain companies had their impact studies and evaluation reports rejected for failing to comply with environmental standards. Three or four companies in Boke, Kindia’s neighbouring region that is considered the bauxite capital in the country, were said to be affected. But the minister acknowledged that “just because companies do not meet the conditions to obtain the compliance certificate does not mean that everything stops.” Locals carry water from a communal tap in Bembou Silaty [Nuria Vila Coma/Al Jazeera] Clean water, the greatest challenge Not all homes in Bembou Silaty, a community of about 5,000, have indoor toilets and plumbing. In the centre of the village, there are communal latrines for those who do not have facilities available in their homes. Showers can be
US says ban on AI chip shipments applies to Chinese firms outside China
Department of Commerce issues guidance on chip restrictions amid concerns about loopholes in export control regime. Published On 1 Jun 20261 Jun 2026 The United States has issued a notice affirming its restrictions on shipments of semiconductors to subsidiaries of Chinese companies located outside China amid concerns about loopholes in Washington’s export control regime. The Department of Commerce said in the guidance issued on Sunday that its licensing requirements for the export of advanced AI chips applied to all businesses with headquarters or a parent company in China. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), which falls under the Commerce Department, said it issued the clarification in response to questions about whether it was enforcing preexisting licence requirements after it overturned former President Joe Biden’s Framework for Artificial Intelligence Diffusion. “The answer is yes,” the BIS said in the notice. Unveiled in the final days of the Biden administration, the framework proposed the implementation of a globe-spanning licensing regime to control access to AI chips, including export caps for all but the closest US allies. The framework drew backlash from tech firms, including Nvidia, the world’s most valuable chip company, which cast the proposal as a threat to innovation and cross-border collaboration. President Donald Trump’s administration scrapped the framework last May, ahead of its implementation, citing the “burdensome new regulatory requirements” and the harm it would do to Washington’s diplomatic relations with other countries. Chip giant Nvidia, whose top-of-the-line Blackwell GPUs are banned for export to China, said it had already been operating in keeping with the clarified rules. Advertisement “The guidance reaffirms that NVIDIA’s sales and vetting process is correct – consistent with our existing approach, licences are required to ship controlled products to PRC headquartered companies,” a Nvidia spokesperson told Al Jazeera, using the acronym for the People’s Republic of China. AMD and Intel, Nvidia’s main competitors in the GPU space, and TSMC, which manufactures the most advanced chips on behalf of clients including Nvidia, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The BIS also did not respond to inquiries. Chris McGuire, a former State Department official who worked on technology policy in the Biden administration, accused the Trump administration of providing Chinese companies a loophole to buy export-controlled chips. “Chinese companies have been buying these chips, very likely at scale. And because BIS has not updated export control regulations to clearly state what it IS enforcing, all of this was legal,” McGuire said in a post on X. “This clarification does make clear that Blackwell shipments to China-headquartered companies outside of China are now illegal again – which is good, although obviously we have to see how many shipments have already gone to assess how much damage was done,” McGuire said. “BIS’ statement acknowledges these shipments have been happening when it says companies who bought chips under this loophole don’t have to stop using them.” The US has rolled out numerous restrictions on the supply of high-end technology to China, as Washington and Beijing battle for dominance in AI. In December, Trump announced that he would allow Nvidia to sell its H200 chip to China, in a major loosening of Washington’s export controls. While not Nvidia’s most advanced chip, the H200 is about six times as powerful as the H20, the most advanced chip previously allowed for export to China. Adblock test (Why?)
WATCH: Huge sandstorm darkens skies in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer amid scorching heat
Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district again witnessed a massive sandstorm on Sunday, which turned the sky red and caused nearly zero visibility in many parts of the region.
After Twisha Sharma case, influencer found dead in Lucknow, family alleges dowry harassment
While the woman’s in-laws claim she died by suicide, her family has alleged she was murdered over dowry demands. The police case has been filed against the woman’s husband and five of his family members.
Pakistani youth crosses LoC to meet woman he met on Snapchat, detained in Kashmir
A 22-year-old youth from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir crossed the Line of Control (LoC) to meet an Indian woman he had befriended on Snapchat.
Hasan Piker says UK has barred him, trashes ‘unbelievable…power’ of pro-Israel groups
It hasn’t been a great last few days for Marxist political influencer Hasan Piker. First, as Fox News Digital reported exclusively last week, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) sent Piker an administrative subpoena seeking financial, logistical and communications records related to his March trip to Cuba as part of an investigation into whether he violated U.S. sanctions laws against doing business with the communist regime running the island nation. Then last night, during protests outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Newark, N.J., hecklers confronted Piker, calling him a “f—ing fraud, ” “fake-a– grifter” and “dog abuser,” telling him, “Go back to the desktop.” (Piker has denied allegations he trained his dog, Kaya, with a shock collar.) Now, Piker told his loyal following on the gaming platform Twitch that British authorities denied his Electronic Travel Authorization, or ETA, preventing him from traveling to the United Kingdom for a series of scheduled appearances, including events at SXSW London and the Oxford Union. Approved U.S. travelers to the UK can enter the country with a simple Electronic Travel Authorization, which is easier to get then a formal visa. “I’ve been banned from the UK,” Piker told viewers. “I’ve been to the UK on numerous occasions, and all of the things they’re complaining about now are things I’ve said before.” He went on to say, “It’s f—ing ridiculous.” HASAN PIKER DEFENDS PRO-COMMUNIST, ANTI-ICE SINGHAM NETWORK ACTIVISTS AS ‘WONDERFUL PEOPLE’ Although Fox News Digital could not confirm Piker’s claim, such a move by the UK would be significant because it would mark a potential red line that a Western government has drawn regarding the importation of extremist ideas and ideological movements that officials believe may contribute to social unrest, extremism or political violence. At the tail end of a long livestream, Piker said he was denied entry for alleged antisemitism, which he denied, and then proceeded to lash out at Jewish organizations that he said had campaigned against his visit, claiming they wielded excessive influence over British policy. “Israel advocacy organizations have unbelievable amounts of power over what even the United Kingdom has to say and do,” Piker said. “If you’re an avowed anti-Zionist, your travel will be restricted.” Piker accused the UK government of bowing to pressure from pro-Israel advocacy groups and described the decision as evidence of a growing crackdown on political dissent across Western democracies. The comments came weeks after several British Jewish organizations publicly urged the government to block Piker’s entry into the country, citing remarks they described as antisemitic and supportive of extremist groups. Piker has said he believed the U.S. deserved the 9/11 attack as “backlash” for its foreign policy decisions. The Jewish Leadership Council and Community Security Trust argued that Piker’s presence in Britain would not be “conducive to the public good,” pointing to his comments about Hamas, Hezbollah, Zionism and Orthodox Jews. Labour MP David Taylor also called on the Home Office to revoke Piker’s visa ahead of scheduled appearances at SXSW London, arguing that his rhetoric had contributed to concerns within Britain’s Jewish community. Punctuating his commentary about the UK decision with deep sighs, cursing and rage at suggestions from his followers, Piker repeatedly rejected accusations of antisemitism, saying criticism of Israel was being conflated with hatred of Jews. He said the decision reflected a broader trend in which governments are suppressing anti-Israel voices. “This is straight-up fascism,” Piker said. “Being critical of Israel while combating antisemitism is not a good enough reason to bar someone entry into the country.” HOW A RHODES SCHOLAR WITH TIES TO CUBA’S PRESIDENT ORGANIZED THE CONVOY THAT BROUGHT HASAN PIKER TO HAVANA The streamer said he had planned a week-long trip that included appearances alongside former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, a live podcast recording and an event at Oxford Union. Varoufakis is the co-founder of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit group, Progressive International, which Piker credits with getting him to Cuba for a March aid convoy that may have violated U.S. laws. A Fox News Digital investigation chronicled how Progressive International and its co-founder David Adler have allegedly been a critical part of a foreign influence operation by the Communist Party of Cuba. Progressive International and Adler didn’t respond to a request for comment. The U.K. government didn’t respond to a request for comment. However, in recent weeks, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, a critic of Israeli policies, recently revoked the travel authorization of Piker’s uncle, Cenk Uygur, founder of “The Young Turks,” after concluding his presence would not be “conducive to the public good.” During the livestream, Piker warned that the alleged UK decision could set a precedent for other Western countries, including Australia and Canada, potentially restricting his future travel. HASAN PIKER NAMES PRO-CCP TYCOON SINGHAM AS FINANCIER OF ‘POLITICAL MOVEMENTS’ DESPITE NONPROFIT VENEER “I genuinely did not think this would happen,” he said. “We’re moving into a very different timeline.” Piker said he and his team were exploring whether he could apply for a standard visa despite the denial of the Electronic Travel Authorization, though he acknowledged it was a long shot. Piker’s case intersects with a broader inquiry into the influence of transnational activist networks operating in the United States. During a livestream this week, Piker said that the Treasury Department’s investigation into his Cuba trip may ultimately be focused on Neville Roy Singham, an American Marxist businessman living in Shanghai who has funded a network of nonprofit organizations and activist groups that have drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and administration officials. Among the organizations funded by Singham is CodePink, which also received a Treasury Department administrative subpoena related to its participation in the March convoy to Cuba, as well as groups such as the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the ANSWER Coalition. All three organizations openly identify with socialist or communist political traditions and have been prominent organizers of anti-Israel demonstrations across the United States since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas against Israel. Critics argue that some of