Man convicted of Iran-backed Trump assassination plot compared his plan to Butler shooting: FBI
A Pakistani man convicted Friday in federal court of plotting to assassinate President Donald Trump and other politicians told an FBI agent he thought Iran “was responsible” for the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. Asif Merchant, 47, told the FBI agent, Jacqueline Smith, that the incident “was the same thing he was sent here to do,” Smith testified during Merchant’s trial. Merchant told jurors the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sent him on a “mission” to kill U.S. politicians, including by telling him to attend a Republican rally. Merchant was arrested July 12, 2024, one day prior to the shooting in Butler, where Thomas Crooks fired several shots into a rally crowd, killing one and grazing Trump’s ear. The FBI has said repeatedly it found no evidence that Crooks had co-conspirators or that any foreign actors were involved in the incident. FEDS SAY PAKISTANI NATIONAL BACKED BY IRAN PLOTTED TO ASSASSINATE TRUMP, OTHERS IN MURDER-FOR-HIRE SCHEME Merchant, who was found guilty on all charges Friday after fewer than two hours of deliberation, was convicted by a jury in Brooklyn, New York, of murder-for-hire and attempting to commit terrorism. He testified that Trump was not his only target, telling jurors then-President Joe Biden and former presidential candidate Nikki Haley were also on his list. He claimed he only took part in the plot, which was foiled by the FBI before coming to fruition, because Iran’s IRGC warned it would target his family. FORMER IRANIAN MINISTER PRAISES TRUMP ASSASSINATION FATWA AS DAUGHTER LIVES IN NEW YORK “I had no other options,” Merchant said. “My family was threatened.” Merchant now faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. His sentence will be determined at a later hearing. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that Merchant “landed on American soil hoping to kill President Trump — instead, he was met with the might of American law enforcement.” “The Department of Justice will remain ever-vigilant to protect Americans, prosecute terrorists, and halt acts of terrorism before they happen,” Bondi said. Merchant was arrested after he was recorded on camera outlining a plot on a napkin to kill a politician with a person who turned out to be an FBI informant. Federal prosecutors showed video during the trial of Merchant speaking to the informant. The prosecutors said Merchant also tried to hire two hit men and pay them $5,000, but the men turned out to be federal agents posing as assassins. Smith, the FBI agent who met with Merchant after his arrest, said Merchant never conveyed that he feared for his family. Merchant said he wanted to do intelligence work and be paid for it, Smith said. TRUMP DECLARES ‘I GOT HIM BEFORE HE GOT ME’ AFTER IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER KILLED IN STRIKE The FBI agent also said Merchant was told by an Iranian handler to attend a Republican political rally to scope out security. But Merchant was worried about being identified, so he watched the rally online instead. Merchant’s defense team told jurors their client, who has two wives, was a family man and cared deeply about his faith and that he intentionally acted carelessly because he wanted to be caught. In their closing arguments, defense lawyers said Merchant had his hand forced in the operation, thinking his family would be harmed if he did not cooperate. Additionally, the lawyers cited several instances in which Merchant’s actions as an intelligence operator were little more than incompetent. Fox News’ Danielle Cavaliere, Brendan McDonald and Alexis McAdams contributed to this report.
Spanberger lashes out at Pentagon after Hegseth pulls colleges’ support over woke ‘ideologies’
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger hit back at Secretary of War Pete Hegseth after the Pentagon announced it would cut ties and funding relationships with numerous collegiate institutions over what it described as woke ideologies. A Pentagon leadership memo initialed “PBH” — the secretary’s full name is Peter Brian Hegseth — sent just before the U.S. bombed Iran and entitled “Aligning senior service college opportunities with American values,” laid out an examination of standing “Professional Military Education institutions, [the] bedrock upon which we build lethal warfighters grounded in the founding principles that underpin American Spanberger fired back after it was reported that the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va., would be affected. The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot covered her remarks at a high school in Hampton — about halfway between the two cities. HARVARD STUDENTS EARN COURSE CREDIT HELPING ASYLUM SEEKERS AS CRITICS CALLS SCHOOL ‘BASTION OF WOKE ACTIVISM’ Spanberger said the move is an “outrageous attack at yet another point of pride in Virginia,” as the memo said the Senior Service College programs there would be ended and that servicemembers would lose support. “The idea that the Pentagon would pull back from this fellowship program that has been long a fixture at William & Mary is just outrageous,” she said, according to the paper. The Pentagon memo said the department will “no longer invest in institutions that fail to sharpen our leaders’ warfighting capabilities or that undermine the very values they swore to defend,” and that more than a dozen schools faced termination. VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS BLASTED FOR THREATENING HISTORIC MILITARY COLLEGE VMI WITH FUNDING THREAT OVER DEI CONCERNS Spanberger, who formerly worked for the CIA, said the move speaks to the Defense Department’s “lack of understanding of the real strength of universities, whether it’s William & Mary or others, in educating the next generation of military leadership,” according to the paper. She also cited the fact William & Mary’s current chancellor is himself one of Hegseth’s predecessors. Robert Gates was former President George H.W. Bush’s director of central intelligence and later served as Secretary of Defense under President George W. Bush, remaining in the role into former President Barack Obama’s term. DAVID MARCUS: ONLY HEGSETH CAN SAVE STORIED VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE FROM WOKE STATE LAWMAKERS Fox News Digital reached out to the Pentagon for comment. In a statement obtained by Hampton Roads’ CBS affiliate, the college administration said it was “puzzled and saddened” by Hegseth’s move, saying that William & Mary is “among the country’s most military-friendly institutions” and also embraces its ROTC program. While the Williamsburg school may be on the chopping block, the affiliate reported that Regent University in Virginia Beach — founded by Christian evangelist Pat Robertson — may be considered one of the replacement institutions. In the memo, Harvard, Washington University in St. Louis, MIT, Tufts, Georgetown, George Washington University, Princeton, Yale, Brown and Queen’s University in Canada were listed as schools facing separation. Colleges being considered as replacements include Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., The Citadel, Virginia Tech, the University of North Carolina, Clemson University and Hillsdale College in Michigan.
After the strikes, how would the US secure Iran’s enriched uranium?
When War Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked recently whether U.S. forces would ever move to secure enriched uranium reportedly stored at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear complex, he declined to say, citing operational security. The exchange highlighted a question the U.S. and Israel’s air campaign alone cannot answer: even if U.S. strikes degrade Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, who would physically secure the enriched uranium, and how? Iran is believed to possess a significant stockpile of uranium enriched to 60%, near weapons-grade. That material could theoretically be used in multiple nuclear devices if further refined. Moving from 60% to weapons-grade 90% enrichment requires additional processing, and weaponization would involve further technical steps. But analysts say the more immediate issue is physical control of the material itself. IRAN’S SHADOWY CHEMICAL WEAPONS PROGRAM DRAWS SCRUTINY AS REPORTS ALLEGE USE AGAINST PROTESTERS “If the U.S. wants to secure Iran’s nuclear materials, it’s going to require a massive ground operation,” Kelsey Davenport, director of nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, told Fox News Digital. Davenport said the highly enriched uranium believed to be stored at Isfahan appears to be deeply buried and contained in relatively mobile canisters. Securing it would likely require locating the full stockpile, accessing underground facilities and safely extracting or downblending the material. “It’s not even clear the United States knows where all of the uranium is,” she said, noting that the mobility of storage containers raises the possibility that some material could be moved or dispersed. The administration repeatedly has said preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains a central objective of Operation Epic Fury. “Ultimately, this issue of Iran’s nuclear pursuit and their unwillingness through negotiations to stop it is something President Trump has said for a long time needs to be dealt with,” Hegseth said. Senior administration officials have argued that Iran sought to build up its ballistic missile arsenal in part to create a deterrent shield — enabling Iran to continue advancing its nuclear program while discouraging outside intervention. So far, however, the bulk of U.S. strikes have focused on degrading missile launchers, air defenses and other conventional military targets. Experts note that dismantling missile systems may reduce Iran’s ability to shield a potential nuclear breakout. But physically controlling enriched uranium itself presents a separate and more complex challenge. Defense officials have acknowledged that degrading nuclear infrastructure from the air is different from safely managing or securing nuclear material. Airstrikes can destroy centrifuges, power systems and support buildings. But enriched uranium stored underground may remain intact unless it is physically secured, removed or verifiably downblended. Striking or extracting nuclear material also carries safety risks that military planners must weigh. If storage casks containing uranium hexafluoride gas were compromised, the material could pose chemical toxicity risks to personnel entering the site without proper protective equipment. Analysts say a conventional strike is unlikely to trigger a nuclear detonation, but dispersal of material could create localized hazards and complicate recovery efforts. Chuck DeVore, a former Reagan-era defense official who worked on nuclear issues, argued that directly targeting the stockpile may not be a priority under current battlefield conditions. “You don’t want to release the material into the surrounding areas and cause radioactive contamination,” DeVore said, adding that deeply buried facilities are difficult to reach from the air. DeVore also downplayed the immediacy of a breakout scenario, arguing that further enrichment, weaponization and delivery would be difficult to execute undetected amid sustained U.S. air operations. Even if Iran were able to further enrich uranium, he said, assembling a deliverable weapon under active military pressure would present significant technical and operational hurdles. Still, DeVore acknowledged that long-term control of the uranium would ultimately require a political resolution inside Iran and some form of outside oversight. Nonproliferation experts say securing enriched uranium generally involves more than military force. It requires verified accounting of the material, sustained access to storage sites and either removal or downblending to lower enrichment levels suitable for civilian use. Davenport said internationally monitored downblending would be the safest option if political conditions allow. “The IAEA remains the best place to go back into Iran to monitor the sites, to try to track down and account for the enriched uranium,” she said, describing downblending as a relatively straightforward technical process compared to attempting to extract and transport highly enriched material in a contested environment. Both pathways — physical seizure or internationally monitored reduction — depend on conditions that do not currently exist. Administration officials argue that dismantling Iran’s missile network weakens Iran’s ability to shield a nuclear breakout and reduces the immediate threat to U.S. forces and regional allies. But suppressing missiles and controlling enriched uranium are separate challenges. Destroying infrastructure can slow or disrupt a program. Physically locating, accounting for and securing nuclear material requires sustained access, reliable intelligence and — ultimately — political conditions that allow it. For now, the administration maintains that Iran will not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. How the enriched uranium itself would be secured remains a question without a public answer.
Virginia Dems push anti-ICE bills days after Spanberger rejects detainer for illegal immigrant murder suspect
Democrats in the Virginia state legislature took steps to advance laws aimed at restricting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts and cooperation with local police just days after Democrat Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said a warrantless ICE detainer would not be sufficient to hand a criminal illegal alien suspected murderer with over 30 criminal charges to his name over to federal officials. Several of the Senate and House Democrats who took procedural steps and voted in favor of the anti-ICE bills this week include Democrats whose districts are either inside or partially inside Fairfax County, where Stephanie Minter was allegedly murdered by Abdul Jalloh, an illegal alien from Sierre Leone. Police had warned Democrat Commonwealth’s Attorney for Fairfax County, Steve Descano, Jalloh needed to remain behind bars due to his violent record. However, Jalloh was allowed back onto the streets, and he allegedly murdered Minter. Now, Spanberger is forcing ICE to get a warrant to take Jalloh into custody. Similarly, several weeks ago in Fairfax County, a criminal alien with an ICE detainer was released from jail and allegedly killed a man days later. DHS BLASTS SPANBERGER ON POTENTIAL RELEASE OF ILLEGAL MIGRANT WITH 30+ ARRESTS CURRENTLY CHARGED WITH MURDER “The tone deafness is unbelievable,” Sean Kennedy, Virginians for Safe Communities’ president, told Fox News Digital. Del. Thomas Garrett, R-56, also called out Democrats this week for officials’ failure to heed warnings to keep Jalloh behind bars, noting he had over 150 interactions with law enforcement and over 30 charges to his name, many of which were subsequently dropped. Garrett also pointed out how DA Descano’s website indicates “wherever possible” he will make charging or plea decisions “that limit or avoid immigration consequences.” Yesterday, “18 Delegates who represent Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria voted to make it harder — not easier, harder — to turn over not illegals, but violent criminal illegals to ICE,” Garrett said in an impassioned floor speech this week, according to North Virginia news station WJLA. “Gaslight much? They told us we were bad for not joining them in voting that way.” Many of these bills were released shortly after Gov. Spanberger took office in January. A slate of bills advanced this week via a litany of procedural votes, which would restrict ICE enforcement operations, include HB 1441. HB 1441, introduced shortly after Gov. Spanberger took office, would require certain conditions that make it more difficult for ICE to file adequate detainer requests to hold criminal illegal aliens. Other bills advanced this week include proposals banning ICE from making arrests in courthouses or within 40 feet of a place that serves as a voting location. Another bill would ban ICE officials from wearing face coverings. POLICE WARNED PROSECUTORS 3 TIMES ABOUT VIOLENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT BEFORE HE ALLEGEDLY KILLED VIRGINIA MOTHER “Most of these people hate Steve Descano, but they’re all playing on the same team,” Kennedy said, referring to some of the Fairfax County-area Democrats who took steps to advance anti-ICE bills just days after Minter’s murder. Fox News Digital reached out to several Virginia Democratic legislators, both in the House and Senate, who took steps to advance anti-ICE bills this week. Virginia State Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell’s office suggested that their proposed bill aimed at requiring a higher bar for ICE detainers will subsequently prioritize deporting more violent illegal aliens. “Our pending legislation is attempting to focus ICE on the president’s campaign promise to focus on capturing and deporting violent undocumented immigrants like Abdul Jalloh who was in ICE custody in 2018 and has been eligible for deportation for 10 years,” Surovell’s office said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Perhaps you should ask ICE why they didn’t deport him the first time Trump’s ICE had him in 2018 or even issue a detainer for him the eight times he was arrested since 2023.” But Republican state legislators in Virginia have shown they have a different take. “Just weeks after Gov. Spanberger chose to end the commonwealth’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities, a woman is dead,” Del. Delores Oates, R-31, said on the Virginia House floor this week, according to a recording posted online by WJLA. Oates was referring to Spanberger’s executive decision to end 287(g) programs that allowed local police and federal immigration officials to easily cooperate. “That’s not a coincidence, that’s a consequence,” Oates said. “I’ve heard my colleagues across the aisle say they don’t want ICE making arrests in public places,” Oates continued. “Well, fine. Then let’s do the responsible thing. Work with federal authorities to detain and remove violent criminals while they’re already in custody. That is safer for our communities. It’s safer for law enforcement. And it’s far more the responsible approach.”
US signals readiness to escort tankers through Hormuz as traffic thins, but no mission has been launched
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the U.S. Navy could begin escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz “as soon as reasonable,” reinforcing President Donald Trump’s public statements that the United States is prepared to protect energy shipments through the strategic waterway. But a U.S. official told Fox News Digital that American forces are not currently escorting ships through the Strait and declined to speculate on future operations, making clear that no convoy mission has yet been launched. “As soon as it’s reasonable to do it, we’ll escort ships through the straits and get the energy moving again,” Wright said on “Fox and Friends” Friday. The renewed signaling comes as commercial traffic through the strait has thinned sharply after attacks on tankers and soaring war-risk insurance costs, raising pressure on global energy markets and Gulf producers that rely on the narrow corridor for oil and liquefied natural gas exports. HORMUZ ERUPTS: ATTACKS, GPS JAMMING, HOUTHI THREATS ROCK STRAIT AMID US-ISRAELI STRIKES Only nine oil tankers, cargo ships and container ships have crossed the strait since Monday, according to MarineTraffic data analyzed by Agence France-Presse after three vessels were attacked over the weekend. At least three tankers and a vessel carrying gas have transited the choke point since the strikes, according to Agence France-Presse. The Strait of Hormuz normally handles roughly 20% of the world’s crude oil and about one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas exports, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, making even a temporary disruption a serious concern for global energy markets and Gulf producers that rely on the passage to move supplies to Asia and Europe. Several commercial vessels have been struck since the start of Operation Epic Fury, heightening security concerns for shipowners and insurers. Industry analysts say war-risk premiums have surged, and some coverage has become difficult to secure, prompting tankers to anchor outside the Strait rather than risk transit. Despite the political signaling about potential naval protection, the U.S. military has not confirmed any escort operation. A U.S. official told Fox News Digital Friday, “We are not escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz, and we will not speculate on future operations.” TRUMP RALLIES DEFENSE TITANS TO SURGE WEAPONS OUTPUT AS IRAN WAR RAGES The gap between policy signaling and operational execution underscores the delicate balance Washington faces. Escort missions would require U.S. warships to operate in close proximity to Iran’s coastline in a narrow and heavily surveilled waterway, increasing the risk of direct confrontation. Iran, for its part, has stopped short of declaring a closure of the strait while leaving the door open to escalation. Iran has “no intention” of closing the Strait “right now,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with NBC News Thursday. “As the war continues, we will consider every scenario.” Araghchi also suggested commercial ships were avoiding the passage out of fear of being struck “by either side” and said international oil tankers were not targets for Iran. Even without a formal closure, the measurable reduction in ship traffic is placing real pressure on global markets and Gulf economies. Crude prices have risen amid concerns that prolonged disruption could tighten supply, particularly for Asian buyers dependent on Gulf exports. Trump has publicly downplayed concerns about rising gasoline prices in the United States. “They’ll drop very rapidly when this is over, and if they rise, they rise, but this is far more important than having gasoline prices go up a little bit,” he told Reuters. The administration’s posture suggests it is prepared to tolerate short-term energy price volatility while signaling readiness to intervene militarily if commercial shipping cannot resume safely on its own. For now, however, the Strait of Hormuz remains open but under strain, a critical artery of the global economy operating in a climate of active attacks, rising insurance costs and escalating rhetoric between Washington and Tehran.
FLASHBACK: Dem Senate nominee called illegal aliens ‘constituents,’ gave advice on evading ICE
James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for Senate in Texas, once posted information to social media, letting illegal aliens know they could evade detention as law enforcement grappled with a wave of immigration under President Donald Trump’s first term. In a graphic put out by United We Dream, an activist group that supports abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Talarico encouraged viewers not to open their doors, not to sign any documentation without an attorney, to take pictures of ICE agents and to “fight back.” “Undocumented Americans are folks who work in our businesses, learn in our schools and contribute to our communities — but lack citizenship documentation,” Talarico said in a post to X in 2019. “As a Texas legislator, they’re also my constituents,” he added. RISING STAR TALARICO TOPPLES PROGRESSIVE FIREBRAND CROCKETT IN HIGH-STAKES TEXAS SENATE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY Talarico’s 2019 posts come as he wages a Senate campaign in the Lone Star State that’s attracted national attention. His comments clash with efforts to position himself as a pro-enforcement candidate. In 2019, Talarico was in his second year of serving Texas as a state legislator. At the time of his post, the United States reported an explosion of CBP Southwest Border Apprehensions, according to data published by the agency. In July alone, CBP reported 81,000 apprehensions — down from a peak of 144,000 in May — as immigrants feeling instability and crime in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador poured into the U.S. For context, CBP reported just 40,000 apprehensions in July 2018, the year before. In response to inquiries from Fox News Digital about the post, Talarico’s campaign said his message has focused on targeting individuals who threaten the public safety of the U.S. “James has been clear that we should be spending precious law enforcement resources cracking down on the cartels, not our communities; deporting gang members, not small business owners; and hunting down human traffickers, not moms and babies,” Talarico spokesperson JT Ennis said in a statement. TEXAS SENATE PRIMARIES EXPLODE AS CORNYN WARNS PAXTON COULD COST GOP MAJORITY, DEMOCRATS CLASH OVER RACE At least one GOP onlooker said they believe Talarico is disguising a leniency he would take much further. “James Talarico stands with dangerous criminal illegal aliens, not law enforcement,” Republican National Committee representative Zach Kraft said, reacting to Talarico’s 2019 post. “He is an open borders lunatic who wants to abolish ICE, put a welcome mat on the southern border, and greet every illegal alien with a warm hug and taxpayer-funded healthcare.” Talarico, who just beat out progressive candidate Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas., in a heated Senate primary, now looks to win over voters in November’s general election. If elected, he would become Texas’ first Democratic senator since Sen. Bob Krueger in 1993. It’s still unclear who Talarico will be facing in the general election due to a Republican runoff between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. DEMOCRATIC SENATE PRIMARY ERUPTS AFTER CANDIDATE ACCUSED OF ‘MEDIOCRE BLACK MAN’ REMARK When asked about immigration enforcement in the past, Talarico likened his views on enforcement to the entry of a home. “Our border should be like a front porch — it should have a welcome mat out front and a lock on the door,” Talarico wrote on his website. Among other immigration policies, Talarico supports increasing ICE resources for public safety and national security, banning the use of masks by ICE agents, creating a pathway to legalization for certain undocumented immigrants, hiring more immigration judges and modernizing security at ports of entry. Talarico’s campaign believes his views separate him from his Republican competition. “While James fights for immigration policies a majority of Texans support, Cornyn, Paxton, and the billionaires who prop them up are trying to smear James because this people-powered movement is a threat to their wealth and power,” Talarico’s campaign said. Talarico will face down his Republican opponent on Nov. 3, 2025.
Kristi Noem’s firing fails to sway Democrats as DHS shutdown drags on
Democrats may be celebrating Kristi Noem’s ouster from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), but they are still digging their heels in against ending the agency’s weekslong shutdown. “It’s not like Kristi Noem was the one who was involved in negotiating anything. She was a corrupt lackey. So, we were dealing with the White House before, and we’re going to continue to deal with the White House at this point,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters during a news conference Thursday. That point has since been echoed by several other Democratic lawmakers despite Noem’s firing apparently being one of their key demands in exchange for allowing DHS to be fully funded through the remainder of this fiscal year. KRISTI NOEM OUSTED FROM HOMELAND SECURITY POST AMID RECENT TURMOIL Congressional Democrats have maintained a unified blockade of funding for the agency in pursuit of stringent reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Democrats and the White House have been negotiating, but neither side has agreed to compromise terms. And the shutdown is now guaranteed to drag on for another month, given that the House will be out for a week and the Senate is unable to advance any DHS funding legislation. “I’m waiting for them to give us an offer, make us an offering as to what it is that you want us to vote on,” Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., said. “I want to see what the guardrails are before I vote on this funding. … I don’t want us to have masked individuals in my community. I want to see body cameras. I want you to identify yourself when you’re making an arrest.” Many Democrats aren’t sure that Noem’s chosen replacement, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., would be the answer to the changes they want. HOUSE DEMOCRATS VOTE TO CONTINUE DHS SHUTDOWN DESPITE IRAN THREAT, NOEM’S OUSTER Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., suggested to Fox News Digital that he was skeptical that any replacement for Noem would be more effective in the discussions given they still have to answer to Trump and his policies. And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., plans to block Mullin’s confirmation in a bid to extract Democrats’ long-sought reforms to ICE. “The rot runs deep,” Schumer said. “If the president wants accountability, he must do more than fire one official — he must end the violence and rein in ICE.” Republican leaders in the House and Senate both tried again to advance a DHS funding bill that was released as part of wider bipartisan government funding discussions earlier this year. The bill passed the House with all but four Democrats voting “no,” even hours after Noem’s ouster. In the Senate, news of Noem’s firing erupted as another push by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to pass a full-year funding bill began. Like their colleagues in the House, Senate Democrats were unfazed by the change and once more blocked the legislation. SCHUMER, DEMS HOLD FIRM ON DHS FUNDING DESPITE NOEM’S BOMBSHELL OUSTING When asked if he believed removing Noem from the equation would make a difference, Thune said, “It should.” “The Democrats have been complaining about that forever,” Thune said. “And, so, this, to me, is a huge development, I would think, in the funding conversation, and hopefully they’ll get more earnest about coming to the table and trying to get a deal. I mean, we should find out soon enough.” For now, Senate Democrats appear firmly entrenched in their position, even with their colleague Mullin taking the helm of the agency. “No, I don’t think it makes any difference,” Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., told Fox News Digital. “They have got to put in the reforms that we need.” Mullin, who has staunchly opposed the stringent reforms Democrats seek for the agency, said he would meet with Schumer in a bid to earn his and every Senate Democrat’s vote during his forthcoming confirmation process. “I’m not going to get into, you know, a tit-for-tat, but if they have real concerns, I’m going to listen to it. I’m going to see if it’s practical,” Mullin said. “But nothing’s going to prevent me from doing my job. I’m going to enforce the policies and the laws that Congress has passed, and we’re going to protect our homeland.” But not all Democrats were pessimistic. Asked by Fox News Digital whether Noem’s firing would help advance DHS funding talks, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., said, “I think it allows us to reopen the negotiations.”
Thousands of Syrian refugees flee Lebanon after Israeli strikes
NewsFeed Thousands of Syrian refugees are fleeing Israeli strikes across Lebanon and trying to return to Syria. Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto is at the border, where there are growing fears of a humanitarian crisis. Published On 6 Mar 20266 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
In a bid to counter China, Trump hosts a summit for Latin America leaders
Over the past two decades, China has quietly eclipsed the United States as the dominant trading partner in parts of Latin America. But since taking office for a second term, United States President Donald Trump has pushed to reverse Beijing’s advance. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list That includes through aggressive manoeuvres directed at China’s allies in the region. Already, the Trump administration has stripped officials in Costa Rica, Panama and Chile of their US visas, reportedly due to their ties to China. It has also threatened to take back the Panama Canal over allegations that Chinese operatives are running the waterway. And after invading Venezuela and abducting President Nicolas Maduro, the US forced the country to halt oil exports to China. But on Saturday, Trump is taking a different approach, welcoming Latin American leaders to his Mar-a-Lago estate for an event dubbed the “Shield of the Americas” summit. How he plans to persuade leaders to distance themselves from one of the region’s largest economic partners remains unclear. But experts say the high-level meeting could signal that Washington is prepared to put concrete offers on the table. Securing meaningful commitments from Latin American leaders will take more than a photo op and vague promises, according to Francisco Urdinez, an expert on regional relations with China at Chile’s Pontifical Catholic University. Even among Trump’s allies, Urdinez believes significant economic incentives are required. “What they’re really hoping is that Washington backs up the political alignment with tangible economic benefits,” he said. Advertisement ‘Reinforcing the Donroe Doctrine’ Already, the White House has confirmed that nearly a dozen countries will be represented at the weekend summit. They include conservative leaders from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago. Mexico and Brazil, the region’s largest economies, have been notably left out. Both are currently led by left-leaning governments. In a post on social media, the Trump administration framed the event as a “historic meeting reinforcing the Donroe Doctrine”, the president’s plan for establishing US dominance over the Western Hemisphere. Part of that strategy involves assembling a coalition of ideological allies in the region. But rolling back Chinese influence in a region increasingly reliant on its economy will not be an easy feat, according to Gimena Sanchez, the Andes director at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), a US-based research and advocacy group. The US “is trying to get countries to agree that they’re not going to have China be one of their primary trading partners, and they really can’t at this point”, Sanchez said. “For most countries, China is either their top, second or third trading partner.” China, after all, has the second-largest economy in the world, and it has invested heavily in Latin America, including through infrastructure projects and massive loans. The Asian giant has emerged as the top trading partner in South America in particular, with bilateral trade reaching $518bn in 2024, a record high for Beijing. The US, however, remains the biggest outside trade force in Latin America and the Caribbean overall, due in large part to close relations with its neighbour, Mexico. As of 2024, US imports from Latin America jumped to $661bn, and its exports were valued at $517bn. Rather than choosing sides, though, many countries in the region are trying to strike a balance between the two powers, Sanchez explained. Still, she added that the US cannot come empty-handed to this weekend’s negotiations. “If the US is very boldly telling countries to cut off strengthening ties with China”, Sanchez emphasised that “the US is going to have to offer them something.” What’s on the table? Trump has already extended economic lifelines to Latin American governments politically aligned with his own. In the case of Argentina, for instance, Trump announced in October a $20bn currency swap, meant to increase the value of the country’s peso. He also increased the volume of Argentinian beef permitted to be imported into the US, shoring up the country’s agricultural sector, despite pushback from US cattle farmers. Advertisement Trump has largely tied those economic incentives to the continued leadership of political movements favourable to his own. The $20bn swap, for instance, came ahead of a key election for Argentinian President Javier Milei’s right-wing party, which Trump supports. Isolating China from resources in Latin America could also play to Trump’s advantage as he angles for better trade terms with Beijing. A show of hemispheric solidarity could give Trump extra leverage as he travels to Beijing in early April to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Urdinez pointed out. Then there’s the regional security angle. The US has expressed particular concern about China’s control of strategic infrastructure in Latin America and the critical minerals it could exploit in the region to bolster its defence and technology capabilities. Bolivia, Argentina and Chile, for instance, are believed to hold the world’s largest deposits of lithium, a metal necessary for energy storage and rechargeable batteries. The Trump administration referenced such threats in its national security strategy, published in December. “Some foreign influence will be hard to reverse,” the strategy document said, blaming the “political alignments between certain Latin American governments and certain foreign actors”. But Trump’s security platform nevertheless asserted that Latin American leaders were actively seeking alternatives to China. “Many governments are not ideologically aligned with foreign powers but are instead attracted to doing business with them for other reasons, including low costs and fewer regulatory hurdles,” the document said. It argued that the US could combat Chinese influence by highlighting the “hidden costs” of close ties to Beijing, including “debt traps” and espionage. ‘More aspiration than reality’ Henrietta Levin, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, believes that many Latin American countries would prefer to deepen economic engagement with the US over China. But in many cases, that hasn’t been an option. She pointed to Ecuador’s decision to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with China in
Israel extending ‘Gaza playbook’ to Lebanon, charity warns
Medical Aid for Palestinians accuses Israel of ‘deliberately terrorising civilian populations’ across Lebanon. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 3 mins info Published On 6 Mar 20266 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Israel is exporting its “Gaza playbook” to Lebanon, a nonprofit group has warned, as the Israeli military continues to attack the country after ordering the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians. Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) said on Friday that Israel’s bombings and forced displacement orders for all of southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of the capital, Beirut, “are instilling widespread fear among civilians”. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “What we are witnessing in Lebanon is the unmistakable extension of the Israeli military playbook used in Gaza,” said Steve Cutts, CEO of the UK-based charity. That includes “collective punishment, forced displacement, and the deliberate terrorising of civilian populations, including already traumatised Palestinian communities,” Cutts said in a statement. The Israeli military issued a forced displacement order on Wednesday for all of southern Lebanon, prompting tens of thousands of residents to flee their homes and communities under threat of attack. A day later, it issued a similar order for the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, as Israel expanded its intensified air and ground offensive in the country. Intensified fighting between Israel and Hezbollah resumed on Monday after the Lebanese group launched rockets towards Israeli territory following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran. At least 217 people have been killed and 798 others wounded in Israeli attacks across Lebanon since Monday, according to the latest figures from the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Advertisement Human rights groups have raised the alarm over the Israeli forced displacement orders, stressing that many families have nowhere to go as Lebanon’s shelters are full. “We’ve seen people sleeping on the street, sleeping on the Corniche [in Beirut], sleeping in schools that have been converted into reception centres,” Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith reported from the Lebanese capital on Friday. “People want to know how long they’re going to have to do this, [how long they’ll have] to be away from home, and the authorities have not been able to tell them.” The Israeli military has routinely issued similar orders in its genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to move multiple times throughout Israel’s more than two-year bombardment of the enclave. In September last year, the Israeli army issued a forced displacement order for the entirety of Gaza City, prompting international condemnation. “The order … is cruel, unlawful, and further compounds the genocidal conditions of life that Israel is inflicting on Palestinians,” Human Rights Watch said at the time. Israeli leaders have also compared the country’s escalating offensive in Lebanon this week with its war on Gaza. On Thursday, after the forced evacuation order was issued for the southern suburbs of Beirut, far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel planned to make the Dahiyeh area “like Khan Younis”. A city in southern Gaza, Khan Younis – like most of the Strip – has been decimated in Israel’s war. Adblock test (Why?)