‘Tip of the iceberg’: Senate Republicans press Gov Walz over Minnesota fraud scandal
FIRST ON FOX: The entire Senate GOP demanded that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz provide a paper trail on the state’s role in the Minnesota fraud scandal, cranking up the scrutiny in Washington, D.C., in the process. In a letter led by Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Republicans reiterated that Congress controls the flow of taxpayer dollars that are alleged to be used in the unfurling scandal, where federal prosecutors estimate that up to $9 billion was stolen through a network of fraudulent fronts posing as daycare centers, food programs and health clinics. “The state’s apparent negligent management of federal funds raises significant concerns about the adequacy of the state’s oversight, verification, and compliance systems for safeguarding taxpayer dollars intended to support vulnerable children and working families,” they wrote. “Unfortunately, these latest reports appear to reflect only the tip of the iceberg.” SENATE REPUBLICANS PUSH TO DEPORT, DENATURALIZE FRAUDSTERS AMID MINNESOTA SCANDAL They support the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) move earlier this week to freeze funding to several childcare grant programs in the state, including the Child Care and Development Fund, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Social Services Block Grant programs. Cassidy, who chairs the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, called on Walz to provide receipts on several issues and warned that failure to do so could lead to even more streams of federal money flowing to Minnesota drying up. SCATHING AUDIT REVEALS MORE FRAUD CONCERNS INSIDE TOP MINNESOTA AGENCY WITH FABRICATED DOCUMENTS, ‘MISCONDUCT’ In the letter, backed by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., lawmakers demanded that Walz clarify how the state was complying with federally directed audits and what verification requirements the state has “adopted or plans to implement in the near term to support proof of legitimate use of federal child care payments.” They also called for a detailed outline of several issues, like how often the state conducted on-site monitoring, inspections or investigative visits to childcare facilities that received federal dollars, and specifically wanted examples of any information uncovered on fake children, false attendance records, over-billing, ineligible enrollments, and shell or fake business structures. SCATHING AUDIT REVEALS MORE FRAUD CONCERNS INSIDE TOP MINNESOTA AGENCY WITH FABRICATED DOCUMENTS, ‘MISCONDUCT’ Lawmakers also demanded to know how many investigations the state has conducted into the matter since 2018, any oversight actions the state has taken and why the Walz administration has, so far, not complied with a slate of recommendations from a DHS Office of Inspector General report that included action to recover overpayments, strengthen attendance monitoring at childcare facilities and implement real-time electronic attendance reporting. Cassidy and Senate Republicans gave Walz until Jan. 22 to comply with their slate of requests. “The Constitution grants Congress the power of the purse,” they wrote. “And the United States Senate is exercising its duty to ensure proper stewardship of federal taxpayer dollars for child care programs, and we take this responsibility very seriously.”
Democratic socialist Mamdani ally mounts bid for US House of Representatives
New York state Assemblymember Claire Valdez, an ally of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, has mounted a bid for the U.S. House of Representatives. “I’m a union organizer, Assemblymember, and democratic socialist running for Congress in NY-07. I came to politics through low-wage jobs and the labor movement. That’s the perspective I’ll bring to Washington to take on oligarchy, fascism, and war — and win for working people,” she wrote in a post on X. Valdez has called for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ‘THE PEOPLE’S QUR’AN’: MAMDANI ANNOUNCES NYC QURAN EXHIBIT WITH BOOK BELONGING TO REVOLUTIONARY ACTIVIST “When we called this administration fascist last year, we were called hyperbolic. We were called hysterical,” she said in recent public remarks. “We must abolish ICE at the federal level,” she asserted, calling it a “militarized terrorist organization that is destroying our country.” Her campaign website makes clear that she is an advocate for “Medicare for All.” NYC MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI SET TO EARN NEARLY $260K, ABOUT 80% MORE THAN HIS PRIOR SALARY “Claire will fight to pass Medicare for All, paid for by taxing billionaires and corporations that have rigged the system, and deliver universal health care for every New Yorker,” the site notes. “Housing is a human right — but Congress has chosen to side with landlords and speculators instead of working people. Claire will fight to guarantee safe, affordable housing for all, because housing is not a commodity. It’s a necessity,” the site also states. NOEM REPORTS MAMDANI-DHS TALKS HAVE ‘NOT BEEN PRODUCTIVE,’ SAYS NYC MAYOR ‘CHOSE TO STAND WITH ILLEGALS’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Valdez will compete in a Democratic primary in June for the seat being vacated by Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y. Velazquez, who currently represents the Empire State’s 7th Congressional District, is not seeking re-election in 2026. Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso already announced his 2026 primary bid for the House seat last year.
GOP senator blocks Trump DHS nominees until Noem testifies before Senate
A Senate Republican intends to block President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) nominees until Secretary Kristi Noem appears on Capitol Hill. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told reporters that he was putting holds on future nominees for the agency because Noem had not yet committed to appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. “My chairman has made two requests in this Congress to have the Homeland Security Secretary [Kristi Noem] come before the committee, and they have yet to confirm that they’re coming,” Tillis said. “That is unacceptable, and so I am putting a hold on anything related to Homeland Security measures until we get an agreement and a scheduled time to come for committee at the least.” KRISTI NOEM FACES FIRST MAJOR HOMELAND SECURITY GRILLING AS LAWMAKERS PRESS HER ON TERROR THREATS But he made clear that the blockade was not in response to the death of Renee Nicole Goode, whose fatal shooting by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Wednesday sparked protests. “The only thing that moves through Homeland Security where I will consider an exception would be having anything to do with the disaster response,” he said. His holds come after Grassley sent two separate invites for Noem to appear before the committee, one in June and the other in September. 5 GOP SENATORS JOIN DEMOCRATS TO STOP TRUMP FROM POLICING VENEZUELA It also comes on the heels of Senate Republicans touting their blistering pace to confirm several hundred of Trump’s picks. Still, the move to block Trump’s DHS picks is another instance of Tillis pushing back against the administration. Tillis announced last year that he would not support Trump’s crowning legislative achievement of his second term, the “big, beautiful bill,” over issues with cuts to Medicaid. He also announced that he would not seek re-election shortly after and has since on occasion broken ranks with Republicans to push back on the president’s agenda. SENATE REPUBLICANS PUSH TO DEPORT, DENATURALIZE FRAUDSTERS AMID MINNESOTA SCANDAL Most recently, he pushed back on recent rumblings from the White House and administration officials that military force was not off the table to advance Trump’s desire to control Greenland. “I’m sick of stupid,” Tillis said on the Senate floor earlier this week. “I want good advice for this president, because I want this president to have a good legacy. And this nonsense on what’s going on with Greenland is a distraction from the good work he’s doing, and the amateurs who said it was a good idea should lose their jobs.” Still, Tillis voted against a related resolution on Thursday to curtail Trump’s future usage of the military in Venezuela, which ultimately advanced with the aid of five Senate Republicans. DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Inside the sea war to contain ‘dark fleet’ vessels — and what the US seizure signals to Russia
The U.S. seizure of the tanker formerly known as Bella I marks a rare escalation in sanctions enforcement against Russia’s so-called “dark fleet,” but experts say the move is unlikely to trigger a broader confrontation with Moscow, at least in the near term. Analysts largely agree that the interdiction — one of the most direct U.S. actions against a vessel Russia claims was operating under its flag — comes at a moment when the Kremlin has limited appetite for escalation outside Europe and is focused primarily on its war against neighboring Ukraine. “This is unique,” said Brent Sadler, senior research fellow at the Washington conservative Heritage Foundation think tank. The U.S. rarely boards foreign-flagged vessels on the high seas unless the ship’s nationality is in doubt, which he said was the case here due to rapid reflagging and a pattern of sanctions violations. TREASURY TARGETS OIL TRADERS, TANKERS ACCUSED OF HELPING MADURO EVADE U.S. SANCTIONS Peter Rough, a senior fellow and director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute think tank, said that the seizure of the tanker reinforces the message that the U.S. is aiming to “call the shots in its own backyard.” Meanwhile, he said that Russia is bogged down fighting its war against Ukraine, meaning it will be challenging for it to engage in a significant way in Latin America. Likewise, Russia is also attempting to curry favor with the Trump administration for a favorable outcome in a peace deal ending the conflict with Ukraine, he said. “The Donroe Doctrine,” as President Donald Trump has called it, fashions the 1823 Monroe Doctrine warning against European expansion into Latin America after himself. The empty vessel was seized in international waters during an operation overseen by U.S. European Command. The Wall Street Journal reported that Russia dispatched a submarine to escort the tanker after the U.S. attempted to seize it off Venezuela, heightening the risk of a naval standoff between two nuclear-armed states. ‘GHOST SHIPS’ FERRYING ILLICIT OIL HAVE SAILED INTO TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS Russia has operated a so-called “shadow fleet” of oil tankers for years to evade sanctions imposed after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Wednesday’s seizure marks one of the most direct U.S. enforcement actions to date against a vessel tied to that network. “There’s really not a whole lot of cards the Russians have to play at this point,” Sadler said, anticipating a muted response. US AND UKRAINE TARGET 1,000-VESSEL ‘DARK FLEET’ SMUGGLING SANCTIONED OIL WORLDWIDE Rough also noted that similar actions like the one on Wednesday have not triggered major escalation previously. In October, French authorities boarded and detained a Russia-linked tanker suspected of being part of the shadow fleet off the coast of France without sparking a new crisis. In that instance, the tanker was not a Russian-flagged vessel. “The upshot is that in light of the administration’s determination to dictate terms on Venezuela-related issues like this and Putin’s desire to work with Trump on what matters most to the Kremlin — Ukraine — I’m inclined to say that Moscow’s response will consist mostly of protesting this action and lodging political and legal complaints,” Rough said in an email to Fox News Digital. “I don’t think it will lead to a full-blown political crisis in U.S.-Russian relations.” John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, also predicted the seizure of the Bella I tanker wouldn’t dramatically impact relations between Washington and Moscow. “I suspect Moscow reacted the way it did because it worries about a precedent that could lead to U.S. interdiction of tankers moving Russian oil,” Hardie said. “That said, I don’t think the Bella incident alone will have significant impact on relations between the Trump administration and Moscow or the peace talks.” US COAST GUARD PURSUES THIRD ‘DARK FLEET’ OIL TANKER AS TRUMP TARGETS VENEZUELAN SANCTIONS EVASION NETWORK Russia has accused U.S. naval forces of illegally boarding the vessel — which had been reflagged as the Merinera under temporary Russian authorization Dec. 24 — arguing the action violated international maritime law. U.S. officials have not publicly detailed the legal justification for the seizure. While Moscow’s response has so far been limited to diplomatic and legal objections, the incident has drawn attention because of how unusual the operation was. Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic & International Studies’ defense and security department, said that there are hundreds of sanctioned oil ships in the sea — with at least 100 of them belonging to Russia. If the U.S. started targeting more tankers, that would have a “huge” impact on countries like Russia and Iran, he said. “The one tanker will be an annoyance to Russia, and they’ll complain,” Cancian told Fox News Digital Wednesday. “I think the bigger issue is whether we or other countries, start going after other tankers with sanctioned oil.”
Watchdog exposes taxpayer-funded teacher program for banning White applicants: ‘Likely illegal’
FIRST ON FOX: A leading education watchdog group released a report this week alleging that a state-funded teacher preparation partnership in Minnesota explicitly limits eligibility based on race, possibly in violation of federal law. According to a report released by Defending Education, the Minnesota Educators Partnership (MEP), a collaboration between MSU Mankato and several southern Minnesota school districts, operates multiple teacher pipeline programs that are restricted to Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) applicants despite being funded with taxpayer dollars through the Minnesota Department of Education. The partnership in question, according to the report, received $1.5 million in state grants in 2023 as part of Minnesota’s “Grow Your Own” (GYO) program, which was designed to recruit and train teachers to work throughout schools in the state with the goal of diversifying the teaching workforce. The report focuses on two MEP initiatives known as “Teachers of Tomorrow,” which targets high school students, and “Teaching Fellows,” an adult pathway designed to help participants earn teaching licenses. GOT A SCOOP ON CAMPUS? SEND US A TIP HERE Program documents obtained by Defending Education for the Teaching Fellows initiative state that it is “open to applicants who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC)” and require participants to be “of color or American Indian.” Some application materials require applicants to affirmatively check a box stating they are BIPOC in order to apply. In addition to eligibility requirements, the report also highlights race-based rules governing how the partnership is run. According to program documentation, all project decisions for the Teaching Fellows initiative are made by a council that “must be majority individuals of color.” The Defending Education report argues that state data backs up their concerns and references a 2024 Minnesota Department of Education report showing that in several participating districts, 100% of MEP participants identified as “People of Color or Indigenous.” WATCHDOG URGES DOJ PROBE OF TOP RESEARCH UNIVERSITY OVER ALLEGED ILLEGAL DEI PRACTICES: ‘DEFIES COMMON SENSE’ Erika Sanzi, senior director of Communications at Defending Education, told Fox News Digital that the actions may violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race in programs receiving federal funding. “Minnesota’s race-based programming for aspiring teachers is likely illegal, and I wouldn’t be surprised if federal authorities decide to take a closer look,” Sanzi told Fox News Digital. “The goal of diversifying the teacher pipeline isn’t the problem; discriminating on the basis of race is the problem.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, an MSU-Mankato spokesperson told Fox News Digital that “access to education for all students is among Minnesota State University, Mankato’s core values as an institution, and we are proud of our institutional commitment to an inclusive environment where all are welcome.” “Minnesota State University, Mankato follows all grant criteria established by the Minnesota Department of Education’s Grow Your Own program and Minnesota state law. Minnesota State Mankato’s website provides more information about the Minnesota Educators Partnership, Teachers of Tomorrow and more.” The report comes as the Trump administration has made efforts to crack down on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) measures in schools across the country in the form of executive orders aiming to ensure federal funding isn’t allocated to jurisdictions or institutions that focus on race-based curriculum or hiring practices.
President Trump says there won’t be a ‘second Wave of Attacks’ against Venezuela due to their ‘cooperation’
President Donald Trump announced in an early Friday morning Truth Social post that he has “cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks” against Venezuela in light of the “cooperation” between the foreign nation and the U.S. “Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of ‘Seeking Peace.’ This is a very important and smart gesture. The U.S.A. and Venezuela are working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding, in a much bigger, better, and more modern form, their oil and gas infrastructure. Because of this cooperation, I have cancelled the previously expected second Wave of Attacks, which looks like it will not be needed, however, all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes,” Trump said in the post. He noted that he will meet with “BIG OIL” figures at the White House on Friday. TRUMP DISCUSSES EXPANSION OF DRUG CARTEL CRACKDOWN, ISSUES GRIM WARNING TO IRAN “At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he declared in the post. The president’s comments come after he unilaterally ordered an attack against Venezuela last week in which U.S. forces successfully captured Nicolás Maduro. VENEZUELA TEETERS AS GUERRILLA GROUPS, CARTELS EXPLOIT MADURO POWER VACUUM Trump noted in a Wednesday Truth Social post, “I have just been informed that Venezuela is going to be purchasing ONLY American Made Products, with the money they receive from our new Oil Deal. These purchases will include, among other things, American Agricultural Products, and American Made Medicines, Medical Devices, and Equipment to improve Venezuela’s Electric Grid and Energy Facilities.” 5 GOP SENATORS JOIN DEMOCRATS TO STOP TRUMP FROM POLICING VENEZUELA CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “In other words, Venezuela is committing to doing business with the United States of America as their principal partner – A wise choice, and a very good thing for the people of Venezuela, and the United States. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added.
Trump says he doesn’t need international law amid aggressive US policies
United States President Donald Trump has dismissed international law, saying only his “own morality” can curb the aggressive policies he is pursuing across the world after the abduction of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro. “I don’t need international law. I’m not looking to hurt people,” Trump told The New York Times on Thursday. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Asked whether he needs to abide by international law, Trump said he does, but it “depends what your definition of international law is”. Trump has shown a willingness to use the brute force of the US military to achieve his foreign policy goals. On Saturday, the US launched an early-morning attack on Venezuela, with explosions reported across the capital Caracas and at Venezuelan military bases. US troops ultimately abducted Venezuelan President Maduro from Caracas in what critics say was a clear violation of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits “the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state”. The attack on Venezuela appears to have supercharged the belligerence of the US president, who received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize Award last month. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Trump said the US would “run” Venezuela and exploit the country’s vast oil reserves, though his administration has said it would cooperate with interim President Delcy Rodriguez. Still, the Trump administration said it would “dictate” policy to the interim government and repeatedly threatened a “second wave” of military actions if US demands were disobeyed. Advertisement “If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” Trump said of Rodriguez in a Sunday interview with The Atlantic. Earlier this week, Trump also suggested that the US may carry out a strike against Colombia’s left-wing President Gustavo Petro, and he has escalated his campaign to acquire the Danish territory of Greenland. In June, Trump joined Israel’s unprovoked war against Iran, ordering the bombing of the country’s three main nuclear sites. Trump aide Stephen Miller has criticised the post-World War II international order, saying that, from here forward, the US would “unapologetically” use its military force to secure its interests in the Western Hemisphere. “We’re a superpower, and under President Trump, we are going to conduct ourselves as a superpower,” Miller told CNN on Monday. But experts warn that disregard for international law could have catastrophic consequences for the entire global community, including the US. International law is the set of rules and norms that govern ties between states. It includes UN conventions and multilateral treaties. Margaret Satterthwaite, the UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, told Al Jazeera earlier this week that US statements dismissing international law are “extremely dangerous”. Satterthwaite said she is concerned the world may be returning to an “age of imperialism”, stressing that degrading international laws may embolden Washington’s adversaries to launch their own acts of aggression. “International law cannot stop states from doing terrible things if they’re committed to doing them,” Satterthwaite told Al Jazeera. “And I think that the world is aware of all of the atrocities that have happened in Gaza recently, and despite efforts by many states and certainly by the UN to stop those atrocities, they continued. But I think we’re worse off if we don’t insist on the international law that does exist. We’ll simply be going down a much worse kind of slippery slope.” Yusra Suedi, an assistant professor of international law at the University of Manchester, warned against the belief that “might is right” and the trend towards disregarding international law. “It signals something very dangerous, in that it gives permission to other states to essentially follow suit – states such as China, who might be eyeing Taiwan, or Russia with respect to Ukraine,” Suedi told Al Jazeera. Ian Hurd, a professor of political science at Northwestern University, said history illustrates the perils of US policies in Latin America. Advertisement The region has witnessed more than a century of US invasions and US-supported military coups, leading to instability, repression and human rights abuses. “There are innumerable examples historically of this, from Panama to Haiti to Nicaragua to Chile in the ’70s and on and on,” Hurd told Al Jazeera. He added that Trump’s policies in Venezuela are “in line” with how the US has previously attempted to decide how other parts of the Americas are governed. “You can see that in every one of those cases, the US came to regret its choice to intervene. These never work well.” Adblock test (Why?)
Brazil’s President Lula vetoes bill to trim Bolsonaro prison sentence
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has vetoed a bill that would have reduced the prison sentence of his right-wing rival and predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted of plotting a coup. On Thursday, Lula followed through with his promise to block the legislation, which had passed Brazil’s opposition-controlled Congress last year. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “In the name of the future, we do not have the right to forget the past,” Lula wrote in a series of social media posts, saying that it would have benefitted “those who attacked Brazilian democracy”. The veto came on the third anniversary of the 2023 attack on the Three Powers Plaza in the capital of Brasilia, where government buildings representing the presidency, Congress and the Supreme Court stand. On January 8 of that year, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the buildings in an apparent attempt to provoke a military response that would remove Lula from power. In marking the anniversary of the attack, Lula called on Brazilians to stand up for their young democracy, which began after a period of violent dictatorship in the late 20th century. “January 8th is marked in history as the day of democracy’s victory. A victory over those who tried to seize power by force, disregarding the popular will expressed at the ballot box. Over those who have always defended dictatorship, torture, and the extermination of opponents,” Lula wrote online. “The attempted coup on January 8, 2023, reminded us that democracy is not an unshakeable achievement.” Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, centre, and his wife, First Lady Rosangela da Silva, attend a ceremony marking the three-year anniversary of Brazil’s capital riot, on January 8, 2026 [Eraldo Peres/AP Photo] Bolsonaro’s sentence The January 8 attack caused millions of dollars in property damage and dozens of injuries, as police and protesters clashed in the government plaza. Advertisement The incident evoked comparisons to the violent riot at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, where supporters of President Donald Trump attempted to disrupt the certification of his 2020 election defeat. Likewise, Bolsonaro, a former army captain, had refused to concede his defeat to Lula after a narrow loss in the 2022 elections. Rather, he and his allies had argued that Brazil’s electronic voting machines were susceptible to fraud, and they challenged the election results in court. Their petition, however, was thrown out for its “total absence of any evidence”. Still, many of Bolsonaro’s supporters backed his claims and took to the streets to protest the election results. The weeks surrounding Lula’s inauguration in January 2023 were fraught, with reports of a bomb threat and an attack on police headquarters in Brasilia. Prosecutors later accused Bolsonaro and his allies of leading a criminal conspiracy to overturn the election results. One of the options the defendants allegedly weighed was to declare a “state of siege” in Brazil, which would allow the military to take control and new elections be held. Another option was reportedly to assassinate Lula and his running mate, Geraldo Alckmin. Bolsonaro has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied any wrongdoing, framing the accusations instead as a political hit job. Still, in September, he was sentenced to 27 years in prison after being found guilty on counts including attempting a coup, causing damage to public property, attempting the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, participation in a criminal enterprise, and the deterioration of a listed national heritage site. He began his prison term in November, after he was found to have damaged the ankle monitor used to ensure he was not a flight risk. Weighing October’s election Conservative politicians, however, have decried the prison sentence as excessive and called for its reduction. Bolsonaro’s son Eduardo has petitioned the Trump administration in the US to intervene on behalf of the imprisoned ex-president, and his eldest child, Flavio Bolsonaro, even hinted he might suspend his 2026 presidential bid if his father were released. On December 10, Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies passed legislation that would reduce the sentences of nearly 1,000 people linked to the January 8 attack, including Bolsonaro. A week later, on December 17, the Senate followed suit, sending the leniency bill to the president for his signature. But Lula had repeatedly pledged to reject the bill, risking the possibility that Brazil’s Congress could override his veto. Advertisement “ This is a bill that really is a litmus test in Brazilian politics,” Gustavo Ribeiro, a journalist and founder of The Brazil Report, told Al Jazeera. “Conservatives overwhelmingly supported it, while liberals are adamantly against it.” Still, Ribeiro described the bill as a compromise between Brazil’s centre-right and far-right forces. “The centre-right tried to work a sort of a middle-of-the-road solution that is not full amnesty but would allow Bolsonaro to leave incarceration after two years, in what we call in Brazil a semi-open prison sentence,” he explained. He sees Brazil’s general election in October as a significant factor in Congress’s passage of the bill, noting that Bolsonaro remains a popular figure on the right. “Because Bolsonaro has such a big clout with conservatives, many in Congress – many right-of-centre lawmakers – fear that if they do not lend their full support to any cause that Bolsonaro espouses, they will lose support,” Ribeiro said. Lula is seeking a fourth term as president in October’s election, and he is expected to face Bolsonaro’s son Flavio at the ballot box. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump says meeting Iran’s ‘Crown Prince’ Pahlavi would not be appropriate
US president signals he is not ready to back the Israel-aligned opposition figure to lead Iran in case of regime change. United States President Donald Trump has ruled out meeting with Iran’s self-proclaimed Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, suggesting that Washington is not ready to back a successor to the Iranian government, should it collapse. On Thursday, Trump called Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah who was toppled by the Islamic revolution of 1979, a “nice person”. But Trump added that, as president, it would not be appropriate to meet with him. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “I think that we should let everybody go out there and see who emerges,” Trump told The Hugh Hewitt Show podcast. “I’m not sure necessarily that it would be an appropriate thing to do.” The US-based Pahlavi, who has close ties to Israel, leads the monarchist faction of the fragmented Iranian opposition. Trump’s comments signal that the US has not backed Pahlavi’s offer to “lead [a] transition” in governance in Iran, should the current system collapse. The Iranian government is grappling with protests across several parts of the country. Iranian authorities cut off access to the internet on Thursday in an apparent move to suppress the protest movement as Pahlavi called for more demonstrations. The US president had previously warned that he would intervene if the Iranian government targets protesters. He renewed that threat on Thursday. “They’re doing very poorly. And I have let them know that if they start killing people – which they tend to do during their riots, they have lots of riots – if they do it, we’re going to hit them very hard,” Trump said. Advertisement Iranian protests started last month in response to a deepening economic crisis as the value of the local currency, the rial, plunged amid suffocating US sanctions. The economy-focused demonstrations started sporadically across the country, but they quickly morphed into broader antigovernment protests and appear to be gaining momentum, leading to the internet blackout. Pahlavi expressed gratitude to Trump and claimed that “millions of Iranians” protested on Thursday night. “I want to thank the leader of the free world, President Trump, for reiterating his promise to hold the regime to account,” he wrote in a social media post. “It is time for others, including European leaders, to follow his lead, break their silence, and act more decisively in support of the people of Iran.” Last month, Trump also threatened to attack Iran again if it rebuilds its nuclear or missile programmes. The US bombed Iran’s three main nuclear facilities in June as part of a war that Israel launched against the country without provocation. On top of its economic and political crises, Iran has faced environmental hurdles, including severe water shortages, deepening its domestic unrest. Iran has also been dealt major blows to its foreign policy as its network of allies has shrunk over the past two years. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was toppled by armed opposition forces in December 2024; Hezbollah was weakened by Israeli attacks; and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been abducted by the US. But Iran’s leaders have continued to dismiss US threats. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei doubled down on his defiant rhetoric after the US raid in Caracas on Saturday. “We will not give in to the enemy,” Khamenei wrote in a social media post. “We will bring the enemy to its knees.” Adblock test (Why?)
Central Railway services hit as fire beaks out in train filled with garbage in Mumbai’s Kurla
According to officials from the CR, the first coach of the train, in which garbage and muck collected from tracks and railway lines were collected, got engulfed in flames around 8:30 pm. Here are more details on this.