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Trump says Iran released American woman held since 2024 in ‘gesture of goodwill’

Trump says Iran released American woman held since 2024 in ‘gesture of goodwill’

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran has released an American woman who he said was “wrongfully detained” in the country for the past year and a half. She was identified as Iranian-American citizen Dena Karari by her attorney Jared Genser, who confirmed her release to Fox News. She was reportedly accused of espionage over her work with an American nonprofit helping impoverished children. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the woman was detained in December 2024, during the Biden administration and was recently allowed to leave Iran.  “Iran has allowed an American Citizen, who was wrongfully detained in December of 2024 under the ‘presidency’ of Sleepy Joe Biden, to leave the Country,” Trump wrote. TRUMP REVIVES HIS DECADES-OLD IRAN WARNING AS US RAMPS UP MILITARY PRESSURE: ‘REMARKABLY CONSISTENT’ Karari is reportedly now safely outside Iran and in good condition following her release, according to Trump. Her release marks the first time an American has been freed from Iranian custody since 2023, and represents a notable development amid ongoing military confrontations between Washington and Tehran. Following her release, Trump thanked Iran for what he described as a “gesture of goodwill.” “The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!” he wrote. TRUMP SAYS IRAN CEASEFIRE IS ‘OVER’ AFTER IRANIAN ATTACKS TRIGGER MASSIVE US RESPONSE Gesner released a statement shortly after Trump’s announcement, saying she had been “trapped in Iran on bogus charges of collaboration with a hostile state and espionage” but is now on her way back to the United States. According to Genser, Karari was targeted after Iranian authorities linked her to the Children of Mehr Foundation, a U.S.-registered nonprofit that provides books, literacy programs and other humanitarian assistance to impoverished children in rural Iran. Under the regime, affiliations with U.S.-based organizations operating inside Iran are often viewed with heightened suspicion and can lead to accusations of security-related offenses. Genser clarified that Karari was never formally imprisoned but was effectively held in Iran through a “coercive exit ban.” She was reportedly interrogated dozens of times by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and “suffered enormous physical and psychological hardship.” “We urge Iran to drop all the remaining charges against those who worked locally in support of the Children of Mehr Foundation, who are innocent and committed no crimes,” Genser said. “And I personally call on Iran to release both all wrongly imprisoned Americans and those subjected to coercive exit bans and all Iranian political prisoners.” PENCE COMMENDS TRUMP FOR WINNING FREEDOM OF BEIJING’S ZION CHURCH PASTOR EZRA JIN FROM CHINESE DETENTION Sources previously told Fox News Digital in January 2026 that Iran may have been holding more than eight American citizens and residents in custody, exceeding publicly available data that listed five American hostages in Iran. Two of the current hostages include Kamran Hekmati, a 61-year-old Jewish man held since May 2025, and Reza Valizadeh, a 49-year-old journalist and dual Iranian-American national held since March 2024. A U.S. State Department official previously told Fox News Digital that “President Trump is working to secure the release of detained Americans around the world.” “The Iranian regime has a long history of unjustly and wrongfully detaining other countries’ citizens as hostages for use as political leverage. Iran should release these individuals immediately,” the official said. US HOSTAGES IN IRAN FACE HEIGHTENED RISK AS PROTESTS SPREAD, EXPERTS SAY NUMBER HELD MAY EXCEED ESTIMATES According to United Against Nuclear Iran, Tehran detains foreign nationals on vague charges and uses them as “bargaining chips” to extract concessions from other countries, such as securing the release of frozen financial assets locked up by international sanctions. Iran has frequently targeted individuals who hold both American and Iranian citizenship, as Tehran does not recognize dual nationality and often treats dual citizens solely as Iranian nationals, limiting their access to U.S. consular assistance, United Against Nuclear Iran said. During the most recent major prisoner exchange in September 2023, the U.S. secured the release of five Americans who had been detained in Iran for years. In exchange, the U.S. approved the transfer of $6 billion in frozen funds. Fox News’ Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.

Tim Walz offers strange defense for pardoning convicted child rapist Trump administration deported

Tim Walz offers strange defense for pardoning convicted child rapist Trump administration deported

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz publicly defended his vote to pardon a Laotian national who had been under a final removal order after losing legal status following a child sex crime conviction of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a 10-year-old girl after the Trump administration deported him to Laos last week. Tou Lue Vang, 42, received a pardon from Minnesota’s Board of Pardons on June 10. On Friday, the Trump administration announced Vang’s legal status had been revoked and that he had been deported to his home country of Laos. Asked about the deportation, Walz questioned what the move accomplished. EXPOSED DOCS REVEAL WHY TIM WALZ BOARD AWARDED REPEAT CHILD RAPIST PARDON: ‘NO FUTURE’ “Did that make us any safer?” Walz said Tuesday, according to KTTC. “Did that make the children that are left behind any more stable? “Did it improve the idea that we can’t all be judged by our worst day?” “And I want to be very clear,” Walz continued. “These are horrific crimes. They often are.” ALLEGED CUBAN INFLUENCE OPERATIVE, FAMILY IN FEDERAL CUSTODY AFTER RUBIO REVOKES LEGAL STATUS Walz also said Vang’s pardon was not about immigration policy, noting that the Board of Pardons had denied clemency to other applicants facing immigration-related consequences. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Vang’s deportation Friday, telling Fox News Digital, “Americans should never have to live in fear that foreign sex predators — shielded from deportation by their own elected officials — could endanger them or their children. “That’s why I terminated his legal status in the United States,” Rubio continued. “Vang has now been removed from our country and will never pose a threat to any American ever again.” ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SOCCER COACH WHO USED ALCOHOL AND DRUGS TO SEXUALLY ABUSE KIDS LEARNS FATE Fox News Digital previously reported that Vang admitted to repeatedly sexually assaulting a girl over a period of several years beginning when she was 10 years old. Vang entered the United States through California in 1994 and was granted legal status during the Clinton administration. Between 2002 and 2004, he repeatedly sexually assaulted the victim in St. Paul, Minnesota. The first assault occurred when she was in the fourth grade. After his conviction, federal officials said Vang lost legal status and was placed under a final removal order. The Minnesota Clemency Review Commission recommended a pardon for Vang. The Board of Pardons, made up of Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, later granted the pardon. The pardon drew criticism from federal immigration officials and Republican lawmakers. Walz defended the decision by citing the victim’s support for Vang’s pardon, among other factors, according to KSTP. A spokesperson for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office told MPR News that the pardon did not protect Vang from deportation. At the time, Homeland Security acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis criticized the decision. “Governor Tim Walz’s decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so he can remain in our country is disgusting,” Bis said. “These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his Minnesota sanctuary politicians are protecting.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Walz’s office for additional comment. Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.

Nevada Lt Gov: Elon Musk could make space tourism state’s next big industry

Nevada Lt Gov: Elon Musk could make space tourism state’s next big industry

Nevada Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony has an unusual plan to rev up the Silver State’s entertainment business: space tourism. And with Elon Musk having significant business interests in the state, Anthony won’t have to look far to find the man to do it. Anthony’s background has been anything but boring. He had a nearly three-decade career in law enforcement, was a regent in the state’s higher education system and served as a longtime Las Vegas city councilman.  He ran a spirited campaign for mayor of Las Vegas and, since 2022, has served alongside Gov. Joe Lombardo, leading the Silver State. The Lombardo/Anthony ticket was the only one in America in which Republicans defeated an incumbent Democratic governor and lieutenant governor. Recently, Anthony sat down with Fox News Digital at FreedomFest in Las Vegas to discuss his career, the Nevada economy and electoral prospects in 2026 in what is shaping up to be one of the tightest gubernatorial races in the country. JOE LOMBARDO CRUISES PAST SIX GOP CHALLENGERS TO SECURE NEVADA REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL NOMINATION Anthony promotes the state as a mecca for the entertainment business, touting a light regulatory touch and a thriving climate for entrepreneurship. He’s particularly bullish on professional sports and the nascent space tourism industry. “If you look at 10 years ago, we didn’t have one major sporting activity here in Nevada. They actually would not come here because they thought there would be illegal gambling and corruption and bribery and so on and so forth. In 10 years, we’ve become the sports capital of the world. Baseball is coming. We have hockey. We have football. We’re going to have basketball coming. F1. NASCAR. We have women’s basketball, on and on and that just kind of cropped up. “The thing about Las Vegas is anything can happen here, so it’s really not up to me as a lieutenant governor to decide what’s the next big thing in tourism. It’s the tourist industry that has to decide what’s the next big thing.  REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR TARGETED BY DEMOCRATS LAUNCHES RE-ELECTION BID IN KEY BATTLEGROUND “One thing that is of interest is space tourism. I think that might be a future here in Nevada because we have a lot of open land where … somebody like Elon Musk can shoot rockets up into outer space, hang out up there for a while, have some drinks. Hang out with friends. “What an experience that would be to see the Earth from up there and actually make it a tourist kind of an adventure. So, those are the kind of things that we’re constantly thinking about, but it’s the private sector that needs to do it. And I am very much in favor of allowing our entrepreneurs to come up with the next best thing and to support them.” Anthony credits his lengthy career with the Las Vegas Metro Police for giving him the problem-solving foundation to launch a successful political career: “You know, most people think of the policing that they see on television. High-speed pursuits, gunfights, bar fights, chasing people down dark alleys and arresting serious criminals. And that is a big part of policing. But, really, 90% of police work is really solving problems. Going into neighborhoods, finding out what are the issues in those neighborhoods, helping those neighbors solve issues to make their quality of life a lot better. “I’ve learned that that’s really what I should be doing as an elected official. My job is to go out there and talk to people and find out what the state can do, what a county could do, what a city could do to make their lives better; helping folks live the American dream and not causing problems like higher taxes, higher regulations, getting in their way, those sorts of things. So, that’s really what I learned about police work.” President Trump has endorsed the Lombardo/Anthony ticket, and he believes the new no tax on tips policy will prove to be a major electoral boost come November. “Well, President Trump has endorsed the governor. President Trump has endorsed me. He was just here a couple of months ago to talk about his no taxes on tips, which was a huge thing here in Nevada. TRUMP ENDORSES NEIGHBORING STATE LIEUTENANT GOVERNORS FOR RE-ELECTION “I think President Trump will be here. He’s welcome anytime to come to the great state of Nevada and talk to folks in Nevada. When he was campaigning, he would have events with 5,000 or 6,000 people attending. So, we have a good relationship with him. We want to have a relationship with him, and I believe he’ll be here to talk about some of the great things his administration is doing, not only in the country, but how it’s impacting Nevada in a positive way.” Anthony noted that his political philosophy is heavily shaped by his immigrant parents from Cyprus who instilled the values of hard work, self-reliance and fiscal responsibility. “When they came to the United States, and they didn’t have anything, all they could do was find a job and get married and raise a family. … No. 1: you work hard.  “No. 2: you don’t ask the government for anything. You want them to protect you, you want to have roads. But you don’t ask them for welfare. You don’t ask them for unemployment checks. You don’t ask them for food stamps. So, that’s not something that they thought the government would do. “Their responsibility was to work hard, raise a family, buy a home and live the American dream. That taught me a lot. And that’s really how I’ve continued my public service. I am here to support Nevadans in ways that they want support, but I’m not here to carry them. They need to carry themselves, and I think they understand that.”

EXCLUSIVE: Pence pushes to rename bill for Lindsey Graham, recalls final talk: ‘Bring Putin to the table’

EXCLUSIVE: Pence pushes to rename bill for Lindsey Graham, recalls final talk: ‘Bring Putin to the table’

FIRST ON FOX: Former Vice President Mike Pence is calling on Congress to rename Sen. Lindsey Graham’s signature Russia sanctions legislation after the late South Carolina Republican, telling Fox News Digital there would be “no more fitting tribute” to one of the Senate’s most influential national security hawks. In an exclusive interview, Pence said Graham’s years-long push for tougher sanctions against Russia should become both his legislative legacy and a permanent reminder of his unwavering support for Ukraine and America’s allies. Pence argued Congress has a rare opportunity to honor Graham by passing the bipartisan sanctions package he spent years championing and sending it to President Donald Trump with the senator’s name attached. GRAHAM REPORTEDLY REFUSED MEDICAL HELP BEFORE SCHEDULED TV APPEARANCE “I also believe it’d be altogether fitting to put Sen. Lindsey Graham’s name on that bill,” Pence told Fox News Digital. “Send it to the president, have him sign it into law.” Pence said Graham viewed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as one of the defining geopolitical challenges of the era and believed economic pressure was essential to forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate. “He never had any illusions about who we were dealing with — with Vladimir Putin,” Pence said. The former vice president, who has traveled to Ukraine twice since Russia’s invasion, said Graham understood that Ukraine represented “a frontier of freedom” and consistently pushed both Republican and Democratic administrations to stand firmly with America’s allies. When asked whether the sanctions legislation could ultimately become Graham’s greatest achievement, Pence said it may well define how history remembers the longtime senator. “I think it could be,” Pence said. EUROPE BANKROLLS PUTIN’S WAR MACHINE EVEN AS NATO RACES TO BOLSTER DEFENSES He pointed to Graham’s decades-long advocacy for Israel, Ukraine and a stronger NATO alliance, saying the senator remained remarkably consistent throughout his public career. Pence said Graham also played an important role in encouraging NATO allies to increase defense spending during the first Trump administration, while remaining one of Israel’s fiercest advocates on Capitol Hill. For Pence, however, Graham’s final legislative push is inseparable from one of their last conversations together. He still remembers the meeting vividly. Pence and his wife, Karen, had just landed at Reagan National Airport and were making their way through the terminal when they spotted Graham heading toward another gate. As he almost always did, Graham began by asking about Pence’s family. The senator wanted updates on Pence’s son, a Marine Corps fighter pilot, and his son-in-law, a Navy fighter pilot. Pence said Graham never forgot to ask about them. But after briefly catching up, the conversation shifted to the issue occupying Graham’s attention in his final months. “We went straight into a conversation about Ukraine sanctions,” Pence recalled. Pence thanked Graham for leading the effort and mentioned a Wall Street Journal opinion piece supporting tougher sanctions against Russia. Graham immediately leaned in. “He did one of those — puts his finger in my chest — and said, ‘You just stay on this. This is the way we’re gonna get this done. This is the way you bring Putin to the table.’” The two men embraced before heading toward separate gates. “We parted with a handshake and a hug,” Pence said. LINDSEY GRAHAM, SOUTH CAROLINA SENATOR WHO ROSE FROM SMALL-TOWN ROOTS TO GOP POWER BROKER, DIES AT 71 Looking back, Pence said that brief airport encounter perfectly captured the man he had known for decades. Graham enjoyed talking about family and could always be counted on for a joke, Pence said, but the personal conversation rarely lasted long before he returned to public policy. “He was a very serious legislator,” Pence said. “He was a man who was deeply committed to policy.” Pence said Graham’s convictions never changed, whether the issue was supporting the military, standing with Israel, protecting unborn life or confronting authoritarian regimes like Russia, Iran and China. “He never wavered,” Pence said. The former vice president said he learned of Graham’s death Sunday morning and remains deeply saddened by the loss of someone he first came to know during the Republican Revolution of the 1990s before serving alongside him in Congress and later in the Trump administration. “I was taken aback by the news,” Pence said. “I really, really have a heavy heart to this hour.” Pence said he hopes lawmakers finish the work Graham dedicated years to advancing. “I really do believe there would be no more fitting tribute to the life and vision of Senator Lindsey Graham than for Congress to pass and the president to sign the tough Russia sanctions bill,” Pence said. “I’m going to continue to champion that in the days ahead.” The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.