For over 35 years, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ruled Iran with an iron grip
Both US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have raised the possibility of targeting Tehran's all-powerful leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. CNN's Melissa Bell takes a look at Khamenei's rise to power, and how the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran may put his decades-long rule to the test.
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CNN
20 minutes ago
- CNN
At least 5 elected officials have been arrested or confronted by police while protesting Trump's immigration policies
New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested at Manhattan's immigration court Tuesday, becoming the latest elected official to be detained or forcibly removed from immigration-related proceedings amid the Trump administration's sweeping deportation efforts. At least four other elected officials have recently faced similar confrontations with law enforcement. Here's what we know. Lander had been monitoring immigration court activity over the past few weeks and escorting asylum seekers as they exited their court appointments in Manhattan. Tuesday's occurrence was no exception, he told CNN. Multiple videos showed the New York politician standing next to a man and locking arms with him as federal officers approached. The officers asked Lander to step aside to arrest the man, and when he and other bystanders tried to block the arrest, a scuffle broke out between them. 'Anyone can see from the video that I posed no danger to anyone,' Lander told CNN's Laura Coates following his release Tuesday. 'You don't have a judicial warrant,' Lander told officers who attempted to arrest the man, according to videos. The videos showed Lander holding onto the man as officers struggled and ultimately moved in to arrest him. At one point, an officer puts his arm up to Lander's neck, shoving him against a wall and placing him in handcuffs. As he was placed in handcuffs, Lander could be heard telling federal officers: 'You don't have the authority to arrest US citizens, I'm not obstructing. I'm standing right here in the hallway. I asked to see the judicial warrant.' Several directives the Department of Homeland Security issued since January allow ICE officers or agents to conduct immigration enforcement actions in or near courthouses when they have 'credible information' targeted aliens will be at certain locations, including public and non-public areas in court buildings. Court hallways are considered public spaces where authorities would not need a warrant to make arrests. Tricia McLaughlin, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, accused Lander on Fox News of 'assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer,' while he tried to escort the man. Lander, following his release, told CNN migrants were being 'stripped' of their due process rights, often appearing in court without legal representation and with limited understanding that they would be subject to arrest after their court hearing even when their cases are dismissed. 'I'm gonna sleep in my bed tonight, safe with my family,' Lander said to reporters and a crowd of supporters Tuesday. 'I'm grateful to hear that the charges are not being brought, but if they are, I've got a lawyer. I don't have to worry about my due process rights.' US Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla was forcefully removed from a news conference in Los Angeles last week and coerced to the ground after attempting to ask Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a question. Padilla, California's first Latino elected to the US Senate, interrupted Noem as she was giving remarks at the FBI headquarters in Los Angeles on the administration's response to the anti-ICE protests in the city. He was quickly removed from the room, brought to the ground by law enforcement, and placed in handcuffs during the rapidly unfolding incident. 'I was there peacefully,' Padilla said in his first public remarks after the incident. 'At one point I had a question, and so I began to ask a question. I was almost immediately forcibly removed from the room. I was forced to the ground, and I was handcuffed. I was not arrested. I was not detained.' Noem said the US Secret Service 'thought he was an attacker and officers acted appropriately,' despite videos showing the senator identifying himself as officers grabbed him and pushed him toward a door. 'I wish that he would have reached out and identified himself and let us know who he was.' The pair, Noem said, later met and had a 'great conversation' and exchanged phone numbers. 'Sat down, talked for 10, 15 minutes about operations in LA, some activities of the Department of Homeland Security, and so I thought it was very productive,' she told reporters. Padilla later urged people protesting to do so peacefully. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested after attempting to join three members of New Jersey's congressional delegation, Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman, in entering an immigration detention facility in Newark on May 9. He was charged with trespassing, which was later dropped. His arrest took place after a heated argument broke out when federal officials blocked his entry, according to Viri Martinez, an activist with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. The incident continued after Baraka returned to the public side of the gates. Baraka was released the day after the episode and, after stepping out of an SUV with flashing emergency lights, told waiting supporters: 'The reality is this: I didn't do anything wrong.' 'All of us here, every last one of us, I don't care what background you come from, what nationality, what language you speak,' Baraka said, 'at some point we have to stop these people from causing division between us.' Baraka, a Democrat who is running to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy, has embraced the fight with the Trump administration over its breakdown on immigration. He has aggressively pushed back against the construction and opening of the 1,000-bed detention center, arguing that it should not be allowed to open because of building permit issues. Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted last week on federal charges alleging she impeded and interfered with immigration officers outside the same New Jersey detention center Baraka got in trouble. A nearly two-minute clip released by the Department of Homeland Security shows McIver on the facility side of a chain-link fence just before Baraka's arrest on the street side of the fence, where other people had been protesting. She and uniformed officials went through the gate and joined others shouting that they should circle the mayor. The video shows McIver in a tightly packed group of people and officers. At one point, her left elbow and then her right elbow push into an officer wearing a dark face covering and an olive-green uniform emblazoned with the word 'Police' on it. It isn't clear from police bodycam footage whether that contact was intentional, incidental, or a result of jostling in the chaotic scene. In a complaint filed by acting US Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba, McIver was charged with two assault charges stemming from the May 9 visit to Newark's Delaney Hall. McIver disputed the allegations as baseless and defended her presence at the facility as part of her authorized role as a member of Congress. Her lawyer, former US Attorney for New Jersey Paul Fishman, said in a statement that they would challenge the allegations 'head-on' in court. Milwaukee judge Hannah Dugan was arrested in April and charged for obstruction and concealing an individual from arrest, after she allegedly helped a defendant in her courtroom to evade immigration officials stationed to arrest him. A criminal affidavit states Dugan 'became visibly angry, commented that the situation was 'absurd,' left the bench, and entered chambers,' after learning the plainclothes agents were in the courthouse. Witnesses said she confronted the federal agents in a public hallway, repeatedly demanded they leave and said they needed a different kind of warrant to make the arrest, according to court documents. She reportedly also involved the courthouse's chief judge in the matter. In a ruling issued in late April, the Wisconsin Supreme Court said Dugan would be 'temporarily prohibited from exercising the powers of a circuit court judge' while her case moves through the legal system, according to court records. CNN's Gloria Pazmino, Michael Williams, Manu Raju, Annie Grayer, Veronica Stracqualursi, Ted Barrett, Hannah Rabinowitz, Holmes Lybrand, Whitney Wild, Bill Kirkos, and Chris Boyette contributed to this report.
Newsweek
24 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Hamas Sends Warning to U.S. Over Iran Attack
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Hamas has warned that U.S. threats of military intervention against Iran will push the Middle East to "the brink of explosion." The U.S. has not announced a military operation against Iran, but President Donald Trump issued stark warnings to Tehran and American forces are being deployed in the region. Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. State Department for comment. Why it Matters The statement from Hamas, an ally of Iran, is another indication of the potential threat to the United States for any deeper involvement in the war. As the conflict between Israel and Iran unfolded over the week following Israel's attack on Iranian nuclear, missile, military and residential sites, the Palestinian faction Hamas, Israel's bitter enemy and one of Iran's regional proxy groups, has also been at odds with Washington over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, with both sides blaming each other for failing to stop the war. Masked militants from the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, a military wing of Hamas, march with their weapons and green Islamic flags during a rally marking Palestinian prisoners Day in Gaza City, Monday, April 17, 2017. Masked militants from the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, a military wing of Hamas, march with their weapons and green Islamic flags during a rally marking Palestinian prisoners Day in Gaza City, Monday, April 17, 2017. Adel Hana/AP Photo What To Know Hamas said it strongly condemns and rejects U.S. threats against Iran, describing Israel's attack as "a blatant violation" and a "direct threat" to "peace in the region and the world," in an Arabic statement broadcast through their official Telegram channel. Amid the operation in Iran, the Israeli military said it is continuing its ground offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The latest round of the broader Middle East conflict began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, leading to a multi-front war between Israel and Iran and its proxies. The recent fighting with Iran has sidelined efforts for the release of Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity as well as a ceasefire in Gaza. A UN-led conference aimed at promoting a two-state solution scheduled for this week and co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, has been suspended due to escalating tensions in the region. Over a dozen Muslim and Arab nations have also condemned Israel's attack, urging de-escalation and nuclear diplomacy with Iran. Israel launched its offensive earlier this week, citing the threat of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons after reports warned Tehran's uranium enrichment was nearing bomb grade. Rising tensions before the Israeli strikes had already undermined hopes for a new nuclear deal with the U.S., as Iran ruled out compromising on enrichment of uranium. Iran says its nuclear program is purely peaceful. A war with Iran has long held out the prospect of drawing in its allied militant groups, though Hamas and Lebanese group Hezbollah have been significantly weakened by Israel over the past year. While Hamas maintains limited operations in Gaza, the Houthis have emerged as a greater challenge to Israel and the U.S. What People Are Saying Hamas' statement, translated from Arabic: "We warn of the grave dangers of direct American involvement in any military aggression against Iran and hold Washington and the Zionist entity fully responsible for the consequences of escalation against Iran and the region. We affirm our solidarity with Iran and its people and support their legitimate right to defend themselves and their national sovereignty." U.S. President Donald Trump on Truth Social: "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!" Israel Defense Forces (IDF) posted on X on Tuesday: "We will keep fighting to bring all 53 hostages home." What Happens Next The conflict now risks broader escalation, particularly if the United States gets involved more deeply and if that prompts responses from other global powers.
Washington Post
26 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Trump, Biden and U.S. Steel: More government control over the economy
The leader of the Republican Party, which has governed on and off since the 1980s promising to get the government off the backs of the American people, has decided that the steel industry of the United States, once perhaps the most market-friendly nation on earth, should be run by government fiat.
