Rubio announces US will bar foreign censors from getting visas
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday that the US will no longer allow foreign government officials 'who are complicit in censoring Americans' from obtaining visas.
'It is unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants on U.S. citizens or U.S. residents for social media posts on American platforms while physically present on U.S. soil,' Rubio said in a statement.
'It is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States,' he added.
'We will not tolerate encroachments upon American sovereignty, especially when such encroachments undermine the exercise of our fundamental right to free speech.'
It was not immediately clear which foreign officials would come under threat of having visas revoked.
4 Rubio's announcement comes one day after a leaked State Department cable ordered US embassies and consulates to halt student visa applications for all foreigners.
AP
Rubio's announcement comes one day after the State Department ordered US embassies and consulates to halt processing of student visa applications from foreigners, with a revised procedure reportedly set to consider social media postings and other information.
At least 4,000 student visas have already been yanked away from international students with criminal histories, a senior State Department official told The Post last month, in addition to high-profile cases involving anti-Israel protesters on college campuses being rushed into removal proceedings.
During President Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia earlier this month, the family of a 75-year-old American detained in the Gulf nation over critical tweets of the Riyadh government petitioned the US to secure his release.
Saad Almadi, a US-Saudi dual citizen, was initially sentenced to 19 years in prison for tweeting criticisms of the Saudi government from his home in Florida, has since been released — but is banned from leaving the country to return to America.
4 Anti-Israel protesters on college campuses have been among the thousands of foreign students rushed into removal proceedings.
James Keivom
'He tried to go to Dubai two months ago [in March] and they said, 'You are banned from traveling, contact the Ministry of Interior.' And when he contacted the Ministry of Interior, they told him, 'Saad, you are still facing a trial and you are still under travel ban for 19 years,'' his son, Ibrahim Almadi, told The Post.
'Basically in court they said the charges are dropped and now they are refusing to let him travel. They said, 'No, the charges are still there, they aren't dropped.' It's just a miserable court system.'
Trump's media empire and Rumble have also challenged a Brazilian Supreme Court ruling that they claimed earlier this year would 'censor legitimate political discourse in the United States.'
The State Department and White House have also been closely watching a UK court case involving a Tory councillor's wife sentenced in October to 31 months in prison over a social media post judged racially hateful, The Telegraph reported.
4
REUTERS
Lucy Connolly, who is married to Northampton councillor Ray Connolly, called for 'mass deportation' after an Al Qaeda -supporting teen stabbed three young girls to death and wounded 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last summer.
The 'sadistic' slaying, prosecutors said, was carried out by Axel Rudakubana — and sparked a week of riots due to internet rumors that the UK teen was a Rwandan migrant.
Rudakubana, who was born and raised in Wales by Rwandan parents, was sentenced in January to 13 counts of life in prison and ordered to serve a minimum of 52 years.
Connolly later deleted her post calling for deportations and setting 'fire' to hotels. A judge rejected an appeal for her to receive a commuted sentence.
4 Trump's media empire and Rumble have also challenged a Brazilian Supreme Court ruling that they claimed earlier this year would 'censor legitimate political discourse in the United States.'
Brazilian Supreme Court/AFP via Getty Images
Last Saturday, US officials also met with UK pro-life activists regarding censorship fears, according to The Telegraph.
Vice President JD Vance warned European officials about their speech restriction efforts in February during an appearance at the Munich Security Conference.
'You cannot win a democratic mandate by censoring your opponents or putting them in jail,' Vance scolded leaders at one point.
The vice president in his address further highlighted moves by the EU Commission to suppress social media posts deemed 'hateful' and the persecution of Christians silently praying outside abortion clinics in the UK.
'The government urged readers to report any fellow citizens suspected guilty of thoughtcrime in Britain and across Europe,' he said. 'Free speech, I fear, is in retreat.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Has Big Brother arrived? Inside the secretive Trump effort to centralize government data on millions of Americans
The Trump administration is reportedly leaning on an Elon Musk-allied tech company to build wide-ranging data tools pooling government information on millions of Americans and immigrants alike. The campaign has raised alarms from critics that the company could be furthering Musk's DOGE effort to vacuum up and potentially weaponize – or sell – mass amounts of sensitive personal data, particularly against vulnerable groups like immigrants and political dissidents. In March, the president signed an executive order dedicated to 'stopping waste, fraud, and abuse by eliminating information silos,' a euphemism for pooling vast stores of data on Americans under the federal government. To carry out the data effort, the administration has deepened the federal government's longstanding partnership with Palantir, a tech firm specializing in building big data applications, which was co-founded by Silicon Valley investor, GOP donor, and JD Vance mentor Peter Thiel. Since Trump took office, the administration has reportedly spent more than $113 million with Palantir through new and existing contracts, while the company is slated to begin work on a new $795 million deal with the Defense Department. Palantir is reportedly working with the administration in the Pentagon, the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Internal Revenue Service, according to The New York Times. Within these agencies, the firm is reportedly building tools to track the movement of migrants in real time and streamline all tax data. The company is also reportedly in talks about deploying its technology at the Social Security Administration and the Department of Education, both of which have been targets of DOGE, and which store sensitive information about Americans' identities and finances. 'We act as a data processor, not a data controller,' the company insisted in response to the Times report. 'Our software and services are used under direction from the organizations that license our products. These organizations define what can and cannot be done with their data; they control the Palantir accounts in which analysis is conducted.' The Trump administration has reportedly pursued a variety of efforts to use big data to support its priorities, including social media surveillance of immigrants to detect alleged pro-terror views, and American activists who disagree wit Donal Trump's views.. Earlier this month, a group of former Palantir employees warned in an open letter that the company was 'normalizing authoritarianism under the guise of a 'revolution' led by oligarchs.' 'By supporting Trump's administration, Elon Musk's DOGE initiative, and dangerous expansions of executive power, they have abandoned their responsibility and are in violation of Palantir's Code of Conduct,' the employees wrote. Previous reporting from CNN and WIRED has described efforts at the Department of Homeland Security to build mass data tools to support tracking and surveilling undocumented immigrants, a key priority for the White House as deportations still aren't reaching levels necessary to meet Trump's promise of rapidly removing millions of people from the country. The effort has involved merging data from outside agencies like Social Security and the IRS, according to WIRED. 'They are trying to amass a huge amount of data,' a senior DHS official told the magazine. 'It has nothing to do with finding fraud or wasteful spending … They are already cross-referencing immigration with SSA and IRS, as well as voter data.' Since Trump took office, DOGE operatives, many of whom are unknown to the public nor have been vetted, have rapidly sought access to data at key agencies, including the Departments of Education and the Treasury, as well as the Social Security Administration, often over the objections of senior staff. The efforts have prompted scores of lawsuits against DOGE. At Social Security, the administration also moved thousands of living, mostly Latino undocumented immigrants into the agency's 'Death Master File' in an attempt to pressure them to leave the country. DOGE itself is reportedly under audit for its action by the Government Accountability Office, a federal watchdog. An April letter from Democrats on the House Oversight Committee warned of DOGE's 'extreme negligence and an alarmingly cavalier attitude' toward sensitive data. It claimed a whistleblower had described how 'DOGE engineers have tried to create specialized computers for themselves that simultaneously give full access to networks and databases across different agencies.' The 'whistleblower information obtained by the Committee, combined with public reporting, paints a picture of chaos at SSA [Social Security Administration] as DOGE is rapidly, haphazardly, and unlawfully working to implement changes that could disrupt Social Security payments and expose Americans' sensitive data,' the letter reads.'
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Community members, politicians react to approval of Central Park renovation designs
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ)– If you've been to any recent Johnstown City Council meetings or spoken with community members it's clear that there is a divide on where people stand regarding the Central Park renovation project. 'If they're going to listen to the people directly, then I'm for it, but if it's just wham bam thank you ma'am just out the air, then no,' Johnstown resident Tereah Henderson said. Several people took advantage of the good weather on Friday morning to check out the farmer's market around Central Park. Some say that they hope a revitalized park will help create new events like it in the future. Johnstown companies awarded $256 million in military defense contracts 'I mean there's businesses down here and if they're still going to do a lot of these events close by, I don't see why it would hurt,' Johnstown Resident Vicky Cobaugh said. The City Council voted on Wednesday to approve the final plans for the project. The project uses funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to cover the cost of the $6 to $8 million renovation. More than one and a half million has already been spent in the design phase, and as for the rest of the money designated for the project, the city either has to use it or lose it. Using funds from the American rescue Plan Act has come under scrutiny throughout the discussions of the project, even from State Representative Frank Burns. 'We have a police station that is falling apart, and it needs attention quickly,' Burns said. Now whether that's a new police station, or building, building a new one, renovating the one that's already there, all that matters is that we have a suitable place for our police officers to work out of and protect the public. They could have used that money to hire more police officers. I've been touting that for 3 years now. That they should use this money to hire more officers but they chose the park as their top priority. ' 'Truthfully, I told them on Wednesday night to give the money back,' Republican Candidate for Mayor John Debartola said. Debartola said that he believes the project will devastate downtown businesses and is upset that it will remove some landmarks like the Pasquerilla Fountain. The plans also call for a new and expanded gazebo and a new Walk of Honor. Instead, Debartola said he would rather see repairs to the current design. 'Take a look at this park when you do a video pan, it needs improvements, it doesn't need eight million dollars,' Debartola said. 'It doesn't need two million spent on plans to friends and family.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
18 minutes ago
- New York Post
Sen. Joni Ernst sparks crowd's anger with ‘we all are going to die' response to Medicaid cut questions
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst was met with shouts and groans when she said 'we all are going to die' as she addressed potential changes to Medicaid eligibility at a town hall in north-central Iowa on Friday. She had been consistent in her message throughout the contentious forum at a high school in Parkersburg, Iowa, as she defended the tax and immigration package that has passed the House and is now under consideration in the Senate. Facing several constituents concerned about cuts to Medicaid, she defended the $700 billion in reduced spending, saying it would keep immigrants in the U.S. illegally and those who have access to insurance through their employers off the rolls. Advertisement Sen. Joni Ernst was met with shouts and groans when she said 'we all are going to die' when citing the potential changes that could be made to Medicaid eligibility at an Iowa town hall Friday. IB Photography – Then someone in the crowd yelled that people will die without coverage. 'People are not … well, we all are going to die,' Ernst said, drawing groans. Advertisement 'So, for heaven's sakes. For heaven's sakes, folks.' 'What you don't want to do is listen to me when I say that we are going to focus on those that are most vulnerable,' Ernst went on. 'Those that meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid we will protect.' House Republicans last week muscled through the massive spending and tax cut package, dubbed 'the big, beautiful bill' at the urging of President Donald Trump, by a single vote. Advertisement Ernst had the forum held at a high school in Parkersburg, Iowa, while she also defended the tax and immigration bill that had passed the House and is now under consideration in the Senate. WAAY 31 News It now moves to the Senate. Ernst made clear Friday that any measure that emerges from the Senate will look different from the House version. Republicans have defended the new work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents and stepped up eligibility verification, saying the generated savings will sustain the program for vulnerable populations. Advertisement Democrats warn that millions of Americans will lose coverage. A preliminary estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the proposals would reduce the number of people with health care by 8.6 million over the decade. Video of Ernst's comment started making the rounds among Democrat elected officials and candidates. Ernst is up for reelection in 2026. 'This morning, Joni Ernst said the quiet part out loud:' Republicans do not care 'about whether their own constituents live or die as long as the richest few get richer,' said Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, in a statement.
