Latest news with #LebaneseAmerican
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration: Shaheen's husband got preferential treatment
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says Sen. Jeanne Shaheen interceded to keep her husband, Bill, from being put on a terrorist watch list because he had taken three flights with an unnamed suspected terrorist. In an unusual statement released to the press, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said this was only one of many examples of politicization of the Transportation Safety Administration's Silent Partners Quiet Skies program that monitors air travel. Homeland Security (DHS) accused the New Hampshire Democrat of directly lobbying former TSA Administrator David Pekoske to exclude her husband from the list; Bill Shaheen was given a blanket exemption for 18 months. Meanwhile, Noem charged that TSA, at the Biden administration's urging, had added Tulsi Gabbard, a political opponent and now President Donald Trump's director of national intelligence, to the same list. 'It is clear that this program was used as a political rolodex of the Biden Administration —weaponized against its political foes and to benefit their well-heeled friends,' Noem said in the statement. 'This program should have been about the equal application of security, instead it was corrupted to be about political targeting. The Trump Administration will restore the integrity, privacy, and equal application of the law for all Americans, including aviation screening." According to a timeline provided by Homeland Security, Bill Shaheen was randomly selected for surveillance for two flights in July 2023 from Boston to Washington and then back again. DHS officials claim Sen. Shaheen's office made an inquiry to the TSA about her husband being subjected to enhanced screening. Then Bill Shaheen was flagged a second time as a traveler with this suspected terrorist in October 2023. After Shaheen's office made a second inquiry, DHS said, the TSA put her husband on the exclusion list. Shaheen's office has issued a statement denying the senator played any role but said her office did inquire with the TSA after her husband was subjected to inquiries the office called 'extensive, invasive and degrading.' Sen. Shaheen had been unaware her husband was put on any list or that his name was later exempt from that inquiry, a spokesperson said. Bill Shaheen told WMUR Wednesday that it was his complaints about these incidents that prompted his removal from the list, not anything his wife did. 'I didn't ask my wife to put me on the (exemption) list. Who put me on the list (to be watched)? I wanted to know that. When I started pushing on that they took me off the list,' Bill Shaheen said. Bill Shaheen is a Lebanese American who has been politically active in that community. Shaheen's office had told CBS News that the person Bill Shaheen had been flying with was an attorney associate who was also an Arab American. klandrigan@
Ya Libnan
25-05-2025
- Business
- Ya Libnan
US ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack will also serve as special envoy to Syria
Thomas Barrack: 'I am proud to serve as the U.S. Special Envoy for Syria and to support the implementation of President Trump's vision for stable Syria'. Barrack is a Lebanese American whose grandparents immigrated to the US in 1900 from Zahle Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, said on Friday he has assumed the role of special envoy to Syria, as the Trump administration moves to lift sanctions on the country. Barrack said in a post on X that he would support U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in removing U.S. sanctions on Syria after President Donald Trump made a landmark announcement earlier this month that Washington would unwind the measures. 'As President Trump's representative in Türkiye, I am proud to assume the role of the U.S. Special Envoy for Syria and support Secretary Rubio in the realization of the President's vision,' Barrack said. Barrack is a private equity executive who has long advised Trump and chaired his inaugural presidential committee in 2016. The move suggests U.S. acknowledgement that Turkey has emerged with key regional influence on Damascus since rebels ousted Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad in December, ending 14 years of civil war. Trump met with Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on May 14 and urged him to normalise ties with longtime foe Israel. Barrack attended a U.S.-Turkish meeting focused on Syria that was held in Washington on Tuesday, where sanctions relief and efforts to counter terrorism were discussed. Removing U.S. sanctions would clear the way for greater engagement by humanitarian organisations working in Syria, and ease foreign investment and trade as the country tries to rebuild. 'The cessation of sanctions against Syria will preserve the integrity of our primary objective – the enduring defeat of ISIS – and will give the people of Syria a chance for a better future,' Barrack said in the post on X. ISIS refers to the Islamic State militant organization. What we know about Tom Barack Thomas Joseph Barrack Jr. (78) Is the founder and executive chairman of Colony Capital , a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT). Barrack has for decades been a close friend of and fundraiser for U.S. President Donald Trump , representing him in television news appearances. He was senior advisor to Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and served as the chairman of his Inaugural Committee. In December 2024, Barrack was nominated by then President-elect Donald Trump to serve as the United States ambassador to Turkey . Lebanese American Barrack's grandparents were Lebanese who immigrated in 1900 to the United States from the city of Zahlé in the Beqaa region of Lebanon Barrack was raised in Culver City, California . In 1969, Barrack earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California (USC), where he participated on their varsity rugby team. He then attended the USC Gould School of Law , where he was an editor of the Southern California Law Review , before receiving a Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1972 His first job was at the law firm of Herbert W. Kalmbach , President Richard Nixon 's personal lawyer. In 1972, the firm sent him to Saudi Arabia , where he soon became the squash partner of a Saudi prince. He then worked in the kingdom for the Fluor Corporation , and worked for Saudi princes. Shortly after, he helped open diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Haiti , then ruled by Jean-Claude Duvalier , at the request of investor Lonnie Dunn . In 1982, he served as deputy undersecretary of the United States Department of the Interior under James G. Watt in the Reagan administration . As of September 2011, Barrack was the 833rd richest person in the world , and the 375th richest in the United States , with an estimated wealth of US$1.1 billion. His company, Colony NorthStar, has reportedly raised billions in investments, with a substantial portion coming from the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia Barrack has six children and his family lives in California
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Family of American hostage tortured in Lebanon wins landmark case against Iran
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways After a nearly four-year search for justice, a U.S. court has found in favor of the family of a Lebanese American man held hostage in Lebanon, finding that the Islamic Republic of Iran, working through its proxy Hezbollah, should be held liable for their father's kidnap and torture. Two of Amer Fakhoury's daughters, Guila and Zoya Fakhoury, told Fox News Digital that on May 1, a U.S. District Court judge found Iran responsible for Fakhoury's imprisonment. "This is the first lawsuit to prove Iran's influence over Lebanon," Guila said. "We were very happy about the judgment." 'Hostage In Lebanon:' New Hampshire Family Recounts Father's Detainment, Torture In New Book Amer Fakhoury was arrested a week after traveling to Lebanon with his family in September 2019. After his arrest, a newspaper linked with Hezbollah alleged that Fakhoury, formerly a member of the South Lebanon Army, had been the "butcher" of Khiam, a detention center where grave human rights abuses were reported to have taken place. Though he was released from a military prison in December 2019, it was only after the Lebanese Supreme Court dropped charges against Fakhoury in March 2020 that he was able to return to the U.S. By the time of his return, Fakhoury had lost 60 pounds and was suffering from late-stage lymphoma, along with rib fractures and other health complications. He died in September 2020 at the age of 57. Read On The Fox News App Proving Fakhoury's suffering and torture was a battle for the family, though Guila said the State Department's classification of her father as a hostage was instrumental in proving the nature of Fakhoury's captivity. Sens. Cruz, Shaheen Propose Sanctions Against Lebanese Offiicals Over American Prisoner Proving that Iran was behind the imprisonment was more difficult. In fact, while Guila said some people "kind of laughed" that the family blamed Iran for their father's mistreatment, Zoya said "Iran's influence in Lebanon in recent years further proves our point." Because Iran never responded to the suit, Guila said the family was forced to provide evidence her father witnessed of Hezbollah's control over "every government agency in Lebanon," including the military hospital, military court, and the Lebanese General Directorate of General Security, the country's intelligence apparatus that Guila said arrested and tortured Fakhoury. In Beirut, an arch glorifying Hezbollah and Iran's leader Ali Khamenei, and people gather outside a hospital after the arrival of several men wounded by exploding handheld pagers, in Beirut. Even when the Lebanese judicial system found Fakhoury innocent of multiple false charges that he was a killer, a terrorist and an Israeli agent, Guila said officials told Fakhoury that they had to keep him "because Hezbollah wants [him] in prison." Fakhoury's family faced difficulties even before filing their case in May 2021. Zoya says Hezbollah officials in Lebanon have been issuing threats to the family since Fakhoury's death. In addition to Iran failing to respond to the suit, Guila said Lebanese General Directorate of General Security officials interfered with the lawsuit by asking to have their names and agencies removed. She says the judge denied the request. Long periods of silence from the court also made the wait for justice difficult, Zoya said. "The last four years, we were fearful," she explained. "We were worried maybe nothing's going to come out of this." While the family is grateful for the judgment they received, Guila says they believe the settlement awarded through the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act was "a bit of an unfair decision" and did not "take into account the pain and the suffering of the family." Still, the landmark judgment paves the way for others to find justice, the family says. "We're hoping, with this administration, to use the judgment that we have and the work that we've been doing in the [Amer] Foundation to continue the accountability efforts," Guila said. "A lot of other Lebanese citizens [and] American citizens that have been targeted by the Lebanese government, by Hezbollah in Lebanon, can now use this case to get justice for what happened to them," Zoya explained. The sisters said the next steps in their journey are to find justice for their father and will involve requesting the State Department to sanction "officials in Lebanon who were traitors and working with Hezbollah and Iran." Original article source: Family of American hostage tortured in Lebanon wins landmark case against Iran
The Guardian
12-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Pro-Palestinian protester's lawyer stopped and searched at US border: ‘They were going to take my device'
Amir Makled thought he was being racially profiled. A Lebanese American who was born and raised in Detroit, the attorney was returning home from a family vacation in the Dominican Republic when he said an immigration official at the Detroit Metro airport asked for a 'TTRT' agent after scanning his passport on Sunday. Makled said the expression on the agent's face changed. He felt something 'odd' was happening. 'So I Googled what TTRT meant. I didn't know,' Makled said. 'And what I found out was it meant Tactical Terrorism Response Team. So immediately I knew they're gonna take me in for questioning. And that's when I felt like I was being racially profiled or targeted because I am Arab.' But it quickly became apparent, Makled said, that the stop was different from the type of so-called random stop Muslims and Arab-Americans have become accustomed to at US airports. The plainclothes immigration officer said he knew who Makled was and what he did for a living, according to the lawyer; agents wanted to search his phone. 'They made it clear right off the top: 'We know that you're an attorney and we know that you're taking on some higher-profile cases.' I was like, 'OK, well, what do you want from me?'' Makled recalled. Among the high-profile cases Makled has taken on recently: a pro-Palestinian student protester who was arrested at a demonstration at the University of Michigan. 'To me, there's a clear correlation when you think about what's been happening with all the student protesters across the country and the very explicit direction from the current administration about looking into attorneys who are taking on cases for people seeking asylum or these major law firms in Washington that he issued executive orders on,' he said. In the past few months, the Trump administration has set its sights on people protesting against Israel's ongoing attacks on Gaza. The administration has detained and attempted to deport student protesters who are in the US on visas and revoked the visas of more than 600 students, some in explicit retaliation for activism. Donald Trump has simultaneously signed executive orders that take aim at major law firms that have previously represented clients who opposed some of the president's interests by stripping them of their access to federal buildings. On top of that, device searches at US ports of entry are legally permissible under existing case law in most places. Fourth amendment protections provided by the US constitution, which guard against 'unreasonable search and seizure', are weaker at the US border. The officers never explained to him what they were looking for or why he was being stopped, according to Makled. They told the lawyer that he could either unlock his phone voluntarily or that they would confiscate it and look through it themselves, he said. Makled, who has been an attorney since 2012, uses his phone to speak to his clients. He told the officer much of the information on his device was privileged and that he would not hand it over. Agents asked him to write down what was privileged so they could look at other information on his device, he said, and he refused. After consulting with a supervisor, the official returned and said that he planned to take away Makled's device unless the lawyer gave up the list of contacts on it. Makled felt he had no choice but to acquiesce. 'Because they kept telling me they were just going to take the device,' he said. 'And I didn't want that to happen. I needed my device.' After downloading and then browsing his contacts, the immigration official asked Makled about five or six specific names. He refused to divulge any more information. He was eventually allowed to go home. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) told the Guardian that Makled's account was 'blatantly false and sensationalized'. According to the agency, the attorney underwent a routine, 90-minute secondary inspection that any traveler might face. Makled provided written consent for 'a limited search' of his phone, which was 'conducted in accordance with established protocols', CBP assistant commissioner Hilton Beckham said. 'He was then promptly released. Claims that this was an attack on his profession or were politically motivated are baseless. Our officers are following the law, not agendas,' Beckham said. Sophia Cope, a senior staff attorney at the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation, called the search of Makled's phone 'outrageous'. Sign up to TechScape A weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our lives after newsletter promotion 'CBP or [the Department of Homeland Security] could not show up at this attorney's office and say: 'give me your contact list' without a warrant,' Cope said. 'That would be completely illegal. But because this guy is at the border, and they want it for potentially just domestic monitoring and enforcement, somehow now the fourth amendment goes away.' Both citizens and non-citizens entering the US are potentially subject to having their phones searched at the border. Fourth amendment protections, which guard against 'unreasonable search and seizure', have been weakened at US points of entry. CBP's role is to stop people or goods that could pose a threat to the US from entering the country. In the case of US citizens, CBP may pull a traveler whom agents have security concerns about – anything from drug or sex trafficking to espionage concerns – but must ultimately admit them into the country, Cope said. However, there have been many recent cases of CBP pulling a US citizen about whom they have no border security concerns into a secondary screening at the behest of other federal agencies, Cope said. The FBI, for example, has in the past asked CBP to put flags on people's travel profiles so that when they cross the border they are pulled into secondary inspection, she said. 'That may be because the person is under domestic investigation themselves or because the traveler is associated with somebody who's under investigation and the government's just trying to get around the warrant requirement,' Cope said. Cope said that, based on the existing information, it doesn't appear Makled's stop was routine. 'If they tell him: 'We know you're a lawyer,' and then this terrorism flag popped up, that's not routine, that's pre-planned,' Cope said. CBP has access to a vast array of databases through which agents can gain access to personal information about individuals who are traveling into or out of the US. One of these repositories may have contained a 'lookout' designation for Makled, a flag on his file that can lead to a secondary screening. Those 'lookouts' can remain on a person's file as long as CBP deems them 'pertinent', according to documents revealed in a 2019 case in Massachusetts federal court. When Makled was finally released around two hours after he was first detained, he asked the official if he should expect to be stopped every time he traveled abroad. 'He's like, 'You might be stopped next time,'' Makled said. 'You might not. It depends on the agent that's working.'
Al Manar
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Manar
Summoned, Not Invited: How the US Envoy Treats Lebanon Like a Vassal State
We're back with another visit from the deputy that enjoys flaunting illusory victory and a 'religious' choice of jewelry. After a disappearance of almost two months, Morgan Ortagus, Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East, returns on the 5th of April with a seemingly deflated sense of superiority as compared to the last time she took to the Lebanese stage. Unlike the President of her administration's successful use of his long years as a showman/comedian to stir approval, Ortagus quickly realized that she's not bold enough to take that kind of heat. The protests that her statements started two months ago may have influenced the way she handled herself on this most recent visit, it could also be related to her two-month hiatus from Deputy work. This time around, Ortagus relegated herself to private conversations with the 3 leaders of the Lebanese government summarized by their recounting of events. 'Good and Constructive' were the titular adjectives utilized by President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in description of their separate meetings with Ortagus, with Parliament Speaker Berri notably commenting on her lack of threatening language which was expected of her second visit. It seems that after the fiasco of her first on-stage appearance Ortagus found it that much more difficult to brandish her empire's bravado, going so far as to ditching her signature bling which she proudly showcased in her last visit. However, its customary of US officials to perform at least one stunt per visit as a sort of 'stir the pot' quota, otherwise they'll realize how quickly people would forget they exist. Such is the case of Morgan Ortagus, whose stunt involved ignoring political etiquette in her current visit and instead of doing her duty to the nation she is sent to and proving (to a miniscule degree) that the US considers Lebanese sovereignty to be a real priority does a complete 180 and 'invites' several ministers of the Lebanese state headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs for a friendly lunch at the fortress the empire calls an 'embassy' in Awkar. For comparison's sake, the embassy in Lebanon is said to be the second largest US owned and operated complex in the world and is several times more massive and developed than any governmental building in the country, it is also yet to be finished as of today, which means it only stands to get bigger. In an interview with Metro, MENA Uncensored editor-in-chief Leila Hatoum said about the US Embassy in Beirut: 'They need it for logistics, for torture, for interrogation, to support their espionage missions across the region'. Hatoum added: 'This Embassy is not built to cater to Lebanese American citizens and for good, friendly relations… It is there to control Lebanon'. Regardless of the obscure background the embassy exists for, Lebanon's top ministers seem more than happy to answer Ortagus's summons, those ministers being the Ministers of Energy, Public Works, Economy, Industry, Administrative and Financial Development, and the new Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon. Ironically, the US state department's own 'Protocol for the Modern Diplomat' clearly states that 'If your new position requires that you deal with the host country government or with its citizens, you should make appointments to meet them in their offices'. Which proves to a certain extent that this indeed was in service of the 'stunt quota', hypocrisy be damned. In an interview with Al-Manar TV, journalist Mohammad Alloush dismissed the recent events as anything but coincidental. He emphasized that the deputy US envoy deliberately summoned the ministers to her country's embassy rather than meeting them at their offices—a move the deputy had intentionally orchestrated. According to Alloush, this behavior reflects the US' attempt to posture as regional high commissioners, much like those of the ye olden times of French and British occupation, issuing commands and compelling compliance. He further elaborated that such meetings underscore the new US administration's efforts to position itself as the political project's primary sponsor in Lebanon. While the empire's influence may be amplified by its authoritarian tendencies, Ortagus remains merely the deputy envoy—whereas Lebanon's foreign minister is the chief diplomat of a sovereign state. How, then, was Minister Raji convinced to compromise his country's standing and comply with the embassy's summons? Would he have done the same for another nation's envoy? Or is it that when dealing with Uncle Sam's representatives, there's no real choice at all? Morgan Ortagus's latest visit may have been stripped of her usual bravado and bling, but the underlying message remains unchanged: the US still treats Lebanon not as a sovereign nation, but as a stage for imperial theatrics. Whether through private meetings or flagrant breaches of diplomatic protocol, the performance of power continues—and Lebanon's political elite, by obliging so willingly, play their part all too well. The empire's script hasn't changed; only the delivery has softened. The question is, when will Lebanon stop reading from it?
