Latest news with #Trump-ordered
Gulf Insider
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
Sleeper Cells, Assassination, Death To America, & Nukes: Carlson's Full Interview With Iranian President
'I'm of the belief that we could very much, easily resolve the differences and conflicts with the United States through dialogue and talks,' Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Tucker Carlson, based on the full interview (done remotely) released by the Tucker Carlson Network on Monday. Of course, Tehran and Washington were engaged in what were supposed to be several rounds of good-faith talks at the very moment Israel began its surprise attack, utilizing dozens of warplanes, on June 13 – and which followed for nearly two weeks. Pezeshkian described that Iran's aim, prior to the June war starting, was to achieve 'the framework or the basis for a deal in which the rights of all nations, the Iranian nation, would be respected.' Iran has consistently insisted that it be able to keep enrichment, as a matter of national sovereignty and for peace domestic energy purposes. 'We never wanted anything beyond the respect for our rights – rightful rights,' he told Carlson. Carlson asked Pezeshkian if Iran will allow other countries to verify Iran's enrichment activities. Pezeshkian says 'we are ready to hold talks' over monitoring and that 'we stand ready' to accept it. However, the fact that Israel and the US just bombed the Islamic Republic has introduced major complications – not the least of which was Iran just days ago booting UN inspectors from the IAEA out of the country. For this reason President Pezeshkian stressed that monitoring must await Iranian authorities allowing access to nuclear facilities. At least three – Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan – have likely suffered significant damage following the Trump-ordered B-2 raids using large bunker busting ordinance. Sleeper cells in US cities? 'This is what Israel is trying to put into your minds,' the Iranian leader said. 🚨🇺🇸🇮🇷 IRAN'S PRESIDENT TO TUCKER: NO SUCH THING AS IRANIAN SLEEPER CELLS IN THE is what Israel is trying to put into your propagating that Iranians might be capable of doing such things, but this is totally untrue, because by nature,… — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 7, 2025 Debate and speculation has been raging ever since over the degree to which the country's core nuclear capabilities have actually been set back. On the question of future diplomacy, Pezeshkian said 'I believe that the United States President can very well guide the region and the world to peace & tranquility. Or on the other hand to lead it to forever wars.' He also said that the Islamic Republic is not seeking nuclear weapons. 'We see no problem in re-entering the negotiations,' he continued, but then qualified: 'How are we going to trust the United States again. We re-enter the negotiations then how can we know for sure that in the middle of the talks the Israeli regime will not be given the permission again to attack us.' This appears to be precisely what happened in June. Axios and others also reported that the US had been secretly conspiring with the Israelis to greenlight the attack even as talks in Oman and Rome were happening. These reports present the nuclear dialogue as a ruse to lull the Iranians into thinking that all was okay, even up to the eve of the Israeli assault. Did IAEA spy on Iran? 🚨🇮🇷 DID IAEA SPY ON IRAN?"They had full access to supervise and monitor our nuclear facilities," Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian tells Tucker Carlson in an explosive 📹 — Sputnik (@SputnikInt) July 7, 2025 'My proposal is that the US administration should refrain from getting involved in a war that is not its war. It is not America's war,' the Iranian leader said. 'It is Netanyahu's war that is having its devilish machinations for the whole region.' Carlson did not particularly challenge these assertions, also given in other recent episodes and interviews he himself has made the same point – that Washington should resist being dragged into Israel's foreign wars and entanglements. At one point in the interview Pezeshkian was asked directly by Carlson whether Israel had attempted to kill him, to which the Iranian leader confirmed it, and added, 'I'm not afraid to sacrifice my life for my country, for my country's freedom. But will it bring security and peace to the region? It will only bring more bloodshed.' He said this was an Israeli operation aimed at regime change: 'It was not the United States that was behind the attempt on my life. It was Israel. I was at a meeting, we were discussing how to move forward, and thanks to the intelligence and spies they had, they tried to bomb the area where the gathering was held. God decides who lives and who dies. We are not afraid to become martyrs.' Watch: attempted assassination of a sitting president… 🚨Iranian President confirms Israel tried to ASSASSINATE him"They did try, yes. But they failed," Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian tells Tucker Carlson in a bombshell 📹 — Sputnik (@SputnikInt) July 7, 2025 At same time he sought to stress that Iran has never sought to assassinate President Trump, despite American media reports and the claims of some of the US administration's own officials. 'I would like to tell you and remind you that this is not Death to the American people or to the officials. Death to crimes and atrocities. To bullying. To the use of force,' Pezeshkian said when pressed about why Iranians commonly chant this in the streets. He also said that Iran hasn't invaded another country in 200 years. However, Iran in just the last could decades has seen the country to its immediate west (Iraq) and the country to its east (Afghanistan), suffer regime change and lengthy occupation by American-led forces. On the question of sensational US headlines of Iranian terror sleeper cells in the United States, Pezeshkian responded that this 'the first time I am hearing' of this concept. 'This is totally untrue because Iranians are pro peace and tranquility.' Historically at least, suicide bombing as a method of terror is more of a reality coming from Sunni radicalism, and not Shi'ism. Watch the full interview: Masoud Pezeshkian, president of Iran.(0:00) How Would Iranian President Pezeshkian Like to See This Conflict End?(0:44) Is Iran Willing to Give Up Their Nuclear Program in Exchange for Peace?(5:19) Was the International Atomic Energy Agency Spying on Iran and Giving… — Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) July 7, 2025
Global News
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Kilmar Abrego Garcia tortured in El Salvador prison, U.S. court filings say
NOTE: This story contains disturbing details. Please read at your own discretion. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Salvadoran man residing in Maryland who was wrongly deported to CECOT, a mega-jail in El Salvador whose name translates roughly as the Terrorism Confinement Centre, says he was subjected to severe physical and psychological torture while detained. According to new court documents filed Wednesday, Abrego Garcia suffered sleep deprivation, beatings, inadequate nutrition and psychological torment during his stint at the notoriously brutal prison. The father of three was deported to El Salvador in March, despite a 2019 protection order prohibiting it, over claims he was involved in gang activity, but was abruptly transferred to a Tennessee jail last month on separate human smuggling charges after U.S. President Donald Trump and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele repeatedly ignored lawmakers' demands to bring him back to the U.S. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen U.S. President Donald Trump meets with President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador in the Oval Office of the White House April 14, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Win McNamee / Getty Images On June 25, a U.S. federal judge ruled that Abrego Garcia had a right to be released while he awaits trial on the smuggling charges. Nonetheless, he will remain in jail while lawyers spar over whether federal prosecutors can stop U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from deporting him to El Salvador again. View image in full screen Director Belarmino Garcia speaks at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in Tecoluca, in San Vicente, El Salvador on April 4, 2025. Alex Pena / Getty Images Abrego Garcia was first transported to his country of birth on March 15 on one of several Trump-ordered flights from the U.S. carrying alleged criminals to CECOT. He claims to have endured severe abuse from the moment he arrived. Story continues below advertisement When disembarking the aircraft, he was grabbed by guards and pushed down the stairs head-first, the court documents say. He also claims the ordeal was filmed. Shortly after, Abrego Garcia was 'pushed toward a bus, forcibly seated, and fitted with a second set of chains and handcuffs and was repeatedly hit by officers when he attempted to raise his head,' the court filing reads. After arriving at CECOT, he and other inmates were greeted by a prison guard who allegedly said, 'Welcome to CECOT. Whoever enters here doesn't leave.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Abrego Garcia said he was then made to strip and dress in prison attire while being kicked in the legs with boots and struck on his arms and head to make him change his clothes faster. His head was then shaved, and he was beaten with wooden batons while being frog-marched to his cell, he said. The next day, he said that visible bruises, marks and lumps had appeared on his skin. Story continues below advertisement According to the legal filing, Abrego Garcia was assigned to a cell housing 20 inmates, all of whom were then forced to kneel for nine hours straight between approximately 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., and struck by guards if they fell from exhaustion. During his time, Abrego Garcia was denied bathroom access and soiled himself, he claimed. The young father claimed that he and his cellmates were held in overcrowded conditions with no windows, bright lights that stayed on 24 hours a day, metal bunks with no mattresses, and minimal access to sanitation. After a week, he said he was put in a cell with seven other El Salvadorans who prison officials had determined had no gang affiliations, and 12 other suspected gang members were separated from the group. The gang claims The Trump administration initially deported Abrego Garcia over a 2019 claim that he is affiliated with a New York chapter of the MS-13 gang, despite never having lived there and never being charged with a crime. It landed him in ICE detention the same year. He was eventually released after a judge denied him asylum but granted him legal status in the U.S. and protection from being deported back to El Salvador, from which he and his brother fled to the U.S. in 2011, because of a 'well-founded fear' of gang persecution. Story continues below advertisement ICE never appealed his release, and he continued to check in with authorities yearly while the Department of Homeland Security issued him a work permit. He joined a union and remained a full-time employee in the construction industry until his protection order was breached in March. Wednesday's court filing said Salvadoran officials recognized that Abrego Garcia was not gang-affiliated based on his tattoos, telling him 'your tattoos are fine' but threatening to throw him in a cell with known gang members, who they assured would 'tear him apart.' Abrego Garcia said he witnessed inmates whom he understood to be gang members violently harm each other with no intervention. 'Screams from nearby cells would similarly ring out throughout the night without any response from prison guards or personnel,' the filing states. During his first two weeks at CECOT, Abrego Garcia said he lost 31 pounds, dropping from approximately 215 pounds to 184 pounds. On April 9, he and four others were photographed with mattresses and better food in what he says was a staged setup to document 'improved conditions.' On or about April 10, Abrego Garcia said he was transferred alone to the Centro Industrial prison facility in Santa Ana, El Salvador, where he was denied visitation, communication with his family and access to counsel until Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen visited him on April 17. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen In this handout provided by Sen. Chris Van Hollen's office, Van Hollen (D-MD) meets with Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia (L) at an undisclosed location on April 17, 2025, in San Salvador, El Salvador. Sen. Van Hollen's office / Getty Images A week before Van Hollen's visit, senior U.S. officials ignored a Supreme Court ruling ordering the U.S. government to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return, including U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi, who stated on April 16, 'he is not coming back to our country…. He's in El Salvador, and that's where the president plans on keeping him. ' 0:58 U.S. Senator heads to El Salvador to push for return of mistakenly deported man Trump claimed in a public interview that he had not been asked by his lawyers to contact Bukele to organize Abrego Garcia's return. Story continues below advertisement Abrego Garcia returns to the U.S. After months of being denied his right to return to the U.S., on June 6, Abrego Garcia was flown home and charged with the smuggling of illegal aliens — including children and MS-13 gang members — across state lines from 2016 to 2025. He pleaded not guilty at a court hearing on June 13. View image in full screen An undated file photo of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Murray Osorio PLLC via AP The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop for speeding in Tennessee during which he was driving a vehicle with nine passengers who didn't have any luggage. Story continues below advertisement Body camera footage shows a calm exchange between officers and Abrego Garcia. The officers discussed among themselves their suspicions of smuggling. One of the officers says, 'He's hauling these people for money.' Another says Abrego Garcia had US$1,400 in an envelope. He was let go with a warning. Abrego Garcia's lawyers have characterized the case as an attempt by Trump's administration to justify his mistaken deportation in March and its inability to substantiate claims that he was involved in gang activity. — With files from The Associated Press
Gulf Insider
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
US Officials Slam Iran's Suspending Cooperation
US State Department officials have reportedly said that Iran's suspension of cooperation with IAEA is 'unacceptable', adding that Iran must cooperate fully without further delay. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric also chimed in, saying that Iran's suspension of its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is 'obviously concerning' 'We've seen the official decision, which is obviously concerning. I think the Secretary-General has been very consistent in his call for Iran to cooperate with the IAEA, and, frankly, for all countries to work closely with the IAEA on nuclear issues,' he told reporters. In an official move which could bring Tehran into further conflict with the United States, Israel, and the West, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has signed a law which breaks all cooperation with the the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), following Israeli and US large-scale strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last month. 'Masoud Pezeshkian promulgated the law suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency,' Iranian state TV confirmed announcement comes on the heels of Iranian parliament's initial decision last week to halt cooperation with the nuclear watchdog and monitoring body, a move triggered by Israel's surprise attack on the Islamic Republic which began on June 13. Nearly two weeks of war followed, capped by the Trump-ordered B-2 bomber raids and huge attacks on the three key nuclear facilities of Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. Under the new parliamentary resolution, IAEA inspectors will need approval from Iran's Supreme National Security Council before any access to nuclear facilities is given. The IAEA merely said in response that it was 'aware of these reports' of Tehran suspending cooperation and is waiting for formal communication from Iranian leaders. Earlier this week, Iran's foreign minister declared that IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, whom Iranian officials have fiercely criticized for not condemning the Israeli and US attacks, as Persona non grata . There was also this recent alarming diplomatic fiasco centered on Grossi and threats by an Iranian newspaper: Iran's ambassador to the United Nations said Sunday that Tehran poses no threat to the head of the UN nuclear watchdog nor its inspectors, after an Iranian newspaper claimed that Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi was an Israeli spy and called for him to be executed. Iran's ultra-conservative Kayhan newspaper recently alleged that unspecified documents showed Grossi to be an Israeli spy. 'It should therefore be officially announced that he will be tried and executed upon arrival in Iran for spying for the Mossad and participating in the murder of the oppressed people of our country,' the newspaper said. 'No, there is not any threat' against the inspectors or the director general, Iran's Ambassador to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani said in an interview with US broadcaster CBS. The ambassador said inspectors in Iran were 'in safe conditions.' Just the day prior to Israel's surprise assault on Iran using dozens of warplanes, Tehran officials were outraged with a rejected a June 12 resolution from the IAEA board that accused Iran of failing to meet its nuclear obligations. Iranian authorities then alleged this resolution served as one of the 'pretexts' used to justify the Israeli and later US attacks on its nuclear facilities, which Tehran has maintained is solely for nuclear energy purposes. Also read: Iraq Claims Top Spot Among OPEC Crude Suppliers To The US
New York Post
26-06-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Researcher behind Trump-ordered gender dysphoria report outs himself, doubles down that medical transitions for minors isn't ethical
An anonymous researcher behind a bombshell Trump-ordered review of transgender treatments on minors has outed himself as a liberal MIT professor — as he doubled down on the report's findings that medical intervention on underage kids isn't 'empirically or ethically justified.' Alex Byrne, a philosophy professor at the elite Massachusetts school, revealed in a Washington Post op-ed Thursday that he was among the nine co-authors of the sweeping Department of Health and Human Services report published last month that found gender dysphoria among young patients should be treated with therapy instead of transition treatments. Byrne, who described himself as 'hardly a fan of the current administration' and noted he'd never voted Republican, insisted the HHS' Gender Dysphoria Report wasn't 'written by zealots busily grinding axes' — despite outraged critics on the left immediately ripping the review. Alex Byrne, a philosophy professor at MIT, was among the nine co-authors of the sweeping report published last month that found gender dysphoria should be treated with therapy instead of transition treatments for children. Instead, he argued that the report — which was sparked by one of Trump's early executive orders but written by a liberal majority — offered up a 'sober examination of what by any standards are drastic medical interventions for physically healthy minors.' 'After surveying all the evidence, and applying widely accepted principles of medical ethics, we found that medical transition for minors is not empirically or ethically justified,' Byrne wrote, noting that the findings were in alignment with scores of other reports commissioned by health authorities in other countries — including the UK. 'The review describes how the medicalized 'gender affirming care' approach to treating pediatric gender distress, endorsed by the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, rests on very weak evidence,' he continued. 'Puberty blockers followed by cross-sex hormones compromise fertility and may cause lifelong sexual dysfunction (among other adverse effects); surgeries such as mastectomies remove healthy tissue and carry known risks of complications. Medical procedures always have downsides, but in this case no reliable research indicates that these treatments are beneficial to minors' mental health.' Byrne, who described himself as 'hardly a fan of the current administration' and noted he'd never voted Republican, insisted the HHS' Gender Dysphoria Report wasn't 'written by zealots busily grinding axes'. AP Among the transgender interventions in children that were scrutinized in the HHS report included the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries. The report, which is still undergoing a peer-review, fueled immediate outrage among liberals and trans activists when it was published. Byrne acknowledged much of the fury stemmed from the authors remaining anonymous — a move he said was made amid fears of 'personal attacks or professional penalties' given the divisive nature of the gender dysphoria treatments debate. He was adamant though that the cohort could 'produce a rigorous, well-argued document' given the wide-ranging expertise of those involved — including experts in endocrinology, psychiatry, health policy and general medicine. 'The hostile response to the review by medical groups and practitioners underscores why it was necessary. Medicalized treatment for pediatric gender dysphoria needs to be dispassionately scrutinized like any other area of medicine, no matter which side of the aisle is cheering it on. But in the United States, it has not been,' he said. 'It deserves to be read by people of all political leanings. Whether its early critics bothered to do so is unclear.'
Politico
25-06-2025
- Business
- Politico
House GOP issues new subpoenas, ramping up ActBlue investigation
House GOP committees have issued new subpoenas to ActBlue, intensifying their probe of the Democratic fundraising platform. The subpoenas are an attempt to force cooperation as ActBlue has pushed back on the congressional investigation, questioning its intentions and constitutionality after the White House launched a similar probe. Reps. James Comer (R-Ky.), Bryan Steil (R-Wisc.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who lead the committees investigating ActBlue, issued the subpoenas Wednesday to compel a current and a former employee to testify about the platform's fraud prevention policies. The employees being subpoenaed had previously pushed back against voluntarily appearing before the committee, citing the White House's investigation, and ActBlue sent the committee a defiant letter earlier this month criticizing the investigation as partisan. In subpoenaing the employees, the GOP lawmakers rejected ActBlue's argument that the congressional investigation is being conducted at the behest of the White House probe. ActBlue had slammed the congressional investigations in a letter this month as a 'partisan effort directed at harming political opponents rather than gathering facts to assist in lawmaking efforts.' The platform and its Democratic defenders have argued that any probe into foreign donations and online fundraising should also include WinRed, the largest Republican fundraising platform. Those Democratic complaints grew louder after President Donald Trump in April ordered the Justice Department to investigate foreign straw donations in online fundraising, citing in part the work done by the GOP-led congressional committees. That investigation is expected to carry into the fall — and ActBlue was the only company named in Trump's order. In the new subpoenas, however, the GOP lawmakers argue the committee is operating well within its rights, and that testimony from ActBlue could inform future campaign finance legislation. They say the House investigation is distinct from the Trump-ordered probe into the platform and that their committees have not provided any non-public information to the Justice Department. The lawmakers also rejected ActBlue's argument that the Constitution protects it from cooperation with the probe. 'Congress is free to choose how to conduct oversight, including which entities to examine and in what manner. A Congressional committee's decision to examine one entity and not another does not violate the Equal Protection Clause,' one of the subpoenas reads. In a statement, ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones assailed the subpoenas as 'political theater' that would 'give Shakespeare a run for his money.' 'The Republican-led committees have also not addressed ActBlue's legitimate concerns about the partisan and parallel inquiries by separate branches of the government being waged against President Trump's and MAGA Republicans' political opponents,' Wallace-Jones said. ActBlue previously provided documents to the GOP committees, some voluntarily and some under subpoena. The congressional committees asked for voluntary interviews with ActBlue employees in April, according to the latest subpoenas, but the employees balked, citing in part the Justice Department probe. Republicans have frequently leveraged their committee gavels this Congress to go after Democratic officials, including mayors and governors. The House Oversight Committee is also investigating former President Joe Biden's mental acuity while in the White House, amid a similar probe by the Trump administration. Comer has issued a subpoena to Biden's physician and asked a number of former top White House aides to sit down with his panel.
