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    Rubio Hits ICC President With Sanctions as Trump Escalates Sovereignty Fight

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0
    (Miami - Flórida, 09/03/2020) Presidente da República Jair Bolsonaro durante encontro com o Senador Marco Rubio..Foto: Alan Santos/PR

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio imposed sanctions Tuesday on the president of the International Criminal Court and one of its senior trial lawyers, escalating the Trump administration’s campaign against the Hague-based tribunal.

    The new designations target ICC President Tomoko Akane, a Japanese judge, and Abdoulaye Seye, a Senegalese senior trial lawyer.

    “These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction,” Rubio said, according to CNN.

    The sanctions generally block any property or financial interests the two officials have within the United States or under the control of U.S. citizens. Americans are also prohibited from conducting most transactions with them, effectively cutting Akane and Seye off from the U.S. financial system.

    Rubio described the ICC as a corrupt, politically driven institution that has exceeded its authority. He said the sanctions were part of the administration’s “unwavering mission to protect Americans from this sham of a court.”

    The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC. Israel is also not a member and does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction.

    The ICC nevertheless maintains that it can prosecute alleged crimes committed on the territory of member states, even when the accused comes from a country that has not joined the court. That jurisdictional dispute lies at the heart of Washington’s confrontation with the tribunal.

    Trump Laid the Groundwork

    President Donald Trump did not immediately issue a separate public statement on Tuesday’s sanctions. However, the White House established the administration’s position in a February 2025 executive order authorizing penalties against ICC personnel.

    In that order, Trump accused the court of taking “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.”

    Trump said the ICC had endangered American service members and officials while abusing its authority against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity connected to the war in Gaza. Both Israel and the United States have rejected the accusations and the court’s authority.

    Trump’s executive order declared the ICC’s efforts against protected American and allied officials an extraordinary threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy.

    Washington has also fought the court over its past investigation into the conduct of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

    A Campaign to Dismantle the Court

    The latest sanctions are part of a broader State Department-led campaign to weaken the ICC’s ability to operate.

    Rubio announced that effort in July, promising to use sanctions, visa restrictions, diplomatic pressure and other government powers to dismantle the court “brick by brick” if necessary.

    The administration is also pressuring other countries to withdraw their funding and participation. Nations that cooperate with American law enforcement, host U.S. forces or rely on Washington’s security support have been urged to reject the ICC’s authority over American personnel.

    Rubio said Tuesday that the administration is prepared to take additional action until the court is no longer capable of threatening American sovereignty. The State Department has described the effort as a whole-of-government response.

    The administration has already sanctioned multiple ICC prosecutors and judges. Prosecutor Karim Khan was among the first officials targeted after pursuing the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.

    According to The Guardian, Seye has also been linked to investigations involving Israeli settlement funding and the distribution of weapons to settlers in the West Bank, although Rubio’s announcement did not identify the specific actions that led to Tuesday’s designation.

    Court Fight Moves to U.S. Soil

    The sanctions campaign is now facing several legal challenges inside the United States.

    Three ICC judges sued the Trump administration in New York in June, arguing that the penalties imposed against them were unlawful. Human rights organizations have filed separate lawsuits claiming the sanctions interfere with their ability to document alleged crimes and assist international investigations.

    Two advocacy groups said the restrictions had produced a “chilling effect” on their work. Four additional organizations filed another lawsuit last week, arguing that the administration was unlawfully obstructing their international justice work.

    The ICC had not issued a public response to the new designations as of Tuesday afternoon.

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    Mystery Impostor Slips Into UK Prime Minister’s Messages

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    2
    White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles delivers remarks during the Memorial Service for Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, Sunday, September 21, 2025.(Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

    Britain’s new prime minister thought he had a direct line to President Donald Trump’s inner circle. Instead, he was messaging a mystery impostor.

    Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged a handful of messages with someone posing as White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, according to a bombshell Politico report citing four officials.

    Burnham eventually smelled a rat and cut off the contact. But by then, at least some of the exchange had taken place after he entered 10 Downing Street on July 20—turning an apparent digital con into a security headache spanning two governments.

    One person briefed on the communications insisted that only a “few messages” were exchanged and that they were “of no significance.”

    British officials were not quite relaxed enough to let the matter drop.

    The British Embassy in Washington raised the incident directly with the White House, two officials told Politico. Downing Street offered only a stone wall in response to questions: “We do not comment on national security matters.”

    CBS News reported that the BBC independently confirmed the exchange and said it was limited to written messages. Burnham and the impostor never spoke by phone, according to that account.

    The White House also pushed back on the most alarming theory circulating in London.

    “This incident had nothing to do with the Chief of Staff’s devices being hacked,” a White House official told CBS News.

    That distinction matters because Wiles’ identity has already been hijacked once in a sprawling Washington impersonation scheme.

    In May 2025, senators, governors, business executives and other prominent figures received texts and calls from someone claiming to be Trump’s powerful gatekeeper. Wiles told associates that her personal phone had been hacked, and CBS News reported that one or more unknown people used contacts from the device to target senior officials.

    The messages came from unfamiliar numbers, and some recipients were asked to shift the conversation to Telegram. The FBI launched an investigation.

    The earlier scheme grew stranger as it unfolded. As Mediaite reported, citing The Wall Street Journal, one lawmaker was asked to prepare a list of people Trump should pardon. In another case, the impersonator requested a cash transfer. Targets also noticed broken grammar and oddly formal language that did not sound like Wiles.

    The fake-Wiles operation was not an isolated stunt. An impostor later used artificial intelligence to mimic Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s voice and writing style while contacting foreign ministers and American officials.

    The FBI warned in December that malicious actors have been impersonating senior state, White House, Cabinet and congressional figures since at least 2023. The schemes often begin with a text, quickly jump to an encrypted app and then turn toward sensitive information, authentication codes, introductions or money, according to the bureau’s public alert.

    Burnham took office less than a month ago after replacing Keir Starmer. An official government biography says he returned to Parliament in June and became Labour leader on July 16 before entering Downing Street four days later.

    Who contacted him, how the impostor reached him and what the pair discussed remain unknown.

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    Russia Releases American Marine After Four Years in Prison

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1
    The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    WASHINGTON — Russia released American citizen and former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman on Tuesday after more than four years of imprisonment on disputed charges.

    The State Department said Gilman, 32, was released on humanitarian grounds and had recently been designated as wrongfully detained. His release “was not part of an exchange, and no other concessions were provided,” the department said.

    U.S. officials told reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a humanitarian pardon following negotiations between the two governments.

    Gilman departed Russia aboard a State Department aircraft accompanied by his mother. Four doctors were evaluating him during the flight, according to Reuters, and an official who spoke with him said he was walking and talking. He is expected to receive medical and psychological treatment at a military facility in Texas.

    Russian authorities arrested Gilman in Voronezh in January 2022 after accusing him of kicking a police officer while being removed from a train. His family disputes Russia’s account, saying Gilman was ill and made accidental contact with the officer.

    Russian courts later convicted him of additional alleged assaults on prison and law-enforcement officials, eventually extending his sentence to 10 years.

    Gilman’s family and advocates said his health deteriorated sharply during his imprisonment. They reported that he spent approximately 47 days in a “dissociative stupor,” suffered severe pneumonia and required a feeding tube while handcuffed to a hospital bed.

    Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) welcomed Gilman’s release but said it was long overdue, alleging that he had endured physical torture, forced medication and deliberate provocations in Russian custody.

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

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    Trump Announces Historic Hamas Deal—But One Major Hurdle Remains

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    5
    White House image via Wikimedia Commons

    President Donald Trump announced a potentially historic breakthrough in the Gaza peace process Thursday night—but the hard part may only be beginning.

    Trump said Hamas and other armed factions had agreed to completely disarm under a phased roadmap negotiated by his international Board of Peace.

    If the agreement survives, Hamas would surrender the weapons and underground infrastructure it has spent decades building, give up control of Gaza and make way for a new Palestinian government. Israel would withdraw its forces as the terrorist group’s arsenal is dismantled.

    “Today, the Board of Peace reached a HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This is a monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY.”

    Trump said the agreement could finally deliver security for Israel while preventing Gaza from once again becoming a launchpad for terrorist attacks.

    “This agreement is a critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government that will work closely with the Board of Peace to help the Palestinian people,” Trump continued.

    “At the same time, Israel will have the security it deserves, with Gaza no longer used as a base for terror attacks.”

    Under the roadmap, disarmament would unfold in several carefully monitored stages. Israeli troops would withdraw only as Hamas and the other factions fulfill their obligations.

    An International Stabilization Force would then work with a newly recruited Palestinian police force to secure Gaza and prevent Hamas from reclaiming power.

    “The threat that emerged from Gaza on October 7 will NOT be allowed to rebuild!” Trump declared. “Under this agreement, Gaza will finally be in the hands of a new Palestinian government that serves its PEOPLE.”

    Trump thanked Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, along with his administration’s negotiating team, for helping secure the agreement.

    “One year ago there was a violent raging war, humanitarian crisis and hostages kept in brutal captivity,” he wrote. “We have made historic progress and there is still much work to do.”

    The Board of Peace called the roadmap a “historic breakthrough,” saying it marked the first time Hamas had formally accepted an actionable plan to surrender all of its weapons.

    The process would begin with firearms controlled by Gaza’s existing police. A new Palestinian government, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, would recruit and vet officers for a replacement police force.

    Heavy weapons, ammunition depots, weapons factories and Hamas’ sprawling tunnel network would be tackled in later stages. Militias, armed clans and other terrorist factions would also have to surrender their arsenals.

    Officials estimate that fully disarming Gaza could take between 200 and 350 days. Reconstruction could begin sector by sector as individual areas are cleared of weapons and terrorist infrastructure, according to The Jerusalem Post.

    The entire deal is built around what officials called “zero trust.”

    Every step must be independently verified before the other side is required to fulfill its next obligation. If Hamas stops cooperating, Israel’s withdrawal would also stop.

    But the roadmap immediately ran into conflicting interpretations from Hamas and Israel.

    Hamas negotiator Ghazi Hamad told Reuters on Friday that the group was prepared to hand its weapons to the new Gaza government. However, he said disarmament would depend upon Israel withdrawing its forces, approving the agreement and allowing international security personnel into Gaza.

    An Israeli official outlined the opposite sequence, insisting that Hamas must surrender its weapons and Gaza must be fully demilitarized before Israeli troops withdraw.

    “There will be no IDF withdrawal from the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip before Hamas is disarmed and the Strip is fully demilitarized,” the official told The Times of Israel.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not publicly endorsed the latest roadmap as of Friday morning, while some Israeli political figures were already urging him to reject it.

    A U.S. official acknowledged that Israel remained deeply skeptical that Hamas would actually dismantle the arsenal and tunnel system at the center of its power.

    The Trump administration argues that Israel would be protected by the deal’s strict verification process and would not be forced to surrender territory while Hamas still posed an internal threat.

    The agreement grew out of Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan. Its first phase produced an October ceasefire and the return of Israeli hostages, but negotiations later stalled over Hamas’ weapons, Israel’s withdrawal and Gaza’s future government.

    Trump has now secured an agreement on paper addressing those seemingly intractable disputes.

    Whether he can force the bitter enemies to carry it out may be the ultimate test of his Middle East peace push.

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    Trump Slams Mamdani’s Netanyahu Arrest Threat: ‘Will Not Happen’

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    9
    By Bingjiefu He - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,

    President Donald Trump drew a bright red line Monday after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani threatened to have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested on American soil.

    “Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” Trump declared in a Truth Social post.

    The president defended Netanyahu as a wartime leader confronting the Islamic Republic of Iran, which Trump accused of killing 52,000 protesters and spending decades targeting American troops.

    “The only ones that should be arrested are the people that led Iran into this unprecedented SPIRAL OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION,” Trump added, arguing that previous presidents should have confronted the regime years ago.

    Trump’s declaration came after Mamdani revived one of his most controversial campaign promises during an interview with The New York Times’ Lulu Garcia-Navarro.

    “I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” Mamdani said. “He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court.”

    The democratic socialist mayor said his administration is now examining whether he could use the New York Police Department to detain Netanyahu when the Israeli leader is expected to attend the United Nations General Assembly in September.

    “That’s an active conversation with our legal department in seeing what the prospects are we have here in our municipality,” Mamdani said.

    He insisted he would follow existing city law and would not attempt to write new rules specifically targeting Netanyahu.

    But Mamdani’s arrest talk faces a mountain of legal obstacles.

    The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court and does not recognize the court’s authority over Americans or Israelis. Foreign affairs are also controlled by the federal government, while diplomatic protections and head-of-state immunity could shield Netanyahu during a U.N. visit.

    U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz dismissed Mamdani’s proposal as “pure political theater.”

    “The U.S. is not party to the Rome Statute that underlies the ICC,” Waltz wrote on X, adding that the U.N. Headquarters Agreement grants protections to visiting foreign leaders and that “federal authority trumps any local mayor’s wishes.”

    Legal experts have expressed similar doubts. Syracuse University law professor Cora True-Frost said foreign affairs are the “exclusive power of the federal government” and that protections afforded to visiting diplomats would further restrict Mamdani’s ability to carry out his threat. NBC New York reported that several former prosecutors believe an attempt to enforce the ICC warrant could expose participating local officials to federal charges.

    The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024, alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity during Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. The court said judges found reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore responsibility for alleged crimes including using starvation as a method of warfare.

    Israel has categorically rejected the allegations, maintaining that its military takes extensive precautions to protect civilians while battling a terrorist organization that embeds itself among the Palestinian population.

    Netanyahu’s office fired back Sunday by branding the ICC a “kangaroo court that has no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis.”

    “Under Prime Minister Netanyahu’s leadership, Israel has taken unprecedented wartime measures to minimize harm to civilians while confronting Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization that uses Palestinians as human shields and deliberately targets innocent Israeli civilians,” his office said.

    It then turned its fire directly on City Hall.

    “Mr. Mamdani should focus on fixing the damage his policies have caused New York,” Netanyahu’s office concluded.

    Netanyahu has also accused the mayor of siding with “terror actors,” while Mamdani has repeatedly characterized Israel’s response to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre as genocide.

    The Trump administration, meanwhile, has backed its rejection of the ICC with more than words. It has imposed sanctions on court personnel and affiliated organizations involved in efforts to prosecute Israelis, declaring that neither the United States nor Israel is subject to the tribunal’s authority. The State Department has described the court’s actions as a threat to American sovereignty.

    Mamdani may be determined to turn Netanyahu’s expected September visit into an international showdown.

    Trump’s message was that the mayor will not get the chance.

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    Trump-Backed President-Elect Levels Stunning Coup Accusation At Colombia’s Leader

    By
    Patrick Houck
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    1
    Abelardo de la Espriella, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Colombia’s President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella suspended the presidential transition Tuesday and accused outgoing President Gustavo Petro of planning a coup to remain in power after Petro refused to recognize the results of the country’s election.

    Petro claims progressive Sen. Iván Cepeda actually won the popular vote in Colombia’s June 21 presidential runoff, despite official results showing de la Espriella prevailing by less than 1 percentage point.

    The certified tally gave de la Espriella 49.66% of the vote to Cepeda’s 48.70%.

    Petro alleges the result was manipulated through algorithms operated from California by Israeli private intelligence companies. He has not released evidence establishing that those companies altered the vote count or that the officially reported results were fraudulent.

    International election observers have likewise reported no evidence of irregularities that would have changed the outcome.

    De la Espriella alleges plan to ‘cling to power’

    De la Espriella, a conservative lawyer and businessman endorsed by President Donald Trump, responded in a video posted to social media.

    He accused Petro and Cepeda of attempting to “cling to power at all costs” through what he called a “coup d’état.”

    The president-elect called on Colombia’s armed forces to uphold the Constitution and disobey any unlawful orders from Petro. He also urged the international community to monitor the transfer of power and called on his supporters to “resist” until his scheduled inauguration Aug. 7.

    Transition process breaks down

    De la Espriella announced that he was suspending the formal transition process, known in Colombia as the “empalme,” during which the outgoing government provides information needed by the incoming administration.

    Petro’s government then halted its side of the handover.

    Finance Minister Germán Ávila, who is overseeing the transition for Petro’s administration, ordered his team to suspend its work in response. Ávila said the outgoing government had “nothing to hide” and criticized statements made by members of de la Espriella’s transition team.

    The breakdown followed days of increasingly hostile accusations between the outgoing president and his successor.

    Election observers defend vote count

    International observers have not supported Petro’s claims that the runoff was fraudulent.

    A European Union observer mission praised the transparency and efficiency of Colombia’s vote-counting process. The Carter Center described the system used to manage the results as reliable, transparent, and fully traceable.

    De la Espriella was formally declared the winner after defeating Cepeda, who had campaigned on continuing many of Petro’s policies.

    The result represented a major political setback for Petro, whose government has struggled with security concerns and a largely unsuccessful effort to negotiate peace agreements with several armed groups.

    Incoming government moves ahead

    Despite suspending cooperation with Petro’s administration, de la Espriella continued preparing to take office.

    He announced six additional Cabinet appointments Tuesday, adding to previously named choices for the defense, interior, finance, and environment ministries.

    The dispute has raised concerns about whether Colombia’s traditionally peaceful transfer of presidential power will proceed normally.

    For now, Petro remains scheduled to leave office and de la Espriella is set to be inaugurated Aug. 7.

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    Trump Says He Left Orders To Bomb Iran If Tehran Assassinates Him

    By
    Patrick Houck
    -
    3
    The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    President Donald Trump said he has left instructions for the United States to launch an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran if Tehran succeeds in assassinating him.

    “I’ve been on their list for a long time. That’s what we’re dealing with,” the president told the New York Post Friday. “I’ve left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before.”

    Trump did not explain whom he gave the instructions to, which targets would be included or how such an order would be carried out after his death.

    Trump calls himself Iran’s top target

    The president’s comments followed remarks he made during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where he said Iran may be seeking to kill him.

    “I’m their No. 1 target,” Trump said.

    Iran has threatened retaliation against Trump and other former administration officials over the January 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani. American authorities have also previously accused Iranian operatives of pursuing plots against Trump.

    The latest concern arose after Israel reportedly shared intelligence with the United States before Trump landed in Washington indicating that Iran was considering another plot to assassinate the president.

    Mediaite’s Tom Durante has additional details:

    On the way back to the States, the president was forced to switch planes after the Secret Service reportedly voiced concerns about the new Air Force One, a $400 million jet gifted to him from the Qatari government.

    After that, Israel claimed it had shared intelligence with the president that the Islamic regime was “considering” a new plan to assassinate the president.

    In his interview with The Post, Trump denied those claims.

    “No, no. Israel came up with nothing. No, no,” he said. “I’ve been No. 1 [on Iran’s kill list] for a long time, and it’s the way life is, you know.”

    “I hope you’ll miss me,” he quipped.

    According to reporting cited by Mediaite, Israeli intelligence had not determined how far the alleged plot had progressed or whether Tehran had taken any concrete steps to carry it out.

    Trump nevertheless delivered an unmistakable warning: Any successful attack against him would bring an overwhelming American response.

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    Trump Calls For Ending Trade With Spain, Escalating NATO Dispute

    By
    Patrick Houck
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    4
    The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    ANKARA, Turkey — President Donald Trump called for the United States to halt all trade with Spain on Wednesday, sharply escalating a dispute with the NATO ally over defense spending, and its refusal to support aspects of the U.S. military campaign against Iran.

    Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the alliance’s summit in Ankara, Trump described Spain as “a terrible partner” and instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to cut off trade with the country.

    “Cut off all trade with Spain, please,” Trump said. “Spain is a terrible partner in NATO.”

    Dispute Centers On Defense, Iran

    Trump’s remarks follow months of growing tensions with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

    Spain has resisted NATO’s push for members to spend 5% of gross domestic product on defense and has opposed U.S. military operations against Iran, including declining to allow American forces to use the joint U.S.-Spanish bases at Rota and Morón for offensive strikes.

    The president argued that Spain has failed to contribute its fair share to the alliance while benefiting from American security guarantees.

    Spain Pushes Back

    Spanish officials downplayed Trump’s comments, emphasizing that trade policy is negotiated through the European Union rather than bilaterally between Madrid and Washington.

    Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has defended Spain’s defense policy, arguing the country can meet its NATO obligations without adopting the alliance’s new spending benchmark. His government also reiterated that Spain remains committed to NATO despite disagreements over Iran and military funding.

    Economic Stakes Are Significant

    A complete halt to U.S.-Spain trade would represent a major escalation in transatlantic relations.

    According to U.S. trade data, annual goods and services trade between the two countries totals tens of billions of dollars, while millions of Americans visit Spain each year. Spain is also a key European destination for U.S. investment.

    Legal experts note that any sweeping trade restrictions would likely face significant legal and procedural hurdles, particularly because Spain is part of the European Union, which negotiates trade policy on behalf of its member states.

    Latest Rift Inside NATO

    Trump’s comments added to an already contentious NATO summit, where leaders have sought to maintain alliance unity while confronting Russia’s war in Ukraine and the expanding conflict with Iran.

    The president has repeatedly argued that European allies must shoulder more of the burden for their own defense and has criticized countries he believes are falling short of their commitments.

    His latest threat against Spain underscores how disagreements over defense spending and Middle East policy are increasingly spilling into broader diplomatic and economic relations between Washington, and its European allies.

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    Marine Le Pen Launches 2027 Presidential Bid After Court Clears Path Despite Conviction

    By
    Patrick Houck
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    0
    The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    PARIS — French nationalist leader Marine Le Pen announced Tuesday that she will run for president in 2027 after a Paris appeals court upheld her conviction for misusing European Union funds but reduced her sentence and shortened her ban from holding public office, allowing her to remain on the ballot.

    The ruling preserves one of Europe’s most consequential political candidacies at a time when Le Pen and her National Rally party are leading opinion polls ahead of next year’s election. With President Emmanuel Macron constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term, the race is widely viewed as the strongest opportunity yet for France’s nationalist movement to capture the presidency.

    Court Upholds Conviction, Reduces Penalty

    The appeals court affirmed Le Pen’s conviction for diverting European Parliament funds to pay National Rally employees instead of parliamentary assistants.

    Judges sentenced her to three years in prison, with two years suspended and one year to be served under electronic monitoring, along with a €100,000 fine. The court also shortened her period of political ineligibility, clearing the way for her presidential campaign.

    Le Pen immediately vowed to challenge the decision before France’s highest court, the Court of Cassation.

    Under French law, that appeal suspends enforcement of her sentence — including the electronic monitoring requirement and political restrictions — while the case is reviewed, allowing her to campaign without immediate legal constraints.

    ‘Tonight, I Am a Candidate’

    Appearing on French television shortly after the ruling, Le Pen left little doubt about her intentions.

    “Tonight, I am a candidate in the presidential election,” she declared, while maintaining that she had committed no crime and describing the prosecution as politically motivated.

    WATCH:

    The legal battle is expected to continue for months, but the appeals ruling removes the most immediate obstacle to her fourth presidential campaign.

    Polls Show National Rally in Strong Position

    Le Pen enters the race from a position of unusual political strength.

    Recent polling by major French firms has consistently placed either Le Pen or her National Rally protégé, Jordan Bardella, between roughly 31% and 36% in first-round voting — historically high numbers this far ahead of a presidential election. Pollsters say National Rally has never polled this strongly so early in a campaign.

    Several surveys also indicate Le Pen would be highly competitive in a second-round runoff against leading centrist contenders, including former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe.

    Relationship With Trump Has Changed

    Although Le Pen praised Donald Trump’s 2016 election victory and was once viewed as one of his closest political allies in Europe, she has deliberately distanced herself from the president in recent years.

    As she works to broaden her appeal among mainstream conservative and center-right French voters, Le Pen has sought to present National Rally as a governing party rather than a protest movement.

    That strategy has included publicly criticizing Trump on several occasions. During a dispute last month between Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Le Pen sided with Meloni and described Trump’s remarks as “very insulting.” She has also broken with the president on aspects of U.S. military intervention and European defense policy.

    Legal Battle Continues

    The case stems from allegations that National Rally improperly used millions of euros in European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016 to pay party staff working in France rather than parliamentary assistants assigned to Brussels.

    Le Pen has consistently denied intentionally violating the rules and says the prosecution reflects an effort to sideline one of France’s leading opposition figures.

    Whether France’s highest court ultimately upholds or overturns the conviction remains uncertain. For now, however, the appeals ruling has ensured that the country’s leading nationalist candidate will remain in the race, setting up what is expected to be one of Europe’s most closely watched elections in a generation.

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    Trump Confirms Heated Call With Netanyahu Over Lebanon Strikes

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1
    ChatGPT Image Jun 3, 2026, 09_53_45 AM

    President Donald Trump has confirmed reports that he sharply confronted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel’s military operations in Lebanon, acknowledging that he used profanity during a tense phone call as concerns mounted over the potential collapse of U.S.-Iran peace negotiations.

    The call, first reported by Axios journalist Barak Ravid, reportedly occurred after Netanyahu ordered Israeli forces to strike Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s Dahieh district, an escalation that threatened to derail ongoing diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran.

    According to Axios, citing U.S. officials and another source briefed on the conversation, Trump referred to Netanyahu as “crazy” and demanded, “What the f— are you doing?” during the call. The report also claimed Trump reminded Netanyahu of U.S. support, allegedly telling the Israeli leader, “I helped you stay out of jail.”

    Senior officials in Netanyahu’s office disputed portions of the Axios account, calling it “inaccurate” and denying some of the personal remarks attributed to Trump.

    However, Trump later confirmed key details of the exchange during an interview with New York Post columnist Miranda Devine on her Pod Force One podcast.

    “Now Axios reported that you had a phone call with Bibi Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, in which you were angry with him. You said, ‘Are you effing crazy? What are you effing doing? I helped you stay out of jail.’ Is that true?” Devine asked.

    “I did,” Trump replied.

    The president downplayed suggestions that he was furious with Netanyahu, instead describing himself as frustrated by Israel’s continued military actions against Lebanon.

    “I wouldn’t say angry. I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon,” Trump said. “You know, at some point I said, ‘Bibi we gotta stop this, we gotta stop it.’”

    Despite the confrontation, Trump emphasized that his relationship with the Israeli prime minister remains strong.

    “But I have a very good relationship. We’ve done well together,” Trump added. “He always says we could never have done it, but everybody knows that we could have never done it without the United States. But we’ve worked very well together.”

    “I like Bibi a lot and I’ve worked very well with him,” he continued. “We had where, you know, where I’m a wartime president, he’s a wartime prime minister. Very important part of the world, and I think we’ve done, you know, very well.”

    Watch the full interview on YouTube:

    The reported dispute came amid growing concerns that renewed Israeli strikes in Lebanon could jeopardize diplomatic progress with Iran. Iranian officials accused Israel of violating a ceasefire agreement brokered by Washington and Tehran in April and threatened to suspend negotiations with the United States.

    Following his conversation with Netanyahu, Trump announced on Truth Social that Israeli forces would pull back from Beirut and that troops heading toward the Lebanese capital “have already been turned back.”

    “Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop — That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel,” Trump wrote.

    The incident has also sparked political commentary in the United States. During an appearance on CNN’s OutFront, Democrat strategist David Axelrod said Trump’s frustration with Netanyahu was understandable.

    “It doesn’t sound like a very friendly call,” Axelrod said.

    Axelrod argued that Netanyahu’s actions had complicated both Israel’s international standing and Trump’s political position at home.

    “I think that the president — his analysis is not wrong,” Axelrod said. “Bibi Netanyahu has done tremendous damage, in my view, to Israel and to Israel’s standing in the world.”

    Axelrod also suggested Trump may be particularly frustrated because the conflict has become a domestic political liability.

    “What he’s mad about is Bibi has created a huge political problem for him, because the economy is the thing that is on the minds of Americans, and he has made it worse,” Axelrod added.

    While the exchange highlights growing tensions over the conduct of the regional conflict, Trump’s public comments suggest that, despite the unusually blunt language, he continues to view Netanyahu as a close ally even as he pushes for de-escalation in Lebanon.

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