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Pentagon Chief Threatens Military Action Against Iran

David B. Gleason from Chicago, IL, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth threatened military action against Iran on Wednesday night.

“We see your LETHAL support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing,” Hegseth said in a post on X. “You know very well what the U.S. Military is capable of — and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing.”

Hegseth’s post warning of military force is unusual for a defense secretary to make, especially so explicitly, though it appears to be in response to an incident earlier this week in the Red Sea that caused a U.S. fighter jet to fall off an aircraft carrier.

On Monday, a Houthi drone forced the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier to make an evasive maneuver, which some believe caused an F-18 Super Hornet worth $67 million and a tow tractor to fall off the carrier and into the Red Sea.

The plane was actively under tow in a hangar bay when the crew lost control of the aircraft. Both the jet and tow went overboard and were lost in the sea, the Navy said.

Trump elevated a military campaign against the terrorist group on March 15, and airstrikes have been launched against Houthi targets every day since then.

After his post on Wednesday, Hegseth then retweeted a Truth Social post by President Donald Trump from March 17.

“Let nobody be fooled! The hundreds of attacks being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen, who are hated by the Yemeni people, all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN,” Trump posted. “Any further attack or retaliation by the ‘Houthis’ will be met with great force, and there is no guarantee that the force will stop there.

“Iran has played the ‘innocent victim’ of rogue terrorists from which they’ve lost control, but they haven’t lost control. They’re dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, ‘Intelligence.’ Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!”

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump joked that embattled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is his “least controversial person” during a cabinet meeting at the White House Wednesday.

The lighthearted moment comes a little over a week after the former Fox News host was embroiled in a second Signalgate scandal.

“I could start with Pete on the left because he is my least controversial person at the table,” Trump said to laughter as he motioned toward Hegseth. “We all know how good he is.”

Read the full remarks here per Mediaite:

DONALD TRUMP: With that, I think we’ll maybe go around and we have some letters where the secretaries and people around the table are making statements about how they are doing and what is happening and I could start with Pete on the left because he is my least controversial person at the table. [Laughter]

We all know how good he is. We’ll go around the table and you can hear. These are cabinet meetings where they are very open and transparent. I can guarantee you Biden didn’t do this. He didn’t do this. Go ahead Pete.

PETE HEGSETH: I think we’re controversial because we’re over the target. Like so many things, Mr. President, you inherited a demoralized military that couldn’t recruit, that was perceived as weak in Afghanistan and elsewhere because of Joe Biden. What we have seen since your election and the inauguration has been nothing short of a recruiting renaissance. Decades since we’ve seen this kind of recruiting in the army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force. The men and women of America want to join the United States military led by President Donald Trump.

TRUMP: And the police, by the way. And fire. I always mention the fire but the police and fire likewise are — I mean, they have waiting lists now. And six months ago, it was a disaster.

HEGSETH: Truly historic. We can barely absorb the volume and retention as well. Men and women in the military who don’t want to get out now that they have a real commander in chief. We’re reinforcing standards. Gonna be fit, not fat in our formations. Welcome back all the COVID — the folks who were forced out because of the COVID mandate. We ripped wokeness out of the military, sir, DEI, trans and it’s Fort Benning and Fort Bragg again at the DOD. We’re rebuilding the military, sir.

The Golden Dome is well underway. F-47, reassuring allies and deterring enemies. We found nearly $6 billion in DOGE savings that we’re going to reinvest, including $50 billion from the Biden administration focused on things like climate that have nothing to do with lethality and war fighting. And we will have as you said, sir, the first trillion-dollar budget we plan to spend wisely on behalf of our warfighters.

From Day one, sir, we have helped get 100% operational control of the border. Come alongside DHS and CBP. We’ve got 11,000 troops on the border who now, because of the new national defense area, sir, can help detain illegals at the border and hand them over to CBP. It used to be if you saw camouflage on the border, they could hold binoculars, and that’s it. Now we can detain and assist and we are.

We’ll get 100% operational control of the border. Our NATO allies know they have to step up. The Houthis in the Middle East are feeling the weight of American power and we’re deterring communist China. So because of your leadership, sir, I believe we’re making the military great again. Thank you.

Hegseth’s Inner Circle Crumbles — Top Aide Out In Pentagon Shakeup

By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America - Pete Hegseth, CC BY-SA 2.0

Joe Kasper, former chief of staff to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, likely walked out of the Pentagon as a Department of Defense (DOD) employee for the last time Thursday as controversy over leaked classified information spiraled out of control. His exit follows bombshell revelations that Hegseth shared sensitive military plans — including airstrike details in Yemen — with unauthorized parties via Signal, an encrypted messaging app.

The scandal, now called “Signalgate,” has set off a series of investigations and toppled senior aides, including Deputy Chief of Staff Darin Selnick and Senior Advisor Dan Caldwell. Former Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot called it a “full-blown meltdown,” and warned that Hegseth’s days could be numbered.

Even as the chaos grows, President Trump is standing by Hegseth — at least publicly. But the fallout is exposing serious cracks in the Pentagon’s leadership and raising alarms about operational security.

Kasper’s abrupt departure marks another blow during a brutal period of scrutiny. Although Hegseth told the hosts of “Fox & Friends” that his chief adviser would move to “a slightly different role” within the DOD, Kasper is officially gone — eyeing a return to government relations and consulting.

A senior official confirmed the news on Friday, according to a report by The Guardian:

“Secretary Hegseth is thankful for [Kasper’s] continued leadership and work to advance the America First agenda,” the official said in a statement, referring to Donald Trump’s protectionist policy push.

The quick exit comes after Kasper was implicated as the orchestrator of a power grab that led to the dismissal of three senior Pentagon officials – Dan Caldwell, Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll – allegedly as part of a leak investigation.

The administration’s first hundred days created a troubled tenure for Kasper, with anonymous sources claiming he was frequently late to meetings, failed to follow through on critical tasks, and displayed inappropriate behavior, including berating officials and making crude comments allegedly about his bowel movements during high-level meetings.

“He lacked the focus and organizational skills needed to get things done,” one anonymous insider told Politico.

Other reports surfaced that the strip club aficionado shared inappropriate personal stories about exotic dancers during classified meetings — one of several reasons he became a liability. He’s now the fifth top aide to leave Hegseth’s circle in just a week.

Meanwhile, the broader Pentagon leadership is under fire for security breaches, including Hegseth’s use of an unsecured “dirty” internet line for Signal communications — a move that may have exposed critical data to foreign surveillance, according to NSA warnings.

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‘Vladimir, STOP!’ – Trump Blasts Putin Over Deadly Strikes On Kyiv

Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

In a dramatic public rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Thursday morning to condemn Russia’s latest missile and drone assault on Kyiv, which killed at least nine people and injured more than 70.

“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV,” Trump wrote. “Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”

The Hill has more:

The Trump administration has been pushing for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, but top officials have in recent days signaled they are prepared to walk away from negotiations if the two sides don’t reach a deal soon.

Fighting has been ongoing in Ukraine since Russian forces invaded in February 2022 after amassing troops near the border.

Trump has vacillated between criticizing Russia for its continued assault on Ukraine and lashing out at Zelensky.

Trump’s comments came just hours after he slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for vowing that Ukraine would never recognize Russia’s occupation of Crimea — a strategic peninsula that was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014 and is home to more than 2 million people.

By President Of Ukraine – https://www.flickr.com/photos/165930373@N06/54169325552/, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=156221279

“Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian territory,” Trump posted Wednesday. He added that such declarations from Kyiv “make it so difficult to settle this war.”

The White House recently announced that Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will soon visit Moscow for a fourth round of negotiations with Putin, underlining ongoing diplomatic efforts.

Kremlin.ru, via Wikimedia Commons

Meanwhile, European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, have squarely blamed Putin for prolonging the war, stating that Russia alone prevents peace. Macron emphasized that only Putin’s agreement could stop the violence, underscoring the international community’s call for a resolution.

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Trump’s Patience With Zelensky Evaporates As White House Issues Dire Warning

By President Of Ukraine - https://www.flickr.com/photos/165930373@N06/54169325552/, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=156221279

President Trump’s growing frustration with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky came to a head on Wednesday. At the center of the tension: a statement from Zelensky demanding full Russian withdrawal — including from Crimea — before even sitting down for peace talks.

While the Ukrainian leader remains steadfast in his refusal to negotiate without a complete rollback of Russian control, critics argue that this kind of rigid posture may be stalling real progress and prolonging the war’s human cost.

The Trump team has been exploring more pragmatic solutions to break the deadlock — one of which includes floating the idea of formally recognizing Crimea as Russian territory. It’s a bold play meant to strip away one of the biggest barriers to getting both sides to the table.

As the New York Post explains, Trump’s dire warning to the Ukrainian president included a particularly ominous comment: settle for a negotiated peace or risk “losing the entire country.”

Trump, 78, was responding to Zelensky telling reporters Tuesday that “Ukraine will not legally recognize the [Russian] occupation of Crimea” — a key part of a US-proposed peace plan under discussion in London Wednesday, and a condition that has long been a red line for Kyiv.

“This statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia in that Crimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President Barack Hussein Obama, and is not even a point of discussion,” the president seethed on Truth Social. 

“Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?”

Trump a decade ago criticized Obama for not intervening when Russia annexed Crimea. Kyiv has been working since 2014 to get its territory back and expel Russians from eastern Ukraine.

In a bid to end the grinding, trench-style war in Ukraine, the Trump administration is preparing to upend more than eight decades of U.S. foreign policy.

“There’s a doctrine out there called the Welles Declaration, that goes back to 1940, that says the United States will not acknowledge the occupation of a foreign land by another nation,” a senior administration official told the Post. “That’s on the table.”

The Welles Doctrine, first invoked to condemn the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states, has long guided America’s refusal to recognize territorial seizures. Reversing or softening that position would mark a historic shift — one aimed at pressuring Ukraine and Russia toward a negotiated ceasefire.

The move, while politically explosive, is rooted in realpolitik. Crimea has been effectively under Russian control since 2014, and there’s an argument to be made that clinging to pre-2014 maps may be standing in the way of saving lives today.

Predictably, the proposal sparked outrage in Kyiv. For Ukrainians, Crimea isn’t just land — it’s a Maryland size chunk of heritage, identity and pride.

But an important question remains: At what point does principled resistance become strategic blindness?

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US Threatens To Abandon Ukraine Peace Negotiations

By President Of Ukraine - https://www.flickr.com/photos/165930373@N06/54169325552/, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=156221279

Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated the United States may back off from assisting in peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that it needs to be determined within days whether achieving a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is “doable in the short term,” warning that he thinks the U.S. will “move on” if it is not achievable.

Rubio has been working alongside Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to broker a 30-day ceasefire agreement with Russia and Ukraine, which has not yet been seen to fruition.

“We are now reaching a point where we need to decide whether this is even possible or not,” Rubio told reporters Friday while departing from negotiations with his counterparts in Paris. “Because if it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on.”

“It’s not our war. We have other priorities to focus on,” he added, suggesting the U.S. would decide if continued talks were “doable” in a “matter of days.”

But Rubio noted that the U.S. will help if either or both sides are “serious about peace.”

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

“@POTUS has been clear: The time to end the war between Russia and Ukraine is now. Today in Paris, @SE_MiddleEast, @SPE_Kellogg and I met with leaders from France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Ukraine to talk about how we can stop the killing and reach a just and sustainable peace,” Rubio noted in a post on X. 

While ceasefire negotiations have been slow, Trump has maintained that efforts to obtain a minerals deal with Ukraine are picking up pace. The U.S. leader said access to the country’s critical natural resources would provide a strong interest in maintaining Ukraine’s sovereignty and security for years to come. 

The secretary also suggested that the U.K., France and Germany can help “move the ball” on negotiations. Officials who met in Paris have agreed to meet again in London next week with hopes of gearing peace talks toward a secured deal. 

Kremlin.ru, via Wikimedia Commons

Despite Rubio’s comments, Vice President Vance said Friday he believes talks will move forward.

“The negotiations, I won’t pre-judge them, but we do feel optimistic that we can hopefully bring this war, this very brutal war to a close,” he told reporters during his visit to Rome, where he met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — a day after she met with President Trump at the White House.

Ukrainian Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said she signed a memorandum of intent with the U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ahead of a potential agreement. 

“I assume they’re going to live up to the deal, so we’ll see. But we have a deal on that,” Trump said Thursday.

FAA Contractor Pleads Guilty To Spying For Iran

Arrest image via Pixabay

A former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) contractor has pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of Iran.

The Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that 42-year-old Abouzar Rahmati, a naturalized U.S. citizen and resident of Virginia, pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of Iran by pursuing an FAA job to gain access to information. From 2017 to 2024, Rahmati met with Iranian officials, communicated with security officials, and provided “non-public materials about the U.S. solar energy industry.”

According to the DOJ, it was Rahmati who offered his services to Iran:

In August 2017, Rahmati offered his services to the Iranian government through a senior Iranian government official who previously worked in Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security and with whom Rahmati had previously attended university. Four months later, in December 2017, Rahmati traveled to Iran, where he met with Iranian intelligence operatives and government officials and agreed to obtain information about the U.S. solar energy industry, to provide that information to Iranian officials, and to conduct future communications under a cover story based on purported discussions about research with fellow academics.

Rahmati previously was an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) 1st Lt., a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces, from June 2009 to May 2010. The IRGC is a designated terrorist group by the U.S. government.

The DOJ said Rahmati offered his services to Iran in August 2017 through a former colleague who was a senior Iranian government official who previously worked at the country’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security.

Rahmati traveled to Iran four months later and met with intelligence operatives and government officials, the DOJ said. He also agreed to gather and provide Iranian officials with information about the solar industry in the U.S.

Read:

Rahmati provided information “relating to solar energy, solar panels, the FAA, U.S. airports, and U.S. air traffic control towers” to his brother in Iran, which was then provided to government officials. He also at one point provided information related to “the National Aerospace System (NAS), Airport Surveillance Radar systems, and radio frequency data.”

In early 2018, Rahmati obtained private and open-source materials related to the U.S. solar industry, then provided them to the office of Iran’s Vice President for Science and Technology.

Rahmati is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 26, and he faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for acting as an agent of a foreign government, and up to five years in prison for conspiracy.

The guilty plea comes amidst President Donald Trump’s ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran in which the president has warned military options are on the table should Iran not agree to never possess a nuclear weapon.

Space Force Commander Fired After Sending Mass Email To Staff About VP Vance

David B. Gleason from Chicago, IL, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

She’s out…

The Pentagon fired the commander at the U.S. Space Force base in Greenland after she broke with Vice President JD Vance who recently traveled to Greenland.

After the vice president’s visit, Col. Susannah Meyers emailed base personnel on March 31, writing, “I do not presume to understand current politics, but what I do know is the concerns of the U.S. administration discussed by Vice President Vance on Friday are not reflective of Pituffik Space Base.”

She added that she had “spent the weekend thinking about Friday’s visit — the actions taken, the words spoken, and how it must have affected each of you.” The email was first reported by Military.com.

The Space Force said in a public statement Meyers had been relieved of command “due to loss of confidence in her ability to lead.” 

“Commanders are expected to adhere to the highest standards of conduct, especially as it relates to remaining nonpartisan in the performance of their duties,” the statement read. 

Col. Shawn Lee has now assumed the command, Space Force said. 

“Actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump’s agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defense,” Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell posted on X. 

Meyers became commander of the 821st Space Base Group in July, according to a Facebook post about the change-of-command ceremony. 

Vance, during his visit to the snow-covered island, criticized Denmark for treating Greenlanders as “second-class citizens.” 

“Our message to Denmark is very simple,” Vance said. “You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland. You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security of this incredible, beautiful landmass.”

Vance was the highest-ranking official to ever travel to the base in Pituffik, the White House said. 

The Trump administration has made acquiring Greenland a top goal. 

“We need Greenland for national security and international security,” President Donald Trump said on March 11. 

Report: Threat To Assassinate Trump Appears In Official Iran Paper

Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

National security officials are on high alert…

Threats to kill President Donald Trump have emerged in Iran’s propaganda newspaper after he threatened to bomb the regime “like never before” as Iran has also reportedly placed its military on “high alert.”

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is said to have put Iran’s military on standby to prepare for any future strikes from the US.

Tehran was slapped with a chilling deadline to either hold direct talks and sign a new nuclear agreement or potentially face military action. However, Khamenei has reportedly strongly refused to agree to Trump’s demands, saying that Iran will not engage in any direct negotiations with the US.

The snub saw a furious Trump rip into the regime and threaten to strike Iran.

The president vowed to bomb Iran “like never before” if the regime does not fall in line and strike up a new nuclear deal with the US.

The Sun reports:

Amid the potential strike threat, Kayhan – a hardline Iranian newspaper managed by Khamenei’s representative – issued a column calling to assassinate Trump.

The chilling threat was written in retaliation to the 2020 killing of IRGC’s Qassim Soleimani by US airstrikes.

President Trump has given his team strict instructions to “obliterate” Iran if the country ever assassinates him.

It was revealed in November that an Iranian agent had been charged with plotting to kill Trump in an assassination.

US prosecutors say the rogue state told ex-con Farhad Shakeri — said to be hiding in Tehran — to devise a seven-day plan to spy on and murder him.

In February, Trump responded to a question over what protocols would instantly be triggered should he be killed by an Iranian plot by saying there is already a plan set.

He said: “I’ve left instructions if they do it, they get obliterated, there won’t be anything left.”

Federal authorities have been tracking Iranian threats against Trump and other US administration officials for years.

Meanwhile, Khamenei is said to be amassing troops to brace for a potential conflict.

Trump Purges National Security Team Amid Loyalty Concerns Following Oval Office Meeting With Laura Loomer

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President Donald Trump has dismissed several senior officials from the National Security Council (NSC) following an Oval Office meeting with controversial activist Laura Loomer. During yesterday’s meeting, first reported Thursday, Loomer presented a list of individuals she claimed were insufficiently loyal to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” agenda.

Among those removed are David Feith, senior director for technology and national security, and Brian Walsh, senior director for intelligence matters.

Loomer urged the removal of NSC staffers she deemed disloyal. While it’s unclear if her recommendations directly led to the firings, sources describe the action as part of an “anti-neocon” effort targeting officials associated with hawkish foreign policy views.

According to Axios reporters Barak Ravid and Dave Lawler, up to 10 people were unceremoniously dismissed.

Behind the scenes: The U.S. official said Loomer was furious that “neocons” had “slipped through” the vetting process for administration jobs, referring to hawkish foreign policy views commonly associated with the Bush administration.

“She went to the White House yesterday and presented them with her research and evidence,” the official said. Loomer’s visit was reported earlier by Status and The New York Times. The official suspected that the firings were linked to Loomer’s visit but was not certain.

The Oval Office discussion included Vice President JD Vance, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Presidential Personnel Director Sergio Gor. Loomer emphasized the need for strong loyalty within the national security team.

The firings follow recent issues within the NSC, including National Security Adviser Mike Waltz’s accidental inclusion of a left-wing journalist in a secure chat about military operations in Yemen, raising concerns about operational security.

Axios continues:

State of play: Axios has not confirmed whether any of the individuals let go were in any way connected to the separate controversy about the use of Signal and private email accounts by national security adviser Michael Waltz and NSC staff to discuss sensitive information.

Trump considered firing Waltz at the height of the “Signalgate” scandal but ultimately decided to keep him and deny his critics a scalp, Axios’ Marc Caputo and Mike Allen reported.

Loomer has promoted the conspiracy theory that the 9/11 attacks were an “inside job,” suggesting that the Bush administration had prior knowledge of the events. In a June 2023 social media post, she shared a video with the caption “9/11 was an Inside Job!” and implied that the attacks were linked to then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s announcement about $2.3 trillion in unaccounted funds the day before 9/11.

The White House has not issued an official statement regarding these personnel changes.

Trump Secures Release Of US Prisoner From Taliban

Gage Skidmore Flickr

An American woman being held captive by the Taliban is free…

American citizen Faye Hall was released finally this week after being held since February and received at the Qatari embassy in Kabul.

A source informed reporters that she has been confirmed to be in good health after undergoing a series of medical checks. Arrangements are currently underway for her return to the U.S.

The Taliban agreed to release Hall after President Donald Trump removed multimillion-dollar bounties on senior members of the militant group, according to a report by the Telegraph.

The White House shared a video on X Saturday afternoon of Hall thanking the president.

“I’m glad you’re the President, and thank you for bringing me home,” Hall said. “I have never been so proud to be an American citizen. Thank you, Mr. President.”

In a response posted to Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Thank you Faye — So honored with your words!”

Trump agreed to remove millions of dollars of bounties on three senior members of the Haqqani network, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban government’s interior minister, the outlet reported, noting that Washington was offering a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture.

Hall was arrested on Feb. 1 along with a British couple, Peter Reynolds, 79, his wife Barbie, 75, and their interpreter, the outlet reported. 

Hall’s release comes after the Taliban released American hostage George Glezmann, 65, last week after holding him for more than two years. (RELATED: Trump Admin Frees American Hostage From Taliban)=

The Trump administration has also secured the release of multiple Americans being held prisoner in Russia, including Pennsylvania teacher Marc Fogel(RELATED: Trump Secures Release Of Second American While Revealing Details Of Russian Prisoner Swap)

Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, was serving a 14-year prison sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport for being in possession of drugs, which his family and supporters said were medically prescribed marijuana. 

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