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Trump To Address UN After Secret Service Thwarts ‘Telecommunications Threat’ Near General Assembly

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    On Tuesday, Secret Serviceย agents announced they had cracked a plot that could have crippled the telecommunications network in the nation’s largest city, as more than 150 world leaders convene this week inย New York.

    The U.S. Secret Service said Tuesday that it “dismantled a network of electronic devices located throughout theย New York tristate areaย that were used to conduct multiple telecommunications-related threats directed towards senior U.S. government officials.”

    The devices were concentrated within 35 miles of the ongoingย United Nations General Assemblyย meeting in New York City, it added.

    “This protective intelligence investigation led to the discovery of more than 300 co-located SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards across multiple sites,” the Secret Service said in a statement. “In addition to carrying out anonymous telephonic threats, these devices could be used to conduct a wide range of telecommunications attacks. This includes disabling cell phone towers, enabling denial of services attacks and facilitating anonymous, encrypted communication between potential threat actors and criminal enterprises.”

    “While forensic examination of these devices is ongoing, early analysis indicates cellular communications between nation-state threat actors and individuals that are known to federal law enforcement,” it also said.

    Theย Department of Homeland Securityโ€™sย Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Justice, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the New York Police Department and other state and local law enforcement partners are assisting with the investigation.

    U.S. Department of State from United States, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    “The potential for disruption to our countryโ€™s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated,” U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran said.

    “The U.S. Secret Serviceโ€™s protective mission is all about prevention, and this investigation makes it clear to potential bad actors that imminent threats to our protectees will be immediately investigated, tracked down and dismantled,” he added.

    The Secret Service also said: “Given the timing, location and potential for significant disruption to New York telecommunications posed by these devices, the agency moved quickly to disrupt this network.”

    Presidentย Donald Trumpย is set to address the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday.ย 

    Trump’s remarks will center on “touting renewal of American strength around the world,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday, according to ABC News..

    “The president will also touch upon how globalist institutions have significantly decayed the world order, and he will articulate his straightforward and constructive vision for the world,” Leavitt said.

    It will be Trump’s first speech to the annual gathering since his return to office.

    On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron declared at the U.N. General Assembly thatย France will now recognize a Palestinian state.

    “The time for peace has come,” Macron said.

    Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke virtually before the U.N. General Assembly on Monday after theย Trump administration revoked his U.S. visa last month to attend the conference in person.

    Abbas called on Hamas to surrender their weapons and he condemned the killings on Oct. 7, 2023. He also expressed readiness to work with Trump to implement a peace plan and called for a “permanent ceasefire.”

    FBI Arrests โ€˜Anti-Trumpโ€™ Gunman Who Shot ABC Studio After Kimmel Suspension

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    The FBI arrested the โ€œanti-Trumpโ€ gunman who fired three shots into a local ABC studio after late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was suspended last week just hours after he posted bail in California.

    FBI Director Kash Patel on Monday morning posted on X that Hernandez-Santana was taken into custody โ€œunder a federal hold for interference with licensed broadcasts.โ€

    He added: โ€œTargeted acts of violence are unacceptable and will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law.โ€

    Anibal Hernandez-Santana, the 64-year old suspected shooter, was arrested by the FBI on Saturday, one day after he opened fired on ABC 10 in Sacramento in a drive-by shooting. Hernandez-Santana had posted $200,000 bail earlier on Saturday before he was arrested by the FBI for โ€œviolating a statute that says no one can interfere with any communication of any station licensed by the U.S. Government,โ€ KCRA 3 reporter Peyton Headlee reported on Sunday.

    The suspect is now facing federal charges and is ineligible for bail, according to Mediaite.

    The suspect is now facing federal charges and is ineligible for bail.

    Variety, over the weekend, reported Hernandez-Santanaโ€™s X account contained โ€œa steady stream of anti-Trump commentary.โ€

    โ€œWhere is a good heart attack when we need it the most?? Please Join in my thoughts and prayers for the physical demise of our fearful leader,โ€ Hernandez-Santana posted last Thursday.

    His attorney, Mark Reichel, told KCRA 3 that Hernandez-Santana is being overly scrutinized because of his anti-Trump posts.

    โ€œIf you look at his social media, theyโ€™re going to say, โ€˜Boy, it sure shows that heโ€™s liberal and left wing.โ€™ So you think theyโ€™re going to overlook something like that? I donโ€™t think so,โ€ Reichel said.

    The shooting happened during the early hours of Sept. 19, a day after a protest was held in front of ABC 10 following Kimmelโ€™s suspension. About 15 people showed up for the protest, the Sacramento Bee reported.

    Kimmel had his show pulled after he implied the person who shot Charlie Kirk was a Trump supporter.

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

    Taliban Responds To Trump Push To Reclaim Bagram Air Base

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    By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54325633746/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=159707159

    The Taliban on Sunday responded toย President Trumpโ€™sย pushย toย regain controlย of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, saying the U.S. should adopt โ€œa policy of realism and rationalityโ€ while rejecting the move.

    โ€œIt has been consistently communicated to the United States in all bilateral negotiations that, for the Islamic Emirate, Afghanistanโ€™s independence and territorial integrity are of the utmost importance,โ€ Taliban deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said in an official statement posted on the social platform X.

    Fitrat pointed to U.S. commitments under the Doha agreement โ€” which Trump aides negotiated in his first term to end the U.S. presence in Afghanistan โ€” not to โ€œuse or threaten force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan, nor interfere in its internal affairs.โ€

    Trump in recent days has suggested the U.S. wants to wrest back control of Bagram Air Base.

    โ€œIf Afghanistan doesnโ€™t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!,โ€ Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.

    During a joint press conference in Great Britain with that countryโ€™s prime minister, Trump said the U.S. was โ€œtrying to get it backโ€ because the Taliban needed things from the United States.

    He also highlighted the baseโ€™s proximity to China.

    โ€œWe gave it to them for nothing,โ€ Trump said, repeating a campaign message on the Biden-era unconditional withdrawal from Afghanistan, during a joint news conference with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

    โ€œWeโ€™re trying to get it back, by the way. OK, that could be a little breaking news. Weโ€™re trying to get it back because they need things from us.

    โ€œWe want that base back. But one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, itโ€™s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.

    โ€œSo a lot of things are happening.โ€

    Watch:

    Bagram was once the largest U.S. base in Afghanistan during the U.S. war in that country, the longest conflict in American history. It was abandoned in 2021 when theย Bidenย administration withdrew U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

    Report: Hamas Letter To Trump Asks For 60-day Ceasefire Deal To Release Half Of Hostages

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    President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

    Hamas has drafted a letter to President Donald Trump, asking the American president to guarantee a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the immediate release of half of the hostages being detained within Gaza, Fox News reports from a senior Trump administration official and a second source directly involved in negotiations.

    The letter is expected to be delivered to Trump this week.

    Trump has sought to serve as a peacemaker on the global stage since the beginning of his second presidential term and has previously called for Hamas to release all the hostages it took captive during the heinous Oct. 7, 2023 attack against Israel.

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

    Trump To Award Ben Carson Presidential Medal of Freedom

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      Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

      President Donald Trump announced thatย Dr. Ben Carsonย will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, noting that there will be a ceremony at the White House to honor him.

      President Trumpย said on Saturday he will award Ben Carson, his first-term Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nationโ€™s highest civilian honor.

      โ€œWe are going to be presenting Dr.ย Ben Carsonย with the highest civilian award and honor in our country. Itโ€™s the civilian version of the Medal of Honor, which is our highest military award. Itโ€™s the Presidential Medal of Freedom,โ€ Trump said in remarks at an event hosted by the American Cornerstone Institute, which Carson founded.

      Trump said he plans to have a ceremony for Carson at the White House but did not specify timing.

      “Congratulations Ben. He didn’t know this. He didn’t know it. I hope he’s happy,”ย Trump saidย after making the announcement at the conclusion of his remarks at the American Cornerstone Institute’s Founders’ Dinner on Saturday.

      Carson, a former neurosurgeon, ran unsuccessfully for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016 against Trump. The president then tapped him to serve as HUD secretary. Carson served as the national faith chair for the Trump campaign in the 2024 election.

      Trump recently said he would posthumously award conservative activistย Charlie Kirkย the Presidential Medal of Freedom after he was fatally shot on Sept. 10 at an open-air event at Utah Valley University.

      Trump Designates Iran-Backed Groups In Iraq Terrorist Organizations

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      By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54581054338/, Public Domain,

      In a decisive move to confront Iranโ€™s destabilizing influence in the Middle East, the U.S. State Department on Wednesday officially designated four Iran-backed Iraqi militias as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). The groupsโ€”Harakat al-Nujaba, Kataโ€™ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, and Kataโ€™ib al-Imam Aliโ€”have long served as armed proxies for Tehran, attacking U.S. and coalition forces and threatening American diplomats.

      All four groups were previously sanctioned by the Treasury Department as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) in 2023, but the new designations escalate U.S. pressure by invoking additional legal penalties, travel bans, and asset freezes.

      โ€œIran-aligned militia groups have conducted attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and bases hosting U.S. and Coalition forces, typically using front names or proxy groups to obfuscate their involvement,โ€ Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in the announcement.


      Iranโ€™s Proxy War Network: The Islamic Resistance in Iraq

      According to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), these four militias form the backbone of a Tehran-controlled umbrella organization known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI). The IRI surged in prominence after Hamas launched its deadly October 7, 2023 assault on Israel.

      Since then, the IRI has claimed or been linked to hundreds of rocket, drone, and IED attacks on U.S. and allied forces in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. U.S. officials say the network was responsible for the January 2024 drone attack in Jordan that killed three American service members, marking one of the deadliest assaults on U.S. troops in years.

      โ€œThe Trump administration broke the taboo during term one when it proved it could name, shame, and punish Iran-backed militias in Iraq without the country devolving into civil war,โ€ said Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the FDDโ€™s Iran program. โ€œNow in term two the administration is upping the ante continuing a campaign of designations against the agents of influence and terror of Iran in Iraq.โ€


      Popular Mobilization Forces: A Trojan Horse for Tehran

      The four newly designated groups are also part of Iraqโ€™s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF)โ€”a nominally state-run coalition originally created to fight ISIS, but which has been heavily infiltrated and directed by Iranโ€™s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

      โ€œTehran relies on these militias to literally have a state within a state in Iraq,โ€ Ben Taleblu warned. โ€œSandwiching these and other Iran-backed terror groups between Treasury Department [Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons] SDN listings and State Department [Foreign Terrorist Organizations] FTO listings, as the Trump administration previously did with their patron, the IRGC, in term one is the right approach.โ€


      Trumpโ€™s Proven Record on Targeting Terror Groups

      This new wave of designations continues the Trump administrationโ€™s aggressive posture against Iran and its terror proxies. In 2019, the administration made history by designating the IRGC itself as a Foreign Terrorist Organizationโ€”the first time the U.S. had ever used the FTO label on part of another nationโ€™s military.

      That same year, U.S. forces conducted a precision strike in Baghdad killing Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the IRGCโ€™s elite Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of the PMF and leader of the Iran-backed Kataโ€™ib Hezbollah militia, another group long designated as an FTO.

      Other Iran-backed entities targeted by the Trump administration included:

      • Asaโ€™ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) โ€” designated in 2020 for killing U.S. and coalition troops.
      • Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba (HHN) โ€” sanctioned in 2019 for its role in attacks on American forces.
      • Kataโ€™ib Hezbollah (KH) โ€” designated in 2009, but further sanctioned and struck by U.S. airpower under Trump following deadly rocket attacks.

      These actions sent a clear message that attacks on Americans would carry severe consequencesโ€”a doctrine many national security analysts argue helped restore deterrence in the region.

      Will Trump Take Back Our Panama Canal? Cruz Blows Whistle On Communist Chinese Control

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      Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America,

      U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz met with Panamanian officials about growing Communist Chinese influence over the Panama Canal, a crucial artery for global trade that was built and once controlled by the United States, until it was given away by liberal the-President Jimmy Carter.

      Cruz announced in a statement he โ€œrecently traveled to Panama and underscored the Panama Canalโ€™s strategic importance to the United States.โ€

      Cruz reports he โ€œmet with top Panamanian officials, including the Minister of Economy and Finance, Felipe Chapman; Minister of Public Security, Frank Abrego; and Panama Canal Authority Administrator, Ricaurte Vรกsquez Morales. During these meetings, Sen. Cruz reiterated the growing threats posed by China and other foreign actors seeking to exert influence over the region, threatening both American and Panamanian national and economic security.โ€

      โ€œThe Senate Commerce Committee has primary jurisdiction over the Panama Canal due to its role in the facilitation of global trade and U.S. commerce,โ€ Cruz notes.

      โ€œThere is undoubtedly a strong Chinese presence, and I believe a threat to the canal. The purpose of my visit is number one, to try to strengthen the longtime friendship and alliance between the United States and Panama. And number two, I’m the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which, among other things, has jurisdiction over the Panama Canal and the Panama Canal is vital, both to national security and economic security of the United States and Panama,โ€ said Cruz.

      Cruz summarized the long-brewing issue of Communist Chinese control of the Panama Canal and its threat to the United States, writing:

      Previously, Sen. Cruz convened a Senate Commerce Committee hearing to examine the growing number of challenges facing the maritime industry in the region due to capacity limitations and increased transit fees. Sen. Cruz sounded alarms over Chinaโ€™s growing foothold in Panama, which poses a direct threat to U.S. trade. China has exploited Panamaโ€™s institutional weakness to evade U.S. sanctions and has taken controlling stakes in critical infrastructure surrounding the Panama Canal. During the hearing, multiple senators raised concerns about Panamaโ€™s management of the canal, citing allegations of corruption, suggesting that they may be violating the Neutrality Treaty.

      One week after the hearing, a preliminary deal was announced that would give an American company primary control of Port Balboa and Port Cristobal, which are container ports on either end of the canal. However, the deal has faced delay amid pressure from China seeking to secure a stake in the deal, stalling progress to protect both American and Panamanian interests.

      Sen. Cruz concluded, โ€œChina is not America’s friend, and China is not Panama’s friend, and if God forbid, a military conflict emerges between the United States and China, I believe there is an unacceptable risk that China would act to shut down the Panama Canal, which would have a devastating impact on the United States and an even worse impact on Panamaโ€ฆ

      โ€œThere is strong American interest in expanding and improving commerce and transportation through the Panama Canal. The United States built the Panama Canal more than a century ago and our nations have been close friends for a long, long time. The economies of both the United States and Panama benefit enormously from the Panama Canal, and there are strong American interests in investing in ports on both ends of the Panama Canal and assisting in new infrastructure, whether it is gas pipelines to transport gas from one end to the other, or whether it is building a new reservoir and expanding the ability to ensure there’s

      Judge Tosses Trump’s Lawsuit Against New York Times

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      Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

      A federal judge on Friday tossed out Donald Trump’s $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times over its content, calling it a “decidedly improper” effort to attack an adversary.

      A federal judge in Florida threw out President Trumpโ€™s lawsuit against the New York Times on Friday, saying the complaint his attorneys filed earlier this week against the newspaper is too long and needs to be truncated to be considered.

      โ€œA complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally or the functional equivalent of the Hyde Park Speakersโ€™ Corner,โ€ Judge Steven Merryday, an appointee of former President George H. W. Bush, wrote in the order, saying his court was not a venue for Trump to โ€œrage against an adversary.โ€

      A complaint should “fairly, precisely, directly, soberly, and economically inform the defendants … of the nature and content of the claims,” Merryday wrote. “A complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective โ€“ not a protected platform to rage against an adversary.”

      Merryday gave Trump 28 days to file an amended complaint of no more than 40 pages. 

      Earlier this week, Presidentย Donald Trump filed a $15 billion defamation and libel lawsuit against The New York Times, accusing the paper of being a virtual โ€œmouthpieceโ€ for the Democrat Party and making an illegal โ€œcampaign contributionโ€ in 2024 to opponent Kamala Harris.

      Trump announced the lawsuit late Monday on Truth Social and said it would be brought in Florida. This marks yet another legal action taken by the president against a major media organization after forcing settlements with ABC News and CBS News over the past year.

      โ€œToday, I have the Great Honor of bringing a $15 Billion Dollar Defamation and Libel Lawsuit against The New York Times, one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the History of our Country, becoming a virtual โ€˜mouthpieceโ€™ for the Radical Left Democrat Party. I view it as the single largest illegal Campaign contribution, EVER,โ€ he wrote. โ€œTheir Endorsement of Kamala Harris was actually put dead center on the front page of The New York Times, something heretofore UNHEARD OF!โ€

      Report: Trump Expected To Fire U.S. Attorney

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      Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

      President Donald Trump is expected to fire the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after his office was unable to find incriminating evidence ofย mortgage fraudย against New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to sources.ย 

      Federal prosecutors in Virginia had uncovered no clear evidence to prove that James had knowingly committed mortgage fraud when she purchased a home in the state in 2023, ABC Newsย first reportedย earlier this week, but Trump officials pushed U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert to nevertheless bring criminal charges against her, according to sources.

      Alec Perkins from Hoboken, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

      The president has reportedly been leaning on federal prosecutors to bring charges against James for alleged mortgage fraud. She has beenย accusedย of falsely claiming her house in Virginia as her primary residence despite being legally required to live in New York as an elected official there.

      ABC News reported on Wednesday that Siebert, who is the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was having difficulty finding enough evidence to sustain a conviction against James. On Thursday, the outlet said Trump is expected to fire the prosecutor.

      โ€œAdministration officials have told Siebert of Trumpโ€™s intention to fire him, sources familiar with the matter said,โ€ ABC News stated. โ€œSiebertโ€™s last day on the job is expected to be Friday.โ€

      Trump nominated Siebert for the job in May.

      โ€œThe decision to fire Siebert could throw into crisis one of the most prominent U.S. attorneyโ€™s offices, which handles a bulk of the countryโ€™s espionage and terrorism cases, and heighten concerns about Trumpโ€™s alleged use of the DOJ to target his political adversaries,โ€ ABC News stated.

      In May, the FBI opened an investigation into the notorious prosecutor. James has denied wrongdoing and called the investigation politically motivated, pointing to her officeโ€™s civil fraud case against Trump. That case ultimately resulted in a $354 million judgment against the president, which also bars his

      During her 2018 campaign for attorney general, James publicly stated she intended to pursue legal action against Trump and investigate his business dealings in New York.

      While campaigning, James vowed to shine a โ€œbright light into every cornerโ€ of Trumpโ€™s โ€œreal estate dealings.โ€ Her critics โ€” including Trump himself โ€” would later argue that her civil lawsuit against him was a political witch hunt.

      In announcing the probe, US Attorney John A. Sarcone III took a swipe at Jamesโ€™s 2018 campaign rhetoric about investigating President Donald Trump.

      The US attorney said James โ€œunethically ran around the state campaigning on getting Donald Trump,โ€ and essentially accused her of finding a criminal target without an alleged crime.

      He added:

      We stand prepared to act in the capacity that we need to when and if we are informed thereโ€™s a charge to be made. Unlike Letitia James, who unethically ran around the state campaigning on getting Donald Trumpโ€ฆ my office conducts itself in a manner that is proper and professional.

      Trump Says US Attempting Re-secure Bagram Airbase From Taliban

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      President Donald Trump said Thursday he is seeking to reclaim control of Afghanistan’s Bagram Airfield, calling it a “little breaking news” and linking the move to U.S. leverage over China.

      “We gave it to them for nothing,” Trump said, repeating a campaign message on the Biden-era unconditional withdrawal from Afghanistan, during a joint news conference with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

      “We’re trying to get it back, by the way. OK, that could be a little breaking news. We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us.

      “We want that base back. But one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.

      “So a lot of things are happening.”

      While Trump did not mention specifics, the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan might seek U.S. concessions in exchange for returning control of Bagram. Potential demands could include increased foreign aid, economic investment, access to military or intelligence support, or diplomatic recognition.

      The historic Soviet-built airstrip was the main base for American forces in Afghanistan following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks up until their 2021 withdrawal led to an immediate takeover by the Islamist Taliban movement.

      Trump has long lamented the handover of Bagram Airfield because of its proximity to China. The Taliban leadership has rejected past Trump claims that China is moving in on taking Bagram as an important military air superiority hub in the region.

      “They should refrain from making emotional statements based on unsubstantiated information,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in March when asked for a response to Trump’s claims that China currently controls the air base, according to Voice of America.

      “Bagram is controlled by the Islamic Emirate [Taliban regime], not China. Chinese troops are not present here, nor do we have any such pact with any country.”