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President Donald Trump’s threat to “blow up” Oman if the Gulf kingdom didn’t “behave” has exposed a rare rupture with one of Washington’s most valuable Middle East partners — a country that has spent decades quietly serving as America’s backchannel to Iran.

“The strait’s gotta be open to everybody,” the president said during a Cabinet meeting Wednesday. “It’s international waters. Nobody’s going to control it. We’re going to watch over it. We’ll watch over it, but nobody’s going to control it. That’s part of the negotiation that we have. They would like to control it; nobody’s going to control it. It’s international waters. And Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we’ll have to blow ’em up. They understand that. They’ll be fine.” 

The remark came amid a dispute over the future of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes. The Trump administration has strongly opposed reported discussions involving Iran and Oman over a potential tolling system or joint management arrangement for the strait, arguing such a move would threaten freedom of navigation and give Tehran greater influence over one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

The comments reflected a broader dispute over how far Oman should go in its efforts to engage Iran as the two countries discuss proposals related to the future management of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

STRAIT OF HORMUZ TOLL WOULD SET ‘DANGEROUS PRECEDENT,’ UN SHIPPING AGENCY WARNS

The Omani embassy and the White House could not be reached for comment on the underlying tensions or negotiations on the Strait of Hormuz.

Situated on the southeastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, Oman occupies the southern side of the Strait of Hormuz and has long pursued a foreign policy distinct from many of its Gulf neighbors.

While maintaining close security ties with the U.S., Muscat also has preserved relations with Iran, allowing it to serve as one of the region’s key intermediaries. Oman helped facilitate secret U.S.–Iran talks that paved the way for nuclear negotiations, has repeatedly served as a diplomatic channel between Washington and Tehran and has played a role in negotiations involving Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

“Oman’s role as the Switzerland of the Middle East has advanced U.S. interests,” April Alley, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute, told Fox News Digital.

“They have facilitated numerous rounds of talks between U.S. and Iranians,” she said. “They were also able to broker a truce between the US and the Houthis in the Red Sea. Their neutrality allows them to be quiet facilitators when adversaries are ready to talk.”

Oman’s value to Washington historically has stemmed from its ability to maintain communication channels with actors that many U.S. partners cannot or will not engage directly.

The Gulf kingdom has served as a go-between in negotiations involving the United States and Iran, supported diplomatic efforts related to Yemen and frequently positioned itself as a neutral intermediary during regional crises.

Yacoubian described that role as “indispensable” to previous diplomatic efforts.

“Oman has long played an important role as a quiet mediator, acting as a go-between for the United States and Iran in various negotiations including for the Obama-era JCPOA and more recently with the Trump administration and its efforts to negotiate with Iran prior to the 12-day war in June 2025,” she said.

A real dispute beneath the rhetoric

While Trump’s remarks drew attention, experts said they reflected a substantive disagreement over the future of the Strait of Hormuz rather than a purely rhetorical outburst.

“I think it was both,” Alley said when asked whether the remarks were simply an unusual threat directed at a longtime U.S. partner or reflected deeper concerns.

“Oman is an important defense partner, and the Trump administration has a record of working with them on mediation initiatives. The President has an unconventional style, but still this comment was shocking.”

“Beyond the shock value, I think it reflects clear frustration on the part of the administration with the Omani approach to the Strait,” she said. “The President is signaling that Oman has gone too far in discussions with Iran on options for opening the Strait that could give Iran administrative control and interfere with freedom of navigation.”

The administration’s concerns center on reports that Iran and Oman have discussed arrangements involving tolls, fees or joint administration of the strategic waterway.

“The administration is right to be concerned about tolls, fees, or joint management of the Strait,” Alley said. “All of these things are a recipe for Iran interfering with freedom of navigation in the long term and they could set a dangerous precedent for other international waterways.”

She warned that if Iran were able to exert administrative control over Hormuz, other Iran-backed groups could seek similar arrangements elsewhere.

 “I could see the Houthis trying for the same in the Bab al-Mandeb,” she said.

Mona Yacoubian, senior adviser and director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, similarly argued that any arrangement that financially benefits Iran through management of the strait would be cause for concern.

“If in fact under discussion, a joint management scheme that accrues monetary benefit to Iran, Oman, and possibly other GCC countries would be a justifiable cause for U.S. concern as this would undermine broader principles of freedom of navigation and set a worrying precedent globally,” she told Fox News Digital.

Yacoubian said Oman likely is attempting to serve as a bridge between Iran and Gulf Arab states amid concerns over future shipping disruptions in the strait.

“Oman is likely seeking to serve as a bridge between Iran and the Gulf Cooperation Council states,” she said.

But, Yacoubian added, “It is important to underscore that these types of threats are not well-received globally and contribute to an overall erosion of trust in the United States as a credible negotiator and leading global power.”

WHY GULF STATES AREN’T JOINING THE WAR AGAINST IRAN — DESPITE ATTACKS ON THEIR SOIL

Oman’s role has not been without controversy. Unlike many of its Gulf neighbors, Muscat has often sought to maintain relationships with rival regional powers even during periods of heightened tension.

Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the Middle East Forum, argued that concerns about Muscat extend beyond the current dispute over the Strait of Hormuz.

“Oman often acts as Qatar-lite,” Rubin told Fox News Digital. “They like to mediate but, in the past at least, they appear to have turned blind eyes to terror finance and weapons smuggling.”

Rubin pointed to what he described as three longstanding concerns: alleged Iranian weapons smuggling through Oman to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Oman’s hosting of Houthi leaders and what he characterized as financial incentives tied to disruptions in Red Sea shipping.

“It’s no secret that Oman has kind of chosen its own path, and sometimes split the difference between Iran and the rest of the Gulf in ways that have concerned U.S. policymakers,” Daniel Beinam, fellow of the Middle East Institute and former senior State Department official for Middle Eastern affairs, told Fox News Digital.

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Even so, Beinam emphasized the depth of the relationship between the two countries.

“For a century and a half, Oman has been a close partner to the United States,” he said.

NEWARK, N.J. — The continued unrest outside Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, took on a distinctly ideological tone during ICE demonstrations Saturday, as far-left communist-socialist activists and a far-right group clashed, transforming a protest over the center’s conditions into a broader political spectacle.

The standoff began more than a week ago, when illegal immigrant detainees penned an open letter alleging physical and psychological torture, claiming they were being denied medical care and adequate food. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) quickly denied the allegations, releasing facility menus to prove detainees are provided three daily meals with options like chicken fajitas and Salisbury steak.

NEW JERSEY AGITATORS BITE, KICK AND PUNCH ICE AGENTS AS DELANEY HALL CLASHES CONTINUE; 9 MORE ARRESTED: DHS

After violent skirmishes earlier in the week, where federal agents were assaulted by agitators, Democrat Gov. Mikie Sherrill ordered the New Jersey State Police to take over security, claiming the move was necessary to protect the demonstrators from an “ICE surge.”

By Saturday morning, the immigrant detention center had been transformed into a fortified zone surrounded by large orange plastic barricades and metal fencing. 

State officials admitted the chaos is being driven by outside instigators rather than local residents, with state Attorney General Jennifer Davenport confirming five of the six people arrested by state police this week were not from New Jersey.

A crowd of roughly 200 anti-ICE demonstrators, heavily intertwined with far-left and socialist organizations, dominated the scene Saturday, chanting, “Stop ICE Gestapo! Communist revolution!” while distributing radical literature reading “LONG LIVE COMMUNISM!” and “NO PAPERS, NO BORDERS, NO BOSSES.”

ICE supporters, including members of the far-right Proud Boys, also made an appearance at the protest Saturday carrying pro-ICE flags, food and cases of water for law enforcement.

Their arrival sent a shockwave through the heavily outnumbering anti-ICE crowd, with far-left agitators immediately rushing toward the barriers, screaming profanities and shifting their chants to “Proud Boys go home.” 

During a news conference Saturday afternoon, Sherrill claimed ICE engagement “creates an incredibly dangerous situation” adding she refuses to “back down in fighting the Trump administration and the threats they’ve made.”

Sherrill acknowledged that “national extremist groups” have infiltrated the protests to create chaos, warning out-of-state actors that they are endangering the public and not helping the detainees.

“You’re not helping detainee families, and you’re certainly not keeping new Jersey safe today,” the governor said. “Going forward, I urge those protesting outside of Delaney Hall to bring the temperature down so we can focus on the detainees and their families. Comply with the lawful orders from local and state law enforcement and let advocates, faith leaders and members of this community continue their work here in America.”

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She added state health inspectors were recently blocked from viewing anything other than the facility’s kitchen, and called on the Department of Homeland Security to stop pressuring detainees into signing deportation documents.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller pushed back on President Donald Trump’s call for a Justice Department investigation into a state mail-in ballot error, rejecting allegations of corruption and arguing election administration mistakes occur in almost “every election.”

Trump called for the DOJ to open an investigation into some Maryland voters receiving incorrect mail-in ballots for the upcoming primary elections, after election officials admitted to an error by the state’s election board. This prompted Trump to put the blame on Democrat Gov. Wes Moore, accusing him of corruptly interfering with the election process to ensure a win for Democrats.

The Maryland State Board of Elections announced that it had been “made aware of an error by our mail-in ballot vendor,” Taylor Print & Visual Impressions (TPVI), Inc.

TRUMP CALLS FOR DOJ PROBE INTO MARYLAND MAIL-IN BALLOT ERROR, SUSPECTING ‘CORRUPT’ GOV. WES MOORE TIES

“This was done by the Corrupt Governor of the State, Wes Moore,” Trump wrote on Truth Social May 18. “He allowed this to happen in order to make sure that Democrats win. 

Miller told Fox News Digital that the Maryland State Board of Elections operates independently from the governor’s administration and characterized ballot-distribution errors as a recurring issue in election administration. 

“The administration, they’re a separate body from us, the board of elections,” Miller said.

“And it happens, sometimes,” she continued. “Ballots get mailed the wrong way. It happens almost in every election.

While election administration errors have occurred in Maryland, including a voter-roll software glitch in 2018, there is no publicly available evidence showing that incorrect mail ballots are an “every election” occurrence.

The state elections board will send out new ballots to all voters who were mailed one before May 14, acknowledging that many voters receiving new ballots may not have been affected by the mishap. 

The state elections board said there was “no risk of duplicate voting as a result of this issue,” claiming the state has safeguards in place to avoid this from happening. 

Trump also questioned how the issue would be resolved without any potential threat of duplicate voting.

POLITICAL STINK: MARYLAND GOV. WES MOORE CALLS TRUMP’S SEWAGE SPILL BLAME ‘ABSURD’

“In Maryland, they sent out 500,000 Illegal Mail In Ballots, and they got caught!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “So now, they’re going to send out 500,000 more Mail In Ballots, but nobody knows what’s happening with the first 500,000 they sent.” 

“In addition, many of these Ballots went to Democrats, so any Republican running in Maryland doesn’t have a chance!” 

Miller rejected the idea that this issue was intentional or was the result of corruption within the state.

“I don’t think it was in malice, in any bad way that this happened,” she told Fox News Digital. “I think it was just error by the vendor.”

State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis also denied Trump’s claim that any “illegal” ballots were distributed. 

MARYLAND BALLOT BLUNDER TRIGGERS GOP PUSH FOR FEDERAL REVIEW OF BLUE STATE’S VOTER ROLLS

Trump said he has asked Attorney General Todd Blanche and the Justice Department to investigate the ballot error, but the DOJ has not publicly announced the opening of an investigation.

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Miller also said that she has not had any information shared with her by the DOJ into what the investigation will entail. 

“We’ll see what the investigation shows,” Miller said.

An anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agitator was hit with federal charges after gnarly photos showed bloody bite marks he allegedly made into federal agents’ arms during violent clashes outside Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, New Jersey.

Brendan John Geier, a 26-year-old man from Madison, New Jersey, was part of a group of agitators blocking the road near Delaney Hall on Thursday night when ICE deportation officers instructed the group to move away, the U.S. Department of Justice said. He was charged with 

The group allegedly ignored the commands and instead violently engaged with the officers, according to the DOJ. Geier then “engaged in a struggle with deportation officers, kicking officers and ultimately biting an officer’s forearm, and another’s knuckle. Both victims received treatment at a local hospital,” prosecutors said. He was charged with assaulting federal officers and causing bodily injury and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cari Fais on Friday, the DOJ said.

“We will not tolerate the vicious attacks on ICE officers we’ve seen in New Jersey the last few days. These riots are clearly not ‘peaceful protests’ as you can see from the photos of these horrific wounds. Assault a federal officer, you’ll be held accountable,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote in a Friday afternoon post on X.

NEW JERSEY AGITATORS BITE, KICK AND PUNCH ICE AGENTS AS DELANEY HALL CLASHES CONTINUE; 9 MORE ARRESTED: DHS

Blanche posted to X photos of bloodied ICE agents displaying their wounds.

“Peaceful protest doesn’t translate to violently attacking federal law enforcement officers,” Blanche said in a statement. “Federal officers are protecting United States’ property and facilities. With virtually no local law enforcement support from New Jersey, rioters are regrouping and attacking. We will not tolerate the vicious attacks we have seen in Newark the last few days, and we will make arrests and hold people accountable for criminal conduct.”

“As alleged in the Justice Department’s complaint, this violent rioter savagely bit an ICE law enforcement officer outside of Delaney Hall. The Trump Administration will always stand with our law enforcement officers,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin also added in the statement. “Anyone who assaults a law enforcement officer will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

ANTI-ICE AGITATORS THROW WOODEN PALLETS, MATTRESSES AT FEDERAL AGENTS DURING CHAOTIC NJ DETENTION CENTER CLASH

“As alleged, this defendant responded to lawful orders from federal officers by kicking one and biting two others who were performing their official duties,” U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey also said in the statement. “Assaulting law enforcement officers is unacceptable. Period. Federal officers must be able to carry out their responsibilities without being subjected to violence, intimidation, or obstruction. This Office will continue to prosecute those who, as alleged here, assault officers and interfere with the lawful execution of their duties.”

“To be clear, peaceful protest does not mean biting, kicking, or punching law enforcement officers,” Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark added in the statement.

“The repeated assaults on federal officers at Delaney Hall are criminal acts — not protected speech. Homeland Security Investigations is unwavering in its commitment to hold those who attack law enforcement fully accountable under the law,” Karabinas concluded.

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Ongoing demonstrations outside Delaney Hall are entering their second week.

Fox News Digital contacted the DOJ for additional information.

On Saturday morning, anti-ICE agitators and counterprotesters were both seen outside Delaney Hall. A crowd was growing, and many officers were seen patrolling on bikes, with a visible divide between pro-ICE protesters and anti-ICE agitators.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who spent Memorial Day at Delaney Hall supporting the anti-ICE crowds, announced Friday that she was instructing New Jersey State Police to assume responsibility for public safety outside the detention center. Earlier in the week, Mullin had placed the blame on Sherrill for not allowing local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. DHS said local police were largely absent as federal agents were met with violent demonstrators.

Fox News’ Kimberly Ruiz contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump remains in “excellent health,” his physician said in a memo released Friday following the president’s annual physical earlier this week.

The report came after Trump underwent his annual examination Tuesday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

“President Donald Trump remains in excellent health, demonstrating strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and overall physical function,” Navy Capt. Sean P. Barbabella, the president’s physician, wrote in the memo.

“His demanding daily schedule, including multiple high-level meetings, public engagements and regular physical activity, continues to support his overall well-being,” Barbabella continued. “Cognitive and physical performance are excellent.”

JAKE TAPPER REFUTES JILL BIDEN’S CLAIM SHE FEARED FOR HUSBAND’S HEALTH AT CNN DEBATE

“He is fully fit to carry out all duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State,” he added.

The evaluation included diagnostic studies, laboratory testing and consultations with 22 specialty providers.

Trump, who turns 80 in June, is 75 inches tall and weighs 238 pounds. He has a resting heart rate of 73 beats per minute, a blood pressure reading of 105/71 mmHg and an oxygen saturation level of 98% on room air, according to the report.

WASHINGTON POST DECLARES AMERICANS DESERVE THOROUGH INVESTIGATION INTO BIDEN’S HEALTH, POSSIBLE COVER-UP

The examination did not identify any major health concerns.

Barbabella noted scarring on Trump’s right ear from the gunshot wound he suffered during an assassination attempt in 2024.

The physician also reported mild lower-leg swelling, which he said had improved from the previous year.

WHITE HOUSE EXPLAINS BRUISE ON TRUMP’S HAND SEEN DURING MACRON MEETING

Trump underwent a neurological examination that demonstrated “normal mental status,” including cognitive screening in which he scored 30 out of 30, according to the report.

Barbabella also noted bruising on the president’s hand “consistent with minor soft tissue irritation related to frequent handshaking in the setting of aspirin use for cardiovascular prevention.”

The physician reported no significant abnormalities in Trump’s laboratory results.

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Trump’s “lifelong abstinence from tobacco and alcohol” was also highlighted in his medical history.

According to the memo, Trump currently takes three medications: Rosuvastatin and Ezetimibe for cholesterol management, along with aspirin for cardiovascular prevention.

This article is the third installment in a three-part Fox News Digital investigative series examining allegations that the Communist Party of Cuba built and cultivated transnational influence networks inside through nonprofits, activist organizations, solidarity campaigns, labor unions, educational exchanges and political delegations.

When President Donald Trump intensified sanctions pressure on Cuba’s communist government earlier this year, Twitch streamer Hasan Piker said he turned to a friend for advice.

“I hit my friend up, David Adler, and I was like, ‘What do we do?'” Piker recalled in an online interview. “And he’s like, ‘I’m already working on it.'”

What followed, according to Piker’s own account, was the assembly of a transnational convoy that brought hundreds of activists, politicians, journalists and organizers from dozens of countries to Cuba, delivering an estimated 40 tons of supplies as part of a campaign branded “Nuestra América Convoy,” or “Our America Convoy.”

The remarks offer one of the clearest public disclosures to date of how the popular streamer became involved in a trip that is now drawing scrutiny from federal investigators. Fox News Digital exclusively reported a week ago that Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control recently issued administrative subpoenas to Piker and CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin, seeking records related to their Cuba travel, communications and financial activity connected to the convoy, according to sources familiar with the investigation. The requests sought travel records, communications and financial records related to Cuba activities, including possible contacts with Cuban government personnel or entities.

Public attention surrounding the trip has largely focused appropriately on CodePink, Piker, Shanghai-based American Marxist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham, and Singham’s wife, Jodie Evans, who posted a selfie photo with Piker in Havana. On Monday, Piker raised the attention of even U.S. officials when he said he believes the “real goal” of the Treasury Department investigation is Singham, because he funds “political operations” in the U.S.

But an analysis of hundreds of hours of Piker’s livestreams and interviews compiled by computer engineer Jennica Pounds, a data scientist known online as “Data Republican,” repeatedly points to a lesser-known organization that played a central role in planning the mission: Progressive International, run by Piker’s friend, Adler.

“What makes Progressive International so dangerous is that, by co-opting progressive values, it provides political legitimacy to authoritarian regimes with longstanding records of repression and gross human rights violations, and whose purpose is to destroy the United States,” said Gelet Martinez Fragela, a Cuban American journalist based in Boca Raton, Fla.

“That is precisely the propaganda strategy of the Cuban regime, which has historically used solidarity groups and activist networks as cover to build alliances, raise funds and maintain power while continuing to embed itself within illicit and anti-democratic networks around the world,” she told Fox News Digital.

Born in Cuba, Martinez Fragela has been investigating the government of Cuba’s influence in the Western Hemisphere for years, mapping the network it builds activists, nonprofits and governments to activate support for the Communist Party of Cuba. Her website, ADNCuba.com, is blocked on the island.

HASAN PIKER NAMES PRO-CCP TYCOON SINGHAM AS FINANCIER OF ‘POLITICAL MOVEMENTS’ DESPITE NONPROFIT VENEER

Progressive International is one of the most important of the 145 nonprofits, labor groups, advocacy organizations and activist collectives that Fox News Digital identified as part of a network, mobilizing in support of the Cuban government and the Communist Party of Cuba. Together, the organizations report about $1 billion in combined annual revenue. They are rallying this week to run to the streets in support of Cuba if the U.S. wages military action on the country.

Founded in 2020, Progressive International emerged from a political initiative launched by Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders, a member of the increasingly powerful Democratic Socialists of America, and former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, a far-left politician, after a gathering of activists in Burlington, Vt., from Nov. 29 through Dec. 1, 2018, where organizers called for a new “international progressive movement.” Adler was at the meeting.

Today Adler leads a 501(c)(3) nonprofit called Progressive International Exchange Inc., based in Calabasas, Calif., with EIN 93-3021918. Its most recent IRS Form 990 reported only $261,039 in annual revenue and $215,772 in net assets. It isn’t clear if the U.S. nonprofit is related to the “Progressive International” coalition, which is based in Athens, Greece, coordinating massive mobilizations, like the Cuba convoy, conferences and public actions. Progressive International and Adler didn’t respond to a request for comment.

At the center of the organization is Adler, who was born in Encino, Calif., graduated from Brown University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and trained at Oxford University as a political economist. He previously directed policy for Varoufakis’ “Democracy in Europe Movement,” known as “DiEM25,” and served on Sanders’ foreign policy advisory team before becoming Progressive International’s general coordinator.

In 2024, Germany actually barred Varoufakis for leading polarizing anti-Israel protests with local Palestinians. Varoufakis wrote that the decision reflected Germany’s “turn to repression.”

According to the public record, Adler occupies an unusual position inside the Cuba solidarity movement, with close ties with the Communist Party of Cuba. Last year, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel publicly intervened on Adler’s behalf when Israeli authorities detained him when he joined a flotilla to Israel, supposedly carrying “aid” to Palestinians in Gaza. A Jewish American, Adler shared a video of himself from the boat awkwardly calling his parents to tell them that he was on the flotilla to Gaza.

Qatar’s state-funded anti-Israel TV network, Al Jazeera, shared the video on social media with childhood photos of Adler and its own propaganda spin, writing, “David Adler called his parents from the deck of a flotilla boat to tell them he had joined the mission to Gaza. He is one of many Jewish activists who say they can no longer stay on the sidelines.”

In much the same way, the convoy to Cuba was blasted to the world from Havana with an anti-U.S. propaganda theme, criticizing America’s “imperialism.”

During the convoy’s visit to Cuba in March, Adler could be seen in a VIP seat beside Díaz-Canel, as the president listened politely to Adler and later pumped his fist in the air during an event sponsored by the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, known as ICAP.

As reported, generations of activists traveled to Cuba through labor brigades, educational exchanges, solidarity delegations and political tours organized through institutions connected to the Cuban state, including the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, or ICAP, and the Venceremos Brigade, now a fiscally-sponsored project of the People’s Forum in the Singham network. It’s led today by Fernando González Llort, one of the “Cuban Five” intelligence officers convicted in the United States on espionage-related charges.

A spokesperson from the Embassy of Cuba told Fox News Digital that it isn’t engaged in any operations of malign foreign influence and is simply trying to protect the state’s sovereignty.

LAWMAKERS RAISE ALARM OVER NEVILLE ROY SINGHAM’S $278M NETWORK SPREADING CCP PROPAGANDA IN THE U.S.

An advisory council of Progressive International includes Mariela Castro Espín, a member of Cuba’s National Assembly and the daughter of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, indicted earlier this month by the U.S. for murder.

“That fact that Mariela Castro has a position of power with Progressive International is not insignificant,” said Martinez Fragela, the Cuban American journalist. “In plain terms, it means that a member of the Castro family, a senior figure within the Cuban Communist Party, a member of Cuba’s National Assembly of People’s Power, and part of the broader Cuban political apparatus is involved in guiding the direction of the organization.”

In one interview, Piker described himself as “good friends” with Progressive International organizers. In another, he identified Adler and Varoufakis by name when discussing the organization. Adler later appeared on Piker’s livestream, where Piker described him as “someone who I have the honor of calling a comrade.”

Adler replied, “Thanks, brother. It’s a pleasure to be here.”

The organization’s role in the March convoy was extensive.

The Nuestra América Convoy wasn’t a spontaneous jaunt. Progressive International described it as an international operation involving approximately 650 delegates from 33 countries and 120 organizations. The mission combined charter flights, maritime flotillas and aid shipments carrying food, medicine, medical supplies and solar panels to Cuba.

Piker documented part of the operation himself and part of his defense against scrutiny for making the trip to Cuba is that he went as “a journalist.”

PROGRESSIVE STREAMER BACKING MAMDANI SAYS CUBANS ARE ‘PARTYING IN THE F—— STREETS’ AMID ENERGY CRISIS

In his Cuba documentary, he showed himself boarding what he described as a “special plane” departing from Miami. It was the same plane that CodePink’s Benjamin filmed as the one CodePink’s delegation was flying to Cuba. In the film, Piker credited Progressive International, CodePink and the ANSWER Coalition for organizing the effort.

“Shout out Code Pink, Answer Coalition, Progressive International,” Piker said. “They set up a flight with medical aid, solar panels, food, numerous things that the Cuban population desperately needs.”

The participants included former British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, CodePink activists, labor organizers, international delegates and public figures from multiple countries. Before traveling, Piker said he consulted Ben Rhodes, former deputy national security adviser to President Barack Obama and a central figure in the administration’s Cuba normalization effort.

“I had talked to Ben Rhodes prior to going,” Piker said. “And he said to me like, ‘You’re going to be very sad when you see it.'” Piker repeated the story in multiple interviews and public appearances after returning from Havana.

After arriving in Havana, Piker said he largely embedded with “Belly of the Beast,” a media organization named for a term that is used by communists and far-leftists to describe operating inside the U.S., the so-called “beast” in their propaganda.

REVOLUTIONARY TOURISM:: INSIDE THE $600M MARRIAGE OF DARK MONEY AND FAR-LEFT AGITPROP

“I locked in with Belly of the Beast,” he later said. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Center for American Documentary Inc., based in Newton, Mass., serves as the fiscal sponsor for Belly of the Beast Films LLC, based in Ketchum, Idaho, according to public records. Tax filings show that Center for American Documentary gave Belly of the Beast $188,043 in 2024 for “film production services.”

Piker’s resulting propaganda documentary from Cuba features interviews with several senior Cuban officials and institutional leaders, including Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Cuba’s vice minister of foreign affairs, one of the country’s highest-ranking diplomats, representing the Communist Party of Cuba. Piker also interviewed officials connected to Cuba’s international medical missions as well as researchers working in the country’s health-care and energy sectors.

The convoy itself reflected a model that has existed inside the Cuba solidarity movement for decades.

Investigators examining the modern Cuba solidarity movement increasingly view the Nuestra América Convoy as the latest evolution of that infrastructure, using the cover of “humanitarian aid” for political advocacy, propaganda generation and distribution and activist networking in a single international operation.

The trip to Cuba was only one part of Progressive International’s activities.

In October 2025, when Adler participated in the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza, he was detained by Israeli authorities after vessels attempted to challenge Israel’s blockade. Following his release, Adler appeared on Piker’s livestream and described another Progressive International initiative known as the Hague Group.

“One of the things that we do at the Progressive International is help to coordinate a group that’s called the Hague Group,” Adler told Piker’s audience. He described it as a coalition of countries committed to taking action on behalf of international law and the Palestinian cause.

By March 2026, the Hague Group had grown into a coalition of approximately 40 countries coordinated through Progressive International’s organizational infrastructure.

WHO IS HASAN PIKER? MEET THE FAR-LEFT STREAMER WHO IS STIRRING UP CONTROVERSY ONLINE AND DIVIDING DEMOCRATS

The overlap illustrates how the same organization that helped bring Piker to Cuba also operates across a broader network of international campaigns involving Cuba, Gaza and anti-sanctions activism.

Federal investigators aren’t examining protected political speech. Across thousands of transcripts, Piker consistently described the Cuba trip as a “humanitarian” mission and repeatedly stated that participants traveled under procedures authorized by Treasury. He has publicly maintained that he signed OFAC paperwork and complied with federal requirements.

Instead, investigators are examining communications, financial records, travel logistics and possible contacts with Cuban government personnel or entities connected to the convoy, according to sources familiar with the inquiry.

For investigators, the significance of the convoy extends beyond a single influencer’s trip to Havana.

The same organizations that organized the March mission — Progressive International, People’s Forum, CodePink and the ANSWER Coalition — repeatedly appear throughout the broader Cuba “solidarity” infrastructure. What began decades ago through organizations such as ICAP and the Venceremos Brigade now operates through a modern network of nonprofits, media projects, international delegations, activist campaigns and political organizations.

The March convoy that brought Piker to Cuba represents one of the most visible examples of that system in action, say Cuban Americans challenging the regime.

And, to them, Piker’s “comrade,” Adler, represents a critical part of the network trying to keep communism alive in Cuba.

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Fox News Digital’s Tessa Hoyos contributed to this report.

The Treasury Department is preparing a $250 note bearing President Donald Trump’s portrait for the nation’s 250th anniversary, but the bill can only move forward only if Congress changes federal law barring living people from U.S. currency.

“It’s all up on Capitol Hill. At Treasury, we prepare things in advance. So we have prepared, in advance, that if the legislation is passed, but we will stick to the law,” explained Bessent.

Trump’s portrait would be placed on $250 paper currency for the first time if lawmakers succeed in changing a key federal law that bars living people from appearing on the currency. Democratic lawmakers and leaders, meanwhile, are decrying the proposal as they escalate their opposition to Trump and the GOP. 

“In response to active legislation sponsored by Representative Joe Wilson, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) is conducting appropriate planning and due diligence. Should this legislative mandate be signed into law, the BEP is moving proactively to produce a $250 commemorative note which will appropriately recognize the 250th Anniversary of our great nation,” a Treasury spokesperson told Fox News Digital when asked about the bills. 

TREASURY TO PLACE TRUMP’S SIGNATURE ON PAPER CURRENCY TO MARK US 250TH ANNIVERSARY

Staunch Trump supporter, Republican South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson, introduced the bill in February 2025.

Wilson introduced the bill not only to coincide with America’s birthday in July, but also as a rebuke of the Biden administration and its economic policies. The bill was referred to the House Financial Services Committee when it was introduced and has remained with the committee. 

The Federal Reserve currently issues only seven denominations: $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100. Kentucky Republican Rep. Andy Barr posted an image to X in January of the reported mock-up of the bill, which showed red, white and blue colors behind Trump’s image. 

“I have two mandates for U.S. currency at present. That no living person can be on U.S. currency. And the currency must say, ‘In God we trust,’” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent while hosting the White House press briefing Thursday.

ANDREW BATES: TRUMP KILLED OUR ECONOMY IN JUST 100 DAYS. DEMOCRATS MUST ACT NOW

Democrats quickly took to social media to criticize the proposal, arguing it centered on Trump’s personal legacy rather than the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.

“By the end of Trump’s term, it’ll be just enough to buy one gallon of gas and a carton of eggs,” said former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an X post.

“Hard No on a Trump $250 bill. Get over yourself. The upcoming July 4 anniversary is not about a wannabe King. It’s about celebrating the American journey,” wrote Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on X.

“While Americans are being crushed by rising prices, Trump is brainstorming new ways to stoke his ego. Maybe if he were more focused on lowering costs for working families, they wouldn’t need a new $250 bill to afford necessities,” said Democratic Virginia Sen. Mark Warner.

SEN JIM BANKS: TRUMP’S NEW TRIUMPHAL ARCH IS A MONUMENT TO AMERICAN GREATNESS

“House Republicans’ priorities: ❌ End Trump’s war in Iran ✅ Create a ‘Trump Peace Prize’ ❌ Lower costs for families ✅ Make a new $250 bill with Trump’s face on it ❌ Reign in Trump’s masked ICE agents ✅ Carve Trump’s face on Mt. Rushmore,” wrote the Democratic National Committee on X.

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Treasury previously announced that Trump’s signature would appear on future U.S. paper currency alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s signature in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

A New Jersey man was arrested after allegedly biting two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers during a chaotic anti-ICE protest outside a Newark detention facility, authorities said.

Brendan John Geier, 26, of Madison, New Jersey, was arrested Thursday and charged with assaulting federal officers and causing bodily injury, according to the Department of Justice.

A DOJ news release said the incident took place outside Newark’s Delaney Hall detention center, where protesters have gathered for more than a week and have been accused of assaulting federal agents.

“Peaceful protest doesn’t translate to violently attacking federal law enforcement officers,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.

ANTI-ICE AGITATORS CLASH WITH FEDERAL AGENTS OUTSIDE NEWARK DETENTION CENTER

“Federal officers are protecting United States’ property and facilities,” Blanche continued. “With virtually no local law enforcement support from New Jersey, rioters are regrouping and attacking.”

Blanche said additional arrests could follow as authorities continue investigating the demonstrations.

“We will not tolerate the vicious attacks we have seen in Newark the last few days, and we will make arrests and hold people accountable for criminal conduct,” he said.

WATCH: POLICE ABSENT FROM DELANEY HALL CHAOS AS AGITATORS BLOCK ICE VEHICLES AND AGENTS USE PEPPER SPRAY

Nine people were arrested during Thursday’s clashes, the Department of Homeland Security told Fox News Digital.

The demonstrations have at times turned confrontational, with federal officials saying agents have deployed pepper spray and used crowd-control tactics to push back agitators.

“As alleged in the Justice Department’s complaint, this violent rioter savagely bit an ICE law enforcement officer outside of Delaney Hall,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. “The Trump Administration will always stand with our law enforcement officers.”

ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS CLASH WITH AGENTS OUTSIDE NEW JERSEY DETENTION CENTER AS GOV. SHERRILL DENIED ENTRY

He added that “anyone who assaults a law enforcement officer will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The DOJ said the incident took place around 10:30 a.m. Thursday as federal officers conducted perimeter security operations at the Newark facility.

Prosecutors said a large group of demonstrators blocked a roadway leading to the detention center, prompting deportation officers to form a line and advance toward the crowd, which allegedly included Geier.

TOP DEM GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING AT ICE DETENTION CENTER

According to prosecutors, demonstrators ignored repeated commands to move back and remained in the roadway.

“Geier instead engaged in a struggle with deportation officers, kicking officers and ultimately biting an officer’s forearm, and another’s knuckle,” the DOJ said in a news release.

Both officers were treated at a local hospital, authorities said.

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The announcement came hours after Blanche said a separate man was arrested outside Delaney Hall for allegedly making death threats against an ICE officer and the officer’s family.

Former Press Secretary for First Lady Jill Biden Michael LaRosa said he has been “shocked” by the amount of Democratic support for Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner and that the Platner campaign reveals a line in the sand within the Democratic Party.

“I am shocked at some of the people, some of the Democrats who I consider friends, being so all-or-nothing about this guy, and I don’t really understand why,” LaRosa told Fox News Digital. “He is not really representative of the values I would expect in a Democratic candidate, even by today’s standards. I’m a little surprised at the number of people who are circling the wagons just to beat Susan Collins.”

Despite criticism across the political spectrum over Platner’s resurfaced sexually explicit and vulgar online posts, including one mocking a Purple Heart veteran shot multiple times by the Taliban, and a tattoo of a Nazi symbol on his chest have drawn criticism across the political spectrum, Platner continues to lead in the polls.

LaRosa accused Democrats of brushing off serious concerns over Platner’s controversial past.

DEMOCRATIC MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE GRAHAM PLATNER CONFRONTED BY MS NOW HOST ABOUT TATTOO CONTROVERSY

“Democrats are playing a really dangerous game,” he said. “It’s really funny to me how selective and how short memories are in politics.”

LaRosa added that he personally draws the line at backing “a Democrat who has Nazi tattoos,” adding that Platner was “just not for me.”

“I get it,” he said. “I want the Senate seat, I want Democrats to win, I want Chuck Schumer to be the majority leader, but I’m not willing to take anybody off the street to run just because they arouse some vibes in a few portions of the Democratic Party.”

LaRosa said five-term incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins is “much more my style than somebody who I consider kind of a performative economic populist like Graham Platner,” adding that Platner attended elite private schools that LaRosa’s “family certainly couldn’t afford.”

“It’s kind of odd to hear him talk about the elite when he was educated by the most elite of New England prep schools,” LaRosa said.

LaRosa told Fox News Digital that he believes winning the election is “just not worth it” if it means supporting Platner.

KNIVES OUT FOR FETTERMAN: MAVERICK SENATOR JOINS LONG LINE OF DEMS PUNISHED FOR BREAKING FROM LEFT

“It’s his own behavior that disqualifies him. It’s his own history of rhetoric, of advocating for political violence, of mocking wounded U.S. soldiers shot by the Taliban. All of that stuff, it’s just not worth it for me as a Democrat.”

He said just because Platner is a Democrat does not mean he is qualified to serve in the U.S. Senate.

“That does not make him a good candidate,” he said. “It won’t make him a good senator. It just makes him a D. What’s the point in having a party if you don’t have standards anymore?”

Despite Platner’s high polling numbers, LaRosa pointed to his experience campaigning in 2020 with former Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon, who repeatedly surged ahead of Collins in the polls before Collins won re-election in one of the most expensive races in state history, calling it a “cautionary tale.”

“Susan Collins did not trail Sara Gideon in a single poll,” he said. “Six years ago, our Democrat outpolled, outraised and outspent Susan Collins, and the state of Maine on Election Day chose both Joe Biden and Susan Collins by 9 points.”

Platner became the Democrats’ presumptive nominee in the June 9 primary to decide who will face Collins in November after two-term Gov. Janet Mills ended her campaign last month.

More moderate stances that have drawn criticism from some Democrats, including Sen. John Fetterman’s support for Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and criticism of Democrats’ handling of border security, “were extremely normal or mainstream in the Democratic Party” years ago but are now being used to purge strong candidates, LaRosa explained.

“We’re going to do to John Fetterman exactly what Trump is doing to candidates who opposed him or aren’t with him 100% of the time, and I don’t like it,” he said. “I don’t like that my party is going to target John Fetterman for simply having, holding and defending views that were extremely normal or mainstream in the Democratic Party.”

He said Democrats could be in for a “major disappointment” and that he personally would not “publicly support, give money to, contribute to or work for” Platner.

MAINE GOV JANET MILLS DROPS OUT OF DEMOCRATIC RACE FOR SENATE, SIGNALING SHE STRUGGLED TO RAISE ENOUGH MONEY

“My party seems to think that this guy represents what the rest of America wants or what Maine voters want or what people outside of the Beltway actually want,” he said. “Democrats believe that Graham Platner seems to represent what people are yearning for and wanting outside of Manhattan and D.C.”

LaRosa said the decision is now up to the voters and “Maine now has the choice” to decide if Platner will represent “their values and their views and their anger and their frustrations.”

“They now have the opportunity to vote for him or Susan Collins, and we, the Democratic Party, have given and provided Maine that choice for them, and so now they’re going to decide,” he said.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Platner campaign for comment.

Former acting chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Donna Brazile was not interested in talking about former first lady Jill Biden’s comments on being “frightened” watching her husband in the 2024 presidential debate. 

Jill Biden recently told CBS that while watching her husband’s debate performance against President Donald Trump, she feared he was suffering a medical emergency and thought he might be having a stroke. Her comments renewed attention on concerns about then-President Joe Biden’s age and health, which intensified after his widely scrutinized debate performance.

JILL BIDEN SAYS SHE THOUGHT JOE WAS HAVING A STROKE DURING HIS DISASTROUS 2024 DEBATE PERFORMANCE

“I don’t want to talk about Jill Biden right now,” Brazile said when Fox News Digital asked her to share her thoughts on the former first lady’s recent comments on her husband’s debate.

Fox News Digital pressed Brazile to respond as conversations have been circulating around the 2024 election and what went wrong — particularly following the calling for and release of the 2024 DNC autopsy report, an internal review of the party’s 2024 defeat and the factors that contributed to it.

Brazile, referring to herself in the third person, urged Democrats to deny any calls to look to the past, and instead focus on the future of the party and upcoming elections.

“Donna Brazile will not focus on the past,” she said. “Donna Brazile want to focus on the future.”

She argued Democrats already made their decision in 2024 when Biden ended his reelection bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE FLIP FLOPS, PULLS PLUG ON ITS 2024 ELECTION ‘AUTOPSY’

“We made that decision in 2024 when the then-president decided to step down and pass the torch to Kamala,” Brazile said.

A longtime Democratic strategist, Brazile served as interim chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2011 and again in 2016. She has remained an influential voice within Democratic politics through multiple presidential election cycles and has frequently weighed in on the party’s direction following major electoral setbacks.

There has been widespread criticism over how Democrats handled concerns about Joe Biden’s age and his cognitive health, and whether that impacted the party’s performance in 2024.

DEMS FACE A LITMUS TEST OVER BIDEN’S COGNITIVE ABILITIES

There has been continued debate within the Democratic Party about how it handled concerns about Biden’s age and cognitive health for office before he ended his re-election campaign and endorsed Harris.

Brazile’s comments highlight a divide between Democrats seeking a fuller accounting of the events that led to Biden’s withdrawal and the party’s 2024 loss and those who believe the focus should shift toward rebuilding ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and future presidential contests.

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But Brazile made clear where she stands.

“Anyone who’s focusing on the past is not focused on the future,” she said. “I’m actually focused on ’26, ’28, ’32.”

Even as U.S. and Iranian negotiators reportedly move toward a temporary framework agreement, one of the most consequential questions remains unresolved: What happens to Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile?

Iranian officials have repeatedly insisted retaining enriched uranium is a red line in negotiations, even as President Donald Trump has vowed Iran “will not have a nuclear weapon” and suggested the United States could ultimately “take” the material if necessary.

Nonproliferation experts say the issue sits at the center of whether any future agreement can credibly prevent Iran from rapidly moving toward weapons-grade enrichment — particularly after U.S. strikes damaged key nuclear facilities but did not necessarily eliminate the nuclear material itself.

“I think it would put a poison pill in any agreement because retaining any of these 60% stockpile or really any of the lower enriched material,” Andrea Stricker, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. “That would give them the ability to go higher to weapons grade at a time of their choosing.”

AFTER THE STRIKES, HOW WOULD THE US SECURE IRAN’S ENRICHED URANIUM?

The issue has taken on renewed urgency following 2026’s Operation Epic Fury against Iran and 2025 U.S. strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities, including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

While airstrikes can damage centrifuges, tunnel systems and enrichment infrastructure, experts say physically locating, securing and neutralizing enriched uranium presents a separate challenge altogether. Destroying infrastructure can slow or disrupt a nuclear program, but accounting for nuclear material itself requires sustained access, reliable intelligence and international oversight.

“The stockpile is going to be the focus for the administration because that is the material, in particular the 60%,” Stricker said.

Iran is believed to possess thousands of kilograms of enriched uranium ranging from low-enriched material to uranium enriched to 60%, which is considered near weapons-grade and can be more quickly refined to the 90% level typically associated with nuclear weapons.

Stricker said the Trump administration is likely to insist the stockpiles either be destroyed inside Iran or removed from the country under international supervision.

“The best option would be to destroy the stockpile in Iran, and then you’re not having to deal with who takes possession and what can Iran do with the stockpile as far as having it sent back under certain terms,” she said.

EX-CENTCOM COMMANDER WARNS AGAINST ‘RISKY’ US GROUND OPERATION TO SEIZE IRAN’S ENRICHED URANIUM

But even if Iran agreed to surrender or neutralize the uranium, carrying out such an operation would likely involve excavation teams, international nuclear inspectors and hazardous materials specialists working inside heavily damaged underground facilities.

Any operation to physically secure or remove the uranium could also raise broader questions about how much direct U.S. or international involvement would ultimately be required on the ground, even as the administration faces political pressure to avoid a prolonged military commitment in Iran.

“You’re talking about having to go down into heavily damaged sites, and you’re not sure what the state of the material even is,” Stricker said.

Experts gauge success of ‘bunker buster’ bombs 

Stricker said the underground Isfahan tunnel facility was struck with Tomahawk missiles, while Natanz and Fordow sites were hit with massive ordnance penetrators designed to reach buried nuclear infrastructure.

“So you will need hazard material teams to handle it, to safely package it and either to have it destroyed or to remove it from the country safely,” she said.

Stricker noted that enriched uranium in this form is chemically toxic and corrosive, though she said it would not pose the kind of large-scale radiological danger associated with a nuclear detonation.

“People don’t want to be breathing that material or coming into contact with it with their skin,” she said.

Another possible pathway would involve transferring the material to international custody.

Stricker said the International Atomic Energy Agency, along with an international recovery team, could potentially oversee the removal of the uranium and transfer it to the agency’s low-enriched uranium fuel bank in Kazakhstan.

Limited quantities could also eventually be converted into fuel rods for civilian nuclear reactors, she said, though she argued Iran should not retain direct access to the material itself.

Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, previously told Fox News Digital that internationally monitored downblending may ultimately prove more practical than attempting to physically seize or destroy the material inside damaged facilities.

“The IAEA remains the best place to go back into Iran to monitor the sites, to try to track down and account for the enriched uranium,” Davenport said.

The White House could not immediately be reached for comment. “The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States … or, preferably … destroyed in place,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday. 

Iranian officials, however, have continued to insist the country has a right to maintain uranium enrichment and stockpiles as part of a civilian nuclear program.

Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, said Wednesday that maintaining enriched uranium stockpiles remains one of Iran’s “red lines” in negotiations with the United States.

That position may ultimately collide with what many nonproliferation advocates view as the core objective of any agreement: preventing Iran from preserving a rapid nuclear breakout capability.

Stricker said international inspectors had a relatively strong understanding of the quantities and locations of the material before access became more restricted, but argued that any future agreement would require continuous international monitoring over how the uranium is handled and removed.

Stricker argued that any long-term deal would likely require not only removal of the stockpile, but also strict limits on Iran’s future enrichment capabilities and expanded access for international inspectors.

“Ideally it would be a permanent ban,” she said, referring to uranium enrichment. “But it appears that they’re leaning more towards a long moratorium.”

She added that any agreement would also require the International Atomic Energy Agency to regain deep access to Iranian facilities, including military sites, to verify compliance and account for nuclear materials.

“They need full access to go wherever they would like, including to military sites to rule out any Iranian cheating,” Stricker said.

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For now, negotiators appear to be moving toward a temporary framework agreement while broader nuclear talks continue. But experts say the question of what happens to Iran’s enriched uranium may ultimately become the defining issue of any deal.

Even if diplomacy advances, physically locating, securing and permanently neutralizing the material could remain a challenge long after any agreement is signed.

FIRST ON FOX — Washington, D.C.’s professional baseball franchise could come under Justice Department scrutiny after a viral video showed a team executive appearing to admit to his religious discrimination against a Christian player.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., is urging Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon to investigate alleged religious discrimination against players for the Washington Nationals, according to a letter sent Thursday to and first obtained by Fox News Digital.

The letter comes after Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe published a secretly recorded video of Washington Nationals Director of Community Relations Sean Hudson saying the team does not include pitcher Trevor Williams in certain social media promotion.

He cited the player’s public criticism of another Major League Baseball franchise for hosting a drag group mocking Catholics.

EXCLUSIVE: KENTUCKY BARISTA TAKES LEGAL ACTION AFTER TERMINATION, CLAIMS SHE WAS FIRED FOR SHARING HER FAITH

“According to the reporting by James O’Keefe, it appears the Washington Nationals are engaged in unlawful religious discrimination,” Boebert told Fox News Digital in a written statement. “I urge the DOJ to take immediate and decisive action.”

A spokesperson for the Justice Department said they received Boebert’s letter. 

“The Department is reviewing the matter and will evaluate all appropriate next steps. As always, we remain committed to enforcing federal law and protecting civil rights,” they told Fox News Digital. 

Hudson, in the clandestine recording, pointed to Williams’ public objections to the Los Angeles Dodgers honoring the Sisterhood of Perpetual Indulgence — a drag group that dresses as nuns — during the team’s 2023 “Pride Night.

The Washington Nationals acknowledged Hudson’s comments, which were disseminated without his permission, and pushed back on any assumptions that his views reflect that of the entire MLB team’s leadership. 

“The statements are not only factually incorrect, but do not reflect the views, opinions or actions of the Washington Nationals,” a spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The Nationals are dedicated to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for our players, fans and staff, and we vehemently deny any allegations to the contrary.”

The Dodgers’ 2023 drag event drew condemnation from multiple Catholic bishops, who described it as “blasphemous.”

Williams said he found the group’s anti-Catholic demonstration featuring vulgar caricatures of the crucifixion and sacred rituals to be “deeply offensive,” in an interview with Bishop Robert Barron last year. The professional baseball player said he made the decision with his wife to speak out even though it would put “a target on our back.”

“Baseball stadiums should be a place where everyone feels welcomed, like 100%,” Williams said in the interview. “We should all feel welcomed there. But that was clearly against one certain religion. If you don’t draw the line in the sand, who’s gonna do it?”  

According to Hudson, that public criticism of the drag group’s performance later affected Williams’ opportunities at the Nationals franchise. 

“Because of that we don’t use him on social [media],” Hudson told an undercover journalist in the video. “When they’re like ‘is a hot dog a sandwich’ and the players come up, we don’t ask him.”

CONGRESSMAN SAYS MLB IS OUSTING TREVOR BAUER DUE TO TRUMP SUPPORT, IN LETTER TO ROB MANFRED

Boebert said she is concerned that Hudson’s admission could mean the franchise violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on religion and other protected classes. 

“Americans of faith should not face professional repercussions for objecting to the mockery of their sacred traditions,” the Colorado Republican said in the letter. “MLB’s privileged legal position should not become a license for exclusionary practices.”

Hudson, in the video, described himself as “far-left leaning” and nonreligious. Meanwhile, he called Williams “super Catholic.”

The Washington Nationals executive also boasted about a Communist Party poster in his office and mused about pushing redistribution of wealth and other leftist agendas during baseball games at Nationals Park in Southeast Washington, D.C.

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“What a cool opportunity for us [Nationals] to also, be a little bit of like, the voice of reason,” Hudson said. “And a lot of people will tell you when I come to a baseball game, I don’t want to think about that s–t.”

“If you’re a sports fan and we piss you off, where else are you gonna go,” he went on. “I don’t give a sh–t.”

California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton says the momentum behind his campaign and Spencer Pratt’s independent bid for Los Angeles mayor shows there’s a hunger among voters in the left-leaning state for outsiders.

Hilton, a conservative commentator and former Fox News Channel host who is backed by President Donald Trump, emphasized in an interview Thursday on “Fox News @Night” that “something’s happening in California. I think people who aren’t here don’t realize how sick we all are of what’s been going on, the one-party rule, for 16 years now,” as he pointed to the Democrats’ longtime control of the state government.

The candidate, one of the frontrunners in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, also spotlighted the campaign of Spencer Pratt, a reality TV star and online influencer-turned-Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose populist pitch to lead the nation’s second-most populous city is gaining traction. Pratt, a Republican, is running as an independent in the Democrat-dominated city.

REALITY TV STAR AND INFLUENCER SPENCER PRATT GAINS TRACTION AFTER FIERY DEBATE

“The energy behind Spencer here in LA, the energy behind our campaign up and down the state, we’re both outsiders. We’re very different, had different experiences, we were running different campaigns. But the one thing we have in common, we are outsiders. We’ve never run for office before,” Hilton said in an interview just days before California’s June 2 primary elections.

Hilton argued that he and Pratt “are both there to shake up a system that is obviously not working. And that’s why our campaigns are resonating.”

Pratt, who has focused his insurgent campaign against Democratic Mayor Karen Bass, is also backed by Trump. Pratt’s rise is fueled in part by his well-known status as one of the victims who lost their homes in last year’s devastating wildfires, when over 17,000 homes in Los Angeles County were destroyed, as well as his right-leaning focus on homelessness, crime and government accountability in a city long run by Democrats.

WHAT SPENCER PRATT SAID ON ‘FOX AND FRIENDS’

Bass is attempting to fend off challenges from the right from Pratt and on the left from progressive City Council member Nithya Raman. If no candidate tops 50% in Tuesday’s nonpartisan mayoral election, the top two finishers will face off in November.

In the governor’s race, the latest public opinion polls indicate Hilton, a former British political advisor and strategist, battling Democrat Xavier Becerra, who served as a Cabinet secretary in former President Biden’s administration, for the top spot in the primary, followed by billionaire hedge fund founder turned environmental activist Tom Steyer, a Democrat who ran for his party’s 2020 presidential nomination.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, and former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter are also running for governor, as are Democratic candidates San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.

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The top two finishers in the nonpartisan gubernatorial primary will advance to the general election.

CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin publicly confirmed for the first time that her organization received an inquiry from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), seeking detailed information about its March trip to Cuba.

The inquiry, which is often called an administrative subpoena, comes as the Trump administration signals a broad effort to increase federal scrutiny of nonprofit organizations operating in foreign-policy and activist spaces. Last October, after the murder of conservative leader Charlie Kirk, President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to strengthen enforcement against nonprofit entities that facilitate support for political violence.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reinforced that message this week, arguing that nonprofit organizations and fiscal sponsors can’t shield themselves from legal accountability when resources, funding, organizational infrastructure or grants are used to support unlawful activity and political violence.

“We’ve made substantial progress, and I think in the weeks and months ahead, we’re going to have a lot to report,” Bessent responded to a question in the White House press gallery. He said, for example, that under new changes, the IRS will “demand that nonprofits know their grant recipients.”

FEDS SUBPOENA HASAN PIKER, MEDEA BENJAMIN OVER CUBA TRIPS

“So, if a grant recipient is violent, if they are suppressing people’s rights, then you are responsible for that,” Bessent said. “I think that’s a very good first step.”

The shift reflects a growing administration focus on whether nonprofit networks are exercising sufficient oversight over the projects, activists and international campaigns they sponsor. Against that backdrop, the inquiry by the Office of Foreign Assets Control into the Cuba convoy fits within an effort by Treasury officials to examine whether activist organizations are complying with laws and other federal restrictions, such as sanctions laws.

Speaking on camera in a video promoted by a far-left media platform, BreakThrough News, Benjamin said she and political streamer Hasan Piker first learned about the query when Fox News Digital broke the news last Saturday evening that Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control had launched an investigation into the financial and logistical details of CodePink’s and Piker’s trip to Cuba trip.

DC DINNER TURNS CHAOTIC AS CODEPINK ACTIVISTS CORNER TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT: ‘BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS’

The Office of Foreign Assets Control enforces U.S. sanctions on Cuba, which restrict Americans from engaging in many financial transactions with the communist government and require travelers and organizations to comply with licensing and record-keeping requirements for authorized activities.

“I actually didn’t get anything, and neither did Hasan Piker,” Benjamin said. “I mean, we heard this on Fox News, that there was this subpoena out, and I was going outside my front door, looking around for somebody to serve me.”

Benjamin said the inquiry arrived by email and had been sent to CodePink co-founder Jodie Evans. Fox News Digital has learned that CodePink D.C. Coordinator Olivia DiNucci, who regularly harasses politicians as they are having dinner in D.C. restaurants, is also expected to get a query.

“It turns out that it was an email that was sent to CodePink co-founder Jodie Evans, and it was so unofficial that it landed in our spam box,” Benjamin said. “So it was a letter, and it came from the Treasury Department, from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, known as OFAC.”

FAR-LEFT ACTIVISTS STAY IN 5-STAR CUBAN HOTEL AS ISLAND SUFFERS TOTAL BLACKOUT

While criticizing the manner in which the inquiry was delivered, Benjamin acknowledged that the request itself was serious because of the volume of information federal officials are seeking.

“And I don’t want to say it’s not serious. It is serious, because they are asking for all kinds of information,” Benjamin said. “And this is a kind of intimidation tactic that means we have to get a lawyer, that we have to spend a lot of staff time, a lot of energy.”

According to Benjamin, the inquiry includes roughly a dozen detailed questions about the trip and its participants.

“They’re asking about 12 very detailed questions that include things like, ‘How did you get there? Where did you stay? What did you do every hour that you were there?'” Benjamin said. “I guess we have to tell them how many hours we slept.”

Benjamin said approximately 170 people participated in the convoy and suggested the scope of the inquiry could require organizers to account for the activities of every participant.

REVOLUTIONARY TOURISM: INSIDE THE $600M MARRIAGE OF DARK MONEY AND FAR-LEFT AGITPROP

“There were 170 people, so I don’t know if they want to know what every single person did every single minute of the day,” she said.

Benjamin also confirmed that organizers brought humanitarian supplies to Cuba.

“What we brought — and we brought about $600,000 worth of aid — so it’s a lot, a lot of information that they want,” Benjamin said.

Benjamin framed the inquiry as an effort to discourage Americans from traveling to Cuba or participating in humanitarian missions to the communist island, but said organizers would continue their activities despite the federal scrutiny.

“And of course, this is to make people think, ‘Uh oh, should I go to Cuba? Uh oh, should I keep doing humanitarian aid?'” Benjamin said. “And the answer to that is, yes. We can’t be intimidated. In fact, we have to use this as another reason that we’re so angry at the U.S. government and redouble our efforts.”

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Meanwhile, Piker has insisted that he hasn’t received the Treasury Department query. 

He stirred up another set of headlines speculating that the “real goal” of the investigation is to target American Marxist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham, who has pumped $285 million since 2017 into a network of groups including CodePink and BreakThrough News, allegedly spreading pro-China propaganda and sowing discord with massive anti-American street protests.

CodePink and BreakThrough News have been fixtures in those street protests, and Piker has supported them on his hours-long livestreams.

Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche on Friday said that a man who made death threats against a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer and his family at a protest in New Jersey Thursday night had been arrested.

The arrest came just hours after Blanche promised the protester, who was captured on video, would be found and arrested.

“That’s a federal crime,” Blanche said on Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show” on Thursday. “Not only threatening the ICE officer — but think about how disgusting this individual is by threatening his wife and his children with death.

In the video, the protester can be heard taunting the officer: “I will kill your whole f—ing family. Your whole f—ing family is dead. Your children and wife all dead. I have your face mother—er! All dead!”

ANTI-ICE AGITATOR SCREAMS ‘I’LL KILL YOUR WHOLE F- FAMILY’ DAY AFTER DEM GOV PRAISES ‘PEACEFUL PROTESTING’

Blanche said the officer was just doing his job and “standing there.”

On Friday evening, Blanche wrote on X: Told you. @FBI just arrested the man who threatened to kill ICE officers and their families. FAFO.”

He has not yet been identified.

ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS CLASH WITH AGENTS OUTSIDE NEW JERSEY DETENTION CENTER AS GOV. SHERRILL DENIED ENTRY

The clash occurred Thursday evening outside of Newark’s Delaney Hall detention center where protesters were accused of biting, kicking and punching agents.

Agents responded by deploying pepper spray and beating back agitators as the protest continued into its sixth night.

Nine rioters were arrested during the clashes Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security told Fox News Digital.

ANTI-ICE AGITATORS THROW WOODEN PALLETS, MATTRESSES AT FEDERAL AGENTS DURING CHAOTIC NJ DETENTION CENTER CLASH

Approximately 100 protesters mobbed the area surrounding the detention center, chanting “F— ICE” and brandishing black umbrellas, gas masks and other gear to protect themselves from pepper spray and various anti-riot measures.

On Wednesday evening, DHS reported that approximately 100 anti-ICE protesters gathered around the Delaney Hall ICE facility. While rioters assaulted and threw objects at law enforcement, DHS said “local police refused to help our officers.” Six rioters were arrested Wednesday night for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers.

“We called local police, we called state police multiple times. Listen, I know the law enforcement there would love to respond, but because of Governor Sherrill’s behavior what the governor is doing, she’s not allowing public officers and state officers to respond,” Mullin said during a Thursday morning appearance on Fox & Friends.

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Demonstrations over conditions for detainees began Friday, May 22, after detainees penned an open letter claiming they were being denied access to medical care, being insufficiently fed and detained without due process.

DHS has denied those claims.

Fox News’ Charles Creitz and Robert McGreevy contributed to this report. 

EXCLUSIVE: The U.S. Coast Guard will be ending admissions for college students wanting to commission as officers that take race into consideration as part of the Trump administration’s continued anti-diversity, equity and inclusion initiative, Fox News Digital has learned.

“The Trump Administration is more focused than ever on eliminating unconstitutional DEI policies like this one,” DHS General Counsel James Percival said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital on Friday.

He added, “Racial quotas, like those included in this program for students who want to enlist and commission as officers in the U.S. Coast Guard, are a direct violation of the United States Constitution’s equal protection requirements. By getting rid of these unconstitutional diversity quotas, we are returning the Coast Guard’s focus to military readiness, upholding the law, and making America a safer place.”

The College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI), program previously included a preference for students from schools that had met quotas for including students from specific racial groups.

PETE HEGSETH DIRECTS MILITARY ACADEMIES THAT ALL FUTURE ADMISSIONS WILL BE BASED SOLELY ON MERIT

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced at end to those requirements on Thursday.

“Eliminating racial quotas in federal programs remains a priority of the Justice Department,” Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said. “Access to opportunities like the Coast Guard’s pre-commissioning initiative should be based exclusively on merit, not the racial composition of your college. This resolution helps ensure that equality of opportunity.”

ROGER GOODELL SAYS NFL WITH COOPERATE WITH FLORIDA AG PROBE INTO ROONEY RULE AND DEI HIRING PROGRAMS

The Trump administration has taken similar steps to end DEI policies in the federal government and in the military as a whole.

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Last week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth spoke at the graduation ceremony at West Point, telling the cadets,  “The battlefield does not grade on a curve, and you can’t throw your pronouns at the enemy. Combat is the ultimate test, and our best Americans must ace it.”

He also accused West Point’s leadership of having attempted to turn West Point into a “woke Princeton.”

Fox News Digital’s Preston Mizell contributed to this report.

In a recent podcast appearance, Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed admitted to destroying property in a liquor store in Detroit over remarks about the length of his beard, a sign of religious observance among Muslim communities.

“He says, ‘Are you Muslim?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘Well, your beard is too short.’ I said, ‘Ok you’re gonna judge me? Ok, give me a second, I forgot something,’” El-Sayed said while on left-leaning YouTube show “Intellectually Petty.” 

“So, I walk back, I get a fifth of vodka, and put it on the counter. He’s like, ‘Hey, you can’t buy that,’ and I was like, ‘You’re right, and you can’t sell it.’ So, I smashed it on the ground and walked out.”

The account is emerging as a new line of attack for some Republicans in the closely watched Senate race.

SQUAD MEMBER SUMMER LEE CALLS ‘UPPER CLASS’ THE ‘ENEMY’ AT EL-SAYED RALLY

Hunter Lovell, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee (RNC), believes it displays a willingness to become aggressive over matters of faith.

“Abdul El-Sayed thinks he gets a free hall pass by using his religion as a way to promote violent extremism,” Lovell said. “In reality, Michigan voters see a deeply disturbed man with anger management issues who belongs nowhere near the United States Senate.”

El-Sayed’s campaign, when asked about Lovell’s comments, did not address the incident in the liquor store.

“Yes — Abdul is angry on behalf of the people. Unlike Trump who seems more focused on drapes in a ballroom, Abdul gets mad when everyday people get exploited,” Roxie Richner, a spokesperson for the campaign, told Fox News Digital.

El-Sayed finds himself in a heated three-way Democratic primary to replace outgoing Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich.

Voters will soon have to pick between him, fellow progressive Mallory McMorrow, a state legislator, and Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., a more establishment-leaning candidate.

HOUSE DEM JUMPS INTO CROWDED MICHIGAN SENATE RACE

El-Sayed has positioned himself as the most leftward-leaning of the three, espousing positions such as “Medicare for all,” free college education and the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Notably, El-Sayed has attracted criticism for his opposition to the current U.S. partnership with Israel, citing humanitarian concerns during the war in Gaza.

He’s also drawn scrutiny for campaigning with Hasan Piker, a political commentator and media personality who has described Hamas, a U.S.-designated terror group, as the “lesser of two evils,” in its war with Israel and said that the U.S. “deserved 9/11.” 

El-Sayed himself has clearly said he condemns all forms of religious violence.

In the wake of an attack on a synagogue in Temple Israel Michigan earlier in 2026, El-Sayed called it an act of “terrorism.”

MICHIGAN DEMOCRAT DEFENDS APPEARING WITH HASAN PIKER, DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM PODCASTER’S CONTROVERSIAL REMARKS

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“He was an Arab American and a Muslim. I condemn what he did. There is never a justification for attacking innocent people or houses of worship. Never,” El-Sayed said in a press release.

The Michigan Senate primary will be held Aug. 4.

Insurgent candidate Spencer Pratt has what it takes to become Los Angeles’ next mayor despite the “difficult job” ahead of winning over a heavily Democratic electorate, a senior California lawmaker told Fox News Digital.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said mayoral hopeful Spencer Pratt is resonating with voters in the deep-blue city by offering “common-sense” solutions to the dysfunction that has persisted under incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.

Pratt, a former reality television personality best known for “The Hills,” has risen to prominence in the race by calling attention to Bass’ alleged mismanagement of devastating wildfires that destroyed more than 18,000 structures — including his Pacific Palisades home — and the stalled recovery. He has also lit into Bass’ failure to make significant headway on street homelessness, drug addiction and crime.

“He’s catching fire among ardent historic Democrat voters because Karen Bass has been so ineffective,” Issa said in an interview. “And every time she opens her mouth, she’s talking about more of the same to people who have seen their streets, both crime-ridden and in fact … ineffectively managed.”

NBA STAR PLACES $36,000 BET ON OUTSIDER LA MAYORAL CANDIDATE SPENCER PRATT WINNING HEATED RACE

“Do I see his common-sense campaigning as resonating? Absolutely,” he continued.

Pratt is vying in a nonpartisan June 2 primary against Bass and socialist City Council member Nithya Raman. No candidate is expected to receive more than 50% of the vote, meaning the top two vote-getters will advance to a November runoff election.

Recent polling shows all three candidates in a dead heat, even as Bass enjoys the support of high-profile Democrats, including former Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif.

But Pratt, a registered Republican, faces long odds in a city where fewer than 20% of voters identify with the GOP.

Bass-aligned groups have also run ads criticizing Pratt’s party affiliation despite the political newcomer officially running as an independent.

KAREN BASS REFUSES TO GIVE ‘YES OR NO’ ANSWER ON WHETHER NONCITIZENS SHOULD VOTE IN LA: ‘IT DEPENDS’

Issa, however, said there is precedent for Los Angeles electing a mayor with Republican ties despite its Democratic leanings.

“I will say that Dick Riordan, now deceased, but a Republican who was mayor a generation ago, had that same sort of common sense … and he did resonate. He was elected,” the California Republican said. “He goes down in history as a period in which Los Angeles did improve very much, like New York and Rudy Giuliani.”

Riordan was the last Republican elected mayor of Los Angeles after winning a second term in 1997.

Billionaire developer Rick Caruso, a Republican-turned-Democrat, lost a 2022 mayoral battle against Bass despite spending north of $100 million on his campaign.

In a likely attempt to win over Democratic voters, Pratt has sought to divorce the race from national politics.

“In LA, they want to feel safe, they don’t want to step in human poop,” he told NBC News in an interview Thursday. “I don’t need to have personal opinions about anybody that doesn’t affect them stepping in human poop.”

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Asked by the outlet about President Donald Trump’s vocal support for his campaign, Pratt said he did not need it. Trump has yet to offer a formal endorsement.

“I don’t need anyone’s endorsement but mothers’. That’s who’s getting me elected,” he replied.

The Department of Justice announced on Thursday that it filed lawsuits against four Democrat-led states over their refusal to issue undercover license plates to ICE agents.

DOJ Civil Division Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate previously issued an ultimatum to Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington, giving them until May 22 to provide immigration enforcement officers with undercover plates for their vehicles. Justice Department officials argue the states’ refusal unlawfully discriminates against federal law enforcement and violates the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.

These lawsuits escalate a months-long standoff between the Justice Department and Democrat-led states over immigration enforcement. The cases could test the limits of the Supremacy Clause as the DOJ seeks to assert legal authority over state motor vehicle departments, while the states themselves maintain that they are not required to assist with civil immigration enforcement.

“This Department of Justice will exercise any and all lawful authorities to support the brave men and women of law enforcement,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said. “Law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe and must be able to carry out their duties effectively. By denying undercover license plates to DHS components, including ICE, while issuing them to their own state agencies, these governors are pursuing discriminatory and obstructionist policies against federal law enforcement.”

DOJ PUTS BLUE STATES ON NOTICE AS ICE FIGHT BARRELS TOWARD NEXT CONSTITUTIONAL SHOWDOWN

An official in the Massachusetts governor’s office previously told Fox News Digital that the commonwealth does issue undercover plates to federal agents, but only if they are investigating criminal offenses. It refuses to do so in cases where civil infractions are being investigated, which covers most immigration cases.

“In Massachusetts, we support law enforcement doing legitimate criminal investigative work, and local, state and federal agencies doing that work can request confidential plates,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement flagged for Fox News Digital by her staff. “But that’s not what we are seeing from ICE and its unconstitutional tactics.”

Oregon, meanwhile, has gone a step further by placing a general moratorium on issuing undercover plates to federal agents, while Maine and Washington, like Massachusetts, are declining to provide plates for civil investigations.

FEDERAL JUDGE RULES AGAINST DHS ON WARRANTLESS IMMIGRATION ARRESTS IN OREGON 

“We look forward to defending this lawsuit,” Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a statement his office shared with Fox News Digital. “We take public safety seriously, and work with federal partners to voluntarily provide hundreds of undercover plates every year for criminal investigations. Judges across the country have found that the Department of Homeland Security’s tactics in conducting civil immigration enforcement routinely violate the Constitution.”

“That is unacceptable,” he added. 

A spokesman for the Oregon governor’s office told Fox News Digital that Gov. Tina Kotek is waiting for the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles to conduct a review of its undercover plate policy and that she expects the agency to “communicate next steps.”

ANTI-ICE LAW SET TO TAKE EFFECT IN MAINE AS GOVERNOR FACES INCREASED CRITICISM FOR ALLOWING IT AMID SENATE RUN

The Maine governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Thursday.

The lawsuits filed by the DOJ cite the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, which establishes federal law as supreme over conflicting state laws, arguing that it can be used to make the four Democratic states issue undercover license plates to ICE agents. 

“The United States has sovereign authority to manage federal law enforcement activities and, under the Supremacy Clause, need not cede that authority to Maine (or any state) by abiding by its dangerous policy which jeopardizes federal law enforcement operations and the officers who carry them out,” the lawsuit reads.

JONATHAN TURLEY: WHY BLUE STATES’ NEW ANTI-ICE LAWS ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL VIRTUE SIGNALING

“Under the Supremacy Clause, States do not have the power to dictate how the Federal Government executes its constitutional powers within their borders,” it continued.

Conservative legal experts previously told Fox News Digital that they believe the DOJ is fighting an uphill battle in trying to compel states to issue specific license plates by leveraging the Supremacy Clause.

“Federal law preempts state law when state law conflicts with a supreme federal law. And when it does, the state law is preempted, meaning that the state law cannot be given legal effect in those instances of conflict,” Charles “Cully” Stimson, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital. “There is no law in my mind that is conflicting with federal law. You simply have state actors refusing to issue these types of license plates.”

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Stimson did add that there is an underlying assumption that, by virtue of being in the union and as implied under the Constitution’s separation of powers, the four Democratic states should cooperate with the federal government to enforce laws.

The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Thursday.

A federal judge on Friday ordered that President Donald Trump’s name be removed from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said the iconic venue cannot be renamed without an act of Congress, ruling that the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees overstepped its “statutory bounds by unilaterally renaming” the building.

As part of his ruling, the Trump administration will be required to take down all physical signage bearing Trump’s name and eliminate any references to a “Trump-Kennedy Center” from official materials.

TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER’S BOARD VOTES UNANIMOUSLY TO APPROVE $257M RENOVATIONS AND TWO-YEAR CLOSURE

“The Kennedy Center’s organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board’s unilateral say-so,” Cooper wrote. “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.”

The ruling was part of a lawsuit filed by U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

BOARD VOTES KENNEDY CENTER TO BE RENAMED ‘TRUMP-KENNEDY CENTER,’ LEAVITT SAYS

Cooper previously denied a request for a preliminary injunction filed by a preservation group to block the planned two-year closure of the Kennedy Center for a rehabilitation project. Both cases will continue to be litigated and appeals are likely.

Beatty, who serves as an ex officio member of the board, praised Friday’s ruling.

“Today’s ruling rightly affirms that this administration’s efforts to rename and close the Center have no basis in law,” Beatty said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “The Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump. He has desecrated this sacred memorial for his own vanity. I am proud to have fought for the rule of law and to protect this sacred institution.”

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Trump’s name was added to the venue last December following a unanimous decision by the board. In February 2025, Trump was elected chairman of the Kennedy Center board after removing 18 trustees appointed by former President Joe Biden.