Dem. Sen. Gallego Asked Staff to Join Him on 3am Party

Luis Cornelio
-
0
Dem. Sen. Gallego Asked Staff to Join Him on 3am Party

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Embattled Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., reportedly stayed out partying until 3:00 a.m. during an official U.S. trip to Colombia in 2025 and asked embassy staffers to join him, a move that raised questions given a credible security concern at the time.

The incident was reported by NOTUS on Thursday, as Gallego continues to face scrutiny over his ties to disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., who quit after being accused of sexual assault.

The congressional trip was intended to strengthen bilateral relations and address China’s growing influence in the region.

Much of the trip was routine, but Gallego’s late-night conduct has drawn attention.

The trip, attended by Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, was largely uneventful, but Gallego’s late-night conduct is likely what it will be remembered for.

Moreno did not accompany Gallego during the late-night outing.

Staff at the U.S. Embassy had reportedly received a credible security warning involving a potential threat to Gallego’s life. Despite those warnings, the senator remained at a dinner and later walked to a nightclub.

Gallego and his chief of staff reportedly invited embassy staff to join them at the club. One female staffer said Gallego personally asked her to come out to the club.

“It is unclear if any employees went out with him, and there are no allegations that Gallego engaged in inappropriate behavior with any embassy staff member,” NOTUS reported.

The night reportedly lasted until 3:00 a.m., with Gallego nearly missing his scheduled departure time. His chief of staff later had to enter his room with a key to wake him up, according to the outlet.

A Gallego spokesperson claimed that the senator had “coordinated closely with embassy security throughout the trip, including on the evening in question, and followed all security guidance.”

“While at dinner at the conclusion of a successful congressional delegation trip, the Senator and his Chief of Staff invited Embassy staff to join them, a common way to recognize the work of those who support these visits,” the spokesperson added. “As one of the first Colombian-American Senators elected to Congress, Senator Gallego was proud of the work done in Colombia and looks forward to continuing efforts to strengthen U.S. ties in the Southern Hemisphere.”

Separately, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., previously said she had referred Gallego to Senate Majority Leader John Thune over allegations of misconduct.

In a post on X responding to the NOTUS report, Luna said she had received complaints from women alleging inappropriate behavior by the senator.

“I have now heard of 4 women who have had multiple and uncomfortable/inappropriate advances/comments/touching, etc. from Senator Gallego. This is not made up and the Senate is being awfully quiet about it,” Luna wrote.

Shootout Inside Mall of Louisiana Leaves 1 Person Dead and 5 Wounded

Headline USA Editor
-
0
Shootout Inside Mall of Louisiana Leaves 1 Person Dead and 5 Wounded

(Headline USA) Two groups exchanged gunfire inside a food court Thursday at the Mall of Louisiana, killing one person and wounding five more, police said.

Authorities had initially said as many as 10 people were injured, but the number was changed a few hours after the shooting in Baton Rouge. Police said five people were arrested.

“If you’re going to act like this in Baton Rouge, if you’re going to do these things, you’re going to get caught,” Mayor Sid Edwards said.

At around 1:30 p.m., the two groups argued inside the food court and started shooting at each other, Police Chief TJ Morse said.

The chief asked witnesses to provide any video they have of the shooting.

“Right now there is no known threat to the public,” Morse said.

By late afternoon, dozens of police cars still were clustered in the parking lot, multiple helicopters hovered overhead and armed officers in bulletproof vests patrolled the area.

Mall spokesperson Lindsay Kahn called it a “frightening day” for everyone there.

Desire Batton, who works at a clothing store, said she and other workers dashed inside a breakroom to protect themselves.

“We hid in there until cops came and got us,” Batton said, adding it was a terrifying experience.

Kennedy Barnum, 22, said she had gone to the mall to get lunch at the food court when she heard a woman on the phone outside say, “I’ll call you back. There’s an active shooter in the mall.”

Within five minutes, Barnum said, law enforcement had swarmed the mall. She saw people running and crying, including one girl she described as “hysterical.”

“We spoke to a security guard there and she told us that there was an active shooter there, people were shot and injured, and we should leave immediately,” Barnum said.

It’s at least the second high-profile case of gun violence in Louisiana this week. A father fatally shot eight children, including seven of his own, in an attack on his family Sunday morning that stretched across two houses in a Shreveport neighborhood, police said. 

Two women, including the gunman’s wife who was the mother of their children, were critically wounded.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

Ex-Officer Planned to Kill Black People in Mass Shooting at a New Orleans Festival

Headline USA Editor
-
0
Ex-Officer Planned to Kill Black People in Mass Shooting at a New Orleans Festival

(Headline USA) Authorities say a former North Carolina law enforcement officer planned to kill Black people in a mass shooting at a major New Orleans festival but was arrested at a Florida hotel with a handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

Authorities in several states did not name the event, but the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, commonly known as Jazz Fest, runs from Thursday through May 3. The gathering attracted about 460,000 people last year, organizers said.

Christopher Gillum of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was wanted for “terroristic threats,” the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in Florida posted online Thursday. Federal authorities told the sheriffs office that Gillum was in the Florida Panhandle “heading to do a mass shooting at a large festival in Louisiana.” The sheriffs office did not name the federal agency, and the FBI office in New Orleans did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Okaloosa sheriff’s office said Gillum was arrested without incident Wednesday night at a hotel in Destin, and posted a photo of him being led away in handcuffs. Deputies recovered a handgun and about 200 rounds of ammunition from the hotel room, the statement said.

Gillum was arrested as a fugitive from justice and will be extradited to Louisiana to face charges there, the sheriff’s office said. It was not immediately known if he had a lawyer. The Associated Press left a message at phone numbers listed for him.

Gillum’s family reported him missing on Tuesday and he had a history of self-harm, according to Lt. Clint Lyons of the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina. Gillum’s family told law enforcement he had a gun and “expressed recent threats to harm ‘Black people,’” according to a bulletin from police in Burlington, North Carolina.

Lyons said Gillum crossed state lines before his agency could prepare the paperwork to involuntarily commit him to psychiatric treatment. Lyons said that there were no criminal grounds to detain Gillum despite his comments about Black people “because there was no victim.”

“But we felt that there was definitely something there that needed to be shared, so that’s what we did,” Lyons said.

Gillum was located and stopped by law enforcement in Oklaloosa County on Wednesday, according to Lyons and the Burlington police bulletin.

However, Gillum “did not present any grounds for involuntary commitment or criminal charges” and was allowed to continue on his way, the bulletin stated. Gillum told officers that he was “enroute to New Orleans,” the report added.

Okaloosa deputies were initially asked to make a “welfare check” on Gillum Wednesday morning and were “not aware” of any threats he had made, sheriff spokesperson Michele Nicholson said. Later that day, after the sheriff’s office learned Gillum was being investigated, deputies surveilled him until a signed warrant arrived from Louisiana, she added.

Gillum had been hired as a detention officer by the sheriff’s office in Orange County, North Carolina, in October 2023 but he left in July 2024, department spokesperson Alicia L. Stemper said.

“We hired him again as a deputy on Jan. 13, 2025,” she said in an email. “He resigned his position on Sept. 21, 2025, and we terminated him accordingly.”

Gillum also served as a sworn police officer for Chapel Hill from 2004 until his resignation in 2019, town communications manager Alex Carrasquillo said.

“He returned as a non-sworn employee in 2024 before leaving for another job by the end of that year,” Carrasquillo said in an email.

Louisiana State Police spokesperson Trooper Danny Berrincha said the agency is still investigating the episode with the FBI.

“At this time, there are no known direct threats to any festivals in Louisiana,” he added.

In a statement, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival said it works closely with law enforcement and applauded their efforts, saying ”we look forward to another safe and joyful Jazz Fest.”

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

Meta Slashes 8,000 Jobs, or 10% of Its Workforce, as Microsoft Offers Buyouts

Headline USA Editor
-
0
Meta Slashes 8,000 Jobs, or 10% of Its Workforce, as Microsoft Offers Buyouts

(Headline USA) Meta is laying off about 8,000 workers, or about 10% of its workforce, the company said Thursday as it continues to ramp up spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure and highly paid AI-expert hires.

The company said it was making the cuts for the sake of efficiency and to allow new investments in parts of its business, as first reported by Bloomberg, which also said the company will leave about 6,000 jobs unfilled.

Also Thursday, Microsoft said it was offering voluntary buyouts to thousands of its U.S. employees.

The software giant plans to make the offers in early May to about 8,750 people, or 7% of its U.S. workforce, according to two people familiar with the plan who were not authorized to speak about it publicly.

While an alternative to the sudden layoffs removing tech workers from peers like Meta and Oracle, the savings are likely tied to a similar industry upheaval that is requiring huge spending on the costs of artificial intelligence. Meta has already warned investors that its 2026 expenses will grow significantly — to the range of $162 billion to $169 billion — driven by infrastructure costs and employee compensation, particularly for the artificial intelligence experts it’s been hiring at eye-popping pay levels.

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives welcomed Meta’s cuts in a note to investors Thursday.

He said he sees it as part of a strategy of using AI tools to “automate tasks that once required large teams, allowing the company to streamline operations and reduce costs while maintaining productivity driving an increased need for a leaner operating structure.”

Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, has spent billions of dollars operating an ever-expanding global network of data centers powering cloud computing services, AI systems and its own suite of productivity tools, including the AI assistant Copilot.

CNBC reported earlier Thursday on a memo from Microsoft’s chief people officer, Amy Coleman, announcing the voluntary retirement plan.

“Our hope is that this program gives those eligible the choice to take that next step on their own terms, with generous company support,” Coleman wrote, according to CNBC.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

Feds Arrest 2 Dozen Mexican Mafia Members in California

Headline USA Editor
-
0
Feds Arrest 2 Dozen Mexican Mafia Members in California

(Headline USA)  More than two dozen members and associates of the Mexican Mafia were arrested Thursday during an early morning crackdown across Southern California, federal authorities said.

The FBI and other federal and local agencies executed search and arrest warrants at about 30 locations mostly in Orange County, south of Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

A total of 43 people, including those already in custody, have been indicted on charges that include murder, kidnapping, extortion, running an illegal gambling operation and drug trafficking, prosecutors said.

Officers seized 120 pounds (54 kilos) of methamphetamine, more than eight pounds (four kilos) of fentanyl, along with 25 firearms and more than $30,000 in cash, officials said.

“The stuff that we’re taking off the streets is very, very dangerous. These guys have no regard for human life. They’re about making money,” First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said during a news conference.

The Mexican Mafia was started in the 1950s at a juvenile jail and grew to an international criminal organization that controls smuggling, drug sales and extortion from inside California’s penal system.

The indictment alleges one leader who was incarcerated used contraband cellphones to oversee the Mexican Mafia’s criminal activities from his state prison cell from June 2024 to April 2026. He directed street gang members to kidnap and assault people, according to court documents. The gang also allegedly sold drugs including fentanyl, meth, heroin and cocaine.

“It ran illegal gambling businesses within commercial strip malls and private residences,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement. “The gang collected extortionate taxes and provided security, including the use of violence, to protect the illegal gambling businesses.”

The gang is also suspected of a murder at a “gang-controlled” motel in Anaheim, according to the indictment.

The defendants will begin making their initial appearances Thursday afternoon in federal court in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

DOJ’s Watchdog is Reviewing Compliance with the Law Mandating Epstein Files Release

Headline USA Editor
-
0
DOJ’s Watchdog is Reviewing Compliance with the Law Mandating Epstein Files Release

(Headline USA)  The Justice Department’s internal watchdog announced a review Thursday of the department’s compliance with the law mandating the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, stepping into a politically sensitive saga that has shadowed the Trump administration for the past year.

The review from the inspector general’s office will focus on how the department collected, reviewed and redacted materials in preparation for their release, as well as its process for addressing concerns that arose after the files were made public, when Epstein survivors complained that personal information about them had been disclosed.

The audit will revisit the department’s staggered and uneven release of millions of records from the Epstein sex trafficking investigation, a process that exposed it to accusations that it was attempting to protect President Donald Trump, who decades ago was friendly with the financier. It marks the watchdog office’s first significant effort since Trump took office for a second time to scrutinize the actions of a department that has been riven by tumult, including mass firings of employees and allegations of politicization of investigations.

The records were released starting late last year in compliance with a bill passed by Congress and signed into law by Trump, who bowed to political pressure from his own party after initially resisting efforts to disclose additional files. That November law required the release within 30 days of records related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his death in a jail in 2019, and also allowed for redactions of information about victims.

But problems with the department’s process soon emerged.

Officials released only a fraction of records within the 30-day deadline, later disclosing they would need several more weeks because of the abrupt discovery of a massive tranche of records tied to the case.

In late January, the department released what it said were 3 million pages of records, but subsequently withdrew several thousand documents and “media” after lawyers told a judge that the lives of nearly 100 abuse survivors had been “turned upside down” by careless redactions. The exposed materials include nude photos, with faces visible, as well as names, email addresses and other identifying information that was either unredacted or not fully obscured.

The department blamed it on “technical or human error.”

The scrutiny continued after several news organizations reported that some records involving uncorroborated accusations made by a woman against Trump were not among those released to the public. The accuser was interviewed by the FBI four times as it sought to assess her account but a summary of only one of those interviews had been included in the publicly released files.

The department said those files had been “incorrectly coded as duplicative” and therefore were inadvertently not published along with other investigative documents.

Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

Authorities say Epstein killed himself in a New York jail cell in August 2019, a month after being indicted on federal sex trafficking charges.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press.

Becerra, CA Gov. Frontrunner, Dogged by Fraud Scandal—Refuses Questions

Luis Cornelio
-
0
Becerra, CA Gov. Frontrunner, Dogged by Fraud Scandal—Refuses Questions

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Former Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, now a frontrunner for California governor, is facing mounting scrutiny over a criminal fraud case involving his top aide and other California operatives.

Becerra ignored Headline USA’s request for comment or clarification via text message, as questions intensify over what he knew about an alleged scheme involving his former chief of staff, Sean McCluskie, and two others to siphon money from Becerra’s dormant attorney general campaign.

Becerra served as California’s attorney general from 2017 to 2021 before being tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services under the Biden administration. His campaign reportedly had $225,000 in leftover funds when he departed for Washington, D.C.

According to federal prosecutors, McCluskie and California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, worked with lobbyist Greg Campbell to divert campaign funds for personal use between 2022 and 2024.

Williamson is fighting the charges, while McCluskie and Campbell pleaded guilty to taking $10,000 each from the campaign for what prosecutors described as a “no-show” job.

Becerra has claimed he was unaware of the scheme despite his close ties to those involved. Williamson previously worked on Becerra’s 2018 attorney general campaign.

Among those raising questions is Becerra’s opponent, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who released a video highlighting what appear to be conflicting statements from Becerra on the payments.

“Same politician. Same illegal payments. But five months later Xavier Becerra tells a different story,” Villaraigosa wrote via X.

“I was aware of the payments being made,” Becerra said in a Nov. 15, 2025, interview, adding that he had authorized them. In a separate interview, however, he said he “didn’t oversee that part” when referring to the same payments.

Becerra’s silence to Headline USA stands in contrast to his willingness to appear for interviews on left-leaning outlets.

Report: Ex-USAID Workers Have ‘Mental Trauma’ from Being Fired

Ken Silva
-
0
Report: Ex-USAID Workers Have ‘Mental Trauma’ from Being Fired

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) The New York Times has interviewed 30 former employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development, reporting Monday that they’re suffering from “mental trauma” due to being fired last year.

The Times report comes about a year after USAID was closed as part of the Trump administration’s short-lived cost-cutting measures, which were spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency. By March 2025, 83 percent of the agency’s foreign aid had been canceled. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the time that roughly 5,200 contracts had also been canceled because they did not serve—“and in some cases even harmed”—U.S. national security interests.

According to the Times article, many of the fired employees aren’t doing too well.

“Unlike in early 2025, when many who lost jobs thought they might be reinstated and declined to speak on the record for fear of antagonizing Trump officials, this time almost all gave their names and spoke emotionally and at length,” the Times reported.

“Many said they were still dealing with mental trauma and a loss of confidence in their professional abilities after brutal job hunts.”

Among the employees fired was a gay immigrant.

“I’m a queer, brown immigrant,” Adrian Mathura, 55, a Navy veteran and a former senior U.S.A.I.D. adviser in global health, told the Times. “I got to do all of this incredible stuff in my life and my career, and I spent all of my adult life touting how great the city on the hill was. I never even once imagined I would be so betrayed by my government.”

As Headline USA has covered, USAID was rife with fraud and wasteful spending during its tenure.

In February 2025, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called out USAID for spending $1.5 million to “advance DEI in Serbia’s workplaces;” $70,000 for a production of a “DEI musical in Ireland;” $47,000 for a “transgender opera” in Colombia; and $32,000 for a “transgender comic book” in Peru.

About three months later, the founder of a government contracting firm pled guilty to bribing a USAID officer to receive some $500 million in contracts. The USAID officer he bribed pled guilty, too. They have yet to be sentenced.

Also last May, Stephen Paul Edmund Sutton, 53, a United Kingdom citizen, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served for his participation in a USAID fraud scheme. In that case, Sutton and his co-defendant, Atif Gillani, created two shell companies, obtained multiple purchase orders for forklift and crane services, and funneled that money to themselves.

More recently, three major media outlets all reported that USAID funds were diverted to the El Salvadoran gang, La Mara Salvatrucha, more commonly known as MS-13.

ProPublica first reported the bombshell revelation in early June, citing sources who alleged that El Salvador President Nayib Bukele struck a secret pact with MS-13—agreeing to provide the gang with money and power in exchange for votes and reduced homicide rates. Some of that money allegedly came from USAID.

ProPublica’s scoop was followed up later in June by the New York Times, which reported similar facts.

And last October, the Washington Post reported that the Trump administration has even agreed to send back confidential informants from MS-13, who’ve provided the Justice Department with information about the gang’s links to Bukele. Like the Times and ProPublica, the Post also reported that USAID money was suspected of having gone to MS-13.

“The deal would give Bukele possession of individuals who threatened to expose the alleged deals his government made with MS-13 to help achieve El Salvador’s historic drop in violence,” the Post reported, citing anonymous officials.

Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.

Trump Reclassifies State-Licensed Medical Marijuana as a Less-Dangerous Drug in a Historic Shift

Headline USA Editor
-
0
Trump Reclassifies State-Licensed Medical Marijuana as a Less-Dangerous Drug in a Historic Shift

(Headline USA)  President Donald Trump’s acting attorney general on Thursday signed an order reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug, a major policy shift long sought by advocates who said cannabis should never have been treated like heroin by the federal government.

The order signed by Todd Blanche does not legalize marijuana for medical or recreational use under federal law. But it does change the way it’s regulated, shifting licensed medical marijuana from Schedule I — reserved for drugs without medical use and with high potential for abuse — to the less strictly regulated Schedule III. It also gives licensed medical marijuana operators a major tax break and eases some barriers to researching cannabis.

The Trump administration also said it was jump-starting the process for reclassifying marijuana more broadly, setting a hearing to begin in late June.

Trump told his administration in December to work as quickly as possible to reclassify marijuana. On Saturday, as the Republican president signed an unrelated executive order about psychedelics, he seemed to express frustration that it was taking so long.

Blanche said Thursday that the Department of Justice was “delivering on President Trump’s promise” to expand Americans’ access to medical treatment options. “This rescheduling action allows for research on the safety and efficacy of this substance, ultimately providing patients with better care and doctors with more reliable information,” he said in a statement.

What the marijuana reclassification order does

Blanche’s action largely legitimizes medical marijuana programs in the 40 states that have adopted them. It sets up an expedited system for state-licensed medical marijuana producers and distributors to register with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

It makes clear that cannabis researchers won’t be penalized for obtaining state-licensed marijuana or marijuana-derived products for use in their work, and it grants state-licensed medical marijuana companies a windfall by allowing them, for the first time, to deduct business expenses on their federal taxes.

Any marijuana-derived medicine approved by the Food and Drug Administration is similarly listed in Schedule III, it said.

Since 2015, Congress has prohibited the Justice Department from using its resources to shut down state-licensed medical marijuana systems. But the order nevertheless represents a major policy shift for the U.S. government, which has continued its longstanding marijuana prohibition — dating to the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 — even as nearly all the states have approved cannabis use in some form.

Two dozen states plus Washington, D.C., have authorized adult recreational use of marijuana, 40 have medical marijuana systems, and eight others allow low-THC cannabis or CBD oil for medical use. Only Idaho and Kansas ban marijuana outright.

The regulation of medical marijuana has come a long way since California became the first state to adopt it in 1996, Blanche wrote.

“Today the vast majority of States maintain comprehensive licensing frameworks governing cultivation, processing, distribution, and dispensing of marijuana for medical purposes,” Blanche wrote. “Taken as a whole, they demonstrate a sustained capacity to achieve the public-interest objectives … including protecting public health and safety and preventing the diversion of controlled substances into illicit channels.”

The president of the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp, Michael Bronstein, called it “the most significant federal advancement in cannabis policy in over 50 years.”

“This action recognizes what Americans have long known, cannabis is medicine,” he said in a written statement.

Critic calls the order ‘a tax break to Big Weed’

The Trump administration’s decision drew derision from marijuana legalization opponent Kevin Sabet, the chief executive of Smart Approaches to Marijuana. Sabet said that while marijuana research is necessary, “there are many ways to increase our knowledge without giving a tax break to Big Weed and sending a confusing message about marijuana’s harms to the American public.”

“With this move, we are now confronted with the most pro-drug administration in our history,” Sabet said in a text message. “Policy is now being dictated by marijuana CEOs, psychedelics investors, and podcasters in active addiction.”

Marijuana or marijuana-derived products that are not distributed through a state medical marijuana program will continue to be classified in Schedule I.

Schedule III drugs are defined as having moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence. Some critics of the industry have suggested that legalization in the states has led to stronger and stronger cannabis products, which need to be researched rather than categorized less strictly than before.

The efforts to reclassify marijuana

The Justice Department under President Joe Biden, a Democrat, had proposed to reclassify marijuana, eliciting nearly 43,000 formal public comments. The DEA was still in the review process when Trump succeeded Biden, and Trump ordered that process to move along as quickly as legally possible.

Blanche’s order sidestepped the review process by relying on a provision of federal law that allows the attorney general to determine the appropriate classification for drugs that the U.S. must regulate pursuant to an international treaty.

It was unclear how the order might affect operations in states where licensed recreational marijuana shops also sell to medical patients. In Washington state, which in 2012 became one of the first states to legalize the adult use of marijuana, 302 of 460 licensed stores have endorsements allowing them to sell tax-free cannabis products to registered patients.

Many Republicans oppose loosening marijuana restrictions. More than 20 Republican senators, several of them staunch Trump allies, signed a letter last year urging the president to keep the current standards.

Trump has made his crusade against other drugs, especially fentanyl, a feature of his second term, ordering U.S. military attacks on Venezuelan and other boats the administration insists are ferrying drugs. He signed another executive order declaring fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

Trump Shares Post Calling for the Killing of Iranian Leaders Who Won’t Accept US Demands

Headline USA Editor
-
0
Trump Shares Post Calling for the Killing of Iranian Leaders Who Won’t Accept US Demands

(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) President Donald Trump on Thursday shared a post calling for the killing of Iranian leaders who won’t accept US demands, ramping up his threats against the country amid a very fragile ceasefire.

The post Trump amplified was written by Marc Thiessen, who served as a speechwriter for the George W. Bush administration. “If there are two factions in Iran, one that wants a deal and one that doesn’t, let’s kill the ones who don’t want a deal,” Thiessen said in a post on X where he was quoting himself from an appearance on Fox News.

Thiessen also made the case to kill Iranian leaders in an op-ed published by The Washington Post on Wednesday titled “Trump Doesn’t Need a Deal to Get What He Wants From Iran,” which President Trump also shared on his Truth Social account.

In the piece, Thiessen argued that Trump should restart the bombing campaign against Iran. “Right now, the remnants of the Iranian regime are under the misimpression that Trump wants a deal more than they do,” he wrote.

“Trump needs to disabuse them of that notion. He has reportedly told Iran that it has three to five days to make a serious counteroffer. If it fails to do so, he should resume combat operations — starting with strikes targeting Iran’s recalcitrant leaders. If the Iranian regime is really ‘fractured’ between a faction that wants a deal and a faction that does not, there is a simple solution: Kill the faction that does not,” Thiessen said.

Thiessen said the US should maintain the blockade and claimed the US military could open the Strait of Hormuz by force and that it just needed 14 more days to “finish the job” against Iran.

The Trump administration has pushed the narrative that Iran’s military has essentially been obliterated, but Iran was able to continue missile and drone attacks throughout the entire war, and according to US officials speaking to The New York Times, US intelligence assesses that Tehran likely has access to the majority of its missiles and launchers.

This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com. 

1...168169170...3,815Page 169 of 3,815