23 June 2026

IMO announces evacuation plan in the Strait of Hormuz

IMO announces evacuation plan in the Strait of HormuzInternational maritime Organization

Large scale operation to be carried out in cooperation with States and industry

​Around 11,000 seafarers are expected to be evacuated from the region.

Following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States, IMO Secretary-General Mr. Arsenio Dominguez issued this statement:

“After months of hardship and distress for thousands of innocent seafarers, and negative impact for the whole world, I welcome with deep satisfaction the peace agreement concluded between the United States and Iran, marking a decisive step towards restoring maritime security and bringing to an end the unacceptable attacks against civilian shipping.

I want to pay tribute to the fourteen innocent seafarers who tragically lost their lives during this conflict. Their dedication in service of global trade will not be forgotten.

We will begin the implementation of the evacuation plan for over 11,000 seafarers still stranded in the region. This large-scale operation will be carried out in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, all other coastal States in the region, the United States and the maritime industry.

We have secured the necessary safety guarantees and have thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation to support these operations.

We remain fully committed to ensuring the safety of seafarers and the continuity of global trade.”

https://www.imo.org/en/mediacentre/pressbriefings/pages/imo-accounces-evacuation-plan-in-strait-of-hormuz.aspx

Exclusive: Downed US pilot reported seeing Iranian drones swarm in ‘jellyfish’ formation

Zachary Cohen, Katie Bo Lillis, Tue June 23, 2026. CNN

A US fighter jet pilot rescued by special forces after being shot down over Iran in Aprildescribed a shocking sight before ejecting from his aircraft: multiple Iranian drones hovering in the air, moving as one, in a formation that resembled a jellyfish, according to four sources familiar with the matter.

The account, which has not been previously reported, was shared by the F-15 pilot with intelligence officials during a debriefing after the incident.It immediately set off a firestorm of debate within the US intelligence community that has yet to be resolved.

If the airman really saw what he described —a formation moving in unison — it would be an alarming advancein Iranian drone capabilities.

“Multiple drones interconnected and =moving as one with smaller drones below the bigger drones like legs,” one of the sources familiar with the pilot’s witness account told CNN. “Real alien sh*t.”==

Another source told CNN the pilot described witnessing a “minefield of drones” in the air.

While the exact cause of the F-15 downing is still being investigated, initial reports indicated that it was possible the drone formation had in some way enabled Iran to shoot down the American jet, according to two of the sources.

The F-15 carried a crew of two— a pilot and a weapons system officer. US forces immediately launched search and rescue efforts, CNN previously reported.

The downing of the F-15 fighter jet marked the first time a US aircraft has been shot down over Iran during the conflict.

The pilot was rescued hours after ejecting from the aircraft, while the weapons systems officer evaded Iranian capture in the mountains for more than a day before also being rescued. It is not clear if the weapons systems officer also saw the drone formation.

A second aircraft, an A-10, was downed during the rescue effort but that pilot managed to eject safely outside of Iranian airspace.

US intelligence officials disagreed on how to interpret what the F-15 pilot described, and whether the pilot could recount the incident clearly.

For one thing, he was concussed in the crash. It was his second time being shot out of the sky during the Iran war: he had also been among the pilots downed in a friendly fire incident by Kuwaiti forces early in the conflict, according to two of the sources.

https://lite.cnn.com/2026/06/23/politics/iran-drones-f-15-pilot-intelligence

>>24749642

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Had hewitnessed a mature capability that US intelligence wasn’t aware of?A beta test? A mirage in the desert?

The intelligence officials conducting the debrief said something to the effect of: “Are you sure you saw what you are saying you saw?” another one of the sources said.

The US Air Force directed queries to US Central Command, which did not directly address questions from CNN. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not reply to a request for comment.

The questions about Iran’s drone program come as the US and Tehran negotiate a dealthat would end the Iran war, having begun a 60-day window for talks as part of a ceasefire last week.Those talks are expected to focus on Iran’s nuclear program, though a wide range of issues have been raised by both parties.

While the specific drone capability described by the pilot was notsomething that US intelligence agencies had previously assessed Iran possessed, there is a trail of reports indicating that Iran had been receiving assistance in developing its drone technology from China and Russia, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The technical term for thecapability described by the pilot is “one-to-many meshed networking,” according to the sources.

In general, meshed networking allows an operator to command several drones at a time.

Other countries — Russia and China — are believed to have the capability. Any development in Iran’s already-sophisticated drone warfare program would be a concern for US forces and its allies in the region.

Meshed networking could also theoretically be used to provide internet connectivity in remote areas without existing infrastructure, noted one US official — in theory, a benign function.

Iran aggressively employed its attack drones as an asymmetric weapon during the weeks-long conflict against US and Israeli forces as well as nearby Gulf countries.

“We will spend huge, huge dollars, like a lot of blood and treasure, protecting ourselves from something that can coordinate like that,” Emma Bates, a drone warfare and defense modernization expert who founded the company Cachai, told CNN, referring to the threat posed by meshed networking capabilities for drones.

“If it can coordinate itself into a recognizable shape and maintain that shape, and if it’s got explosives on board, and if it isholding resources in reserve to attack whatever the first volley didn’t destroy – that’s a very capable approach,” Bates said.

https://lite.cnn.com/2026/06/23/politics/iran-drones-f-15-pilot-intelligence

Remember when Bidan was the fake President there were a lot of complaints of the US military keeping up with new inventions and getting behind other countries inventions. Are those idiots still in the military?

Supreme Court OKs ExxonMobil lawsuit over Cuban property seized by Fidel Castro’s government

June 8, 2026,

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesdayruled that ExxonMobil can sue Cuban state-owned companies in American courts over property on the island nation that was seized after Fidel Castro took power.

The 6-3 decision was the second in as many months in favor of U.S. owners of Cuban property that was confiscated by the Communist government more than 65 years ago.

The outcome in the two cases could be an additional lever for the Trump administration toexert pressure on Cuba, which is already being squeezed by a U.S. oil embargo.

At issue was whether the 1996 law known as Helms-Burton removes the shield from lawsuits in U.S. courts that typically cover foreign countries and state-owned businesses.The justices reversed a lower-court ruling that found that the Cuban state-owned companies are immune from lawsuits in U.S. courts.

ExxonMobil is seeking compensation for the confiscation of assets owned by subsidiaries of Standard Oil, Exxon Mobil’s predecessor,including more than 100 service stations and an oil refinery.

Last month, the court ruled in another case involving confiscated property in Cuba, reviving claims by the U.S. company that operated docks in Havana against four cruise lines that brought tourists to Cuba during the brief thaw in relations during the Obama administration. That case turned on the same section of Helms-Burton allowing lawsuits over seized property.

Congress passed the law in response to the 1996 downing of civilian planes flown by Miami-based exiles.

Title III of the law allows Americans to sue almost any company that engages in commercial activity or benefits from property confiscated by Cuba’s government.

Before the first Trump administration, every president had suspended the provision because of objections from U.S. allies doing business in Cuba and the effect on future negotiated settlements between the U.S. and Cuba.

But Trump lifted the suspension in 2019, and ExxonMobil filed its lawsuit the same day.

The U.S. Foreign Claims Settlement Commission, an arm of the Justice Department,said in 1969 that the value of ExxonMobil’s property in Cuba is $71.6 million, plus 6% annual interest beginning in 1960. That would be worth around $3 billion today, plus treble damages.

In addition, the commission found that nearly 6,000 individuals and businesses held claims worth $1.9 billion, before adding in interest or damages.

https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/23/supreme-court-oks-exxonmobil-lawsuit-over-cuban-property-seized-by-fidel-castros-government/

Supreme Court rules against Rastafarian man over religious rightsclaim against prison officials

Officials at a Louisiana prison cut off Damon Landor's dreadlocks in violation of his religious beliefs. The case centered on whether he could seek damages.

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WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesdayruled against a devout Rastafarian who sought damages after Louisiana prison officials cut his dreadlocks despite his claim that it violated his religious rights.

The court ruled 6-3 that Damon Landor cannot seek damages under a law called the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, or RLUIPA. The court was divided along ideological lines, with conservatives in the majority and liberals dissenting.

The ruling saw the conservative majority depart from its regular support for religious claims, although recent high-profile wins tended to involve conservative Christians.

“I am disappointed but not defeated. What happened to me violated my faith and my dignity. I will continue pursuing accountability. What happened to me should not happen to anyone else,” Landor said in a statement released by his lawyers.

The underlying incident took place in 2020 at the Raymond Laborde Correctional Center, where Landor was moved while serving a five-month sentence on a drug-related charge.

Officers handcuffed Landor to a chair and shaved his head despite his protestations.Beforehand, he had shown them a copy of a binding court ruling that said it would be a religious rights violation to cut a Rastafarian’s dreadlocks.

Prior to the incident, he had not cut his hair for 20 years, in accordance with a practice known as the Nazirite vow.

Writing for the majority, conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch said that RLUIPA, which applies to any local prison that accepts any federal funding,does not allow for claims against individual officials.

The only way the suit could go forward would be if the officials had consented to face liability under the federal law, and they had not,Gorsuch added.

“Mr. Landor’s case cannot proceed against them any more than a breach of contract action might proceed against a defendant who never formed a contract,” he wrote.

In dissent, liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said the entire purpose of RLUIPA is to “ensure that state and local prisons respect prisoners’ right to religious exercise.”

But the Supreme Court has now effectively eviscerated the provision that had allowed prisoners to bring lawsuits, she added.

“Prisoners like Landor who suffer violations of their religious freedom in state prisons — no matter how blatant — will often be left remediless,” she added.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rules-rastafarian-man-religious-rights-claim-prison-offi-rcna252594

>>24749674

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The state did not contest that Landor was mistreated and said in court papers that theprison system has changed its grooming policy to ensure that other Rastafarian prisoners do not face similar situations.

But Louisiana argued that it should not be liable for damages because RLUIPA applies to federal, not state, officials.

“We condemn the conduct as alleged in this case and have taken steps to prevent this problem from recurring, but we are grateful the court agreed with the state in this matter,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, a Republican, said in a statement.

She added that religious rights are “deeply important” but that the state has its own laws that protect them.

Landor’s lawyers had asked the Supreme Court to rule that damages should be allowed under RLUIPA, citing a ruling in 2020 that said damages are available under a similar law called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Lower courts had sided with Louisiana, leading Landor to appeal to the justices.

Zack Tripp, one of Landor’s lawyers, said there was some encouragement in “the awareness this case has raised about this important issue,” as shown by Louisiana’s move to change its regulations.

Congress could also take action to amend the law to ensure that prisoners whose religious rights are violated are able to obtain damages,” he added.

(Does his religion allow for dealing drugs to others?)

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rules-rastafarian-man-religious-rights-claim-prison-offi-rcna252594

IMMIGRATION

Judge blocks Biden-era immigration rule hours after Texas AG and Stephen Miller’s group sued DOJ

On Monday, Ken Paxton’s office asked the judge to block the rule, a request the federal agency then agreed with. The suit echoes a similar move in 2025 that killed a 24-year-old state tuition law.

BY URIEL J. GARCÍA AND AYDEN RUNNELS

JUNE 22, 2026, 10:06 P.M. CENTRAL

A federal judge in Texas blocked a Bidenadministration rule on Monday that allowed immigration judges to indefinitely close a deportation case against immigrants on the same day Texas sued to stop the rule.

The rule, which was adopted in 2024, allowed immigration judges to close a deportation case after hearing argumentsfrom the federal government and the immigrant in deportation proceedings,especially if the person could qualify for a benefit that allows them to stay in the country legally.

But on Monday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit in the Northern District of Texas in Wichita Fallsto block the rule with U.S. Judge Reed O’Connor, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush.

The lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice was also co-filed by America First Legal Foundation, an organization founded by Stephen Miller, a senior adviser to President Trump who has focused on ways to limit both legal and illegal immigration to the country. America First Legal Foundation also previously filed various lawsuits representing Paxton against the Biden administration’s immigration policies, which helped derail President Biden’s immigration agenda in his lone term.

In this latest complaint,Paxton’s office said in the 43-page lawsuit that the Biden-era rule “effectively grant(s) indefinite amnesty to aliens illegally present in this country.”

Lawsuits usually take several months to years to settle,but in this case O’Connor ruled late on Monday in favor of Texas after the Department of Justicefiled its response saying it agreed with Paxton’s office.

Paxton’s office and the DOJ did not respond to immediate requests for comment.

President Trump, in keeping with his campaign promise, has cracked down on immigrants, using many of the federal government’s resources to limit immigration and fast-track deportations, including undocumented people and others who were allowed to be in the U.S. by previous administrations.

O’Connor has been known as conservative leaders’ favorite judgebecause he has routinely ruled in favor of Paxton, who has strategically filed lawsuits against the Obama and Biden administration.

The fast-paced end to the rule echoes a similar maneuver conducted by the DOJ and Paxton’s office last year, when the federal agency sued Texas over a lawallowing undocumented students to qualify for lower tuition rates at public universities. Hours after the suit was filed, Texas also asked Judge O’Connor to find the law unconstitutional, which he did.

After the law was overturned, legal experts said a state working with the federal government so closely for the swift overturning of a state law was unusual and raised questions about collusion.

The quick resolution to the case late on Monday washeavily criticized by immigration law experts.

“This is madness! Deliberate collusion with a federal judge to rapidly erase regulations without any input from affected parties,” said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow with American Immigration Council, a group in Washington, D.C.,that advocates for immigrants. “It’s clearly an unlawful act by all, and now litigants will have to seek to intervene in the already-completed lawsuit to overturn his actions.”

https://www.texastribune.org/2026/06/22/texas-paxton-doj-lawsuit-immigration-administrative-rule-biden/

BREAKING: Antifa Members Convicted of Terrorism Charges Sentenced to 50 to 100 Years in Prison for Attack on Texas ICE Detention Center

by Cristina Laila Jun. 23, 2026 1:20 pm

Eight of the ten Antifa members convicted of terrorism charges for an attack on a Texas ICE detention center were sentenced to at least 50 years in prison on Tuesday.

The Antifa ringleader Benjamin Song was sentenced to 100 years in prison.

CBS News reported:

Eight people who were found guilty of terrorism-related charges earlier this year for a 2025 attack on an ICE detention facility in Alvarado, Texas, learned their punishments on Tuesday.One member of the group, identified as the group’s leader, was sentenced to a century in prison.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas said on Monday that sentencing for the defendants would happen Tuesday morning.The verdicts, handed down in March, came as the defendants stood accused in the July 4, 2025, plot targeting the Prairieland ICE detention center following weeks of testimony from investigators, law enforcement and cooperating witnesses.

Benjamin Song was hit with the longest prison sentence: 100 years behind bars.Maricela Rueda was sentenced to 70 years in prison. Autumn Hill was sentenced to 50 years, along with Zachary Evetts, Savanna Batten, Meagan Morris, and Elizabeth Soto. Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Prosecutors said that the group launched a premeditated terror attack on the detention facility inspired by antifa ideology, by setting off fireworks, vandalizing property, and shooting at police officers who responded. One officer was struck in the neck with a bullet and survived.

In March, a jury found nine Antifa members guilty of terrorism charges in an attack on an ICE detention center in Texas.

The nine indicted defendants: Cameron Arnold, a/k/a Autunm Hill, Zachary Evetts, Benjamin Song, Savanna Batten, Bradford Morris, a/k/a Meagan Morris, Maricela Rueda, Elizabeth Soto, Ines Soto, and Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada.

Last 4th of July, nearly a dozen Antifa members dressed in black bloc and body armor descended on the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas.

The terrorists fired off explosives, vandalized federal vehicles, and fired shots at police officers.

A police officer was shot in the neck.

The defendants were found guilty on riot charges, providing material support to terrorists, conspiracy to use and carry an explosive, and using and carrying an explosive, three counts of attempted murder of an officer, three counts of discharging a firearm during a violent crime, corruptly concealing a document and conspiracy to conceal documents.

“Today’s verdict shows the FBI remains committed to identifying, locating, and dismantling Antifa and its funding networks across the country,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Acts of violence against our law enforcement partners will not be tolerated, and we continue our work to protect communities across the country from domestic terrorism.”

“Antifa is a domestic terrorist organization that has been allowed to flourish in Democrat-led cities — not under President Trump,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Today’s verdict on terrorism charges will not be the last as the Trump administration systematically dismantles Antifa and finally halts their violence on America’s streets.”

“Nine North Texas Antifa Cell operatives were convicted today by a federal jury in Fort Worth, Texas for their roles in rioting, using weapons and explosives, providing material support to terrorists, obstruction, and attempted murder of an Alvarado police officer and unarmed correctional officers at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center on July 4, 2025, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould,” the DOJ said….

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/06/antifa-members-convicted-terrorism-charges-sentenced-between-50/

(VIDEO) Rep. Dan Goldman’s Chief of Staff Revealed to Be Leather Kink Artist Following Confrontation Outside New Jersey ICE Facility – Goldman Responds!

by Jordan Conradson Jun. 23, 2026

A congressional staffer for Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) has been exposed for his weird sexual kinks and affiliations with LGBTQ groups, prompting a response from Dan Goldman.

The reveal of the employee’s lifestyle is reminiscent of Aidan Maese-Czeropski, a former staffer for Democrat Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, who was caught filming a hardcore gay sex tape in a Senate Hearing Room inside the Capitol.

Reporter Cam Higby claimed that John Blasco, who serves as Goldman’s Interim Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor, touched him when he attempted to confront Goldman during a press conference outside of the Delaney Hall Detention Center recently.

Blasco is seen in a video from outside of the detention center confronting Higby and raising an issue with his use of the term “illegal aliens.”

“Are you here for the immigrants being detained?” he asks. “You called them illegal aliens. Who are you?”

The video goes on to expose Blasco’s affiliation and leadership roles with various sexual kink groups for gay and bisexual men. Higby goes on to call Blasco a “pervert who touches other people without consent.”

Goldman actually responded to the attacks, calling Higby’s posts “shockingly pathetic and stupid,” and appearing to accuse Higby of being gay.

“I’m sorry you don’t feel comfortable in your own skin, but you just told on yourself,” Goldman wrote while defending Blasco.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/06/video-rep-dan-goldmans-chief-staff-revealed-be/

IDF soldiers ‘shot my three-year-old in the head’ – Gazan father

Israeli troops opened fire without warning and blocked medical help, the devastated man has said

Published 23 Jun, 2026 15:58 | Updated

A Palestinian farmer and his three-year-old son were ambushed by IDF troops near the Gaza border, leaving the child dead and the father badly wounded. The devastated man told RT about the tragic events.

Speaking from a hospital in Deir Al-Balah, Central Gaza, Baha Abu Al-Ajeen said he was tending his land and was driving along a rural road near the ‘yellow line’ when Israeli soldiers suddenly appeared and ordered his vehicle to stop. His son, who was sitting in his arms, began to cry, he said.

“From the first bullet, I stopped completely to avoid getting killed,” he said. “The first bullet hit the road while the second hit the child directly while he was in my arms… A soldier shot the child right in the head.” Abu Al-Ajeen said the next round hit his leg, shattering the bone.

The soldiers refused to call an ambulance and took away his phone, telling him that no calls or medical help would be allowed. The man was held “for hours in a military vehicle” while the wounded child remained in his arms, and “right after my son died in my arms, they took him away from me,”before he was dropped off at an unknown location and eventually reached Al-Aqsa Hospital.

Responding to RT’s request for comment, the IDF said the soldiers “initiated standard suspect apprehension procedures, which included warning fire,” and that “it was reported that, as a result of the fire, one Gazan was killed and another was injured.”

According to the latest report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Israeli forces have “deliberately targeted and killed” Palestinian children in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The report accused Israel of committing genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in the enclave.

The commission found that around 30% of those killed in Gaza since October 2023 were children, and that attacks on maternity and neonatal care, combined with an aid blockade, have driven a rise in miscarriages, birth defects, starvation-related deaths, and disease among minors. Israel rejected the commission’s findings as a “defamatory advocacy report” and a “libelous sham.”

More than 50,000 Palestinian children have been killed or wounded by Israeli forces since the start of the Gaza war, according to UNICEF, which says the killing continued even after the 2025 US-brokered 2025 ceasefire deal. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages. Israel’s subsequent air and ground campaign has killed more than 73,000 people in Gaza, according to the local health authorities.

https://www.rt.com/news/642001-idf-kill-palestinian-child/

(This is why Trump is not assisting Israel.)

Russia ready to defend Belarus from Ukraine – Lavrov

Kiev is trying to widen the conflict by threatening Minsk, the Russian foreign minister has said

Published 23 Jun, 2026 12:24 |

Russia is ready to invoke its security guarantees to Belarus if Ukraine follows through on threats to strike targets on its territory, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned.

Lavrov made the remarks during a round-table discussion on the West’s role in the Ukraine conflict on Monday. He was commenting on Vladimir Zelensky’s demand that Minsk dismantle or disable what Kiev claims are Russian-linked relay stations along the Belarus-Ukraine border. Zelensky gave Belarus one week to act, warning that Ukraine would otherwise destroy the equipment itself.

The Russian foreign minister described the ultimatum as a threat against a sovereign state, stating that “this is obviously aimed at dragging Belarus directly into the conflict and expanding the geography of hostilities.”

He noted that Russia and Belarus have had a security guarantees treaty in force since March 2025 under the Union State framework.

The pact treats an attack on either Russia or Belarus as an attack on the Union State and allows both sides to use all available military and technical means, including nuclear weapons, to repel aggression and threats to their sovereignty or territorial integrity.

“If necessary, we are ready to take the full range of measures provided for by the treaty to ensure the security of our ally and, of course, the security of the Union State,”Lavrov said.

Minsk has said it will not dismantle the equipment or halt fuel deliveries to Russia, similarly warning that an attack from Ukraine would trigger a response.

Lavrov also criticized the EU for what he said was support for Zelensky’s threats, citing remarks by a European Commission spokeswoman who accused Belarus of aiding Russia and said Ukraine has the right to self-defense.

The foreign minister stressed that Europe cannot act as a neutral mediator in the conflict while arming Ukraine, expanding the sanctions on Russia, and backing threats against Belarus.

Russia and Belarus have expressed concern over increasing NATO activity near their borders, including the Gallant Boar 2026 drills being held by Lithuania, Poland, and France near the Suwalki Corridor, a narrow area between Belarus and Kaliningrad Region, Russia.

Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Sekreta said Minsk is closely watching the exercise andaccused Europe of embracing a militarized ideology. “Who are they planning to fight again?”he said.

Russia and Belarus have denied that they have any plans to attack NATO or the EU unless attacked first. They have accused Western states of using the Ukraine conflict, NATO drills, and military buildups on the bloc’s eastern flank to prepare for a direct confrontation with Russia and Belarus.

https://www.rt.com/russia/642009-russia-defend-belarus-ukraine-lavrov/

Is the EU ready to allow Ukraine start war with Russia and Belarus. Putin has warned that Russia will never start a war, but if they do the have atomic bombs. The EU doesn’t understand that they are serious.

CORTES: The Pope And I Grew Up In Neighboring Communities In Illinois That Have Become Dirty, Dangerous, And Crime-Ridden. The Two Main Culprits Are Globalization And Disastrous Housing Policies

11:23

https://rumble.com/embed/v79j24g/?pub=4

DEA ‘sat back and watched’ as fentanyl flooded New Mexico – AP

The agency deliberately allowed some shipments of illegal deadly drugs to go through to build bigger cases, the outlet’s sources say

Published 23 Jun, 2026 00:17 | U

The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)let hundreds of thousands of illegal fentanyl pills reach the streets of New Mexico between 2023 and 2025– potentially leading to deadly outcomes – to focus on building bigger drug cases, The Associated Press reported on Monday, citing law enforcement sources and records.

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid roughly 50 times stronger than heroin, is manufactured largely in clandestine Mexican labs using chemicals sourced from China. A dose as small as two milligrams – a few grains of salt – can be lethal, making it far deadlier per unit than cocaine, methamphetamine or heroin, with the drug itself cheap to produce and not dependent on crop seasons.

The drug is associated with two main dangers: while for opioid addicts, it has replaced heroin as their primary high, for the broader public, it acts as a hidden poison, often disguised as counterfeit prescription pills.

The US has been reeling from the fentanyl epidemic since 2013, with tens of thousands dying from overdoses yearly.US President Donald Trump has outlined combating the crisis as one of his priorities, designating fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction.”

While the DEA insists that it is not logistically feasible or even necessary to intercept every drug shipment,the scale of the strategy to allow fentanyl to hit the streets “shocked several veteran agents” in New Mexico, according to AP.

“We poisoned our community to make cases,” DEA Special Agent David Howell told the outlet, adding that theagency’s approach “100% got people killed.” Howell, who filed a whistleblower complaint on the issue, described the tactic as “we did nothing, but sit back and watch.”

In one case detailed in a 66-page report reviewed by AP, agentstracked a June 2023 deal in Albuquerque in which traffickers delivered 74,000 pills that were never seized. A former DEA supervisor told AP thatcolleagues let “millions” of pills go unseized during a separate multi-state probe last year; Howell’s whistleblower disclosures put the figure at no less than 1.8 million pills.

At the same time, as the investigation progressed, theDEA carried out the largest single fentanyl pill seizure in its history in Albuquerque in May 2025, with agents confiscating 2.7 million fentanyl pills, more than 11kg of fentanyl powder, and $5 million in cash, alongside the arrest of 16 people with suspected ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel.

Commenting on the AP report, DEA spokesperson Amanda Wozniak said that “public descriptions suggesting that DEA knowingly permitted fentanyl to reach communities are false and fundamentally mischaracterize the facts,” adding that the investigation focused on wiretaps and real-time surveillance.

https://www.rt.com/news/641974-fentanyl-dea-flood-new-mexico-ap/

Ukrainian double-tap suicide bombing plot foiled – FSB

Russian investigators say two women were unknowingly recruited to deliver improvised explosive devices

Published 23 Jun, 2026 09:15 | U

Ukrainian special services attempted to use two Moscow women as unwitting suicide bombers in a double-tap attackon a Russian law enforcement facility, investigators say.

The operation began last week when the two suspects, aged 19 and 47, traveled from Moscow to Pyatigorsk, a city in Stavropol Region, Russia in the North Caucasus, according to statements released on Tuesday by the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Investigative Committee.The women were reportedly unaware of each other and did not know that the courier jobs they acceptedwere intended to be suicide missions.

Investigators said the 19-year-old suspect was detained on Saturday while heading toward a checkpoint near the intended target.The 47-year-old woman later aroused suspicionas she approached the same area, the authorities said.

Both women allegedly collected backpacks containing improvised explosive devices from caches in Pyatigorsk. The bombs were destroyed in controlled detonations, according to video footage released by the FSB.The video also shows the second suspect crying, thanking the officers for saving her life and saying that Saturday was her birthday.

Russian officials believe the Ukrainian handlers intended the=first courier to trigger a security response, while the second wasmeant to inflict maximum casualties among law enforcement personnel.

The authorities did not explain how the devices, each equivalent to around 2 kg of TNT,were supposed to be detonated or why they failed to explode. Both women have been charged with terrorism-related offenses.

The FSB has reported several cases in which it claimed Ukrainian operatives used people as unwitting suicide bombers. The first high-profile incident took place inOctober 2022, when a commercial driver was reportedly tricked into transporting a bomb across the Crimean Bridge. He was killed in a remotely triggered explosion, along with four other civilians traveling nearby.

Recent alleged attacks include a woman and a man who were reportedly instructed todeliver explosive devices disguised as a Christian icon and a portable speakerto the FSB’s regional headquarters in Crimea. (Why would anyone take a weird job for strangers?)

Russian officials claim thatKiev is resorting to terrorist tactics due to setbacks suffered on the battlefield. TheCIA helped Ukraine overhaul its special services after the 2014 coup, turning them into proxies for espionage operations focused on Russia, according to media reports.

https://www.rt.com/russia/641998-suicide-bomb-plot-pyatigorsk/

>>24750380. Thx I’ll watch

The Babylon Bee

@TheBabylonBee

We Asked AI To Simulate If The U.S. Had A Second Civil War

https://x.com/TheBabylonBee/status/2069504005445980168