World News
Fitness influencer says Lufthansa told her she looked ‘naked,’ forced her to zip up before boarding flight
Fitness influencer Edda Elisa Pilz says she was prevented from boarding a Lufthansa flight from Berlin to Austria until she covered up her athletic outfit, alleging an airline employee repeatedly called her "naked" during the encounter as temperatures reached 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).
Pilz, 24, who boasts more than 500,000 followers on both Instagram and TikTok, shared a video describing the confrontation while preparing to board the Lufthansa flight during the summer heatwave. The video has since circulated widely on social media, where Pilz questioned whether the airline has a dress code for passengers and criticized what she described as the employee's treatment of her.
Pilz said she was waiting to have her boarding pass scanned when a Lufthansa employee stopped her from boarding.
POPULAR CRUISE LINE’S BIKINI CRACKDOWN COULD SURPRISE PASSENGERS AT ISLAND PORTS
According to Pilz, the employee told her, "You cannot board like that," before repeatedly telling her she was "naked."
Pilz said she was wearing a matching athletic top and shorts and questioned why the outfit was considered inappropriate in the summer heat.
"What am I supposed to put on?" she said in the video. "What should I wear? It is clothing."
POPULAR CRUISE LINE’S BIKINI CRACKDOWN COULD SURPRISE PASSENGERS AT ISLAND PORTS
According to Pilz, the employee told her she was not wearing "normal clothes" and instructed her to put something over her outfit before she would be allowed to board the aircraft.
Pilz said she put on a jacket but was then told she also had to zip it completely before being allowed to proceed.
She alleged the employee then blamed her for delaying the boarding process.
PASSENGER ALLEGEDLY BOARDS FLIGHT WITH FAKE BOARDING PASS, FORCING PLANE BACK TO GATE
According to Pilz, the employee told her, "Because of you, we are now delayed. Because of you, the whole flight is delayed, because you are holding up all the traffic here."
Pilz said she replied that she had simply asked for an explanation because she had never heard of an airline dress code.
She also claimed men wearing shorts were allowed to board the same flight without being stopped.
The influencer said the incident was less about whether Lufthansa has a clothing policy than the way she said she was treated by the employee.
"I can accept rules," she said. "But the attitude was unacceptable."
Pilz ended the video by directly questioning Lufthansa and asking whether the airline condones that type of customer service, adding that she was waiting for an official response.
Lufthansa's General Conditions of Carriage do not appear to include a specific passenger dress code. The airline says it may refuse transportation under certain circumstances, including when a passenger's conduct could significantly affect the "safety and security, the health or wellbeing of other passengers," or for other operational or security reasons, but the policy does not specifically address athletic clothing.
Pilz and Lufthansa did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Fox News Digital's Christina Shaw contributed to this report.
Thousands of police deployed across South Africa as deadly anti-immigration protests spread to multiple cities
Thousands of police officers were deployed across South Africa after large-scale protests against illegal immigration erupted Tuesday, with destructive clashes spreading across multiple cities.
The unrest, involving thousands of protesters, broke out ahead of a June 30 deadline set by some organizers demanding the departure of all illegal migrants, according to Reuters.
The marches reportedly drew thousands of mostly poor or unemployed South Africans, who say foreign migrants have taken jobs by accepting lower wages while also fueling higher crime rates.
At least four people have been killed as violence and looting spread across the country, Reuters reported.
The clashes mark the largest migration-related protests since anti-migrant violence erupted in South Africa in 2008.
While thousands of foreign nationals from other African countries had already fled ahead of Tuesday’s so-called deadline, tensions have remained high, Reuters said.
Multiple businesses and properties were vandalized in several areas, according to reports.
In anticipation of further attacks, many shops reportedly closed, with foreign workers staying home.
Landlords in Durban and Johannesburg also evicted foreign tenants illegally to avoid further trouble, witnesses alleged.
Reuters added that 100 Congolese nationals were reported sleeping on the streets of Durban.
SOUTH AFRICA'S HIGH VIOLENCE AND LAND DEBATES CLASH WITH WESTERN MEDIA VIEWS
While many marches were considered peaceful, police reported that they arrested several looters and fired rubber bullets to disperse crowds.
National broadcaster SABC added that protesters looted shacks belonging to foreign nationals in the Soweto township.
In Thembisa, a suburb of Johannesburg, rioters reportedly threw stones at police and suspected migrants, with witnesses saying sporadic gunfire was heard.
Police deployed tactical vehicles and fired shots in Benoni, east of Johannesburg, after being confronted by a group of roughly 500 protesters, Daily Maverick reported.
Thousands of police officers have been deployed nationwide, while the military was placed on standby, a defense spokesperson said in a statement.
"To those who intend to break the law tomorrow, our message is simple: do not test the resolve of the State," Lt. Gen. Tebello Mosikili said.
The "March and March" group, one of the more prominent organizations behind the unrest, addressed the violence, saying it cannot be held responsible for spontaneous incidents breaking out during the demonstrations.
"Unfortunately, we can't be in every single community telling them ... how to behave," Jacinta Ngobese, leader of the March and March group, told Reuters two weeks ago.
Ngobese said the group plans to hold weekly marches until its demands are met, despite the government rejecting the deadline and saying only authorities can enforce immigration laws.
"For the next six months, we are asking for our national resources to be used to take the illegal immigrants out of this country. From building to building -- they must go," Ngobese said, according to ZimLive.
Despite South Africa’s high unemployment rate, the country remains Africa’s largest economy and continues to draw migrants.
The immigrant population stands at about 3 million, or roughly 4% of the total, according to StatsSA.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Wave of attacks on Iran's IRGC raises questions about renewed Kurdish insurgency
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is facing a new round of violence in the country’s Kurdish-majority west, raising questions about whether a long-simmering Kurdish insurgency is entering a more active phase as fragile talks between Iran and Washington continue, experts say.
The flare-up matters beyond Iran’s borderlands because Kurdish opposition groups were recently viewed as a potential pressure point against Iran during the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran — and now some Kurdish voices fear they could be left exposed as Washington and Tehran return to fragile diplomacy.
In recent days, Iranian security forces have been killed in several reported attacks and clashes across western and northwestern Iran. Four Iranian security personnel reportedly were killed and several others injured in two separate armed attacks Tuesday, reported The Jerusalem Post, in an analysis by Seth J. Frantzman, citing Iraq’s Shafaq News.
IRANIAN REGIME CRITIC WARNS TRUMP DEAL COULD BE 'LIFELINE' FOR REGIME, CLAIMS PEOPLE ARE 'NERVOUS'
Two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members were reportedly killed and two others wounded in what it called an "armed terrorist attack" in Paveh, Iran, a border city in Kermanshah Province, reported Tasnim News, an Iranian outlet close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In Baneh, Iran, gunmen attacked a police checkpoint, killing two police officers and injuring three other people, including a 3-year-old girl, The Jerusalem Post reported. Clashes had spread to Iran's Paveh, Marivan and Mahabad, the outlet reported, citing Rojhelat.Info, a Kurdish-focused media account.
The Paveh, Iran, attack was claimed by a little-known armed group called Xore Heva, or "Sun of Hope," which said it carried out the attack in retaliation for Iran’s crackdown on protests sparked by the 2022 death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old died after being detained by Iran’s morality police for allegedly violating the country’s mandatory hijab rules, The National reported.
The Kurds are one of the largest stateless ethnic groups in the Middle East, with communities spread across Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey.
In Iran, many Kurds live in the country’s mountainous west and northwest, where Kurdish opposition groups have long accused Iran of political repression, executions, forced assimilation and military crackdowns.
Iranian authorities, in turn, view armed Kurdish factions as separatist or terrorist threats, especially groups such as PJAK, which has clashed for years with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps along Iran’s western border. The fight is not simply ethnic: It is also political, rooted in Kurdish demands for rights and autonomy, Iran’s fear of separatism and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s role in suppressing dissent in border regions.
Jino Victoria Doabi, head of international relation at Hiwa, a Kurdish-led human rights organization, told Fox News Digital the latest clashes could appear to mark more than isolated exchanges.
"It looks like this could be an escalation," Doabi said, referring to the spread of reported clashes.
She said the initial attack appeared to be framed by Kurdish forces as retaliation, but argued the geographic spread suggested the confrontation may continue.
IRANIAN REGIME CRITIC WARNS TRUMP DEAL COULD BE 'LIFELINE' FOR REGIME, CLAIMS PEOPLE ARE 'NERVOUS'
Doabi said Kurdish anger is being driven not only by the latest casualties, but by a broader sense that Iran has been able to target Kurdish areas and opposition groups systemically without consequence.
"The Kurdish people in Iran are very dissatisfied that the IRGC can attack Kurdish parties and Kurdish fighters and no one reacts," Doabi said.
The violence comes as Iran is moving forward with a memorandum of understanding with Washington that has drawn criticism from Iranian opposition circles. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had approved the U.S.–Iran memorandum after receiving assurances that Iran’s rights would be protected, IranWire reported Tuesday.
Iranian officials have described the deal as having the support of top officials, even as critics inside Iran have attacked negotiators over the arrangement, IranWire also reported.
Doabi said Kurdish parties are deeply skeptical of any memorandum of understanding or negotiated arrangement with Iran, arguing that many Kurds believe such a deal would only strengthen the regime.
"Kurdish parties do not believe that making a deal with this regime can help the people in Iran," Doabi said. "Their position is that a deal would only strengthen the regime."
IRANIAN REGIME CRITIC WARNS TRUMP DEAL COULD BE 'LIFELINE' FOR REGIME, CLAIMS PEOPLE ARE 'NERVOUS'
She added that many Kurds in Iran are "very angry" over the idea of any agreement with Iran, citing decades of repression, arrests and killings in Kurdish areas.
"It is going to be very dangerous for people in Iran, and especially in Kurdistan, Azerbaijan and Baluchistan," Doabi said, "because that is where much of the resistance and activism is."
The Kurdish groups now under scrutiny include the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan, known as PJAK, and its armed wing, the East Kurdistan Defense Units, or YRK.
IranWire reported earlier in June that YRK accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of launching artillery and mortar attacks against its positions near Marivan, Iran, beginning June 8, prompting what YRK described as a defensive response. Iranian official outlets had not responded to YRK’s casualty claims at the time, according to IranWire.
That regional sensitivity was on display earlier in 2026, when reports emerged that Kurdish opposition groups could open a front against Iran during the U.S.–Israeli war with Iran.
Israel had been backing plans by Iranian Kurdish militias to seize border areas inside Iran, Reuters reported in March, though the outlet said the fighters would likely need U.S. and Israeli backing to make a significant move. Five long-standing Iranian dissident groups, including PJAK, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Freedom Party, had formed an alliance, Reuters also reported.
During the war, Trump told Reuters that he would be "all for it" if the Kurds wanted to move against Iran and said their objective should be "to win." But Reuters reported that Kurdish commanders were frustrated by a lack of clear U.S. or Israeli strategy and that Iran’s threats helped keep Kurdish forces from launching an incursion.
Regional reports later claimed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan persuaded Trump to abandon a plan to arm Iranian opposition groups and Iraqi Kurdish groups against Tehran. Israeli media reported June 6 that Erdogan pressed Trump to scrap the proposal after details were allegedly leaked to Turkey by White House officials.
The latest violence does not prove that a coordinated insurgency is underway. But the reported spread of clashes across multiple Kurdish areas, the involvement claimed by Kurdish militant factions and Kurdish opposition to ongoing U.S.–Iran talks suggest that Iran’s western borderlands could become a new pressure point for Tehran at a moment when the regime is trying to preserve both internal control and fragile diplomatic momentum.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Iranian officials and Kurdish representatives for comment.
Nearly 100 monkeys escape enclosure, invade neighborhoods as officials scramble to recapture them
Nearly 100 monkeys ran loose through neighborhoods in central Thailand after escaping from a government-run enclosure overnight, prompting authorities to launch a large-scale effort to capture the animals.
Officials said nearly 100 monkeys broke through part of an enclosure at the Lopburi Municipality Animal Nursery.
The monkeys were being housed under the care of local authorities after being transferred from Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. Workers were able to prevent more than 1,000 other monkeys at the facility from escaping.
Provincial officials, wildlife authorities and municipal workers searched nearby residential areas Tuesday after the escape.
Authorities used food-baited cages to lure some of the escaped monkeys back into custody. Other monkeys, including some of the larger and more dominant macaques, had to be subdued with tranquilizer darts before they could be captured.
Crews repaired the damaged enclosure while officials continued efforts to recapture the escaped monkeys.
Lopburi Gov. Weeraphong Ritrod said the damaged enclosure had been repaired and reinforced to help prevent additional escapes.
He said officials also plan to build a more secure, double-layer enclosure designed to keep dominant monkeys from breaking out in the future.
The governor said the province is also preparing to establish a foundation to help support food costs and improve the monkeys' welfare.
Mayor Chamroen Salacheep said the monkeys may have escaped because of hunger, extreme heat, overcrowding or their natural instinct to roam.
He also apologized to residents affected by the incident and encouraged anyone whose property was damaged to report it so authorities could assess the damage and determine what assistance may be available.
Lopburi has long been known for its large population of free-roaming macaques.
The monkeys have also caused problems for residents and businesses because of property damage and aggressive behavior. Authorities have worked in recent years to reduce the monkey population through sterilization programs and by relocating some animals to dedicated enclosures.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Lopburi Municipality and Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Trump admin backs Bolivia state of emergency as leftist ex-leader's loyalists fracture nation
The conservative, pro-U.S. government of President Rogrigo Paz is being challenged in the streets by radical elements led by a former socialist president recently forcing the new Bolivian government to introduce a state of emergency.
The landlocked mineral-rich nation is facing one of its deepest political crises in decades as economic turmoil, nationwide protests and a battle over the country’s future threaten to reshape the balance of power in South America.
The unrest comes after years of political divisions following the tenure of socialist President Evo Morales, whose Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) dominated Bolivian politics for nearly two decades. Internal fractures, economic decline and public frustration have weakened the movement and opened a new chapter of uncertainty.
The Trump administration recently signaled strong backing for the Paz government while condemning efforts to destabilize the country.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States "Will not allow criminals and drug traffickers to overthrow democratically elected leaders in our hemisphere" and reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to Bolivia’s "stability, security, and a better future for all Bolivians."
Speaking on background, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that, "The United States strongly supports President Rodrigo Paz's decision on June 20 to declare a State of Exception to restore order and ensure the free flow of food, medicine, and essential supplies to the Bolivian people. We are glad that the blockades in Bolivia have ended and the government has restored order."
Bolivia’s crisis has been driven by Morales and his supporters furious at the Paz reforms. Protests and road blockades have disrupted transportation, caused shortages and increased pressure on the Paz government.
José Luis Lupo, chief of staff and minister of the presidency of Bolivia told Fox News Digital: "After more than 50 days of blockades that severely disrupted the supply of food, fuel, and medicines, paralyzing much of the country's economic activity and straining its democratic stability, I am convinced that Bolivia now faces a unique opportunity to transform a deep crisis into the starting point for a new phase of national reconstruction."
He noted that "for weeks, we sought agreements with various sectors because we believe that, in a democracy, every avenue for mutual understanding must be exhausted before resorting to extraordinary measures."
He said the state of emergency [state of exception] "was the constitutional last resort to restore freedom of movement, protect critical infrastructure and ensure that Bolivians could once again access essential goods. It was not a measure intended to restrict rights, but rather to protect lives, preserve democracy and restore freedom of movement to millions of citizens."
PETE HEGSETH WARNS NARCO-TERRORISTS AS US BACKS BOLIVIA'S GOVERNMENT AMID COUP WARNINGS
The turmoil has also had consequences beyond Bolivia’s borders. The country holds some of the world’s largest lithium resources, a key mineral for electric vehicles, batteries and advanced technology supply chains. Competition for influence in resource-rich Latin America has become increasingly important for Washington as China and other global powers expand their presence in the region.
Bolivia’s political crisis reflects a broader trend across Latin America, where voters in the last few election cycles have elected conservatives who challenged the left’s business-as-usual politics and in doing so have taken the continent in a rightward direction.
The socialist Morales remains an influential figure and continues to command support among rural and indigenous groups, keeping Bolivia’s political divisions alive even as the country searches for a path out of the crisis.
Mauricio Ríos García, manager of Crusoe Research and editor of FRACTAL Index in Bolivia, told Fox News Digital, "The 50-day blockades have caused estimated losses of $2.5 billion and the closure of around 13,000 companies. Once the blockades end, a rebound in demand combined with excess liquidity is expected to drive inflation higher."
Ríos said, "The government is nearing an IMF agreement that would likely include a new devaluation (exchange rate unification) and other adjustments in exchange for financing of around $3.3–5 billion. This marks growing dependence on the IMF and the United States, while the gradualist approach has left the economy with very little room for maneuver and risks further instability.
"Expectations for Bolivia’s economy in the second half of the year have been revised downward. Blockades and deeper structural problems rooted in the government’s gradualist fiscal and monetary policies have worsened the difficult inheritance from the previous administration," he concluded.
COLOMBIA'S 'EL TIGRE' SECURES PRESIDENCY AS LEFTIST RIVAL FINALLY CONCEDES DEFEAT
For Washington, Bolivia’s future represents more than a domestic political dispute. The outcome could influence America’s strategic position in the Western Hemisphere, the future of critical minerals, and whether Latin America’s recent political shift continues moving away from the left-wing movements that dominated parts of the region during the last two decades.
"I am convinced that stability will only endure if it is accompanied by inclusion. There can be no peace where neglect and inequality persist. That is why we are driving a development agenda for historically marginalized regions, particularly the provinces of La Paz, focused on infrastructure, basic services, productive development and the participation of the communities themselves," Lupo said.
And as the barricades have lessened, Lupo, chief of staff and minister of the presidency of Bolivia, says, "A different phase is now beginning. I believe the country needs a broad political and social agreement involving the government, parliamentary forces, the regions, the productive sector, and civil society. Bolivia needs to pass reforms that provide legal certainty, promote investment, and modernize strategic sectors such as hydrocarbons, mining, lithium, renewable energy and the justice system. Such consensus is essential to restoring confidence, stabilizing the economy and generating sustainable growth.
"I hope to see Bolivia definitively replace confrontation with dialogue, strengthen its institutions, and build a more robust economy characterized by clear rules, democratic stability and greater opportunities for all," Lupo concluded.
The Trump administration had increased emergency humanitarian assistance to help address food and medical shortages caused by weeks of unrest, underscoring U.S. concerns that prolonged instability could have broader implications for regional security and democracy.
WATCH: Fights break out at Russian gas stations as Putin admits fuel shortages
Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly acknowledged that Ukrainian long-range strikes are creating fuel supply problems inside Russia, as videos obtained by Fox News Digital show long lines, angry motorists and fights erupting at filling stations across several Russian regions.
Speaking at a meeting with government ministers and other officials after a wave of Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, Putin said on Sunday that strikes on "critical infrastructure" and energy facilities were creating "problems," including shortages affecting motorists, businesses and agricultural producers, but said Russia was dealing with them, according to Reuters.
The remarks marked a rare admission from the Kremlin that Ukraine’s long-range campaign is having an impact beyond the battlefield.
UKRAINE LAUNCHES WHAT APPEARS TO BE ONE OF ITS LARGEST DRONE ATTACKS AGAINST RUSSIA: REPORT
For Ukraine, the fuel crisis is evidence that its long-range strike campaign is doing more than damaging individual facilities. The attacks are forcing Moscow to manage visible problems at home, exposing a vulnerability in a country whose global power has long rested on its energy sector.
Ukraine increasingly has used long-range drones to target Russian oil refineries, depots and supply routes hundreds of miles from its border. Ukraine hit two Russian oil refineries overnight, Reuters reported Sunday, including one in Krasnodar, Russia, and another in Yaroslavl, Russia, as Kyiv continues targeting infrastructure linked to Moscow’s war effort.
Fuel shortages have spread across Russia, including occupied Crimea, southern Russia, Siberia and Moscow. Moscow also is weighing emergency measures, including temporarily allowing the production and import of lower-quality fuel, according to a draft government document reported by the Kommersant daily newspaper.
Maxim Katz, a Russian opposition figure and former Moscow municipal deputy, told Fox News Digital that the fuel shortages are real and increasingly difficult for Russians to ignore.
"There are fuel problems in Russia right now — real ones," Katz told Fox News Digital. "I’m getting a lot of reports, and I can see it too: It’s hard. You can’t find fuel, or you have to stand in line. In some cities, you have to spend half a day looking for fuel, and then they give you only a little, and you have to get back in line again."
Katz said the shortages appear tied directly to Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refining capacity.
"They are bombing the refineries very effectively," he said. "Putin doesn’t have a way to defend them. Right now, it looks like there is no way to defend them, and that is a major pressure point on Putin."
Videos obtained by Fox News Digital from East2West news agency show scenes of frustration at Russian filling stations, where drivers are seen waiting in long queues and arguing as shortages bite. In one video, two women appear to argue over a place in line, with one insisting, "I was in the queue," before the confrontation escalates into shouting and threats.
'PURE HELL' IN MOSCOW AS UKRAINIAN DRONES STRIKE MAJOR REFINERY SUPPLYING CAPITAL'S FUEL MARKET
In Serov, Russia, police were called after a male driver was seen shouting obscenities at several women before punching one of them, according to a video.
In Ryazan, Russia, video shows a fight breaking out near a forecourt as drivers waited for fuel. In Irkutsk, Russia, a man is seen leaning into the open window of a hatchback and repeatedly hitting another motorist.
One woman, identified only as Tanya, 29, told east2west she waited 13 hours in Siberia to get half a tank of fuel and blamed Putin’s war for the chaos.
"He should stop this senseless conflict and let us live normally," she told the outlet.
'PURE HELL' IN MOSCOW AS UKRAINIAN DRONES STRIKE MAJOR REFINERY SUPPLYING CAPITAL'S FUEL MARKET
Katz said the fuel disruption comes alongside deeper economic pressure caused by the Russia–Ukraine war, including high domestic borrowing, steep interest rates and a budget increasingly built around military spending.
"The whole economy is now built on war," Katz said. "War does not produce anything. Nothing comes back from it. So what remains is a big hole."
He said Russia is not yet on the verge of collapse, but the strain is "growing and growing," with economic officials warning that spending may need to be cut as the budget deficit becomes harder to close.
This assessment was also confirmed to Fox News Digital by a European intelligence source, who said the economic pressure is effectively working.
Fox News Digital reached out to Russian and Ukrainian spokespeople for comment.
Reuters contributed to this story.
Trump's Turkey arms sale proposal sparks congressional questions before NATO summit
The Trump administration is moving forward with a controversial arms sale worth $700 million to NATO ally Turkey despite apprehension over Ankara’s closeness with Russia and terrorist groups in the Middle East.
Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the administration notified him of the State Department’s decision to bypass Congress and send Turkey the $700 million in defense articles, mostly fighter jets.
"In this case, the State Department did not even attempt to justify its decision. It did not invoke any emergency authority, did not present a written rationale, and for months refused to make a good-faith effort to brief me on implications of the sale for the U.S.-Turkey relationship, Turkey’s continued possession of the Russian S-400 system, and other regional security concerns," Rep. Meeks said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.
Turkey signed a deal with Moscow in 2017 to purchase the Russian S-400 air defense system and acquired it in 2019, causing alarm within the NATO alliance. The U.S. and NATO considered the move an intelligence threat that undermines NATO cohesion and readiness.
The S-400 is designed to detect, track, and exploit stealth aircraft like the F-35.
"Turkey’s possession of both the S-400 and the F-35 is so dangerous because the two systems operating in proximity or networking together could give Moscow valuable intelligence for shooting down F-35s flown by Americans and our allies," according to a report from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
The U.S. sanctioned Turkey in 2019 for the purchase and excluded Ankara from the F-35 fighter jet program. Congress also passed a law banning Turkey from the F-35 program while it continues to possess the S-400 air system.
The State Department dismissed concerns about the U.S.' arms sales and Turkey’s possession of Russian-made air defense systems.
TRUMP SQUEEZED BETWEEN ISRAEL AND TURKEY AS NETANYAHU, ERDOGAN ESCALATE FEUD
"The president has been clear; Türkiye is a strong member of NATO. Türkiye is a significant contributor to Alliance operations and missions," a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
The package is a major boon for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as he prepares to host the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara.
"The US engine sale is critical for Turkey’s most important defense project, the KAAN fifth-generation fighter jet. Turkey is developing its own engine, but it won’t be ready for several more years. Without U.S.-made GE engines, KAAN would struggle to move from a prototype to a serially produced combat aircraft," Gonul Tol, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Fox News Digital.
Tol, who’s in Ankara for the NATO summit, said the deal is more meaningful than just a defense sale for President Erdogan, it’s a cornerstone of his foreign policy and a major source of domestic political legitimacy.
"If the aircraft succeeds, Ankara believes it will not only expand Turkey’s defense exports but also strengthen NATO’s overall industrial capacity and reinforce Turkey’s strategic importance within the alliance," Tol said.
President Erdogan, who has a warm relationship and receives frequent praise from President Trump, has continued to aggressively lobby the United States to readmit Turkey to the F-35 program, despite pushback from Congress.
On Monday, four Republican allies of President Trump — Reps. Jimmy Patronis, R-Fla., Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., and Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., — released a joint statement over the proposed sales. "As Greek American Members of Congress, we are deeply concerned regarding reports of a proposed military sale of jet engines to Turkey. Turkey continues to be a destabilizing force in the region through its expansive and disputed maritime claims, continued illegal occupation of Cyprus, and rhetorical demonization of Israel."
The statement continued, "The Eastern Mediterranean region holds significant potential to become a beacon of commercial opportunity, energy cooperation, and regional security, an effort we have actively supported through legislation and engagement, but Turkey’s rhetoric and actions increasingly threaten these efforts, key American allies, and regional stability. For example, Turkey's harboring of Hamas and position as the only NATO member to refuse sanctions against Russia is deeply troubling. We are actively engaging with the Administration and House leadership to obtain additional information regarding this reported sale and to express our strong opposition to any prospect of Turkey’s reintegration into the F-35 program without complete compliance with CAATSA requirements," their statement said.
A spokesperson for the Turkish government did not reply to a request for comment.
Pope Leo pleads with breakaway Catholic group not to commit 'sin of extreme gravity'
Pope Leo XIV issued an extraordinary last-minute plea Tuesday to a breakaway traditionalist Catholic group to abandon plans to consecrate four bishops without Vatican approval, warning the move was a "sin of extreme gravity" and could deepen a decades-old split with the Church.
In a letter addressed to the Rev. Davide Pagliarani, leader of the Society of St. Pius X, Leo urged the group to reconsider before Wednesday's planned ceremony in Econe, Switzerland, saying it would place the bishops involved outside the Church’s communion.
"I plead with you and ask you with all my heart: please turn back!" the pope wrote.
POPE LEO SENDS UNMISTAKABLE MESSAGE ON IMMIGRANTS DURING VISIT HONORING AMERICA'S FIRST SAINT
Under church law, consecrating bishops without papal approval is considered a schismatic act and carries automatic excommunication for both the bishops being ordained and the bishop performing the ceremony.
"I urge you to consider carefully the spiritual good of the faithful, because the schismatic act you are about to undertake would deprive them of the licit, and in some cases, even valid reception of the sacraments," Leo wrote.
The dispute marks the first major challenge of Leo's pontificate. Since becoming pope, the American-born pontiff has emphasized healing divisions within the Church, including tensions with traditionalist Catholics who favor the old Latin Mass.
POPE LEO XIV JOKES YOUNG SPANIARDS WOULD PICK BAD BUNNY OVER HIM DURING MADRID VISIT THIS WEEKEND
The Society of St. Pius X was founded after the Second Vatican Council, rejecting many of the church's reforms, including allowing Mass to be celebrated in local languages instead of Latin. The group has long argued that it is preserving authentic Catholic teaching.
The society defended its decision to consecrate four new bishops, saying there is a "state of necessity" requiring it to provide bishops for its faithful.
The planned ceremony echoes a similar confrontation in 1988, when the group's founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, consecrated four bishops without papal approval. The Vatican responded by excommunicating Lefebvre and the newly ordained bishops, though those excommunications were lifted in 2009 as part of an effort to restore relations.
Despite years of dialogue with the Vatican, the SSPX remains outside the church's formal structure.
The society has continued to expand in recent decades, reporting hundreds of priests, seminarians and religious members across dozens of countries, making it one of the largest traditionalist movements operating outside the Catholic Church's official authority.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
UK asylum seekers could have to pay government $13K before applying for settlement
People granted asylum in Britain could have to repay the government about £10,000, roughly more than $13,000, for accommodation and basic living support before they can become eligible to apply for settlement, officials announced on Monday.
This comes as immigration has become one of the most important issues in British politics, consistently ranking among voters' top concerns in polling.
Under the proposed rules, the government says repayments would be means-tested and limited to adults above an income threshold. Officials say safeguards would be included to prevent people from being pushed into extreme poverty, though key details of the threshold and enforcement mechanism have not yet been published.
The rules would not be applied retrospectively and children would not be subject to the payments.
"Receiving asylum support is a right, but it is also a responsibility," Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said. "Once people can contribute and repay the generosity of the British people, we expect them to do so."
Mahmood explained that her latest reforms aim to reduce the burden on taxpayers' wallets.
The Home Office also said over the weekend that it aims to remove 45,000 more people with no legal right to remain and foreign criminals within the next decade, in addition to the tens of thousands already being removed on a yearly basis.
The center-left Labour Party has increased efforts to curb both legal and illegal immigration as it seeks to counter the rising popularity of Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, which has vowed to deport up to 600,000 asylum seekers and other people whose claims or appeals have failed.
"Mass migration has changed this country, certainly in many of our cities, literally beyond recognition," Farage told Fox News Digital last week. "We’ve not been selective about who’s been able to come into the country. That is a major contributory factor."
Refugee advocates and migration researchers have criticized the proposal, arguing it could punish people who fled persecution and questioning whether many refugees would earn enough to repay the proposed sum. Critics have also warned that tying repayment to settlement could create uncertainty for people trying to rebuild their lives in the UK.
The Labour Party has faced internal divisions over how tight its immigration policy should be, and the party is up against further overall uncertainty after its leader, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, announced last week that he will resign.
Reuters contributed to this report.
'Parcel bomb' explodes in Monaco residential area, leaving 2 critically injured: reports
Police in Monaco and France were reportedly searching Monday night for a man suspected of detonating a makeshift explosive device that injured several people, including two critically.
The explosion happened shortly before 9 p.m. local time in the center of Monaco, near the entrance of a residential building. Surveillance video appeared to show a man leaving a backpack at the scene moments before the blast, Reuters reported, citing French newspaper Le Figaro.
Christophe Mirmand, Monaco’s minister of state, told BFM TV that two of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries.
"No event of this nature has ever happened in the principality before," Mirmand told the outlet.
French emergency crews were sent to the scene to assist. Authorities in France and Monaco launched a joint operation to find the suspect, according to France’s Interior Ministry.
PARIS DEPUTY MAYOR BLAMES THE UNITED STATES' CARBON EMISSIONS FOR DEADLY HEAT WAVE
BFM TV, citing Monaco’s prosecutor general, described the device as a "parcel bomb."
Eric Ciotti, the mayor of nearby Nice, France, condemned the incident in a post on X.
"The attack carried out this evening is a tragedy that strikes Monaco. Thoughts for the victims, their families, and the people of Monaco. Total support for the security forces and emergency services mobilized," Ciotti wrote.
FAMILIES WATCH IN HORROR AS SKYDIVING PLANE CRASHES IN FRANCE, KILLING ALL 11 ABOARD
Alexandra Masson, the mayor of nearby Menton, expressed support for Monaco and said her thoughts were with the victims and their families.
"I extend my full support to the Principality of Monaco during the ordeal it is going through. My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and their loved ones. I express my deepest gratitude," Masson wrote.
Monaco police could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Gunman kills 6 at youth welfare facility in suspected child custody dispute: reports
A suspect is in custody after six people were shot and killed Monday at a youth welfare facility in northern Germany, officials said.
The shooting happened around midday in Stade, a town of about 50,000 people near Hamburg. Authorities said the victims — four women and two men — all worked at the youth center or affiliated organizations. Five were pronounced dead at the scene, while a sixth died later at a hospital, according to The Associated Press, citing authorities.
Several others were wounded in the shooting, which may have been tied to a child custody dispute, the outlet reported.
2 PEOPLE ARE KILLED IN A KNIFE ATTACK IN GERMANY; SCHOLZ SAYS THERE MUST BE CONSEQUENCES
Police said the shooting happened at a facility on Dankersstrasse that houses pregnant women and young mothers with children, according to The Associated Press.
The suspect, a 45-year-old man, had an appointment at the facility earlier in the day before the shooting unfolded around midday. His 3-month-old daughter and the child’s mother were safe, Reuters reported.
The suspected gunman was arrested. Police said two others were also subject to police measures on suspicion of involvement but did not provide additional details, according to The Associated Press.
CHILDREN AMONG 6 WOUNDED IN MARYLAND MASS SHOOTING AS DETECTIVES WORK TO DETERMINE WHAT OCCURRED
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was "deeply shocked" by the violence at a place meant to protect women and children.
"The horrific act of violence in Stade claimed the lives of six people today. I am deeply shaken by the extent of the violence in a place that is meant to provide protection," Steinmeier said.
"My condolences go to the families of the dead and injured, who must endure so much pain. My thanks go to all first responders and doctors."
SUSPECT 'NEUTRALIZED' AFTER MONTREAL SHOOTING LEAVES AT LEAST 2 DEAD INCLUDING OFFICER
Police warned people to avoid the area after the shooting but later said there was no danger to the public. Investigators were still collecting evidence Monday evening, Reuters reported.
Mass shootings in Germany are rare.
Earlier this year, a car plowed into a pedestrian zone in Leipzig, Germany, killing two people and leaving several others seriously injured.
Stade Police could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.
Families watch in horror as skydiving plane crashes in France, killing all 11 aboard
Families watched in horror as a skydiving plane crashed in France moments after takeoff Sunday, killing all 11 people aboard, according to French officials.
The single-engine Pilatus PC-6 crashed shortly after taking off from the Nancy-Essey Airfield near the city of Nancy in northeastern France. Officials said the victims included five skydiving instructors, five first-time jumpers and the pilot.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said some victims' relatives watched the aircraft fall from the sky.
"Some of the victims' families witnessed the aircraft falling with their own eyes," Nuñez said. "So there is tremendous emotion and an even greater psychological trauma."
MISSOURI SKYDIVING PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED ALL 12 ABOARD IS A 'DEVASTATING LOSS,' COMPANY SAYS
Meurthe-et-Moselle Prefect Yves Séguy said the aircraft suffered an apparent malfunction and "fell almost vertically," narrowly missing a populated area after crashing roughly 300 yards from the runway.
Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the aircraft banked left after takeoff before disappearing from radar less than a minute into the flight.
France's Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA), the country's aviation accident investigation agency, said on X that it had opened a safety investigation into the crash involving the Pilatus PC-6. The agency said four investigators and one first-response investigator were dispatched to the scene.
MISSOURI SKYDIVING PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED ALL 12 ABOARD IS A 'DEVASTATING LOSS,' COMPANY SAYS
Authorities have not determined what caused the crash, and officials cautioned that it is too early to speculate while investigators examine the wreckage.
Nancy Mayor Mathieu Klein called the crash "an immense shock that has plunged the Greater Nancy area into mourning" in a Facebook post, offering condolences to the victims' families and those who witnessed the tragedy.
Klein said he visited the crash site alongside regional officials and praised the "remarkable professionalism and commitment" of rescue, medical and security personnel. He also announced that Greater Nancy would open a gathering space at Marcel Picot Stadium where residents could pay their respects and show solidarity with the victims' families.
MISSOURI SKYDIVING PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED ALL 12 ABOARD IS A 'DEVASTATING LOSS,' COMPANY SAYS
The Meurthe-et-Moselle prefecture said it activated a public information center Sunday afternoon to assist victims' families and said the hotline would reopen Monday morning as recovery efforts and the investigation continue.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot described the crash as the country's deadliest skydiving aviation accident in roughly three decades.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
US military touts work to assist in Venezuela following deadly earthquakes
The U.S. military has been working to assist in Venezuela after the South American nation was rocked by deadly earthquakes last week.
"At the direction of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), U.S. military capabilities continue arriving in Venezuela today to support ongoing U.S. earthquake relief efforts requested by the Venezuelan government and led by the U.S. State Department," SOUTHCOM said in a Sunday press release regarding the relief efforts.
"SOUTHCOM operations are completely self-sustaining, with personnel on the ground requiring zero local resources as they work tirelessly to deliver critical relief to the people of Venezuela," SOUTHCOM noted.
Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez indicated Sunday that the death toll from the earthquakes had reached 1,450.
"Marines on the ground, saving lives," SOUTHCOM declared in a Sunday post on X.
"U.S. Marines in Venezuela are supporting U.S. and international first responders during search and rescue efforts in areas hardest-hit by the earthquakes," the post, which included several photos, continued.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLEDGES $150M IN AID, DEPLOYS NAVY WARSHIPS AFTER DEADLY VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES
"The @DeptofWar continues to work closely with the @StateDept to support earthquake relief efforts and deliver assistance to the Venezuelan communities of greatest need. At the direction of #SOUTHCOM, U.S. military forces are supporting U.S. disaster assistance to the people of Venezuela in the aftermath of the June 24, 2026, earthquakes," the post noted.
"Racing against the clock to save lives in Venezuela: First responders assist a U.S. Marine climbing through rubble during a search for survivors in earthquake-damaged structures," SOUTHCOM wrote in a different post on X. "Operating day and night, these crews continue to support international search and rescue operations across the hardest-hit communities."
Shipping giant warns Strait of Hormuz chaos is 'new normal' as Tehran shifts 4M barrels
A "new normal" of heightened risk and uncertain regulation is impacting the Strait of Hormuz, shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd warned Sunday, as military strikes escalated and conflicting routing directives plunged the waterway into operational chaos.
The remarks from the German shipping giant also came as Tehran "simultaneously" began moving millions of barrels of crude oil from Kharg Island for the first time in days, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward AI.
"At Kharg, the T-Jetty and Western Terminal loaded simultaneously for the first time in days; the East Waiting Area holds 28 tankers, 27 dark, signaling the Iranian crude export cycle restarting," Windward AI said in a post on X.
The outbound cargo consists of an estimated 4.12 million barrels of wet cargo, including crude oil and other liquid hydrocarbons. Of that total, about 3.91 million barrels are crude oil, analytics firm Vortexa said.
"We have to acknowledge that this is for some months the new normal in the Persian Gulf region," Hapag-Lloyd AG spokesperson Hanja Maria Richter told Fox News Digital.
"The situation has been fluid for us since the beginning of the conflict," she said before adding that constant vigilance has become essential to operating in the region.
"We have been making and still make regular risk and situation assessments with our security partners, all relevant authorities and our people on shore and, of course, on the vessels," Richter said.
"It is a region in conflict, so we consider this with every single ship we move in the region and assess the risks for every vessel and its crew individually."
IRAN STARTS ‘INDISCRIMINATE’ STRIKES ACROSS GULF OF OMAN, HITS SHADOW TANKER TIED TO REGIME
Richter's remarks came as U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) launched airstrikes against Iranian targets, including Qeshm Island on June 26 after a vessel was struck in the strait.
This prompted Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to retaliate by targeting U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain.
Adding to the strike risk is a tug-of-war over control of the transit lanes.
Lloyd's List described the fracturing of the waterway as a "confused, two-tier system now operating in the strait, which remains split between the Iran-controlled northern route and a U.S.-protected southern 'highway,' with the pre-war routes rendered unusable because of the risk of mines, separating them."
Iran is responsible for managing and fully reopening maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz under recent understandings, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday, according to Iran International.
Iranian state television said that passage through the Strait of Hormuz demands coordination with the IRGC.
Hapag-Lloyd pushed back against any future attempts to weaponize or monetize passage through the critical global chokepoint.
"It would be fundamentally wrong to impose fees for passage through international waters," Richter said.
"Fees for infrastructure such as the Suez Canal or the Panama Canal are a different matter, as they reflect major infrastructure investments. That is not the case with the Strait of Hormuz."
While thousands of crew members remain caught by conflicting naval directives, Hapag-Lloyd said it had successfully navigated the initial bottleneck.
"Good news is that we were able to have all Hapag-Lloyd vessels that were affected by the temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz and had been waiting in the Persian Gulf depart safely from the Gulf," Richter noted before adding that "the safety of our crews is our highest priority."
French investigators probe fatal skydiving plane crash that killed pilot and 10 parachutists
A plane carrying participants in a skydiving activity crashed shortly after takeoff in northeastern France on Sunday, killing all 11 people aboard, authorities said.
The Meurthe-et-Moselle Prefecture said on X that the aircraft crashed after departing from Nancy-Essey Airport, prompting officials to activate the department's operational command center.
The Associated Press reported the victims included five parachuting instructors, five novice jumpers preparing for tandem skydives and the pilot.
MISSOURI SKYDIVING PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED ALL 12 ABOARD IS A 'DEVASTATING LOSS,' COMPANY SAYS
Prefect Yves Séguy told reporters the aircraft suffered a malfunction and "fell almost vertically," narrowly missing a populated area.
"Had it occurred just a few dozen meters away, the accident could have caused collateral casualties," Séguy said.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the single-engine Pilatus PC-6 banked left shortly after takeoff before crashing less than a minute later near residential homes, about 300 yards from the runway.
MISSOURI SKYDIVING PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED ALL 12 ABOARD IS A 'DEVASTATING LOSS,' COMPANY SAYS
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said he traveled to the crash site with Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot, where they met with local officials and emergency responders.
Nunez wrote on X that he felt "immense emotion" while meeting with local officials and praised the coordinated response of firefighters, emergency personnel, police, gendarmerie and civil security teams.
He said a medico-psychological emergency unit was activated shortly after the crash to support victims' loved ones and those who witnessed the tragedy. Some family members waiting at the airport witnessed the crash, according to officials.
MISSOURI SKYDIVING PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED ALL 12 ABOARD IS A 'DEVASTATING LOSS,' COMPANY SAYS
Nunez added that the investigation, directed by the Paris prosecutor's office and assigned to the Air Transport Gendarmerie's investigative unit, will determine the cause of the crash.
Tabarot described the incident as a "terrible tragedy" and extended his condolences to the victims' families before traveling to the scene alongside Nunez.
In a later post on X, Tabarot said investigators from France's Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses had visited the crash site and opened an investigation to determine the precise circumstances of the accident. He also described the crash as France's deadliest aviation accident involving a skydiving flight in about 30 years.
The parachutists were preparing for tandem jumps, in which novice participants are harnessed to experienced instructors for the descent.
French broadcaster BFM-TV spoke with a local resident who said he heard what sounded like the aircraft's engine stopping before a loud impact. When he reached the crash site, he said there were no signs of life.
Sunday's tragedy came just weeks after another deadly skydiving plane crash in the U.S. that killed 12 people about 65 miles outside Kansas City, Missouri.
In that crash, the aircraft was carrying 11 skydivers and a pilot. Many of the passengers were preparing for tandem jumps and were inexperienced first-time skydivers, officials said. Some family members waiting at the airport also witnessed the crash.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Iran targets US with psychological warfare campaign to manipulate Americans, embarrass Trump: experts
Tehran has deployed a new front on Western social media, including a covert influence campaign to sway Americans and undermine President Donald Trump's push for a nuclear deal, experts warned Sunday.
Following the February U.S. strikes on Iran that decapitated much of Tehran's leadership and the signing of an interim memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Tehran and Washington, the analysts also claim Iranian officials are relying more on digital proxies to project centralized control.
"Iran's leadership now lives on X because it is a decapitated leadership," counterterrorism expert Dr. Omar Mohammed told Fox News Digital.
"The regime has moved its legitimacy contest onto a platform, and once you are fighting there, you optimize for it," Mohammed, of the George Washington Program on Extremism, added.
IRANIAN REGIME SPREADING ANTI-ISRAEL PROPAGANDA ACROSS DOZENS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS: REPORT
"There are English, screenshot-ready lines, memeable contempt and civilizational pride. It is adaptation under pressure — an influence operation forced by the fact that the men running Iran can no longer stand at a podium."
After Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed on Feb. 28, the regime's senior leadership was largely eliminated, and the new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is in hiding. Mohammed said Iran's digital messaging has since become more centralized.
"The coordination between the leadership is visible: You watch the same lines reposted verbatim by the judiciary chief, the vice president and the security council within minutes," the expert explained.
"That is a central media shop pushing copy, not officials independently moved by the same spirit at the same moment. And the register gives it away."
According to Mohammed, the regime's X accounts serve as a manufactured proxy for the leadership vacuum while exploiting political divisions in the United States, a strategy that he says surfaced even more after Trump signed a new peace deal on June 17 in Versailles.
"Tehran is not aiming at the United States as a single entity," Mohammed said.
IRAN'S UNPRECEDENTED 'WHOLE-REGIME' DELEGATION AT US DEAL TALKS SIGNALS ONE GOAL: EXPERT
"It reads Washington as two power centers and pitches to both — working to embarrass the deal the president owns while speaking the language of multipolarity back to the worldview it attributes to the vice president."
In the wake of the signing and the first round of negotiations in Switzerland, for example, Trump said on Truth Social that unfrozen Iranian assets would be used to buy American agricultural products, including soybeans, wheat and corn.
The Treasury Department, he wrote, would release the Iranian assets "into escrow, controlled by the United States, and will be used for the purchase of food and medical supplies, exclusively from the United States, including corn, wheat and soybeans from our great American farmers. These are things that are desperately needed by Iran."
The regime's posts from its lead negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, mocked the claims as "trash talks."
"America falsely claims our unfrozen assets will buy their agriculture. Interesting. The only crop we're harvesting is what you planted: decades of mistrust. It's organic, abundant, and homegrown. But apparently the U.S. only exports GMO soybeans, broken promises and trash talks," Ghalibaf wrote on X.
"The agriculture jab is aimed straight at Trump, who personally sold the frozen-assets release to American farmers as a corn-and-soybean windfall, so mocking 'GMO soybeans and broken promises' is built to embarrass the deal he owns," Mohammed claimed.
VANCE REJECTS CLAIMS TRUMP-IRAN DEAL ECHOES OBAMA-ERA LOGIC AS HAWKS RAISE ALARM
"Tehran gains if it can discredit the deal the president is selling," he added.
"That is also not a 64-year-old Iranian speaker writing for himself; that is a young social media team writing in his name," Mohammed said.
Mohammed also noted Trump's posts are his own, with the "account and the man the same."
"The Iranian accounts are the reverse. They come from an institution manufacturing a public presence for a leadership that can no longer appear in person," he said.
As ordinary Iranian citizens continue to face strict internet restrictions at home, Tehran's elite enjoy open access to foreign platforms to target Western audiences.
IRAN REGIME ESCALATES REPRESSION TOWARD 'NORTH KOREA-STYLE MODEL OF ISOLATION AND CONTROL'
Alp Toker, of internet monitoring firm NetBlocks, told Fox News Digital that the regime had "learned" asymmetric information warfare.
"These regimes are learning to combine social media, AI and internet censorship as tools for asymmetric information warfare, benefiting from a global audience while sidestepping accountability to their own citizens," he said.
"There is a two-tier system in which government officials can use the platform freely to promote their agenda while denying access to their citizens, as they do in Iran.
"It's a double-edged sword — you get more open politics at the cost of regime propagandization.
"Iranian authorities, among others, are getting better at gaming this system," Toker added.
Mohammed said the parallel systems — a heavily censored internet at home and what he described as an "open megaphone" aimed at Western audiences — provide the strongest evidence the campaign is an external influence operation rather than organic domestic speech.
33 rescued from Venezuelan rubble: Survival window desperately fading with nearly 50,000 missing
Search-and-rescue crews in Venezuela pulled 33 people alive from collapsed buildings over the weekend after twin earthquakes devastated the country’s northern coast, but officials and aid workers warned Sunday that time was rapidly running out for nearly 50,000 still feared missing.
The death toll stood at 1,430 as of late Saturday, according to The Associated Press. More than 3,000 have been injured and roughly the same number are living in shelters, according to Venezuelan authorities.
The worst devastation is concentrated in coastal La Guaira state, where entire apartment blocks, hotels and public housing buildings pancaked after magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck in quick succession Wednesday. Hundreds of aftershocks have continued to rattle damaged neighborhoods, complicating rescue work and keeping survivors outside in the heat.
Among the 33 rescued were an infant removed alive from rubble by U.S. rescuers, an 11-year-old boy found by a Colombian team after a scanner detected him about 10 feet below the surface, and another 11-year-old rescued by Mexican crews in Caraballeda.
"In these hours each life is hope for Venezuela," Acting President Delcy Rodríguez wrote on X after one of the rescues.
Swiss rescue-team leader Sebastian Eugster told Reuters that the odds of finding survivors drop sharply after roughly 72 hours under rubble. That mark passed Saturday evening.
"There exists a window of roughly three days, 72 hours, where the probability afterwards decreases that you can save people alive," Eugster said.
The missing toll remains highly uncertain. The government has spoken of hundreds missing or trapped, while some estimated just under 50,000 people as missing Sunday, down from 55,000 a day earlier. The AP reported that families had listed 68,900 people missing Saturday, underscoring the chaos in accounting for the dead, the displaced and those cut off by communications failures.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLEDGES $150M IN AID, DEPLOYS NAVY WARSHIPS AFTER DEADLY VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES
With the desperation of the survival window closing as the days and hours wear on, Starlink has provided communication services for the humanitarian crisis.
"Starlink Mobile is providing free connectivity to @MovistarVe customers in the La Guaira region, and we are working to provide free service for @DigitelAyuda and @movilnet_ve customers as quickly as possible," Starlink posted Sunday to X.
"Families, communities and businesses with compatible LTE smartphones can now stay connected through SMS even if terrestrial networks are not available and customer phones will automatically connect to Starlink Mobile. Coverage will work best with a clear view of the sky."
Pope Leo on Sunday expressed solidarity with survivors and victims' families holding out hope.
"I wish to express my closeness to the Venezuelan sisters and brothers affected by the recent earthquakes that caused numerous victims and injuries," the pontiff said in Spanish before worshippers gathered for Sunday's Angelus prayer in Rome.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
As America turns 250, a rare 1790 exchange between Washington and Bishop Carroll takes on new relevance
As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, historians are looking back at the founding-era documents that helped define the nation's earliest ideals.
Among them is a little-known 1790 exchange between John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop in the United States, and President George Washington — a correspondence that helped answer a fundamental question facing the young republic: Could Catholics, long viewed with suspicion under British rule, truly become equal American citizens?
The answer still rests today inside the Library of Congress.
About 50 feet from Dr. Kevin Butterfield's office in the Library's Manuscript Division sits the original letter Carroll sent to Washington, preserved among the George Washington Papers.
Washington "was spending the entire year of 1790, more or less, connecting with the entire nation," said Butterfield, acting chief of the Library of Congress Manuscript Division. "He connected with the people because he believed that it was important as the new president that they interact directly with him and have a chance to see the new government in action."
As Washington traveled through the states during his first year in office, letters poured in from religious congregations, civic organizations and local communities seeking reassurance about their place in the new federal government. Among them was a March 1790 address from John Carroll, who became the first Catholic bishop in the United States after the Vatican established the nation’s first diocese in Baltimore in 1789, and other Catholic leaders asking whether Catholics — long viewed with suspicion under British rule — would be fully included in the new republic.
Michael Breidenbach, dean of the Honors College at Ave Maria University, said the exchange also reminds Americans that Catholics were not merely beneficiaries of the nation's founding — they helped shape it.
"As America approaches its 250th anniversary, there is a heated debate about whether the nation's foundation had Protestant, secular or other roots," he said. "Often missing from these conversations are the Catholic contributions to the American founding."
Carroll's letter, Butterfield said, stood out because it sought reassurance that Catholics would be fully included in the new republic.
"They were sharing their thoughts about religious liberty and the importance of having a nation where they were included as full citizens," he said.
Catholic priests had ministered in the American colonies for generations, but until the Vatican established the Diocese of Baltimore in 1789, there had been no Catholic bishop in the United States. Carroll was consecrated the following year, becoming the country's first bishop.
Reading from the original manuscript, Butterfield pointed to the passage that captured the Catholics' appeal:
"Whilst our country preserves her freedom and independence, we shall have a well-founded title to claim from her justice equal rights of citizenship as the price of our blood spilt under your eyes and of our common exertions for her defense."
The words reminded Washington that Catholics had fought beside him throughout the Revolutionary War.
"Carroll's remembering eight years of George Washington's service as commander in chief through the bloody war for independence and saying, as Washington fully knew, Catholics were a part of that battle from the start and served under his leadership to win independence," Butterfield said.
For centuries before the American Revolution, Catholics in England and many of its colonies faced sweeping restrictions.
"It's important to understand that many English people and colonists mistrusted Catholics," said Catherine O'Donnell, a historian at Arizona State University. "They were thought to be loyal to Rome rather than to their countrymen, and to lack independence of mind."
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Catholics were barred from holding office in many places, prevented from voting, required to swear oaths rejecting papal authority and, in some colonies, prohibited from openly practicing their faith.
Carroll experienced that discrimination firsthand. As a child, he was sent to Europe for a Catholic education because such schooling was unavailable to him in Maryland. He later joined the Jesuits, a Catholic religious order known for education, missionary work and scholarship. While Jesuits later became deeply rooted in American Catholic life, Carroll’s formation had to take place overseas because Catholic institutions in the colonies were still sharply limited.
Yet rather than seeking a return to an established Catholic state, Carroll believed the new American republic offered something better.
"He thought the separation of church and state was a good thing," O'Donnell said.
The letter to Washington was sincere, she said, but also carefully calculated.
"Carroll admired Washington throughout Washington's life," O'Donnell said. "This letter was sincere and also in a way strategic: Carroll wanted Washington to publicly affirm Catholics' welcome place in the new nation."
BISHOP ROBERT BARRON: MY YEAR WITH DOJ'S RELIGIOUS LIBERTY COMMISSION: WHY I SAID YES
If the letter was a test, she added, it was one Carroll expected Washington to pass.
Carroll was joined by several of the young nation's most prominent Catholic leaders. The address was signed by his cousin Charles Carroll of Carrollton — the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence — as well as his relative Daniel Carroll, a signer of the U.S. Constitution, and Congressman Thomas FitzSimons of Pennsylvania. Together, they argued that American Catholics had earned the same rights of citizenship through their contributions to the Revolutionary War and the nation's founding.
"American Catholics' remarkable transformation — from being suspected subjects of a king to being trusted citizens of a new republic — is wonderfully illustrated in Bishop John Carroll's 1790 letter to George Washington," said Breidenbach, who is also the author of the book "Our Dear-Bought Liberty: Catholics and Religious Toleration in Early America".
Washington's reply left little doubt where he stood.
He thanked Catholics for the "patriotic part" they had played during the Revolution and wrote that they were already "realizing, instead of anticipating, the benefits of the general Government."
Butterfield said the response reflected Washington's broader vision for the country.
"As long as you demean yourself as a good citizen and follow the laws, it doesn't matter what your religious beliefs are," Butterfield said, summarizing Washington's message. "You're fully a part of the nation."
Washington, Butterfield said, recognized that every public word he spoke helped define the new republic.
"He is fully aware that he is a symbol of the nation, that the words that he speaks have consequences, that every word that he says matters."
Washington expressed the same principle in his correspondence with other minority religious communities, including the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island.
"Washington makes clear that he's not asserting 'toleration,' which would imply that a group of people are being given some kind of special permission to exist and worship," she said. "Rather, all good citizens have the same rights regardless of religion."
Although several states continued to maintain religious restrictions for decades, the new federal government charted a different course.
COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG GEARS UP FOR AMERICA 250 BIRTHDAY TO REMEMBER
Even before the First Amendment was ratified, Article VI of the Constitution prohibited religious tests for federal office. Washington, who had presided over the Constitutional Convention, consistently defended that principle throughout his presidency.
"At the national level from day one, this was an experiment in religious freedom," Butterfield said.
The correspondence itself survived because Washington understood that his papers would matter to future generations.
According to Butterfield, Washington preserved the collection, leaving it to his nephew, Supreme Court Justice Bushrod Washington. Congress purchased the papers in 1834, and they were later transferred from the State Department to the Library of Congress, where they remain today.
The Carroll letter is now one of roughly 77,000 items in the George Washington Papers. While researchers around the world can consult digitized versions, the original manuscript is only brought out in rare circumstances to preserve it.
O'Donnell believes the lesson extends beyond Catholic history.
"I think that it's valuable for Americans to understand that the history of the founding period contains just about everything: ideals such as religious liberty and prejudices, such as those against Catholics," she said.
She also believes the correspondence demonstrates the importance of public leadership.
Washington's belief that good citizenship did not require any particular religious views "seems timely," O'Donnell said, as does Carroll's belief that "public exchanges about important matters can help make ideals part of people's sense of their community, rather than just a theoretical set of rights."
More than two centuries later, the exchange remains more than a forgotten piece of correspondence. It captures an early moment when one of America's smallest religious minorities asked whether the promises of the Revolution truly applied to them — and when the nation's first president answered that they did.
American rescue teams pull infant alive from rubble in Venezuela days after devastating twin earthquakes
American search-and-rescue teams pulled an infant alive from beneath the rubble in Venezuela days after the country's devastating earthquakes, the U.S. Department of State said Saturday.
The State Department shared video on social media showing U.S. personnel pulling the infant from the rubble as rescue crews continued searching for survivors more than 72 hours after two powerful earthquakes struck the South American country.
The rescue came as emergency crews raced against time to locate survivors before the critical rescue window closes.
"Against impossible odds, hope endures," the State Department posted on X.
TRUMP SAYS VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES LEFT 'DEVASTATING NUMBER OF DEATHS' AS US READIES AID
"American search and rescue teams rescued an infant from beneath the rubble following the earthquake in Venezuela," the post continued. "Every life saved is a victory."
The White House also shared the video, calling it "America at its best."
"Thank you to the American search and rescue teams providing assistance in Venezuela," the White House wrote.
PLAYERS, FANS FLEE STADIUM AS POWERFUL EARTHQUAKES STRIKE DURING VENEZUELA BASEBALL GAME
Round-the-clock rescue efforts have continued since magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Venezuela's northern coast Wednesday.
As of Saturday evening, officials said the death toll from the twin earthquakes had reached 1,430.
Earlier Saturday, officials reported that 243 people had been rescued.
FORMER METS PITCHER NARROWLY ESCAPES DEATH IN VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES THANKS TO ELEVATOR MALFUNCTION
According to The Associated Press, more than 68,000 people remain missing across the country.
Aid groups consider the first 48 to 72 hours after a disaster to be the most critical window for finding survivors, though access to food and water can extend that period.
Venezuelan officials said 17 flights carrying more than 1,600 rescue personnel had arrived Saturday to assist with search-and-rescue efforts.
US RESCUE TEAMS TO DESCEND ON HARD-HIT CARIBBEAN AFTER CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE MELISSA'S IMPACT
Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams from Virginia, California and Florida were dispatched to Venezuela on Friday to help search collapsed buildings.
According to the State Department, the three USAR teams include 312 personnel and 18 canine teams, including firefighters, physicians, structural engineers and canine search specialists. The teams also deployed more than 200,000 pounds of specialized rescue equipment.
The Los Angeles County team includes 73 members equipped with concrete-breaking equipment and specialized listening devices used to detect survivors trapped beneath debris.
COLORADO AVALANCHE VICTIM RESCUED IN DRAMATIC VIDEO
Rescuers have fanned out across La Guaira, where the worst destruction occurred, and parts of Caracas, where families and volunteers have spent days pulling survivors and victims from the rubble.
The United States has pledged $150 million in emergency assistance and support for international relief organizations responding to the disaster.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department for additional information on the rescue.
Fox News Digital's James Cirrone, and The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Gulf countries strongly condemn Iran's drone attack on Bahrain as rising tensions threaten MOU
Several Gulf countries have strongly denounced Iran's Saturday drone strikes on the island nation of Bahrain, while vowing to stand united against any possible aggression from Tehran in the future.
This escalation poses the greatest threat yet to the memorandum of understanding signed last week by President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
After Iran struck a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, the U.S. launched overnight airstrikes on Iranian missile, drone and radar sites. Iran responded Saturday with the drone strikes on Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet.
TRUMP IRAN FRAMEWORK GAMBLES ON DIPLOMACY DESPITE WARNING TEHRAN WILL 'LIE AND CHEAT'
The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, called Iran's attack on Bahrain "treacherous," adding that it will undermine ongoing peace efforts in the Middle East.
The GCC represents the interests of Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, several of which released their own statements condemning Iran.
Bahrain itself issued a response, confirming that Iran flew a number of drones into its territory and calling the strikes a "flagrant threat" to the nation's security. It remains unclear exactly which areas Iran targeted.
US ALLY KUWAIT CONDEMNS 'BRUTAL AND ONGOING IRANIAN ATTACKS' AFTER AIRPORT WAS HIT
"While the Ministry condemns this heinous aggression, it affirms that the Iranian regime’s continued attacks, at a time when regional and international efforts are moving towards de-escalation, place the sole responsibility on Tehran for undermining peace efforts, and reveals an approach based on destabilizing security, exporting chaos, and undermining regional stability," Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry also said Saturday.
Officials in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also came out with statements on Saturday condemning Iran.
Kuwait's Foreign Ministry said the Iranian strikes represent "a dangerous undermining of endeavors for peace and stability, and a threat to the security and stability of the region."
Both Kuwait and the UAE said they remain committed to supporting Bahrain's safety and stability.
US STRIKES IRAN AFTER STRAIT OF HORMUZ CARGO SHIP ATTACK AS CEASEFIRE TENSIONS ESCALATE
Also joining in the public denouncements of Iran were Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with both countries saying the latest strikes violate Bahrain's sovereignty and international law.
Notably, Oman's foreign ministry has not addressed the attack. Oman has maintained a neutral stance throughout the war and has frequently acted as a mediator between Washington and Tehran.
Oman and Iran are also still in the midst of negotiating a joint framework for the future administration of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard took responsibility for the strikes on Bahrain, saying on state-run TV that it had targeted several locations "of the U.S. terrorist army in the region" without specifying which areas were hit, according to The Associated Press.
So far, no casualties or significant damage has been reported from the drone attack, which occurred days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Gulf allies in Bahrain.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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