Mass arrests and executions: Kurds in Iran bear the brunt of war with Israel

As Iranian forces crack down on Kurdish regions in the wake of the war with Israel, locals face arrests, executions and rising repression, with activists and analysts warning of deepening isolation and a broader struggle for democratic change

Lior Ben Ari|

Ynetnews

The war with Israel has deeply affected the lives of Kurds in Iran. Kurdish regions made headlines during the war, primarily because they lie along the country’s western border—seen as a gateway for Israeli strikes. Following the outbreak of war, the regime began arresting Kurds for allegedly aiding Israel.

Razaneh, a Kurdish international relations researcher who lived in Iran until 2020 and now resides in Europe, spoke to Ynet about the complex situation facing Iran’s Kurdish population and the impact of the recent war. “Under the Islamic Republic, the Kurdish population numbers between 9 and 12 million, representing 12–17 percent of Iran’s total population,” she said.

Kurds in Iran are concentrated in the northwest, in the region of Iranian Kurdistan, which also spans northern Iraq, southeastern Turkey and northeastern Syria. “Most Iranian Kurds live in the western provinces,” Razaneh explained, citing Kurdistan, Kermanshah, West Azerbaijan, Ilam and Lorestan, with smaller communities in northeastern Khorasan. They speak various Kurdish dialects. Most are Sunni Muslims, though there are also Shiite Kurds and followers of other faiths.

“Kurds in eastern Kurdistan (Iran), like others across Kurdistan, are generally not radical in their religious outlook,” she noted. “Most are more secular in their lifestyles and beliefs. The Kurdish political parties are not religious and tend to adopt leftist or social-

Razaneh noted that during times of crisis—such as the war with Israel or the 2022 mass protests in the wake of Mahsa Amini’s killing—a sense of shared identity arises among Kurds that often sparks calls for unity and solidarity across the four parts of Kurdistan. However, she added, tensions persist among Kurds in Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria, with differences in ideological goals—some advocating federalism, others independence.

Mahsa Amini
(Photo: Getty Images Europe /Leon Neal)


Iraqi Kurds protesting the death of Mahsa Amini
(Photo: AFP)

She also highlighted that some Iranian Kurds have connections with diaspora communities in Europe and the U.S. These communities play a vital role in raising awareness of Kurdish issues, organizing protests and engaging with foreign governments.

Friends to all peoples in the Middle East

During the Israel–Iran war, Iranian military sites in Kurdish-populated areas — including missile storage and launch facilities — were targeted. Those tracking Persian-language reports and Iran’s air defense activity could clearly follow the strikes.
According to Razaneh, Tehran also carried out multiple military operations in these regions, especially near the border — a move she says helped the regime tighten its grip on eastern Kurdistan.


Kurds celebrate Yalda Night in Tehran
(Photo: AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

“Some of the Israeli targets included military bases in Kurdish cities such as Mahabad, Kermanshah and Urmia,” she told Ynet. “Security oversight increased, as did arrests by the Iranian government. Following the start of the war, the regime became stricter in Kurdish areas, arresting hundreds for alleged cooperation or spying with Israel. At least three Kurdish men were executed in Urmia,” she added, also noting “new checkpoints and house and phone searches were deployed.”

“Exiled Kurdish parties in northern Iraq watched the war closely,” Razaneh said. “Some, like the PAK, saw it as an opportunity to strike back at the Iranian regime. Others, like Komala, urged restraint and patience. Many Kurds inside Iran hope the war will lead to future change.”

Kurds in Iran remain almost unable to communicate directly with Israeli officials or media — especially now — but one source in Sanandaj, Karwan (a pseudonym), told Ynet: “[Economically, socially and in terms of security,] the recent Iran–Israel conflict has directly affected all Iranians, including Kurds. In recent weeks, prices of basic goods have skyrocketed, widespread arrests have surged and death sentences and executions have increased. Iranian cities have become heavily militarized, with arbitrary arrest measures intensifying.”


Kurds in Iran
(Photo: AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Karwan said Iran has used the allegation of “collaboration with the enemy” to justify its crackdown. “Iranians, including Kurds, aspire to democratic change in their country. Kurds see themselves as friends to all peoples in the Middle East and hope for free, dignified and peaceful lives for all its inhabitants.” He added that Kurdish regions have long been neglected due to Iran’s centralizing policies.

On Kurdish political activity, Karwan observed: “Because of high political awareness and organization in these territories, they have historically been centers of pro-democracy and freedom-driven movements — and are thus subjected to heavy security repression. Kurdish activists frequently face threats of arrest, imprisonment or execution.”

Moscow Now Feels It can Again Make Changes in Russian Regions without Risk to Itself, Kynyev Says

Antifake

Kremlin media falsely claim the West has “accepted” Russia’s apparent victory in Ukraine and is preparing for “surrender”




Iva Tsoy
11 July 2025

Kremlin-controlled media outlets including RIA Novosti, RT, and Lenta.ru are circulating false claims that Western countries have secretly recognized Russia's victory in the war against Ukraine and are secretly preparing to capitulate. These assertions stem from an op-ed written by American columnist Patrick Lawrence and published by the pro-Russian online outlet Consortium News (CN). Lawrence wrote:
“The fundamental problem here is that Kiev [sic] and its sponsors are unable to accept defeat. I concluded more than a year ago that Ukraine and its Western powers had lost the war — ‘effectively lost,’ I thought for a time, but then I dropped ‘effectively.’ For a good long time now what we’ve watched is nothing more than postwar gore. If you have lost a war but cannot admit you have lost because the West must never lose anything, you are down to the old game of pretend.”

Lawrence compared the current moment to the final days of World War II — putting Putin’s Russia in the role of the Allied forces and Ukraine and its present-day Western partners in the position of Nazi Germany.
“It is as if the Germans, if you do not mind the comparison, insisted they set the terms of surrender in May 1945… When a settlement is finally reached it will not be termed a surrender — you can count on this — but this is what it will come to… I am confident Moscow will hold to its currently expressed demands, which I consider eminently just and not at all excessive.”

However, on the Russia social media platform Yandex.Zen, RIA Novosti repackaged the same column under a headline reading, “Victory Near: The West Reluctantly Prepares for Capitulation.” The contradiction leaves readers unclear: does the West believe it cannot lose, or is it actually preparing to surrender?

In his piece, Lawrence asserts — without offering any evidence — that Ukraine lost the war more than a year ago. He also peddles Kremlin narratives, claiming that neo‑Nazis “control [Ukraine’s] civilian and military administration” and that “Washington and its clients in Kiev needed the neo–Nazis, especially but not only the armed militias, because they could be relied upon to fight the Russians with the sort of visceral animus the occasion required.”






Both Lawrence and CN have a history of propagating pro‑Kremlin disinformation. In 2017, Lawrence authored a controversial article in The Nation, arguing that the hacking of Democratic National Committee emails was an “inside job,” not a Russian operation. He cited the blog “The Forensicator,” later revealed to be run by British activist Tim Leonard, who spread altered documents from Russian military hackers. After scrutiny, initial cybersecurity sources withdrew their support from the piece, and The Nation eventually removed the article. Its editor, Katrina vanden Heuvel, publicly distanced the magazine from Lawrence’s claims.

Lawrence also promoted conspiracy theories surrounding the death of former DNC staffer Seth Rich, speculating — without evidence — that he was killed for leaking emails.

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Lawrence continued publishing disinformation. Notably, he described the discovery of mass graves in Izium — discovered after occupying Russian forces were driven out in the fall of 2022 — as “atrocity porn,” questioning the involvement of Russian troops.

CN was founded in 2011 by the award-winning investigative journalist Robert Parry, who is best known for his reporting on the Iran-Contra arms deals and the CIA’s role in cocaine trafficking during Nicaragua’s civil war in the 1980s. However, even before Parry’s death in 2018, the outlet had taken on an overtly pro‑Kremlin editorial line.

In 2018, the Canadian publication The Walrus analyzed the way CN spreads falsehoods with the help of sites linked to Russia. Parry’s site claimed that the White Helmets — a humanitarian group that provides emergency medical aid in conflict zones — had taken part in chemical attacks on civilians in Syria alongside rebel groups. In reality, those attacks were carried out by the government of then-President Bashar al-Assad, as was confirmed by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

To support its claims, CN cited the website of Canadian conspiracy theorist and antisemite Michel Chossudovsky. The Insider has previously reported that Chossudovsky is among the first to amplify fake stories from questionable pro-Kremlin sources, and in return, his articles are frequently cited by RT and Sputnik. Among Chossudovsky’s most extreme claims are that the United States funds al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, and that Osama bin Laden was a CIA agent.

Chossudovsky’s site engages in cross-posting with both CN and Russia’s Strategic Culture Foundation.The Insider has also reported on the Strategic Culture Foundation: it is registered in Moscow at the headquarters of Novikombank, a subsidiary of the state defense corporation Rostec. The foundation has been sanctioned by the UK, Canada, and Ukraine for spreading Russian disinformation.

And last but not least, another one of CN’s cited experts has also drawn scrutiny from The Insider. Daniel Patrick Welch, described by Russian media as a “political analyst,” is in fact a singer and soap salesman.

The union of peoples and religions in Russia

by Stefano Caprio
7/12/2025
RUSSIAN WORLD

Looking back at Russia's past and present history and reality, Patriarch Kirill condemns those who ‘call for the purity of Islam or Orthodoxy,’ because ‘we may have different cultures and traditions, but we are one people.’ Meanwhile, in the Moscow neighbourhood of Kommunalka, a multi-religious centre is being presented where an Orthodox church, a synagogue, a mosque and a Buddhist temple are to be built in a shared space.

In recent months, there have been several ethnic and religious tensions in Russia, with the growing activism of nationalists from the ‘Russian Community’ organising actions against internal migrants from the Caucasus and Central Asia, with extremist tones at the ideological level, pro-Nazi, and at the religious level with expressions of ‘radical Orthodoxy’, supported by the police and blessed by the most zealous Orthodox monastic communities.

Another source of great concern is the intra-Orthodox religious controversy between the different jurisdictions of the Churches in Ukraine, where the civil authorities are putting increasing pressure on the pro-Moscow Upz: in recent days, the Ukrainian citizenship of the Metropolitan of Kiev, Onufryj (Berezovskij), has been revoked, considering it incompatible with his original Russian citizenship.

Other bishops and priests of the UOC now face the same restrictive measure, which could lead to the expulsion of Russian clergy from Ukraine.

The Patriarch of Moscow, Kirill (Gundjaev), sought to respond to these and other challenges at a reception at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour next to the Kremlin, in front of members of the Commission for Interreligious Dialogue, a structure created directly by the Russian presidency, emphasising the importance of multi-ethnic and multi-religious dialogue as a key feature of Russian society.

He reiterated that “we are fortunate to belong to different ethnic and religious communities, we may have different cultures and traditions, but we are one people”, which is summed up in the typical sobornost, the “universal communion” of the Russian world.

Kirill assures that this type of union ‘is a very rare phenomenon in the history of human civilisation,’ an eminently Russian prerogative. Recalling the ancient empires, ‘from the Roman to the Soviet,’ the patriarch observes that in these systems, peoples lived together effectively, ‘but most of the time this unity, especially in the stages of aggregation, was based solely on force.’

The strength of the main ethnic group, of the political centre of the capital, Rome, Constantinople and those that followed, were ‘state factors that imposed unification’, as was also the case in Soviet times, where the ideological factor prevailed, even if, in the opinion of the head of the Orthodox Church, ‘the ideology was fairly balanced, offering a perspective of national politics without discrimination on ethnic grounds’.

This allowed relations between people to be consolidated, but ‘now the Soviet Union is no longer there, whatever our reaction to this may be, yet our union has been preserved’.

With these words, the patriarch effectively sums up the passage of Russian history in recent decades, finding continuity between the “atheist” Soviet empire and the “Orthodox” Russian empire of Kirill and Putin. Like President Vladimir Putin, Patriarch Kirill (also born Vladimir) grew up during the Stalinist restoration under Leonid Brezhnev, who “repaired the damage” of the Khrushchev thaw, which had condemned the “cult of personality” of the supreme leader and opened a window to “Western disorder”.

It is no coincidence that at the recent congress of the Russian communists of the KPRF, Nikita Khrushchev's denunciation of Stalin at the 20th Congress of the CPSU in 1956 was declared “a mistake of judgement”, thus closing the circle also at the historical-ideological level.

Yet the patriarch insists on the more “profound and spiritual” dimension of this continuity between communism and communion, stating that “the political, geopolitical and ideological factors that brought about the absolutely exceptional union of our multi-ethnic people have now disappeared, but we are still together”.

It is therefore the superiority of religious inspiration that makes the Russian people unique, not socio-political or ideological dimensions, but “the popular wisdom forged in historical experience, which allows us to preserve a unity that is not only in words or declarations, but in lived reality”.

According to the patriarchal narrative, ‘faith in one God has always been the spiritual foundation of our multi-ethnic country,’ so that all the truths professed by Russians, ‘brotherhood, cooperation, mutual assistance, respect for all,’ are not just formal declarations or empty words in everyday rhetoric, but are ‘expressions of a mindset rooted in people, coming from the depths of their hearts.’

Kirill proclaims himself deeply convinced that ‘not only dialogue, but simple daily coexistence and cooperation between Orthodox Christians and Muslims’ in Russia, which ‘by God's grace is not overshadowed by any kind of conflict,’ is one of the unifying forces of ‘believers’ and of the solidarity of the entire multi-ethnic people.

Russian Islam is a legacy of the Tatar-Mongol yoke, with the conversion of the khanates of the Golden Horde to the Muslim faith at the end of the 14th century, shortly before the “rebirth of Holy Russia” in the battles against the invaders who had dominated the country for a couple of centuries and who were then integrated by the victorious tsars.

With these reinterpretations of Russian history and reality, past and present, the patriarch claims the decisive role of the Church in the foundation of the Russian state and warns religious leaders not to “place obstacles in the way of the consolidation process”, recalling that “there are forces on all sides that oppose the development of these relations”.

He condemns those who ‘make appeals in defence of what they consider to be the purity of Islam or Orthodoxy’, forgetting that good relations between Russia's traditional confessions are "achievements of our theologians and ministers of worship, based on the real progress of the history of our multi-ethnic homeland, on the communion that has been formed in the experience of the people, not in university lecture halls or theological academies, or in some intellectual circle," nodding to objections from various parts of the Russian academic world.

In this interpretation, "Orthodox Christians and Muslims are fighting side by side for our homeland, and we can list many examples of those who, despite their different faiths, are united in their goal of developing our great country, and this cooperation must continue first and foremost between Orthodox Christians and Muslims, the main monotheistic religions," effectively blessing the comparison of militant Orthodoxy to Islam defending sacred laws.

The other traditional religions according to Russian law are Buddhism, widespread mainly among the descendants of the Tatar-Mongol ethnic groups, and Judaism, present in the Caucasus since the ancient Rus' of Kiev, and then spread throughout 19th-century Russia following the wanderings of various European countries.

The patriarchal thesis was supported by the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Berl Lazar (born in Milan, raised in America and a Russian “by adoption” for over thirty years), who confirmed that “we Russians have one Father who unites us”, speaking at the presentation of a multi-religious centre in the Moscow district of Kommunalka, where an Orthodox church, a synagogue, a mosque and a Buddhist temple are to be built in a shared space.

He congratulated the leaders of traditional Russian religions at all federal and regional levels for their cooperation, recalling his recent visit to the city of Derbent, the southernmost point of the Russian Federation on the shores of the Caspian Sea, where a complex representing Orthodoxy, Islam and Judaism with places of worship, museum rooms and a library, all financed by the entrepreneur and oligarch Sulejman Kerimov, an ultra-Putinist senator for the Republic of Dagestan, who is subject to all kinds of international sanctions.

The rabbi praised him for his understanding of “how important it is that traditional Russian religions do not just live side by side, but show the ability to cooperate and find common languages, to demonstrate that what unites us is much more than what divides us”, a circumstance that is particularly necessary in the North Caucasus, where the “Abrahamic religions” have been at war with each other for over a millennium.

Lazar acknowledges that ‘not everything is smooth between us’, as many ‘middle and lower-level’ ministers of religion are often infected by extremist movements that rekindle inter-ethnic and inter-religious conflicts, but according to the chief rabbi, ‘these are marginal expressions within their own communities’. without dwelling on the anti-Semitic pogroms of recent years in the Caucasus, but emphasising the need to ‘fight together against these provocations’.

When asked how friendly relations between the various faiths can be maintained in times of ongoing interreligious conflict at the international level, Lazar's response is typically rabbinical: ‘It is a test of our relationship with the eternal, and we must maintain a balanced approach, remembering that the commandment to love one's neighbour applies to all religions... It would be too easy to love only those with whom we get along.’

Russia is made up of those who also love those who would never want to submit to its suffocating ‘universal communion’.

Report: Russian Su-34 and Su-35S Jets Composed Primarily of Western Electronics

Volodymyr B.
July 8, 2025

militarnyi.com


Takeoff of a new Su-35S fighter jet to the Russian Air and Space Forces. 

Photo credits: Rostec

Russian Sukhoi-built Su-34 and Su-35S fighter jets are almost entirely composed of Western-made electronics.

This is stated in the report PARTS OF THE PROBLEM: Tracing Western Tech in Russia’s Deadliest Jets, prepared by the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) in cooperation with the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO) and Hunterbrook Media.

NAKO identified and traced the origin of 1,115 of the 1,119 electronic components used in these aircraft.


Manufacturers include Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, Intel, Murata, Maxim, OnSemi, Vicor, and other leading companies.Transfer of Su-34s as part of the fourth batch from the UAC. Photo credits: United Aircraft Corporation

The main countries of origin are the US, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.

In total, 68 percent of the electronics in the Russian Su-34 fighter jet come from the US, with another 16.2 percent coming from Japan.

This is followed by 7 percent from European Union countries, 4.4 percent from Switzerland, 3.1% from Taiwan, 0.9% from South Korea, and the same amount from other countries.

Components of the Su-34 aircraft. Source: International Partnership for Human Rights report.

The ratio of components in the Su-35S fighter jet is almost identical.

All these components enter Russia through an extensive network of importers and suppliers, including intermediaries and front companies in China, Hong Kong, Turkey, the UAE, and some EU countries

.

Components of the Su-35S aircraft. Source: International Partnership for Human Rights

Western defense industry involvement in servicing Sukhoi aircraft

Earlier, on October 10, 2024, it was reported that the international intelligence community InformNapalm had contacted French companies Thales and Safran regarding the use of their equipment on Russian fighter jets serviced in Kazakhstan.

In particular, it was found that ARC Group provides maintenance services for Russian Su-30SMs in circumvention of international sanctions, using avionics manufactured by Thales and Safran.

As of 2024, Russia has up to 130 modernized Su-30SM fighters equipped with French equipment.

Domestic Policy Failures Not Just Foreign Influence Behind Many of Russia’s Nationality Problems, Duma Deputy Says

Paul Goble

Saturday, July 12, 2025

 The new draft Russian government nationality policy document specifies that the main threats to ethnic peace in the Russian Federation are the result of attempts by hostile foreign powers to influence the situation there (windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2025/06/new-draft-nationality-strategy-focuses.html).

            But Duma deputy Nikolay Doluda says “in fact, there are also internation shortcomings such as social-economic problems, insufficient amounts of information, and the lack of leaders of public opinon which are having no less a negative impact on the situation” (business-gazeta.ru/article/677077).

            The ethnic Ukrainian who earlier served as a Cossack ataman but has been a member of the Russian Duma since 2021 made that remark in the course of a session of the Russian parliament’s nationalities committee devoted to a discussion of the new nationality policy document.

            While most of the participants in this discussion lined up behind the government draft, others dissented in ways like Doluda and argued that Moscow needs to take positive steps to attract non-Russians to its side, including the construction of new mosques for Muslims in major cities.  

            These divisions in fact represent a step forward in that they highlight the fundamental differences within the Russian political class about what to do with the “nationality question.” And they may be a harbinger of real debates in the future about domestic policy as a whole and not just discussions on the margins.

Moscow Now Feels It can Again Make Changes in Russian Regions without Risk to Itself, Kynyev Says

 During covid pandemic and in the run-up to the presidential elections, the Kremlin slowed making changes in the leadership of Russian regions fearing that any such moves during a period of potential turbulence was dangerous. But now, Aleksandr Kynyev says, it believes such limiting factors are behind it and that it is free to make more changes.

            As a result, the HSE political scientist says the Kremlin is likely to increase still further the percentage of outsiders in charge of regions – that figure now stands at 60 percent – and will further destroy anything worthy of the name of a regional elite (semnasem.org/articles/2024/08/07/kto-upravlyaet-regionami-kynev).

            Last year, Kynyev published a study of how the leadership of political and business institutions in predominantly ethnic Russian regions has changed over the last 30 years (windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2024/08/no-ethnic-russian-region-has-elite.html and windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2024/12/putin-has-gelded-regional-elites-but.html).

            He repeats the arguments he made then that there are no elites in the regions of the kind that existed in the 1990s and that no predominantly ethnically Russian oblast or kray is currently capable of pursuing independence. Those who think otherwise are basing their arguments on a situation that existed in the 1990s but no longer does.

            There are no real regional political elites because those the Kremlin has installed no longer identify with or care about the future of their areas of responsibility because they won’t be living there in the future, Kynyev continues; and something similar has happened to leaders of businesses in the regions: they increasingly head branches of federal companies.

            “If there is turbulence in Moscow, then the rules of the game could change … and its control over the regions would weaken,” he says. If that happens, then regional challenges could emerge. But “until that control weakens, there won’t be any such ‘fermentation.’ This system is stable … and it can exist for a very long time.”

Iran destroyed key US communications dome in Qatar, satellite images confirm

An Iranian missile strike on a US airbase in Qatar destroyed a key communications dome, satellite images confirm, though operations continued and no injuries were reported amid rising regional tensions.



An Iranian missile strike on a US airbase in Qatar destroyed a key communications dome, satellite images confirm. (AP Photo)


India Today World Desk
UPDATED: Jul 12, 2025
Written By: Aashish Vashistha

In ShortIran struck Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar with ballistic missiles on June 23
A USD 15 million geodesic dome for US satellite communications was damaged
Pentagon confirmed minimal damage, base remains fully operational

An Iranian ballistic missile strike on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on June 23 damaged a geodesic dome used by the US military for secure satellite communications, the Associated Press reported, based on an analysis of satellite images and official statements. The base, located outside Doha, is home to the US Central Command’s forward headquarters and plays a central role in regional military operations.

The USD 15 million dome, installed in 2016, supported advanced satellite communications. While nearby structures showed minor damage, most of the base remained intact.

Following the publication of the report, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed that a missile struck the radome, but stated that the damage was minimal and operations at the base remained unaffected. “Al Udeid remains fully operational,” he said. The strike came in response to a US bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites during the recent 12-day Iran-Israel war.

According to US President Donald Trump, Iran gave advance warning of the strike, allowing US and Qatari defences to prepare. Trump said 14 Iranian missiles were launched, 13 intercepted, and one allowed to hit a “nonthreatening” target.

“I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Despite Iran’s claims that the base was “smashed” and its communications "cut off," no US personnel were reported injured. Satellite images confirm the dome's destruction, but show the rest of the base functioning normally.

The attack, followed quickly by a US-brokered ceasefire, de-escalated tensions and prevented a wider regional conflict.

- Ends

With inputs from Associated Press

Pentagon confirms Iranian ballistic missile struck US air base in Qatar

'Al Udeid Air Base remains fully operational and capable of conducting its mission,' spokesman Parnell tells Anadolu

Diyar Güldoğan |12.07.2025 - AA



WASHINGTON

The Pentagon confirmed Friday that one ballistic missile fired by Iran last month struck US' Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

"One Iranian ballistic missile impacted Al Udeid Air Base June 23 while the remainder of the missiles were intercepted by U.S. and Qatari air defense systems," chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to Anadolu.

Parnell said the impact did "minimal damage" to equipment and structures on the base, adding there were no injuries.

"Al Udeid Air Base remains fully operational and capable of conducting its mission, alongside our Qatari partners, to provide security and stability in the region," he added.

Iran launched a barrage of missiles at the air base marking a dramatic escalation in tensions following the US targeting of three Iranian nuclear sites on June 21.

Following the incident, US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US forces in the region, said American forces, alongside Qatar, "successfully" defended against the attack.

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine told the reporters on June 26 that repelling the attack on the air base was "the largest single Patriot engagement in US military history."

Caine said the US military was joined in protecting the installation by Qatari Patriot crews as well. While Caine wouldn't say how many Patriot missiles were launched, he did say there was "a lot of metal flying around."

Greece passes North Africa asylum ban amid rights groups' opposition

Greek lawmakers voted on Friday to temporarily stop processing asylum requests from migrants arriving from North Africa by sea in a bid to reduce arrivals into Europe's southernmost tip, a move rights groups and opposition parties have called illegal.

Issued on: 12/07/2025 -  RFI

Migrants inside a refugee camp in the port of Vathy on the eastern Aegean island of Samos, Greece. June 7, 2021. AP - Michael Svarnias

The ban comes amid a surge in migrants reaching the island of Crete and after talks with Libya's Benghazi-based government to stem the flow were this week.

It marks a further hardening of Greece's stance towards migrants under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' centre-right government, which has built a fence at its northern land borders and boosted sea patrols since it came to power in 2019.

Human rights groups accuse Greece of forcefully turning back asylum-seekers on its sea and land borders. This year, the European Union border agency said it was reviewing 12 cases of potential human rights violations by Greece.

The government denies wrongdoing.

The law, which received 177 votes in favour and 74 against, halts asylum processing for at least three months and allows authorities to quickly repatriate migrants without any prior identification process.

UN demands urgent action after Greece migrant boat tragedy

"Faced with the sharp increase in irregular arrivals by sea from North Africa, particularly from Libya to Crete, we have taken the difficult but absolutely necessary decision to temporarily suspend the examination of asylum applications," Mitsotakis was quoted by his office as telling the German newspaper Bild on Friday.

"Greece is not a gateway to Europe open to everyone."

Greece was on the front line of a migration crisis in 2015-16 when hundreds of thousands of migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa passed through its islands and mainland.

"Illegal and inhumane"

Since then, flows have dropped off dramatically. While there has been a rise in arrivals to the outlying islands of Crete and Gavdos - those numbers have quadrupled to over 7,000 so far this year - sea arrivals to Greece as a whole dropped by 5.5 percent to 17,000 in the first half of this year, U.N. data show.

Rights groups and opposition parties said the ban approved by parliament violates human rights.

"Seeking refuge is a human right; preventing people from doing so is both illegal and inhumane," said Martha Roussou, a senior advocacy adviser for aid group International Rescue Committee (IRC.)

Asylum seekers in Greece live in overcrowded and unhygienic camps AFP

Thousands of irregular migrants have been rescued by the Greek coastguard off Crete in recent days, the Athens government said. Hundreds of them, including children, were temporarily housed at an exhibition centre in Agyia, near the city of Chania in western Crete, amid sweltering summer temperatures.

Footage by the Reuters news agency on Friday showed a migrant who had fainted being taken out of the shelter on a stretcher.

Crete lacks an organised reception facility. The government said it would build a migrant camp there but the local tourist industry is worried the plan could harm the island's image.

“The weight is too great, the load is too big, and solutions now have to be found ... at a central level,” said George Tsapakos, a deputy governor for Crete.

(With newswires)

Greek parliament approves controversial amendment to curb migrant influx from Libya

UN refugee agency expresses concern about decision to suspend asylum applications

Ahmet Gencturk |12.07.2025 - TRT/AA



​​​​​​​ATHENS

Greek parliament approved a controversial amendment Friday to curb migrant influx from Libya.

The amendment, proposed by the migration ministry, passed with the support of 177 lawmakers from the ruling central-right New Democracy party, the right-wing Greek Solution, as well as some independent lawmakers.

Of the 293 lawmakers who were present during the vote in parliament, social-democratic PASOK and far-right NIKI parties abstained, while left-wing opposition parties of SYRIZA, the Greek Communist Party (KKE), the Course of Freedom, and the New Left voted against the amendment.

The amendment mandates that, for three months, those arriving by sea from North African countries without official permission will be barred from submitting asylum requests. The individuals may be sent back to their countries of origin or departure without formal registration.

The government justifies the move as an exercise of sovereign authority and constitutional obligation to protect national integrity.

But the amendment sparked serious domestic and international concerns.

The UN refugee agency (UNCHR) said it recognizes the pressure created by migrant influx arriving from Libya to Crete and states’ right to control their borders, but measures in this direction of the amendment should be in line with EU and international law.

Underlining that to seek asylum is a fundamental human right, even at times of migratory pressure, it said, “States must ensure that people seeking asylum have access to asylum procedures. Returning people to a place where they would face threats to their life or freedom would breach the principle of non-refoulement. “

Likewise, on Wednesday, former Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos drew attention to the potential unconstitutionality of the amendment, criticizing the government administration for invoking Article 15 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to pass the extraordinary measure.

Should the government insist on invoking the ECHR, it could entail applying Article 48 of the Greek Constitution, he warned. Article 48 outlines when the president can declare a state of seize and related emergency powers.

Today, during the debate of the amendment, KKE denounced the “shameful amendment.”

Moreover, the leader of the Course of Freedom party, Zoi Konstantopoulou, likened it to the authoritarian approaches of Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban and US President Donald Trump.

US Transforms Greek Bay into Strategic Military Stronghold

| July 6, 2025, Sunday // 



The United States is reinforcing its military footprint in the Eastern Mediterranean by heavily fortifying the naval base at Souda Bay, located on the Greek island of Crete. The upgrade involves the deployment of advanced weaponry and defense systems aimed at shielding crucial assets positioned in this geopolitically sensitive area. The move, reported by Greek daily Kathimerini, signals the growing importance of the base not only to NATO but to broader US strategic operations in the region.

The base already serves as a key hub for both the Greek Navy and NATO forces. In recent months, however, it has seen a rapid transformation into a more robust defensive node. Alongside Greek-operated Patriot missile systems, the United States has positioned M-LIDS (Mobile-Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft System Integrated Defeat System) units designed to counter drone threats. These are paired with short-range air defense systems intended to intercept a range of aerial targets.

Souda Bay now hosts a mix of highly sensitive military assets, including Arleigh Burke-class destroyers that have been used in missile interception missions - most notably in response to Iranian attacks on Israeli territory. Smaller naval vessels, submarines, and large transport aircraft such as the C-17 and C-130 are also based there, used to facilitate the rapid movement of personnel and supplies.

Despite the assessment that a regional escalation remains unlikely for now, US military planners consider it essential to take precautionary steps. The risk - though low - of a wider confrontation extending from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf has led to the placement of additional layers of protection around assets stationed at Souda Bay.


The defense infrastructure being installed includes not only systems brought in directly from the United States, but also units repositioned from existing bases in Europe. Among them, the M-LIDS system stands out for its hybrid approach - it combines electronic jamming to disable enemy drone communications with a 30mm cannon for direct kinetic engagement.

Another key addition is the AN/TWQ-1 Avenger, a mobile short-range air defense system known for its versatility. Mounted on a Humvee platform, the Avenger is capable of engaging drones, low-flying aircraft, helicopters, and even cruise missiles. These platforms belong to the US Army’s 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment and are frequently deployed in support of American forces across different global theaters.

While current reports indicate these systems are based in Souda Bay, the US retains the logistical flexibility to redeploy them to other locations within 48 to 72 hours, should the situation demand it. This capacity for rapid movement underscores the base’s utility in responding to evolving threats.

The growing strategic relevance of Souda Bay was further underscored when Air Force General Dan Caine - Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff - paid a visit to the Maratha military facilities within the bay. Accompanied by senior commanders from the Sixth Fleet and US Naval Forces Europe and Africa, General Caine’s inspection coincided with the docking of the USS Thomas Hudner. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer was among five US naval vessels deployed near Israel during recent tensions, where they played a direct role in assisting the Israeli military in neutralizing missile threats from Iran, Kathimerini noted.

US Tariff on Brazilian Imports Sparks Surge in Coffee Prices

| July 12, 2025, Saturday // 


The impending 50% tariff imposed by the United States on Brazilian imports is already pushing up the price of coffee, particularly the Arabica variety, which is known for its premium quality. Following the announcement, Arabica futures surged by more than 3.5% in a single day during trading in New York.

The tariff, set to take effect on August 1, 2025, was detailed in a letter from US President Donald Trump to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, shared on the social platform The Truth Social. The letter cites concerns over Brazil's alleged "dangerous attacks" on free elections and Americans’ fundamental rights to free speech as a justification for the new duties.


Giuseppe Lavazza, CEO of the Lavazza Grocer, commented on the broader implications, explaining that tariffs on European goods won’t significantly affect the coffee market in the US. Instead, the issue lies with tariffs targeting major coffee exporters such as Brazil and Vietnam. Lavazza warned that these trade barriers are likely to result in increased coffee prices for American consumers.

In sum, while tariffs between the US and Europe pose less of a challenge, the heightened duties on coffee-exporting nations threaten to drive up the cost of coffee in the US market.

KILLER GESTAPO

Farmworker Dies After Fall From Greenhouse During California ICE Raid

"ICE is out of control," said one Democratic congresswoman. "This is not law enforcement. It is state violence."


U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers make an arrest after pulling a person out of their vehicle during a raid on Glass House Farms in Camarillo, California, on July 10, 2025.
(Photo/Blake Fagan/AFP via Getty Images)

Brett Wilkins
Jul 11, 2025
COMMON DREAMS

A Mexican farmworker who reportedly fell from a greenhouse while trying to hide during a Trump administration raid on a Southern California farm has died from his injuries, the United Farm Workers union announced Friday.

Federal authorities including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, many clad in military-style gear, stormed farms in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties on Thursday to execute search warrants for undocumented people. At Glass House Farms in Camarillo—which grows state-legal cannabis as well as tomatoes and cucumbers—the invading agents were met with spirited resistance from hundreds of community members who rushed to the site in support of targeted workers. Federal officers responded by firing tear gas and less-lethal projectiles at crowds of protesters who were blocking area roadways in a bid to prevent arrests.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said that officers "arrested approximately 200 illegal aliens" from Glass House Farms and another farm in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara County, where protesters also descended, and were met with tear gas and pepper balls, according to local news outlets. DHS also said they found at least 10 immigrant children on the farm.

The Associated Press reported that a farmworker, identified as Jaime Alanís, phoned his wife in Mexico and told her about the raid in progress, saying he was hiding with other workers. Alanís fell from his hiding place and suffered broken neck, fractured skull, and a rupture in an artery that pumps blood to the brain, his niece Yesenia—who did not want to give her full name—told the AP.

"They told us he won't make it and to say goodbye," she said.

United Farm Workers (UFW) said Friday that "other workers, including U.S. citizens, remain unaccounted for."

"Our staff is on the ground supporting families," UFW said in a statement. "Many workers, including U.S. citizens, were held by federal authorities at the farm for eight hours or more. U.S. citizen workers report only being released after they were forced to delete photos and videos of the raid from their phones."

"UFW is also aware of reports of child labor on site," the union continued. "The UFW demands the immediate facilitation of independent legal representation for the minor workers, to protect them from further harm. Farmworkers are excluded from basic child labor laws."

"These violent and cruel federal actions terrorize American communities, disrupt the American food supply chain, threaten lives, and separate families," UFW added. "There is no city, state, or federal district where it is legal to terrorize and detain people for being brown and working in agriculture. These raids must stop immediately."

The raids appear to be ramping up, even before ICE receives an historic $46 billion funding infusion via the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by President Donald Trump last week. Video footage posted on social media in recent days showed ICE officers and other federal agents arresting people in courthouses, a hospital, and marching through a suburban Utah neighborhood.

Democratic U.S. lawmakers were among those condemning the Trump administration's crackdown and mourning Alanís' death.

"A farmworker has died following a federal raid in Southern California. This is a heartbreaking and deeply troubling development," Congresswoman Norma Torres (D-Calif.) said on social media. "Immigrant communities deserve safety and dignity. I'm calling for a full investigation and accountability."

"Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) said that "ICE is out of control."

"This is not law enforcement," she added. "It is state violence."

Some observers called on Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom—who has overseen several legal challenges to the Trump administration's crackdown on undocumented immigrants and protesters who defend them—to do more to help people targeted by ICE.

"If Newsom really cared about defending our state and our communities, he'd be on the line with other farmers by last night," Murshed Zaheed, a former U.S. Senate Democratic leadership staffer, said on the social media site Bluesky.

One California worker dead, hundreds arrested after cannabis farm raid

The raid is the newest escalation in President Donald Trump's campaign for mass deportations of immigrants in the US illegally.

A vehicle with the message "ICE, ICE Baby!" written in the dust on the rear windscreen stands near U.S. federal agents blocking a road leading to an agricultural facility where U.S. federal agents and immigration officers carried out an operation, in Camarillo, California, U.S., July 10, 2025.

(photo credit: Daniel Cole/Reuters)

By REUTERS

JULY 12, 2025 

A California farm worker died on Friday from injuries sustained a day earlier when US immigration agents raided a cannabis operation and arrested hundreds of workers, according to a farm worker advocacy group.

Separately, a federal judge in California ordered the Trump administration to temporarily halt some of its most aggressive tactics in rounding up undocumented immigrants.

Dozens of migrant-rights activists faced off with federal agents in rural Southern California on Thursday. It was the latest escalation of President Donald Trump's campaign for mass deportations of immigrants in the US illegally.

His administration has made conflicting statements about whether immigration agents will target the farm labor workforce, about half of which is unauthorized to work in the US, according to government estimates.

The Department of Homeland Security said approximately 200 people in the country illegally were arrested in the raid, which targeted two locations of the cannabis operation Glass House Farms

.

An ICE agent in Los Angeles, June 2025; illustrative. 

(credit: US HOMELAND SECURITY/HANDOUT/ANADOLU VIA GETTY IMAGES)

ICE raids a California cannabis farm Agents also found 10 migrant minors at the farm, the department said in an emailed statement. The facility is under investigation for child labor violations, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott posted on X.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The scene at the farm on Thursday was chaotic, with federal agents in helmets and face masks using tear gas and smoke canisters on angry protesters, according to photos and videos of the scene.

Several farm workers were injured and one died on Friday from injuries sustained after a 30-foot fall from a building during the raid, said Elizabeth Strater, national vice president of the United Farm Workers.

The worker who died was identified as Jaime Alanis on a verified GoFundMe page created by his family, who said they were raising money to help his family and for his burial in Mexico.

"He was his family's provider. They took one of our family members. We need justice," Alanis' family wrote on the GoFundMe page.

US citizens were detained during the raid, and some are still unaccounted for, Strater said.

DHS said its agents were not responsible for the man's death, saying that "although he was not being pursued by law enforcement, this individual climbed up to the roof of a green house and fell 30 feet." Agents immediately called for a medical evacuation, DHS said.

California Rural Legal Assistance, which provides legal services and other support to farm workers, is working on picking up checks for detained Glass House workers, said directing attorney Angelica Preciado.

Some Glass House workers detained during the raid were only able to call family members after they signed voluntary deportation orders, and were told they could be jailed for life because they worked at a cannabis facility, Preciado said.

DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin rejected those allegations, saying in an emailed statement that "allegations that ICE or CBP agents denied detainees from calling legal assistance are unequivocally false."

Some citizen workers who were detained reported only being released from custody after deleting photos and videos of the raid from their phones, UFW President Teresa Romero said in a statement.

"These violent and cruel federal actions terrorize American communities, disrupt the American food supply chain, threaten lives and separate families," Romero said.

Farm groups have warned that mass deportation of farm workers would cripple the country's food supply chain.

In her most recent comments, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said there would be "no amnesty" for farm workers from deportation. Trump, though, has said migrant workers should be permitted to stay on farms.

US District Court Judge Maame Frimpong granted two temporary restraining orders blocking the administration from detaining immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally based on racial profiling and from denying detained people the right to speak with a lawyer.

The ruling, made in response to a lawsuit from immigration advocacy groups, says the administration is violating the Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution by conducting "roving patrols" to sweep up suspected undocumented immigrants based on their being Latinos, and then denying them access to lawyers.

Donald Trump grants ICE “total authority” to arrest “slimeball” protesters in response to violence

The US President responded to clashes between his “law enforcement officers” and demonstrators by authorising aggressive federal crackdown

 By The Week News Desk

Updated: July 12, 2025

In a strongly worded public post on Truth Social, POTUS Donald Trump has given US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents “total authorisation” to arrest demonstrators protesting against the widespread repression of immigrants in the country. The announcement claimed he had witnessed instances of violent clashes between the two groups on his way back from visiting flood-ravaged Texas.

“I am on my way back from Texas, and watched in disbelief as THUGS were violently throwing rocks and bricks at ICE Officers while they were moving down a roadway in their car and/or official vehicle,” he said, further expressing his indignation at the “tremendous damage” to “brand-new” government vehicles and the “disrespect” towards the law and order of the land.

In the post, he directed the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, and Border Czar, Tom Homan, to instruct all law enforcement officers faced with assault or violence to arrest the “slimeballs” responsible for the attack, adding that he was providing authority to use “whatever means to do so”, announcing that he was giving ICE “Total Authorisation to protect itself”.

Federal agents reportedly arrived at the legal cannabis cultivating Glass House Farms in Camarillo, California, on Thursday and were met by a crowd of protestors who attempted to block the way to the farm, throwing rocks and bricks at the government officials.

The ICE officers responded with rounds of what is thought to be less-than-lethal tear gas, detaining approximately 200 workers who are claimed to be undocumented. One farm worker sustained injuries that later led to his death during the raids. One protester is alleged to have fired a gun in the direction of ICE agents. No injuries related to gun violence have been reported.

‘Undermines our defense’: 

State  Dept. anti-extremism office shuts amid Trump layoffs

Jordan Green,

 Investigative Reporter
July 11, 2025 

 RAW STORY

More than 1,350 employees are due to be laid off by the Department of State. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

The U.S. Department of State is eliminating its Office of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) as part of a sweeping round of layoffs affecting more than 1,350 employees that began on Friday, Raw Story has learned.

Raw Story revealed the threat to CVE in May, as the Trump administration pressed for mass layoffs in the federal government. The layoffs were paused by court challenges but this week the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Trump’s favor.

The six CVE employees, who led the department’s international efforts to prevent violent extremists from radicalizing and inspiring acts of violence, are all being terminated, William Braniff, executive director of the Polarization and Extremism Research & Innovation Lab at American University, told Raw Story.

“Eliminating the CVE office from the Department of State undermines our layered defense, allowing threats to get much closer to home before we have a chance to minimize them,” Braniff said.

“It decreases our ability to support upstream terrorism prevention programs overseas, making international terrorist recruitment easier. It decreases our ability to support rehabilitation programs, including for children born to the ISIS movement, making international terrorist ‘retention’ easier.”

Braniff was previously director of the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships at the Department of Homeland Security, considered a “sister office” of CVE. He resigned in March, after the Trump administration began to dismantle the office.

Shuttering CVE flies in the face of Trump administration priorities, Braniff added.

“Overall, and in direct contrast to the stated goals of the administration, it increases the likelihood that terrorists will actually cross the U.S. border,” he said.

Ian Moss, who oversaw the CVE as deputy coordinator for counterterrorism during the Biden administration, previously told Raw Story CVE historically served as “the principal driver” in the U.S. government for “addressing racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism, including white identity terrorism.”

Alongside the U.S. Department of Justice, the CVE office helped organize three Counterterrorism Law Enforcement Forums in Europe, convening law enforcement, financial regulators and policymakers to address racially and motivated violent extremism.

In Europe, the State Department is focused on countering the influence of Nordic Resistance Front and Russian Imperial Movement, two groups that were named as specially designated global terrorism entities during the Biden and first Trump administrations, respectively.

Just before President Joe Biden left office, the State Department also designated the Terrorgram Collective as a terrorist group. Terrorgram, whose two U.S. leaders were federally indicted last year, has been linked to attacks in Brazil, Slovakia and Turkey.

CVE also played a significant role in the U.S. government’s efforts to counter Islamic extremism, principally ISIS.

Moss told Raw Story CVE “worked hand-in-glove” to repatriate hundreds of women and children from Al Hol, a camp in northeast Syria for people displaced by ISIS, to their home countries in central Asia.

The office worked with the returnees’ home countries to ensure they received rehabilitative services so they could reintegrate into their communities.

“If there are not programs to de-risk these individuals, and if these individuals don’t have empowering opportunities elsewhere, they will find empowering opportunities with extremist groups again,” Braniff said.

Jordan Green is a North Carolina-based investigative reporter at Raw Story, covering domestic extremism, efforts to undermine U.S. elections and democracy, hate crimes and terrorism. Prior to joining the staff of Raw Story in March 2021, Green spent 16 years covering housing, policing, nonprofits and music as a reporter and editor at Triad City Beat in North Carolina and Yes Weekly. He can be reached at jordan@rawstory.com. More about Jordan Green.

'Superman is an illegal immigrant!' 

MAGA buried in mockery over latest meltdown

HE TOO IS A REFUGEE

Matthew Chapman
July 11, 2025 
RAW STORY 

Cast members Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan and David Corenswet attend a premiere for the film "Superman" at the TCL Chinese theatre in Los Angeles, California, U.S., July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Cole

With the release of the new Superman film, a fresh round of controversy has erupted from Trump supporters over the character's origins and message, with fans and media observers responding with mockery at their apparent ignorance of the source material.

The flareup began earlier this month when director James Gunn characterized the movie as about an "immigrant that came from other places" and said the franchise has a clear political message, lamenting that people have "lost" the value of "basic human kindness."

That didn't sit right with many in the MAGA universe.

"Superman is an illegal immigrant who was sent by his parents to outbreed humans and eventually take over Earth," wrote right-wing webcaster Tim Pool. "What was James Gunn trying to tell us?"

Dean Cain, the lead actor in a much earlier Superman film, was similarly enraged.

“How woke is Hollywood going to make this character?” said Cain. “How much is Disney going to change their Snow White? Why are they going to change these characters to exist for the times? For Superman, it was ‘truth, justice in the American way.’ Well, they dropped that … I don’t think is a great idea.”

But many others ridiculed this meltdown, with some noting that not only has Superman always been considered an immigrant in the original comics, he very frequently pushed messages about inclusion, diversity, and treating people different from yourself with kindness.

"Superman, a fictional character, is an alien from the planet Krypton who seeks refuge in America," wrote podcaster Wajahat Ali. "He is literally an undocumented immigrant."

"I just want to get this straight. The conservative controversy around Superman is that… he’s the good guy in the movie, has a comic-accurate origin as an immigrant, and he’s nice to people?" wrote comedian Mike Drucker. "So they just hate the character Superman? It’s like being mad at Batman for making plans."

"I got news for you MAGA snowflakes: Superman is, and has always been, WOKE," wrote Really American PAC's Majid "Brooklyn Dad Defiant" Padellan. "He is also an undocumented immigrant. If he were real, he'd slap the s--- out of ICE. He fights for the little people. And he fights monsters, corrupt politicians, and even Nazis. His main enemy: A billionaire. The movie is hella fun, full of humor, hope, and great action scenes. If you boycott it, it will probably make 3x more money. And we will laugh at you. I can't wait to see it again."

Trump’s budget chief pushes luxury jet reno while slashing CDC and schools

David Badash, 

The New Civil Rights Movement
July 11, 2025 

U.S. President Donald Trump walks to board Air Force One as he departs for Iowa, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

Russell Vought, President Donald Trump’s Director of the Office of Management and Budget, is defending plans to spend an estimated $1 billion retrofitting an aging luxury 747 jetliner for use as Air Force One—even though it will be in service for only about a year—while also backing deep cuts to discretionary programs, including at the CDC, and in public health, education, housing, and science.

Vought, a self-avowed Christian nationalist, is the architect of The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 and the founder of the religious right group Center for Renewing America. He has been described as President Trump’s “holy warrior” who “wants to crush the ‘deep state.'”

On Friday, Vought spoke to reporters, defending billions in cuts to “discretionary spending” while insisting the administration will continue to spend taxpayer funds on its “priorities.”

“We have a lot of administration priorities,” Vought said (video below), when asked specifically about the luxury Air Force One retrofit and Trump’s Rose Garden renovations. “We need ships. We need aircraft, we need a new presidential plane that’s been in the works and been delayed for a long time because contractors are behind.”

When again asked about the billion-dollar Air Force One that will be in service for about a year and then be given to the Trump Library, Vought continued to defend the decision.

“We need additional assets to be able to run this government, including fly the president, keep the president safe, and we’re way behind in that program,” he said, failing to explain if the two current Air Force One jets are no longer capable of keeping the President safe.

“And so that doesn’t mean we don’t spend where we need to spend, but we’ve always offered up a fiscal picture that gets to balance, that reduces the deficit, that deals with our debt, and we’re doing it on a host of ways in this term, and so that won’t change,” he vowed. “So we will continue to, you know, we set up a budget that was $163 billion in cuts to non-defense discretionary spending.”

He insisted the administration needs “to spend in certain areas to secure the country, to perform the functions of the government, and to make sure that, you know, we are investing where we need to invest.”

Calling Trump’s spending “lavish,” The Independent on Friday noted that last week Trump “signed his federal budget bill into law, which extends 2017 tax cuts from Trump’s first term and slashes Medicaid spending by about $1 trillion.”

During his confirmation hearings in January, Vought referred to social safety net programs like Medicaid as a “benefit hammock.”

“You can get sizable levels of savings and reforms,” he said, through so-called welfare reform, The Washington Post reported at the time.

In a 2022 paper produced through Vought’s Center for Renewing America, the “term ‘woke’ appeared 77 times in Mr. Vought’s document,” The New York Times reported in March.

“The proposal looked to slash the ‘woke agenda’ at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for example, targeting money meant for ‘niche and small population groups.’ It proposed jettisoning billions of dollars in ‘woke foreign aid spending’; eliminating entire programs for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities; and striking the ‘secular, woke religion’ of climate change from the federal ledger.”

“That is the central and immediate threat facing the country — the one that all our statesmen must rise tall to vanquish,” Vought wrote. “The battle cannot wait.”

 Watch the video below or at this link.