"False, Unfounded": UAE Rejects Reports Alleging Transfer Of Funds To Iran

06/13/26 11:06 AM

However, the UAE denied reports of transferring funds to Iran.

'But — but Iran!' Trump's rigged-election rant hijacks Fox News war interview

06/11/26 1:56 PM

Asked Thursday about bombing Iran's civilian water supply on Fox News, Donald Trump launched into a minutes-long rant about rigged elections instead.Brian Kilmeade, the Fox News host who fielded Trump's call-in, had framed the water strike in approving terms — describing the U.S. campaign as an "Anaconda" strategy squeezing Iran into submission. But when he pointed out that American strikes had hit a water facility serving a population already running out of water, Trump changed the subject.The strike Kilmeade referenced had, the night before, knocked out drinking water for roughly 20,000 residents in the southern Iranian town of Sirik — during a heat wave pushing temperatures above 113 degrees. Weapons experts told CNN the munitions appeared to be US-made GBU-39 precision-guided bombs. The New York Times reported the strike may constitute a war crime; the Geneva Conventions explicitly protect drinking water installations from attack.Trump had other priorities."'In 2020, I got more votes than anybody in history, Republican Party,'" he told Kilmeade. "'And we got more votes, but the election was rigged.'"From there, Trump pivoted to the California governor's race, where his endorsed candidate, Steve Hilton, had just secured a spot on the November ballot against Democrat Xavier Becerra. Trump claimed he personally forced California officials to "approve" Hilton after going "on a tear" about election fraud — a claim with no factual basis. PolitiFact rated Trump's broader assertion that California's ballot-counting pace proved cheating as "Pants on Fire." Hilton advanced because he got enough votes under the state's standard counting procedures."'But — but Iran!" Kilmeade interjected, but Trump kept going."'It's a rigged election. Okay,'" Trump said.Kilmeade muttered he shouldn't have brought up the election at all. Trump, apparently satisfied, finally relented."'Let's get back to Iran,'" he said. "'Much simpler. It's a much simpler situation.'"Whether bombing a civilian water supply in 113-degree heat qualifies as simpler is a question international law experts are now actively debating.

'Chilling' detail buried in Trump's lethal strike post flagged by legal expert

06/13/26 2:08 AM

Trump's announcement of killing the leader of a Venezuelan gang carries a "chilling" detail, according to a legal expert.According to Trump, the U.S. military launched a "swift and lethal" strike against the leader of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that was a hot topic during the 2024 presidential election. Ryan Goodman, a chaired professor at NYU and editor-in-chief of Just Security, called out the details in Trump's Truth Social post announcing the strike.Goodman was alarmed in particular by a line of Trump's post calling the gang a "foreign army." "If they're this 'army,' what's the limiting principle for stopping that use of state lethal force?" Goodman asked. "More significant and chilling is how far you have to read down this Trump post to learn the individual was not extrajudicially killed inside the U.S."Additionally, he said the Justice Department's position on the Alien Enemies Act seemed to "fall completely apart," when the president said the strike was coordinated "closely with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are working very well."Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act against Tren de Aragua in March 2025, claiming the gang acts as an arm of the Nicolás Maduro government. The designation, his administration claimed, allowed him to deport Venezuelan migrants without ordinary due process. A declassified U.S. intelligence assessment contradicted Trump's claim that Tren de Aragua operates under Maduro's control."DOJ position - and statute - requires TdA to be acting on behalf of Venezuelan government," Goodman noted.