News of the World
05-10-2026, 01:33 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-10-2026, 01:43 AM by kyonides.
Edit Reason: Added Article on US Congress & China
)
MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT
Quote:The man who ran security at 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the 1996 Atlanta Games — where a bomber killed two and wounded more than 100 — warns that Iranian “sleeper cells” are likely plotting attacks during next month’s World Cup, as federal officials race to secure the 39-day competition.
“I’m fairly confident there are Iranian sleeper cells or surrogate sleeper cells, and this would be an incredible opportunity for sleeper cells to attack,” Former LAPD Deputy Chief Bill Rathburn told The Post.
His comments came after the feds warned about Iranian “prepositioned sleeper assets” in the US while the war with Iran raged. The fighting is down to a simmer after the US launched strikes on Iranian targets Thursday following attacks on three US ships in a response President Trump called a “love tap.”
Chris Swecker, who ran security for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, held in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, also pointed to Middle East turmoil as a concerning threat factor.
“There’s an animation around the sport to begin with,” said Swecker, who served as assistant director of the FBI. “You’ve got the presence of foes coming to the World Cup from different parts of the world. It’s not like it can escape the radar of terrorist organizations. It’s right there front and center.”
He cited the threat from “card-carrying terrorist cells, as well as the influence those that have been radicalized on the Internet.”
Iranian sleeper cells would be at the “top of the list,” Swecker said, and mentioned those backed by Hamas and Hezbollah — “but also Al Qaeda . . . all the different iterations of ISIS. I mean, all of them. And then there’s nut cases that sort of loosely align themselves with one or more of these terrorist organizations and the causes they espouse. And they’re out there. And all they need to do is add water and they’re activated.”
So-called soft targets are as much of a concern as the stadiums themselves, officials said.
“You have to have the best intelligence that you could put in place,” Rathburn said.
The Secret Service is the lead agency of designated National Special Security Events like the World Cup, but the agency has been faulted for security breaches.
Quote:WASHINGTON — An ugly internal power struggle in Iran is muddying mediation talks with the US, as pro-war and pro-deal factions battle it out over whether Tehran should ever surrender, sources familiar with mediation efforts tell The Post.
Though Iran’s political elites — including its president, foreign minister and parliamentary speaker — have been at the center of efforts to hammer out peace terms, regional sources told The Post that it’s Iran’s military leadership that ultimately has the power to accept or reject any agreement.
“One faction there right now is at its highest point ever in its history — the IRGC,” a source told The Post. “The nationalist feeling (that comes with war) gives them the highest pedestal.”
As a military force, the IRGC’s power surges in times of conflict — and with the group at the helm, some within Tehran have an interest in seeing the war continue, sources familiar with the negotiations told The Post this week.
The split helps explain why Iran has repeatedly tested US patience — launching attacks that provoke American retaliation without fully shattering the fragile cease-fire.
President Trump himself has shied away from defining what level of attack, exactly, would warrant a return to full-scale war, cryptically telling a reporter this week that “you’ll find out” when he determines a strike reaches the level of breaking the cease-fire.
Those tests came to a head on Friday, when the US launched airstrikes targeting three empty Iranian-linked tankers that tried to barrel through the US blockade of Iranian ports, according to US Central Command.
A US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet disabled two tankers attempting to break past the American blockade on Tehran’s ports “after firing precision munitions into their smokestacks,” CENTCOM said in a post to X.
The ships — the Iranian-flagged M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda — were attempting to breach the blockade to reach an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman.
The strikes stopped the ships from reaching port, as video showed thick black smoke rising from the vessels after the strikes.
A third ship was also stopped when an F/A-18 Super Hornet “disabled the unladen oil tanker’s rudder by firing several rounds from a 20mm cannon gun,” the combatant command said.
Quote:The glitzy coastal city of Dubai is known for several things, not least its spacious malls and the luxurious lifestyle enjoyed by expats flocking toward the glamor of the Emirati tax haven.
But it's gained another reputation. Dubai, a hub for global commercial travel, also boasts a "humanitarian city" housing the world's largest logistics center for aid agencies, including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
The nearly 200 national aid groups under this banner coordinate food, medicine and other supplies across the Middle East, Africa and beyond from Dubai, the heavily transited city an ideal gateway for aid flows toward some of the most deprived or conflict-ridden spots in the world, like Iran, Somalia and Sudan.
But the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and other influential aid groups, say that since the start of the Iran war on February 28, they've struggled to deliver vital supplies because of Iranian and U.S. blockades on the key Strait of Hormuz shipping route.
The spike in oil prices caused by the blockage of the international waterway has also sent up the costs of overland deliveries on truck convoys. Only limited amounts of aid can be dispatched by air, in smaller quantities and at higher prices.
Delays mean medicine isn't making it to thousands of people who need it in Sudan, while millions more could go hungry, particularly in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, as fertilizer shipments fail to arrive in time for crops to be planted.
International agencies had already been hit by the withdrawal of U.S. humanitarian aid funding last year and other major donors dropping out.
While U.S. President Donald Trump this week said Iran was close to making a deal that would end the war and re-open the strait, the closure of the critical waterway for more than eight weeks has been immense. Maritime traffic in the strait is still a fraction of what it used to be, less than 90 percent of what typically passed through the area daily.
Quote:WASHINGTON — The US military launched a new series of airstrikes Friday, targeting a group of empty tankers in the Strait of Hormuz that were trying to barrel through the blockade of Iranian ports, according to US Central Command.
A US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet struck two empty Iranian tankers that were attempting to break past the American blockade on Tehran’s ports, disabling them both “after firing precision munitions into their smokestacks,” CENTCOM said in a post to X.
The ships — known as the M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda — were attempting to breach the blockade to reach an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman.
The strikes successfully prevented from reaching the port, as video showed thick, black smoke rising from the hulking vessels after the strikes.
A third ship was also stopped when an F/A Super Hornet “disabled the unladen oil tanker’s rudder by firing several rounds from a 20mm cannon gun,” the combatant command said.
The US has roughly 15,000 troops enforcing the blockade, which took effect on April 13.
CENTCOM revealed in a separate post to X on Friday that “[t]here are currently more than 70 tankers that US forces are preventing from entering or leaving Iranian ports.
“These commercial ships have the capacity to transport over 166 million barrels of Iranian oil worth an estimated $13 billion-plus.”
CENTCOM and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Analysts have warned that high tensions over the blockade could accidentally trigger a return to full-scale war.
However, the US has avoided formally ending the ongoing cease-fire with Iran despite multiple skirmishes in recent days, including American retaliatory strikes Thursday evening that President Trump downplayed as “love taps” after Tehran targeted three US warships in the strait.
It’s not only US vessels that have been under Iranian attack as Tehran continues to consider the strait closed and under its sovereignty.
Quote:Oil is oozing through the ocean near Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz, according to satellite photos released Friday, raising questions about the state of Iran’s central energy production hub located there.
Between May 6 and 8, the spill spread to an area of 20 square miles inside the channel, amounting to as much as 3,000 lost barrels of oil, reps for Orbital EOS, a global oil spill monitoring service told The New York Times.
It’s unclear what has caused the spill. The US has struck Kharg Island several times during its conflict with Iran, but the most recent actions took place in early April — long before the spill.
“Large volumes of crude [oil] stored in tankers are increasing spill risks. A possible rupture in the old undersea pipeline to Abuzar field is another source,” suggested Dalga Khatinoglu, who spoke as an Iranian energy expert to the Times.
Roughly 90% of Iran’s oil exports depart from the island, with China being one of the main purchasers.
Hundreds of oil tankers and other vessels carrying fertilizer and critical supplies out of the Persian Gulf have been bottlenecked since joint US-Israeli strikes began on Feb. 28.
Iran forced energy prices to surge globally after shutting the strait down shortly after the bombing commenced. At least one-fifth of the world’s supply of seaborne oil passes through it.
But Tehran’s oil has also been blockaded by US ships since April 13, with no Iranian-flagged vessels being allowed to transit the strait amid a tenuous cease-fire with American forces that started days before.
Nima Shokri, a professor of environmental engineering at the Hamburg University of Technology, also told the Times that “the naval blockade has likely pushed Iran’s oil system into a dangerous state.”
Quote:President Trump told reporters Friday that he expects to hear from Iran “tonight” on a proposal to end hostilities in the region.
“I’m getting a letter supposedly tonight. So we’ll see how that goes,” Trump said as he prepared to depart the White House for a dinner at his golf course in Northern Virginia.
When asked if he thought Iran was slow-walking the process, the president responded: “I don’t know. We’ll find out soon enough.”
The one-page memorandum of understanding Trump is waiting to hear back on is expected to serve as the foundation for a broader treaty to be negotiated at a later date.
The US has offered to ease sanctions in exchange for Iran halting uranium enrichment and the reopening of commercial shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, sources familiar with negotiation efforts have told The Post.
“We should know something today,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters at the US Embassy in Rome. “I mean, we’re expecting a response from them. We’ll see what their response entails.
“The hope is it’s something that – it can put us into a serious process of negotiation.”
Rubio noted that the Iranian government is “still highly fractured and a bit dysfunctional” which “may be serving as an impediment.”
He also warned that efforts by Tehran to control ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz would be “unacceptable.”
“The normalizing of their controlling of an international waterway is both illegal and it’s just something that’s unacceptable,” Rubio said. “And the world has to start asking itself what is it willing to do if Iran tries to normalize a control of an international waterway. I think that’s unacceptable.”
Other major sticking points include where Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium would go – Trump insists the radioactive material must be turned over to the United States rather than to a third country – and whether or when Tehran would be allowed to resume any enrichment activity in the future.
Quote:President Trump was still waiting for Iran’s counter-offer to his latest bid to settle the war Saturday, while threatening to flex American military muscle if Tehran doesn’t agree to terms.
A broader cease-fire between the US and Tehran appeared to hold, two days after the US struck two Iranian sites and the United Arab Emirates said it shot down incoming Iranian missiles and drones.
Pressure has been building on the Iranian regime to move the ball forward in peace negotiations – with flare-ups in the Strait of Hormuz threatening to derail talks.
Trump warned Saturday that he may resume Project Freedom, which would have US destroyers guide commercial ships through the strait, if talks with Tehran flame out.
“We may go back to Project Freedom if things don’t happen, but it’d be Project Freedom-plus, meaning Project Freedom plus other things,” he told reporters.
While Iran stalled their response to the US peace proposal, Britain’s Defense Ministry announced it was sending the HMS Dragon to the Middle East from the eastern Mediterranean, where it has been defending British defense assets from the threat of Iranian strikes.
A UK military spokesperson called it “prudent planning” as part of a “multinational coalition jointly led by the UK and France, to secure the Strait of Hormuz, when conditions allow.”
It follows a move by Paris earlier this week to deploy its carrier strike group to the southern Red Sea — accompanied by Italian and Dutch warships.
French President Emanuel Macron said a joint mission with the UK “can help restore confidence among shipowners and insurers” and was “distinct from the parties to the conflict.”
After the outbreak of war on Feb. 28, Iran managed to effectively close the strait, which handles about 20% of the world’s oil shipping.
Trump countered by announcing a blockade on April 12, before sending US destroyers to search fo Iranian mines and be positioned to escort commercial ships through the waterway.
Macron called for all sides to end the blockades of the strait “immediately and without conditions.”
Quote:A British Royal Navy destroyer is headed to the Middle East where a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is underway – as part of a multi-country mission that could finally unlock commercial shipping in the critical waterway.
The HMS Dragon is joining a “freedom of navigation” mission in a move that signals an important international shift toward ending Iran’s stronghold of the strait. President Trump has long demanded other US allies, including those dependent on Persian Gulf oil, share the burden of getting commercial traffic through the strait.
Iran effectively closed the vital waterway during the war, and the US in response imposed a blockade that remains in place.
Britain’s Defense Ministry announced Saturday that the Dragon is being deployed from the eastern Mediterranean, where it had been guarding UK military bases from Iranian drone strikes, the Times of London reported.
French President Emmanuel Macron posted about a multilateral mission between France and the UK on Friday that “can help restore confidence among shipowners and insurers” and was “distinct from the parties to the conflict.”
Quote:Germany's finance minister has blamed Donald Trump's "irresponsible war in Iran" for a big drop in his country's expected tax revenues.
Lars Klingbeil said the US president's actions in the region had caused a "global energy shock".
German officials have slashed the projected tax revenue for 2026-2030 by around €70bn ($82bn; £60.52bn). The downgrade "shows just how much the war in Iran is harming our economy", Klingbeil said in Berlin.
Last month, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz infuriated Trump with his suggestion that the White House had been "humiliated" by Iranian negotiators - comments which prompted the US president to threaten to withdraw thousands of US troops from bases in Germany.
Since coming to office a year ago, Chancellor Merz has often indicated that Trump's policies have changed the traditionally close relationship between the US and Europe.
In February, for instance, Merz said "a deep divide has opened between Europe and the United States". But the German chancellor has visited the White House twice in a year in an effort to smooth the strains in trans-Atlantic ties.
Alongside other European countries, Germany has been critical of the war that the US and Israel launched against Iran on 28 February, which has considerably raised fears of a global economic downturn.
Germany's coalition government has been struggling to boost the economy which has been stagnant for years, with high energy costs and a weak demand for exports playing a significant role.
Last month, Merz told students that "the Americans clearly have no strategy" and he could not see "what strategic exit" they were going to choose.
"The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skilful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result," he said.
The "entire nation" was being "humiliated" by the Iranian leadership, he added.
Trump responded the following day with a post to Truth Social, where he said Merz thought it was "OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon" and "doesn't know what he's talking about."
"No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both Economically, and otherwise!" the post read.
Dragging the row on, Trump later suggested Merz should focus more on "fixing his broken Country, especially Immigration and Energy, and less time interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran Nuclear threat".
Earlier this month and just days after Merz's initial comments, the US defence department announced a plan to withdraw 5,000 troops form Germany - an order which has been attributed to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Germany's defence minister said the Pentagon decision was "foreseeable".
The US military deployment in Germany is by far its biggest in Europe, with about 12,000 troops in Italy and a further 10,000 in the UK.
Trump is a longtime critic of the Nato alliance and has berated allies for not joining in his plans to reopen the strategic shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed by Iran.
About 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) usually passes through the Strait and hostilities have sent global fuel prices soaring.
The warring sides are observing a ceasefire, meant to lead to a deal to end the war.
Quote:Continuing to expand its local defense industry, Turkey unveiled its first domestically developed intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of up to 6,000 km., putting most of Europe, Africa, and much of Asia in its crosshairs.
The missile, the Yildirimhan, was developed by Turkey’s National Defense Ministry R&D Center and shown off for the first time at the SAHA Expo 2026 defense and aerospace exhibition in Istanbul on Tuesday.
The missile is said to have a payload capacity of up to 3,000 kg. and, using liquid nitrogen tetroxide and four engines, can reach speeds of between Mach 9 and Mach 25.
Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, who was at the unveiling, was quoted by Hurriyet News as saying that recent conflicts, such as the war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the recent war against Iran by the United States and Israel, had deeply affected global security.
“These conflicts and wars have provided very critical data for security doctrine while also increasing our responsibilities,” Güler said.
Domestic defense industry
The debut of the Yildirimhan comes as Turkey has made defense autonomy a national priority, aiming to meet nearly all of its military needs domestically by 2030; investing heavily in missiles, unmanned platforms, air defense systems, and more. The NATO nation is also attempting to build a reputation as a reliable defense supplier.
“In this era where economic cost has become an asymmetric weapon, Turkey offers its allies not only weapon systems but also technology and a sustainable security economy,” Güler was quoted by local media as saying at the event.
In the missile domain, Ankara is pushing aggressively into long-range and hypersonic systems. The Tayfun Block-4 ballistic missile is capable of reaching speeds above Mach 5 with a range of 800 km., and it carried out successful testing last week. Turkey has plans for mass production of the missile by 2026.
After being kicked out of the F-35 program, Ankara’s flagship projects include the KAAN fifth-generation fighter jet, now in the prototype stage, and the Altay main battle tank, which began deliveries in 2025. At sea, the Turkish Navy is pursuing a modernization plan that adds new submarines and air-defense destroyers,
Alongside these developments, Turkey has launched the $6.5 billion Steel Dome program, a multi-layered air defense network designed to rival Israel’s Iron Dome or Greece’s Achilles’ Shield and provide protection against aircraft, drones, and ballistic threats.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that the Steel Dome “will instill confidence in friends and fear in enemies.”
UKRAINE WAR
Quote:For nearly 20 years, Russia's annual Victory Day parade on May 9 has been a less-than-subtle flexing of its military muscles.
Tanks, artillery systems that fire rockets over short distances, and even Russia's long-range nuclear missiles capable of reaching the U.S. have snaked through Moscow's Red Square, surrounded by thousands of troops marking the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany during World War II.
In 2022's parade, just weeks after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, President Vladimir Putin told soldiers they were “fighting for the same thing their fathers and grandfathers did."
But this year the Kremlin announced ahead of the commemorations that it would scale back its display, citing concerns that Ukraine would choose this moment to send drones packed with explosives into the center of the Russian capital.
Although experts say this worry did, in all likelihood, motivate the decision, the move also raised questions about whether Russia may simply not have the gear to spare from the frontlines of eastern Ukraine as the war drags on.
"It's a bit of both," said Natia Seskuria, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) defense think tank in London.
Ukraine has no reason not to attempt to strike a huge reputational blow against the Kremlin on one of its most symbolic, publicized days, she told Newsweek.
But with peace talks stalled, Russia is also looking ahead to possibly years more of war and planning for the long term, rather than parading and posturing, Seskuria said.
Quote:WASHINGTON — President Trump said Friday that Ukraine and Russia will embark on a three-day cease-fire that could be the “beginning of the end” of the more than four-year-old war — as both nations pause to celebrate the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the truce would last three days, including Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
“This Ceasefire will include a suspension of all kinetic activity, and also a prison swap of 1,000 prisoners from each Country. This request was made directly by me,” Trump wrote.
“Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War. Talks are continuing on ending this Major Conflict, the biggest since World War II, and we are getting closer and closer every day.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced plans for the cease-fire earlier this week, though the dates did not initially align.
Trump has admitted that resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict is more difficult than he initially hoped, after claiming during the 2024 campaign that he could end it with a single phone call.
Trump has attributed the difficulty to bitter enmity between Putin and Zelensky.
“There’s tremendous hatred between President Putin and President Zelensky, tremendous hatred,” Trump said in March. “I’ve seen it before, but I’ve never seen maybe to this extent. And I think that’s calming down a little bit.”
Zelensky last May rejected a Putin-proposed three-day cease-fire over the same holiday, calling it a “theatrical show” intended to “create a soft atmosphere of an exit from isolation” for Russia.
Quote:President Trump said he is ready to send a high-powered US delegation into Moscow as part of an intensified push to end the four-year-long war between Russia and Ukraine.
“I would do that,” Trump told reporters during a press gaggle near the White House Saturday, when asked if he would send negotiators directly to the Russian capital.
“I would very much like to see the end of the conflict … where 25,000 young soldiers died last month,” he added of the fighting that’s been Europe’s deadliest since World War II.
“It’s madness.”
The remarks come with negotiations stalled due to the ongoing Iran war, and on the heels of a fragile three-day cease-fire between the warring countries brokered by Washington.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed not to disrupt Russia’s annual Victory Day parade in Moscow Saturday — marking the Soviet Union’s historic victory over Nazi Germany in World War II — as the countries exchanged 1,000 prisoners of war on each side over the weekend.
The temporary cease-fire appeared to hold overnight, without any major attacks reported by either side after midnight Friday. The pause in fighting is supposed to remain in place until Monday.
The truce marks a rare — and at three days one of the longest — period without an air raid alert over Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022.
Quote:Secretary of State Marco Rubio described himself as “a strong supporter of NATO” amid tensions between President Trump and the members of the alliance.
“I’ve been a strong supporter of NATO throughout my career in the Senate and even now,” Rubio told reporters in Italy after he met with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday.
But, the secretary added, the point of being in NATO is for allies to help “in case of contingencies,” which did not happen when the US attacked Iran.
“We had a contingency. And some countries in Europe – some countries in Europe like Spain, as an example – denied us the use of those bases for a very important contingency, that in some ways the denial of those bases actually impeded the mission,” he said.
Trump has described the bloc as a “paper tiger” and threatened to withdraw US troops from Italy and Spain. Rubio said he had no announcements to make about American forces, noting it was the president’s decision.
And he wouldn’t guarantee the president’s attacks would stop.
“The president will always speak clearly about how he feels about the US and US policy,” Rubio said. “The president of the United States is always going to act on what’s in the best interest of the United States.”
Still, the secretary of state tried to charm Meloni and Pope Leo XIV after Trump called them weak for not supporting his war efforts.
He came bearing gifts, including a crystal football engraved with the State Department’s logo for the pope.
Meloni had her own gift for Rubio, a family tree showing proof of his Italian ancestry. The document charted his family’s origins to the northern Piemonte region.
Quote:Two drones crashed in NATO nation Latvia early on Thursday as neighboring Lithuania said fighter jets based there were patrolling Latvian airspace.
The drones fell on Latvian soil after crossing into the Baltic nation's airspace from Russia, Riga's military said in a statement.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas, told Lithuania's LRT broadcaster fighter jets took off from Šiauliai, in northern Lithuania, to "patrol the Latvian sky" before returning to their original base at around 6 a.m. local time.
The drones were likely launched by Ukraine toward targets in Russia, Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds said in comments reported by national broadcaster LSM.
Drones have repeatedly breached NATO airspace since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago, but have not so far been treated as attacks on the alliance.
During long-range strikes, drones can veer off course because of signal jamming that affects their navigation systems.
Although drones from Russia are much more likely to enter NATO airspace, a Ukrainian drone homing in on oil infrastructure in western Russia strayed into Latvia in late March, while more drones packed with explosives landed in neighboring Estonia and Lithuania.
NATO members are obliged to see assaults on any member state as an attack on all. This is meant to deter any adversary nations from attacking a part of NATO because it would have to face a response from all 32 alliance members.
Quote:Greek authorities have rendered safe a naval drone carrying explosives after it was discovered in the Ionian Sea by fishermen.
The unmanned vessel, suspected to be of Ukrainian origin, was found in a cave near Lefkada on Greece's western coast on Thursday with its engine still running. Greek bomb disposal experts removed its detonators and battery.
The incident has raised questions about Greece's maritime security and its vulnerability to emerging military technology.
Authorities are now investigating how the drone ended up in Greece's territorial waters and why it may have been in the Mediterranean.
Ukraine has used naval drones to target Russian warships, tankers and naval bases since Moscow's full-scale invasion began in 2022, but much of this activity has been constrained to the Black Sea, which the two nations border.
Ukraine's military has so far not commented. Both Greek and Ukrainian media have identified it as likely a Ukrainian-made Magura drone.
Two reputable Greek news outlets are reporting that notes handwritten in Ukrainian were found aboard the vessel.
It was estimated to be carrying around 100kg (220lb) of explosives, prompting Greek authorities to conduct a controlled explosion in the sea near Astakos.
Specialist teams in the Greek armed forces are now inspecting the drone for clues as to its origin and purpose.
Greek newspaper Ta Nea reports that theories being considered are that the drone - with an estimated range of 432 miles (700km) - fell into the sea while being transported or was intended to target Russian shipping in the Mediterranean but lost contact with its operator.
The vessel had a built-in GPS that could have been affected by bad weather and sensors that were broken when it was discovered, according to public broadcaster ERT.
But the drone's presence has prompted criticism that Greece's Navy was ill-prepared for a new era of warfare.
"Unfortunately, all Greek women and men are realising that the country is an open vineyard," opposition defence spokesman Michalis Katrinis commented.
Meanwhile, Greece's Communist party said in a statement: "What business did the Ukrainian naval drone have in Greek territorial waters? What was its goal? Did the Greek government know if and in which operational plan it was part of? [...] Are other similar drones of other 'allies' also operating in Greek territorial waters?"
The nationalist pro-Russian Hellenic Solution party called it a "conscious military provocation".
Defence Minister Nikos Dendias sought to downplay the significance of the drone's discovery on Saturday, saying: "Because we know what it is and what it contains, we have nothing to envy."
He said that the Greek government was implementing policies that meant "our homeland can produce and be able to equip the Navy with the most advanced drones and anti-drone systems that currently exist".
The discovery has put Greece's national security agency, armed forces and several ministries on red alert.
Ukrainian drones have repeatedly attacked Russian tankers carrying sanctioned oil and naval installations in the Black Sea, with the intention of disrupting both Moscow's revenue stream and warfighting capability.
US CONGRESS
Quote:When a man identifying himself as Chris Chen reached out this winter to an aide on a House committee focused on threats from China, he came armed with a lucrative offer.
The staff member, Mr. Chen proposed, could earn $10,000 or more by barely lifting a finger. All he would need to do is agree to phone calls every other week to share information about the committee’s work and U.S. foreign policy about China.
Insights into U.S. trade or national-security issues, including the Trump administration’s plans for Venezuela in the aftermath of the January military operation there, would be especially valuable, Mr. Chen said. To sweeten the pot, Mr. Chen repeatedly promised to send the aide $2,000 up front.
The offer seemed too good to be true. Instead of quietly accepting the deal, the aide, whose identity The New York Times agreed to withhold because he works on sensitive policy issues related to China, reported it to his bosses on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. The panel quickly concluded Mr. Chen was not the Singapore-based business consultant he claimed to be, but instead likely a Chinese intelligence officer or contractor seeking a new recruit.
...
Rather than cut off contact, the committee’s Republican majority staff agreed to keep talking to Mr. Chen. They recorded a series of calls this winter to learn more about Mr. Chen’s tactics and interests.
Transcripts of those calls, which the committee shared with The Times alongside some of the recorded audio, depict a determined, at times impatient, individual eager to earn the trust of his mark and get down to business. Mr. Chen mixes holiday greetings with elaborate questions about manufacturing in Vietnam and Mexico and the future of Venezuela’s oil industry.
Beijing and Washington have been aggressively spying on one another for decades, an inevitable byproduct of the world’s two largest economies competing across the globe. But by their nature, those shadow games rarely surface such a detailed look at how either side plies its trade.
The outreach by Mr. Chen to an aide on the very committee responsible for investigating Chinese national-security threats appears to provide an unusually vivid portrait of how Beijing’s spy services seek to gain access to sensitive information from within the corridors of power in Washington.
By some measures, the spying on both sides has intensified in recent months, as the bilateral relationship — which will be tested next week during a summit in Beijing between President Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping — has grown more strained.
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Quote:Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has been roundly scorned after she claimed on a podcast this week that the idea anyone can earn their way to billionaire status is a “myth.”
“You can’t earn a billion dollars. You just can’t earn that,” the Bronx and Queens rep told comedian Ilana Glazer on Thursday on the latter’s podcast, “It’s Open.” “You can get market power, you can break rules, you can do all sorts of things.
“You can abuse labor laws, you can pay people less than what they’re worth. But you can’t earn that, right? And so you have to create a myth that — since you didn’t earn that, you have to create a myth of earning it.”
AOC doubled down in a post on X Thursday evening, writing: “The single largest form of theft in America is wage theft. $50 billion a year are stolen from American workers … Some people get enraged that I draw attention to this. That’s on them. Let them call me shrill, dumb, inexperienced, girly, uneducated – these folks will say anything to distract from or undercut the truth that working people are getting screwed, and giving people a fair shake means we must have a grown conversation about reigning [sic] in abuse of power.”
Critics were quick to clap back at the “Squad” member, with many suggesting she was engaging in projection.
“There are a remarkable number of people who proceed from the premise ‘I could never do anything of a certain value’ to the conclusion ‘no one could do something of that value,'” one X user mused. “Those people are narcissists.”
“No, Alexandria … YOU can’t earn a billion dollars,” responded Rafael Mangual of the Manhattan Institute. “You see, those who can and have don’t share the limits of your knowledge and imagination. I understand that it’s psychologically soothing to chalk the disparity up to immorality on their part; but that doesn’t make it true.”
“Socialists don’t run businesses,” noted author Helen Raleigh. “They produce nothing valuable or desirable that others want. They enrich themselves only by taking from others by force. Therefore, they don’t understand how entrepreneurs can be so wildly successful in a free market simply by providing goods or services many people want and are willing to pay for.”
Quote:“Squad” member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is under fire for radically rewriting history by claiming the American Revolution was all about fighting against “billionaires” — similar to the fight she and other fellow socialists are waging on capitalism.
“The American Revolution was against the billionaires of their time, and we are declaring independence from such an extreme marriage of wealth and the state,” claimed a clueless Ocasio-Cortez during an appearance Friday at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics with longtime Democrat strategist David Axelrod.
Critics schooled the Boston University grad by noting the American Revolution was a rebellion against the British government over unfair taxation without representation and monarchical control — not a fight over wealth.
Others also noted that George Washington and some other Founding Fathers were among the wealthiest in the colonies. In fact, Washington himself was worth the equivalent of nearly $600 million in today’s money.
“No, AOC, the American Revolution was NOT ‘against the billionaires of their time,’” said US Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah). “It was against a large, distant, overly intrusive government that recognized no limits over its own authority to tax, regulate, and eat out the substance of the citizens it claimed to serve.”
Marina Medvin, a lawyer and conservative political pundit, said “AOC doesn’t comprehend America’s founding at all. She thinks raising taxes is consistent with the American Revolution.”
She also asked AI chatbot Grok to back her argument: “In which grade do American schools teach the Boston Tea Party and the reasons for the Revolutionary War?
Quote:A Minnesota state lawmaker is asking a powerful House committee to subpoena US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) for refusing to cooperate with an investigation into her possible ties to Somali fraudsters who bilked Twin Cities taxpayers out of $250 million.
State Rep. Kristin Robbins (R-Maple Grove), who is chairing a fraud oversight investigation in Minnesota’s legislature, wrote to US House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) on Thursday requesting that his panel compel Omar to hand over “her staff’s communications with defendants” implicated in the fraud.
“As you may be aware, Rep. Ilhan Omar has documented ties to criminals convicted in the Feeding Our Future case, including holding her 2018 election party at the Safari Restaurant and appearing in a video promoting the MEALS Act, which was filmed at the Safari Restaurant,” Robbins told Comer.
“In the federal case U.S. v. Bock, several text and email exchanges between Rep. Omar’s office and the defendants in the case were listed in the trial exhibits,” she also said, noting that she sought the information and an interview from the congresswoman — but was rebuffed.
“Although we cannot compel Rep. Omar to turn over the communications, we respectfully request that the House Oversight Committee consider requesting or subpoenaing this information,” Robbins emphasized.
“It is essential to understand the genesis of the largest COVID-related fraud scandal by getting the documents and the facts about Rep. Omar’s and her staff’s communications with defendants in this case.”
A proposed subpoena submitted to the Oversight panel lists internal records related to Minnesota Department of Education food programs, as well as communications “with the owners and staff of Safari Restaurant” about the same programs as well as with Omar’s ex-staffer Guhaad Hashi Said.
Said worked for Omar’s 2018 and 2020 congressional campaigns as an “enforcer” overseeing voter mobilization in the Somali community, according to local conservative outlet Alpha News.
The 49-year-old pleaded guilty in August 2025 to conspiring to commit wire fraud and money laundering as part of a scheme that defrauded taxpayers out of $3.2 million for a bogus food center called Advance Youth Athletic Development.
Quote:President Donald Trump accused House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., of inciting the most recent assassination attempt against him, further escalating his feud with the top Democrat.
Trump argued in a Truth Social post on Thursday that Jeffries should be arrested after promoting “warfare” against Republicans just days before the assassination scare at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in April.
“This lunatic, Hakeem “Low IQ” Jeffries, should be charged with INCITING VIOLENCE!” Trump wrote on social media.
He included images of Jeffries standing with a sign displaying the words “maximum warfare” and the faces of Trump and his aide James Blair alongside an image “three days later” of alleged assassin Cole Allen storming the Secret Service checkpoint at the Washington Hilton.
“Should Hakeem Jeffries be charged with inciting violence?” Trump’s post asked his 12.6 million followers to ponder.
A spokesperson for Jeffries referred Fox News Digital to a social media post where the top Democrat labeled Trump’s comments as “another deranged rant” and dinged the president on affordability.
“Gas prices are sky high, grocery bills are surging and families can’t catch a break,” he wrote on X. “Democrats are about to take back the House and you’re losing your mind.”
The online skirmish came after Jeffries already defended his “maximum warfare” language amid GOP backlash in late April.
“I don’t give a damn about your criticism,” he told Republicans.
Jeffries also justified his decision to use the phrase when discussing the nationwide redistricting battle by arguing that an anonymous White House staffer first deployed the phrase to threaten Democrats with GOP-friendly gerrymanders during an interview with The New York Times last year.
“That phrase ‘maximum warfare everywhere, all the time’ came from the White House in the summer of 2025, when they started this redistricting battle, and now they’re big mad,” Jeffries said at a news conference.
“Why? Because Democrats have decided to finish it. Get lost.”
Quote:Some helpful advice for the candidates seeking Nancy Pelosi’s coveted endorsement in the race to succeed the two-time former House speaker — don’t hold your breath.
San Francisco’s congresswoman of four decades appears to have no intention of throwing her support to any of the top three candidates in the June primary election, whether it be state Sen. Scott Wiener, city Supervisor Connie Chan or progressive centimillionaire Saikat Chakrabarti.
Pelosi has been mum on the reasons for her decision to stay out of the race, and her office delcined comment, but she told a reporter late last year that an endorsement was “not my current plan.”
Chan, a labor-backed Democrat who met with Pelosi in the speaker emerita’s Washington, D.C. office last month, seemed like the most obvious match for an endorsement, and she lamented the lack of a blessing in a recent interview with the San Francisco Standard.
“I certainly was hoping for that,” Chan said. “If I didn’t say, ‘Yes, I was hoping for the endorsement,’ then you’d be like, ‘Clearly she’s not being honest.’”
The honest assessment among political insiders in San Francisco is that Chan hasn’t done enough to earn the endorsement, as paltry fundraising numbers — less than $460,000 raised by the end of March — would make it nearly impossible to compete.
David Latterman, a political analyst in San Francisco, told The Post that the lack of money makes Chan a “non-factor,” while Wiener’s decision to launch an exploratory committee in 2023 started the clock on Pelosi’s retirement.
In November, she formally announced her decision to leave office at the end of her current term.
“Clearly, Pelosi is not happy about how any of this has turned out,” Latterman said.
“There’s no question why Pelosi is not going to endorse Connie today. The real question is: why didn’t Pelosi endorse her months ago?”
Quote:Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi used a commencement address to bizarrely compare Lincoln’s fight to save the Union to the left’s never-ending quest to rescue “democracy” from President Trump.
Pelosi, one of a parade of lefties dominating the graduation speaker circuit this season, used part of her 20 minutes on stage May 2 at California’s Notre Dame De Namur University’s graduation ceremony to give the crowd a revisionist history lesson.
“Our founders believed that they could establish a democracy because they believed in the goodness of the American people,” she told the roughly 300 graduates.
“Because each generation has a responsibility to build a future better than the one before. Healthier planet, fair economy, safer security, and a stronger democracy. You graduates today, you give us hope.”
She referenced the words of one of the America’s Founding Fathers, writer Thomas Paine, from his pamphlet “Common Sense”: “The times have found us.”
“The times found them to declare independence to win a war against the greatest naval power of the time,” Pelosi said.
She moved on to the Constitution, saying “it wasn’t perfect because it was a compromise, but it was smart enough to be amended.”
“The abolition of slavery, black men having the right to vote, women finally having the right to vote, all the other freedoms that have been traced to privacy and the Constitution, the president of the court, all making us freer,” the 86-year-old Democrat continued.
“But there’s some challenges now and that’s what you must be ready for,” she warned.
“The times found Abraham Lincoln to save our democracy to save our union and the times have found us now to save our democracy.”
Meaghan Mobbs, the director of the Center for American Safety and Security at the conservative nonprofit policy group Independent Women, ripped Pelosi’s radical call-to-action.
“Nancy Pelosi’s speech reflects a dangerous trend in American politics: treating ordinary democratic disagreement as an existential battle for the survival of the republic,” she told The Post.
“When senior political leaders compare political opponents to threats on the scale of the Civil War or the collapse of democracy, they help fuel the paranoia, rage, and moral absolutism that have contributed to a surge in left-wing radicalization and political violence.
Quote:Congressional staffers were allegedly harassed and propositioned by the lawmakers they worked for — according to secret settlements costing US taxpayers more than $300,000 and preventing the accusers from ever speaking publicly about what they endured, documents viewed by The Post reveal.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) forced out the “slush fund” documents after obtaining a subpoena voted through by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in March.
Mace, who has undertaken multiple high profile crusades on behalf of assault victims, opened the files for The Post’s review this week. Neither Congress nor any court substantiated the allegations contained in the files.
One female aide claimed Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), who represented Detroit for 52 years, coerced her into sharing a hotel room on a 2003 trip to Las Vegas. “You know what I want, you know I have needs,” he told her, according to a document outlining her accusations.
“I felt that Rosa Parks would be turning in her grave if she had known of his double personality,” the alleged victim said, referencing the civil rights icon who worked for Conyers for decades.
The alleged harassment continued on a 2005 trip to Chicago in Conyers’ hotel room, where “he switched the conversation to me meeting his sexual needs and that either I was going to ‘touch it’ (meaning his penis) or I needed to find him a woman who would satisfy his sexual needs,” she alleged.
Conyers called the allegations untrue when he quit Congress in 2017, telling WJBK “my legacy can’t be compromised or diminished in any way by what we are going through now.”
The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights records show a payout of $50,000 in 2010, plus a $27,000 severance payment in 2017. Conyers died in 2019.
Since 2018, following #MeToo revelations and action by Congress, lawmakers must foot the bill for their own settlements when confronting harassment allegations. The newly revealed settlements came between 2004 and 2018 under the old system.
The claims also exploded disgraced former Rep. Eric Massa’s “tickle” defense to an aide’s accusations of misconduct. Massa cast it as a fun pile-on — which got the matter lampooned on “Saturday Night Live.”
GAVIN NEWSOM
Quote:California drivers are paying the highest gas prices in America, and Gov. Gavin Newsom still refuses to suspend the state gas tax as critics warn Sacramento’s energy policies are pushing the crisis toward a breaking point.
The statewide average for a gallon of gas climbed to $6.16 on Friday, compared to the national average of $4.54, as refinery shutdowns, foreign oil dependence and tensions in the Middle East squeeze California’s already battered fuel supply.
Despite growing pressure for relief, Newsom dismissed the idea of a gas tax holiday on Friday and instead pointed the finger at President Trump.
“Now, as it relates to the cost of fuels, California hasn’t changed anything as it relates to cost. Those baseline costs have been static. But the cost at the pump has not been, for one reason: Donald Trump’s recklessness as it relates to the war in Iran,” Newsom said.
The comments came after lawmakers, economists and energy officials gathered at a tense state Capitol hearing this week focused on California’s worsening fuel crisis.
Even experts at the hearing acknowledged that California’s punishing fuel taxes, environmental mandates and regulatory costs are the main reasons drivers here pay dramatically more than the rest of the country.
Severin Borenstein, an economist with UC Berkeley Haas, told lawmakers a temporary gas tax suspension would provide immediate relief.
“There’s no question it could help consumers,” Borenstein told KCRA.
He also floated a proposal to adjust fuel taxes so they fall when crude oil prices spike instead of piling even more costs onto drivers.
But Newsom appears unwilling to take accountability.
Quote:In a major shakeup that puts California’s beleaguered bullet train firmly under Gavin Newsom’s thumb, the governor has installed two of his closest allies to the High-Speed Rail Authority board.
Jason Elliott, a longtime political adviser and former deputy chief of staff in the Newsom administration, was appointed Friday to the board along with Steve Kawa, who’s also served as an adviser after working as Newsom’s chief of staff during his time as mayor of San Francisco.
The pair will replace outgoing board Chair Tom Richards and Vice Chair Nancy Miller.
Newsom’s appointments come as the high-speed rail project confronts ballooning costs — a new report found the original plan would cost as much as $231 billion to complete, leading the authority to make a number of changes that have raised eyebrows.
Before joining the governor’s office in 2019, Elliott served as chief of staff to former San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, where he worked closely on housing and homelessness issues that later became central to Newsom’s statewide agenda.
As one of Newsom’s top advisers in Sacramento, Elliott helped shape the administration’s homelessness and housing strategy during a period when the crisis became one of California’s defining political issues.
In a New Yorker profile published earlier this year, Elliott defended Newsom’s approach to homelessness, arguing the administration inherited a decades-old crisis. He described Newsom’s early homelessness policies as “an artifact of its era” while defending the governor’s efforts to expand supportive housing and state intervention.
Elliott also told the magazine that Newsom confided in him that he’d dreamed of being governor since he was young.
“He campaigned on bringing universal health care to California, having passed it in San Francisco as mayor,” the piece noted.
Quote:Gov. Gavin Newsom is getting blasted by San Luis Obispo County prosecutors after he declined to intervene in the parole of a convicted murderer, a decision that cleared the way for a man who served more than 50 years for a brutal 1974 killing to be released from prison.
District Attorney Dan Dow is sharply criticizing both the parole decision and the governor’s refusal to act, saying the outcome represents a failure of California’s criminal justice system and a devastating denial of justice for the victim.
Alberto Tamez was convicted of kidnapping, raping and strangling Genevieve Adaline Moreno in Nipomo in 1974.
“I am deeply troubled that our criminal and victim justice system has reached a result where the man who brutally murdered Genevieve Moreno over 50 years ago will now walk free,” Dow said.
Prosecutors say the attack began outside the bar where she worked and ended nearby where her body was later discovered.
Moreno was attacked during the late-night hours of June 17 into the early morning hours of June 18, 1974.
Her body was found later that morning in a grove of eucalyptus trees roughly a quarter mile from the bar.
San Luis Obispo County Medical Examiner Dr. Karl Kirschner determined Moreno died from “homicidal strangulation.”
She also suffered multiple bruises, abrasions and cuts to her face, forearms, abdomen and thighs during the attack.
ELECTIONS
Quote:WASHINGTON — The Virginia Supreme Court gave Republicans a massive victory Friday by ruling that Democrats unlawfully ratified a lopsided congressional map to give themselves four more House seats in the midterm elections.
The 4-3 decision declares the recently voter-approved gerrymander “null and void” — giving Republicans a clear advantage in the nationwide redistricting war.
Virginia is currently represented by six Democrats and five Republicans in the House. The ruling dashes Democratic dreams of cruising to a 10-1 delegation.
“On the first day Democrats tried to enact this scheme, we said it was illegal and unconstitutional,” said Mike Young, president of Virginians for Fair Maps. “Here we are months later, and it’s illegal and unconstitutional.”
Analysts said the map drawn by state Democrats and narrowly passed in the April 21 referendum would have bolstered Democratic odds of retaking the House in November with four additional seats.
Dave Wasserman, senior editor and redistricting expert at the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, said the court decision was “a massive setback for Democrats” who will now need to pick up a net of “more like 10 seats to win control of the House, rather than just three.”
Wasserman now projects Republicans “will pick up somewhere in the six to seven-seat range from redistricting” alone because of GOP redrawn maps that have either passed or are pending in Texas, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana, South Carolina and Alabama.
While Democrats are “still the favorites to regain the House,” Wasserman said, “Republicans have a more realistic chance of holding their majority than they did prior to this ruling and the [Louisiana] Supreme Court decision.“
The US Supreme Court last week upended a section of the Voting Rights Act in a ruling that favors Republicans by allowing states to carve up majority-minority congressional districts represented by Democrats. As a result, Louisiana postponed its primary election to update its congressional map; Tennessee passed a new map that got rid of its Democratic district, and Alabama is seeking to do the same.
Quote:A Utah Supreme Court justice has resigned amid a probe into an alleged relationship with an attorney who worked on a redistricting lawsuit.
Justice Diana Hagen appeared to reference the investigation and the toll it has taken on her loved ones in a resignation letter to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, which was obtained by Fox News Digital.
“As a public servant for twenty-six years, I am keenly aware that public service requires sacrifice,” Hagen wrote. “I have willingly accepted those sacrifices for the privilege of holding a position of public trust, where I could do my part to uphold the rule of law and protect the constitutional rights of every Utahn.”
“I also understand that public officials are rightly held to a higher standard and must accept a greater degree of public scrutiny and diminished privacy,” she said. “But my family and friends did not choose public life. They do not deserve to have intensely personal details surrounding the painful dissolution of my thirty-year marriage subjected to public scrutiny.”
The resignation was effective immediately, a spokesperson for Utah’s Administrative Office of the Courts said.
Hagen was accused by her former husband of sending “inappropriate” text messages to an attorney who helped challenge a Republican-friendly map that maintained four red congressional seats in Utah.
David Reymann, who worked on behalf of progressive voting rights groups in the case, was named as the lawyer in a complaint that an attorney for Hagen’s husband submitted to Chief Justice Matthew Durrant and the Judicial Conduct Commission, according to local outlet KSL.
Hagen and Reymann previously denied the allegations.
The Judicial Conduct Commission—described on its website as an independent body comprising several state lawmakers, judges, and members of the public—conducted a preliminary investigation based on the complaint and chose not to pursue the matter further, KSL reported.
IMMIGRATION
Quote:The Justice Department is fighting to yank citizenship from a convicted Cuban spy who briefly served as a US ambassador to Bolivia in the early 2000s, while quietly feeding secrets to Havana.
Federal prosecutors filed a civil denaturalization complaint Thursday against Manuel Rocha, arguing that his history of aiding the Cuban government against the US for decades is grounds to void his citizenship.
“Victor Manuel Rocha was not a low-level operative. He was a former United States Ambassador and senior government official who admitted he secretly served the Cuban regime for decades,” US Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said in a statement.
“This civil denaturalization case is about finishing the job,” Quiñones added. “A person who secretly serves communist Cuba should not keep the privilege of United States citizenship, even while in prison.”
Rocha, 75, who the DOJ has dubbed one of the “most prolific Cuban spies” ever found in the US, was arrested in 2023 and sentenced to 15 years behind bars. He pleaded guilty to the charges against him.
The former ambassador, who also briefly served as chargé d’affaires — top diplomat during the absence of an ambassador — to Argentina under the Clinton administration, allegedly helped the Cuban government for four decades.
Havana instructed Rocha to “lead a normal life” and act like a “right-wing person,” according to his indictment. At one point, he called the US the “enemy” to an undercover agent.
Quote:A top Padres prospect has self-deported to Mexico after pleading guilty to transporting undocumented immigrants within the United States.
Humberto Cruz, a pitcher ranked as the Padres’ fifth-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge related to receiving money for the transport, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, and acknowledged it was a “virtual certainty” he’d be deported.
The Athletic confirmed that Cruz, 19, had decided to self-deport and was back in Mexico.
The Padres’ understanding is that Cruz would lose his work visa for 10 years, but could reapply after five years of good behavior, the Union-Tribune reported.
Prosecutors had been seeking a felony charge for Cruz, whom the Padres signed in 2024 for a $750,000 bonus.
He was reportedly arrested in October near an Arizona border town, when cops suspected him of transporting illegal immigrants into the U.S. in a 2020 BMW SUV.
According to the Union-Tribune, Cruz waived his Miranda rights and said to agents that he knew the people he was transporting were illegal, and that he expected to be paid $1,000 for every individual he picked up.
Cruz had been rehabbing his elbow following Tommy John surgery when he was apprehended.
“To my teammates, the organization, our fans, and my family, I want to express my sincere regret for a recent lapse in judgment that has caused disappointment to many people I deeply respect,” he began in a statement released through the team.
Quote:Migrants quitting asylum claims and volunteering to leave the US have increased at least seven-fold under President Trump — with the administration touting the increase as a success for the rule of law, but critics arguing it’s a sign detention practices have gotten out of hand.
More than 80,000 “voluntary departure” orders were issued by US immigration judges between Jan. 2025 and March 2026 — a more than 600% increase from the 11,400 issued during the last 15 months of former President Joe Biden’s term, according to numbers from the Vera Institute of Justice reviewed by the Washington Post.
And it seems to be on the rise — 6,370 took a voluntary departure order in July, while more than 9,000 did in March, the data shows.
By comparison, about 750 per month were voluntarily departing in the second half of Biden’s presidency.
It remains unclear how many of those numbers fall under the “self deportation” option President Trump has been pushing, which allows migrants to turn themselves in via a Department of Homeland Security app in return for a cash stipend and free flight home.
Voluntary departures are orders granted by a judge to immigrants who have decided not to pursue their asylum case and have historically been an option for people who aren’t expected to be granted asylum.
People who choose voluntary departure are not issued formal deportation orders, which makes it much easier to return to the US and try their hand at the immigration system at a later date.
Immigrants can’t have a serious criminal record to qualify, and generally must leave the country at their own expense.
Quote:A man who entered the US illegally from Haiti and murdered a Fort Myers store clerk will face the death penalty, prosecutors said.
State Attorney Amira Fox announced Thursday that a Lee County grand jury returned an indictment against Rolbert Joachin, 40, in connection with the April 2 killing of Nilufa Easmın, a 51-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh, at a gas station in Fort Myers, Florida.
According to prosecutors, Joachin is accused of attacking the victim outside a gas station, striking her repeatedly in the head with a hammer and killing her.
Surveillance video captured the assault, which showed the victim being repeatedly struck in the head with a hammer after confronting the suspect for smashing her car window. Authorities described the video as “extremely brutal and incredibly violent.”
Investigators say Joachin fled the scene following the attack, prompting a citywide search before Fort Myers police located and arrested him.
“This crime was so violent, so extreme, so unwarranted. It is something that once seen, is never to be forgotten. I want to thank the Lee County Grand Jury who watched and reviewed the gruesome evidence in this case and gave their full attention. I know it was not easy. This defendant entered the United States illegally and brutally ended the life of a mother simply at her job, working to provide for her family,” State Attorney Fox said.
“He will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. We will seek the death penalty in this case,” Fox said.
President Donald Trump condemned the violent video, and blasted the Biden administration for releasing the suspect in 2022.
Quote:The city’s detective union is escalating its war against rabid cop haters, pushing to have NYPD officers added to a federal law that requires protesters stay 25 feet away from ICE officers, The Post has learned.
The Halo Act would fine or imprison protesters who get within the buffer zone and impinge on the law enforcement officers’ ability to do their jobs, according to Detectives Endowment Association President Scott Munro, who said he’s traveling to Washington, DC this week to meet with legislators.
“What’s exciting about this is if the federal government jumps in we don’t have to wait around for local politicians and their far-left agendas,” Munro told The Post.
Right now, the act is written to specifically protect federal immigration enforcement officers from harassment that causes “substantial emotional distress” and “serves no legitimate purpose.”
Leftist agitators have been harassing cops on the job, filming the exchanges and then posting the videos to social media, where they also list the names of New York’s Finest along with their complaint records. Some people have looked up the cops’ addresses and made them public too, the union said.
The DEA along with the National Association of Police Organizations and members of the New York State Public Safety Alliance, which is made up of hundreds of cops from around the state, are meeting with federal legislators to look for a way to protect cops from targeted harassment, the DEA said.
“Enough is enough,” Munro said. “What our detectives and the cops across this country are dealing with is not just unacceptable — it’s dangerous. This is not about politics. It’s about safety.”
People who don’t obey the federal law could be hit with fines and/or jail time.
CRIME
Quote:Cameras will be allowed at the trial of Tyler Robinson, the twisted Utah man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk, a judge ruled Friday, siding with the late activist’s widow and news agencies.
Lawyers for Robinson, 23, lost their argument that if the public continues to see images of the accused gunman in court, it could prejudice potential jurors against him. Robinson’s team claimed the press has sensationalized the case, pushed political agendas and villainized him.
Robinson is accused of assassinating the 31-year-old conservative podcaster and dad of two in September in front of a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University in Orem, where he was speaking as part of his Turning Point USA.
Kirk’s widow Erika, who is a victim representative in the case, has pushed for maximum press access – as have lawyers representing the media.
Press attorneys claimed the more access the public has, the easier it is to debunk conspiracy theories that have plagued the case.
Graf ruled against Robinson’s request, claiming that examples of coverage vilifying him doesn’t mean some outlets aren’t “using live media coverage to educate the public about the progress of the legal proceedings or the justice system as a whole.“
“It is the motives of these specific news reporters, the requesting reporters, that the court must question,” he said.
He ruled that outlets that want to bring cameras into the courtroom must submit a request at least 14 days in advance to give the defense time to raise a specific challenge.
Graf also granted Robinson’s request to push back the date of his preliminary hearing, overriding prosecutor Ryan McBride’s argument that the team had sufficient evidence for the early-stage hearing as he pushed to keep the May 18 date. The hearing date has been postponed to July 6.
Prosecutors can opt for a preliminary hearing in lieu of seeking a grand jury indictment.
Robinson’s team argued in court last month that they hadn’t received critical DNA evidence and were behind wading through the 200 terabytes of data from the prosecution — all of which would prevent them from preparing for the upcoming hearing.
“We shouldn’t punish the state and the victims and everyone else by delaying the proceedings,” McBride said.
Quote:White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting suspect Cole Allen wants two top prosecutors booted from his case since they were at the political soirée where he allegedly tried to kill President Trump.
Lawyers for Allen — who is accused of crashing the April 25 event armed with two guns and knives — says the fact that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro were both at the WHCD means they have a conflict prosecuting the case.
The dinner, which had President Trump, wife Melania and Trump’s top cabinet members in attendance, was forced to be evacuated after Allen tried to enter a security checkpoint a floor above.
Allen, a 31-year-old teacher from Torrance, Calif., opened fire and struck a Secret Service member, who was saved by their bullet proof vest. The agent returned fire but did not hit Allen.
Blanche and Pirro “both heard gunshots, which presumably forced them to duck below the tables with the rest of the occupants,” the filing says. “They were quickly evacuated.”
“Both were potential victims and targets in what they have described as an attempted ‘mass shooting,” the court papers claim.
Pirro even posted to her X account about the harrowing incident roughly 30 utes after the melee, saying: “I’ve been taken out of the ballroom after the sounds of shots fired.”
Blanche and Pirro’s involvement in Allen’s case presents “grave concerns about whether they are making prosecutorial decisions as representatives of the government or as witnesses,” the docs claim.
And on top of the fact that Pirro was present, she is also an alleged 30-year friend and loyalist of Trump — who she says was Allen’s intended target of the shooting.
Even if a judge doesn’t find the two prosecutors don’t have a conflict they would still need to be disqualified from the case because of the “appearance of such a conflict,” the papers say.
Allen was indicted on Tuesday and has yet to be arraigned.
He was in court on Monday during a hearing about the extremely restrictive conditions he was allegedly unnecessarily being subjected to in jail.
Quote:GREENBELT, Md. — A former senior adviser to Dr. Anthony Fauci proclaimed on Friday he’s “innocent” of criminal charges that he conspired to stop investigations into the origins of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. David Morens, 78, pleaded not guilty to five counts before Magistrate Judge Ajmel Ahsen Quereshi in Maryland federal court during an arraignment hearing Friday with his defense attorneys Timothy Belevetz and Morgan Taylor.
Morens, who faces up to 51 years in federal prison if convicted, told The Post, “I’m innocent” ahead of the hearing while seated in the courthouse lobby — and carried on calmly solving what appeared to be a Sudoku puzzle.
Asked in the hearing whether he had reviewed the indictment, he told the judge: “Yes, I scanned it. I haven’t read it word for word.”
Fauci had disavowed Morens in a June 2024 congressional hearing, saying he “knew nothing” of his alleged use of a private Gmail account to discuss official government business and claimed he wasn’t even his adviser.
Morens stared straight ahead and declined comment when asked by The Post after the hearing why Fauci had denied knowledge of his underling’s actions at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) — before driving away in a white BMW.
An April 16 indictment charged the NIAID official with one count for conspiracy against the US, two counts for concealing government records and two counts for destroying them — with the help of two as yet unnamed co-conspirators.
He’s accused of conspiring to conceal or destroy federal logbooks by using a private email account regarding the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Morens and his co-conspirators “concealed, removed, destroyed and caused the concealment, and removal of federal records to evade FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] and FRA [Federal Records Act],” per the indictment.
The scheme helped “suppress alternative theories regarding the origins of COVID-19,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement announcing the indictment on April 28.
Quote:A vicious Venice resident is on the run after he allegedly used a samurai sword to nearly hack off another man’s arm, leaving a bloody scene and shocking neighbors.
The psychotic sword fighter allegedly used a 16-inch samurai blade to assault a 27-year-old victim on the street in front of a low-income housing complex at 720 Rose Ave. on Thursday around 6:30 p.m., according to the police and fire officials.
The attacker was identified as 720 Rose Ave. resident Justin Tucker by the building’s management, nonprofit Venice Housing Corporation, which provides low-income housing and job services to the neighborhood’s inhabitants.
“You may be aware that there was an incident in front of Rose Apartments this evening,” states a wanted posted circulated in the area Friday by the nonprofit, which includes photos of Tucker
“Unfortunately, our neighbor Justin Tucker was involved,” the poster continues. “He is suspected to be armed and dangerous.”
Venice Housing Corporation didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Police would not confirm Tucker as a suspect in the attack. He is described as a white man in his late 20’s, with a short haircut.
Two witnesses said the man identified as Tucker had just returned to 720 Rose Ave. from a shopping trip to a nearby Smart and Final when he was accosted by a man in front of the building who asked Tucker if he had any drugs.
Quote:The maniac accused of pushing a 76-year-old man down a flight of Manhattan subway stairs to his death appeared in an NYC court just hours after the heinous attack — and strolled out, because no one realized he was the killer, The Post has learned.
Rhamell Burke acted crazy when he showed up Friday morning at Manhattan Criminal Court for a hearing on a third-degree assault case, sources and records showed.
“He was acting like a nut all morning,” a law enforcement source said. “Even if they didn’t know he was a suspect, what kind of system lets a guy acting like that just walk out without an evaluation of any kind.”
Burke, 32, was at one point walking with his hands up as if he were surrendering, a screenshot of surveillance video obtained by The Post shows.
He appeared before Judge Elizabeth Shamahs at a 9 a.m. hearing on a third-degree assault charge, records show. His case was adjourned and he left the courthouse about two hours later.
The evening before, authorities said, Burke had followed retired teacher Ross Falzone near a Chelsea subway station before suddenly shoving the 76-year-old down the subway steps, killing him.
“They didn’t know he was the perp,” a police source said of Burke’s court appearance the next day in the other case.
Two detectives with the NYPD’s Warrants Division who were working transit overtime later saw him walking into Penn Station and grabbed him in relation to Falzone’s death, police sources said.
Burke — who has been arrested four times since February — had been released from Bellevue Hospital’s psych ward five hours before he pushed Falzone at 18th Street in Chelsea.
Quote:A 33-year-old man was slashed in front of a Midtown subway station early Saturday.
The bloody attack occurred at around 4:10 a.m. at the 35th St and 6th Ave entrance of the 34 Street-Herald Sq station, police said.
The sharp weapon-wielding culprit immediately fled the area and authorities took the victim to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition with his left arm sliced.
Haunting pictures from the crime scene show caution tape around the entrance with blood staining the sidewalk and building near the assault.
It’s unclear what happened leading up to the attack, but the victim is allegedly not cooperating with the police.
This incident comes just days after an elderly retired teacher was fatally shoved down the steps of a subway entrance by a crazed repeat offender.
Rhamell Burke, 32, has been charged with second-degree murder after allegedly pushing Ross Falzone, 76, down the entire flight of stairs at the 18th St. 1 train station on Thursday night.
Quote:Two inmates described as "dangerous" escaped Friday evening from a Kentucky detention center, prompting a multi-agency manhunt, police said.
The Morehead Police Department warned the surrounding community that two inmates had "walked away" from the Rowan County Detention Center.
Investigators said multiple law enforcement agencies are actively searching for the escapees, with Kentucky State Police leading the investigation.
"These inmates should be considered dangerous," police said, warning the community not to approach anyone suspicious or unfamiliar.
One of the inmates was identified as Michael Fogleman, 29, who is described as 6 feet tall and 188 pounds.
He has short or closely shaved hair and a short beard along his jawline and chin, according to police.
The second inmate was identified as James Smallwood, 52, who is listed at 6 feet 1 inch tall and about 215 pounds.
He is described as having a medium to stocky build with gray facial hair around the mouth and chin area.
Smallwood was last seen wearing a white shirt and blue jeans and possibly a hat, police said.
Authorities urged residents to remain vigilant and call 911 immediately if they see anything suspicious or have information about the escapees.
OTHERS
Quote:The US State Department is set to begin revoking the passports of thousands of Americans who owe substantial unpaid child support, according to officials.
Revocations will begin Friday and will initially focus on parents who owe $100,000 or more in past-due child support.
That group includes about 2,700 passport holders, according to figures supplied by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Under Federal law, anyone with more than $2,500 in unpaid, court-ordered child support can be denied a passport or have an existing one yanked, according to a release by the State Department Thursday.
Officials said the department is expanding coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services to include parents above that threshold.
The enforcement push is intended to pressure delinquent parents to comply with court-ordered child support obligations, officials said.
Once a passport is revoked, it may no longer be used for travel, even if the debt is later paid, according to State Department guidance.
The State Department advised any American with significant child support debt to contact the relevant state agency and arrange payment before any passport action is taken.
“Eligibility for a new passport will only be restored after child support debt is paid to the relevant state child support enforcement agency and the individual is no longer delinquent according to HHS records,” they said.
Affected individuals must work with the state child support enforcement agency where the debt is owed. HHS must then update its records before the State Department can process a new passport, a process the department says can take at least two to three weeks.
It was not clear on Thursday how many passport holders owe more than $2,500 because HHS is still collecting data from state agencies that track the figures, but it could encompass many more thousands of people, officials told the Associated Press.
Quote:A town council in a small north Georgia mountain community passed an ordinance Friday reinstating the community’s police department and restoring the jobs of the police officers two days after the mayor fired them all.
A standing room-only crowd of townspeople, news media and the police officers attended the special meeting of the Cohutta Town Council, council member and Vice Mayor Shane Kornberg told The Associated Press afterward.
The officers were reinstated immediately and will receive back pay, Kornberg said.
A sign posted earlier this week in the town of about 930 people announced that the police department had been dissolved “per Mayor Ron Shinnick.” It told people who need help to call a nonemergency county number.
The jobs of the chief and about 10 officers were terminated as of Wednesday morning. Exact reasons haven’t been shared publicly.
Shinnick said he took action because of some comments officers posted on social media.
The now-former Sgt. Jeremy May said it involved a complaint that he and other officers had raised about the mayor’s wife, Pam Shinnick, who had served as the town clerk.
“This all comes to personal vendetta from the mayor, and I wholeheartedly believe that,” May told WRCB-TV. “We took a stand for transparency, and in result, every one of them has lost their jobs.”
The now-former Cohutta Police Chief Greg Fowler told WRCB that he couldn’t comment in detail as the officers were clearing out the police department and removing equipment from the building this week.
The mayor told the station he’s not sure what will happen next.
Phone calls and emails left Friday for the mayor were not immediately returned.
Quote:A Delta Airlines worker is dead after a vehicle crashed into a jet bridge on the tarmac at Orlando International Airport.
The worker died when a “tug” aircraft-towing vehicle hit a passenger boarding bridge connected to Delta Flight 2593 around 10:55 p.m. Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Operations were paused at Delta’s Orlando station as authorities investigated the deadly incident.
“The Delta family is heartbroken at the loss of a team member while on the job … We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred,” Delta told The Post in a statement.
Passengers evacuated the aircraft via the rear door, and the flight was cancelled. No aircraft were directly involved in the crash, the FAA told The Post.
Police are investigating the crash for any wrongdoing, but early evidence suggests it was “accidental in nature,” the Orlando Police Department told WFTV 9.
“The investigation is taking place within the airside terminal and is having minimal impact on airport operations,” the department told the outlet.
Quote:Congestion pricing is choking some of the Big Apple’s poorest neighborhoods.
Air quality in the South Bronx has significantly worsened since the controversial toll went into effect — despite its backers touting lofty environmental promises — an alarming new report found.
Researchers found fine particulate matter concentration increased after the $9 base tax scheme to enter Manhattan below 60th Street during peak hours was enacted in January 2025, according to an analysis by Columbia University and grass roots organization South Bronx Unite.
Two years of data analyzed from 19 air quality sensors around the Bronx found four “exhibited significant increases” in fine particulate matter, according to the findings, Gothamist reported.
Exposure to the pollutant can cause cardiovascular and respiratory issues and even premature death for people with preexisting heart or lung disease, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
And the South Bronx is already known as “Asthma Alley” due to its notoriously poor health outcomes, high rate of respiratory disease and long-standing air quality issues.
Around 1 in 5 children are diagnosed with asthma in the Mott Haven-Port Morris sections of the South Bronx, according to South Bronx Unite.
City health data also shows a startling 20.7% of South Bronx adults have asthma — or 79,000 — compared to the Big Apple’s 14.2% rate.
Congestion pricing has outperformed revenue expectations, generating a whopping $526 million in net revenue in its first year – a windfall critics blasted as proof the toll is nothing more than a cash grab.
The MTA tried to pour cold water on the report, however, pointing to other studies that have shown drops in overall New York City air pollution since the toll kicked off.
A Cornell University study previously found air pollution plummeted 22% in the Congestion Relief Zone – the Manhattan roads south of 60th Street –and also discovered more modest drops across the Big Apple.
Quote:WASHINGTON: U.S. employment increased more than expected in April while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%, pointing to labor market resilience and reinforcing expectations that the Federal Reserve would leave interest rates unchanged for some time.
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 115,000 jobs last month after an upwardly revised 185,000 advance in March, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said in its closely watched employment report on Friday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls rising by 62,000 jobs after a previously reported 178,000 rebound in March.
Estimates ranged from a loss of 15,000 jobs to a gain of 150,000 positions. Economists said it was too early for the effects of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran to show. The conflict has raised gasoline and diesel prices as well as the cost of other commodities that are shipped through the Strait of Hormuz.
Payrolls have been choppy since mid-2025, alternating between gains and losses. Economists have attributed the swings to an adjustment to the birth-and-death model, which the government uses to estimate how many jobs were gained or lost because of companies opening or closing in a given month. Some said a large turnover in firms created was making it hard for the BLS to estimate job creation associated with new companies.
Weather, strikes and government job cuts as well as big changes to the labor force as President Donald Trump's administration cracks down on illegal immigration have also added to volatility, they said. Economists recommended looking at the three-month moving average of payrolls.
The labor market has been stuck in what economists and policymakers have called a "slow hire, slow fire" zone, a paralysis blamed on trade and immigration policies. Lower immigration and an aging population meant the economy needed to create between zero and 50,000 jobs per month to keep up with growth in the working-age population, economists estimated.
With the so-called breakeven level of job growth much lower than in prior years, they did not expect a surge in the unemployment rate, even if employment gains slowed considerably.
The report bolstered financial market views that the Fed would leave interest rates unchanged into 2027. The U.S. central bank last week left its benchmark overnight interest rate in the 3.50%-3.75% range, citing inflation worries.
INTERNATIONAL
Quote:A man was arrested after reports of a security incident in which Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was reportedly charged at by a man in a balaclava near King Charles III's estate on Wednesday.
The Daily Telegraph reported that the former Prince Andrew, who was stripped of his royal titles by King Charles III in October over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, was walking his dogs when he was confronted by the man who had been sitting in a car about 50 yards away.
According to the newspaper, the man charged at Mountbatten-Windsor, who fled to his own car at around 7:30 p.m. near the Sandringham Estate, in Norfolk. The royal was accompanied by private security.
Norfolk Constabulary said in a statement released to Newsweek: “Officers were called to Wolferton shortly after 7.30pm yesterday (Wednesday 6 May 2026) following a report a man was behaving in an intimidating manner in the village. Officers attended, and the man was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and possession of an offensive weapon. He was taken to King’s Lynn Police Investigation Centre for questioning and remains in custody.”
Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
Why It Matters
Mountbatten-Windsor has become highly unpopular in Britain following allegations that he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre in 2001 when she was a 17-year-old sex trafficking victim of Epstein.
Giuffre sued Mountbatten-Windsor and he settled for an undisclosed sum in 2022 while denying liability. He has always denied her allegations.
What to Know
More recently, Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office in February after reports that he shared confidential government documents with Epstein around 2010. He has always denied Epstein-related wrongdoing.
In October, King Charles stripped him of his royal titles and forced him out of his Windsor mansion, Royal Lodge, over new revelations in emails from Epstein's estate that were made public by the House Oversight Committee in the U.S.
Charles moved Mountbatten-Windsor, who is his brother, to Sandringham, where it has been widely reported in Britain that he was living at Marsh Farm.
Police said the security incident happened in Wolferton, a village just outside the estate by the entrance that leads to Marsh Farm.
Quote:At least three people have been killed after a volcano erupted in Indonesia on Friday morning.
Mount Dukono in Indonesia's Maluku Islands erupted at 7.41 a.m. local time, sending a plume of ash around 10 kilometers into the air, according to the Volcanological Survey of Indonesia.
Two foreigners and one local resident died in the eruption, the North Halmahera police chief Erlichson Pasaribu said, according to the BBC.
Pasaribu added that a group of 15 hikers who were on the volcano at the time of the eruption had been evacuated.
What To Know
Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism had closed Mount Dukono's hiking zone ahead of the eruption due to safety risks, the country's National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) said.
Pasaribu said that some hikers had ignored warnings put up at the entrance to walking trails. "Local residents understand and don't want to climb. Many [hikers] are foreign tourists who wish to create content," he said, according to The Guardian.
The country's National Search and Rescue Agency said discussions were being held over "possible negligence by tourism operators or individuals" who went ahead with hikes.
"The government is continuing to gather information to establish a complete account of the incident," the agency said.
Tourists and climbers have been urged to refrain from hiking within four kilometers of the volcano's main crater since December 2024 due to the threat of rocks, ash and lava.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
![[Image: SP1-Scripter.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Scripter.png)
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My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
