UN adds Israeli entities to blacklist of countries that commit sexual violence - JPost exclusive - Mathilda Heller

 

by Mathilda Heller

"Anyone who is able to include Israel on the same list as Hamas terrorists and rapists has no sense of morality," said Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon.

 

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon speaks about a United Nations decision to add Israeli entities to a blacklist of countries that commit sexual violence in conflict zones. (Credit: Courtesy)

The United Nations has added Israeli entities to a blacklist of countries that commit sexual violence in conflict zones, The Jerusalem Post has learned. The list includes Hamas and other terrorist organizations,

The Israel Prison Service (IPS) will be included on the 2026 list, and other Israeli authorities have entered a monitoring framework for the possibility of future inclusion.

A country or armed group remains on the UN secretary-general’s list for a minimum of one year. Hamas was added last August.

This development follows reports by Pramila Patten, the UN special representative on sexual violence in conflict, which determined that there were reasonable grounds for Hamas to have committed acts of rape and sexual violence during the October 7 massacre and the hostages’ captivity in Gaza.

According to Israel, heavy pressure was exerted on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to include Israel on the list following Hamas’s inclusion.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during a High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., July 28, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/JEENAH MOON)

Last August, Guterres placed Israel on notice for potential inclusion in the UN’s formal blacklist of parties credibly suspected of committing patterns of sexual violence in armed conflict, citing significant concerns regarding alleged patterns of abuse. Israel has denied the charges.

Over the past year, several meetings have taken place between Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, his delegation, and representatives of Guterres.

Israel provided documents, data, and a detailed response to all the claims raised in the reports and drafts that it received. In addition, Israel invited UN personnel to visit the sites of alleged atrocities and to closely examine the false claims.

Nevertheless, despite the information provided, Guterres has chosen to include Israel on the list.

Israel freezes relations with UN Secretary-General's Office

In response, Israel has announced the freezing of relations with the UN Secretary-General’s Office and the cancellation of Patten’s planned visit to Israel.

Israel said it would not maintain contact with the UN Secretary-General’s Office as long as Guterres heads the organization.

“The UN secretary-general has put Israel on the same blacklist as Hamas, ISIS, and the most depraved terrorist organizations in the world,” Danon said. “This is a moral disgrace and a complete collapse of any credibility left to the UN.”

Israel has cooperated with the UN, provided information, and acted with full transparency, he said.

Guterres chose to ignore the facts and “continue the campaign of incitement and lies against Israel,” Danon said.

“Anyone who is able to include Israel on the same list as Hamas terrorists and rapists has no sense of morality,” he said. “Antonio Guterres, who justified the October 7 massacre, whitewashed the involvement of UNRWA employees in the massacre, and led the organization to an unprecedented low, is using the last months of his term to advance political and false accusations against Israel.”

Guterres’s term ends on December 31, meaning that the inclusion of Israel on the list comes amid a leadership contest.

Israel considers the decision to be Guterres’s attempt at a “last hurrah,” a person familiar with the matter told the Post.

The UN is facing the most severe liquidity crisis in its 80-year history, including $1.56 billion in unpaid dues by member states.

New York Times op-ed perpetuates accusations of sexual violence 

Furthermore, more than two weeks ago, The New York Times published a highly controversial op-ed by journalist Nicholas Kristof about the alleged “pattern of widespread sexual violence against [Palestinian] men, women, and even children – by [Israeli] soldiers, settlers, interrogators in the Shin Bet internal security agency, and, above all, prison guards.”

Kristof admitted that “there is no evidence that Israeli leaders order rapes,” but he said the security apparatus has created a culture in which “sexual violence has become one of Israel’s ‘standard operating procedures.’”

Kristof wrote his op-ed based on “conversations with 14 men and women who said they had been sexually assaulted by Israeli settlers or members of the security forces.”

He cited one alleged prisoner, who said IPS officers forced items up his rectum.

Another Gazan prisoner said he had been “held down, stripped naked, and as he was blindfolded and handcuffed, a dog was summoned,” before the dog attempted to “mount him.”

Kristof also accused the US of being “complicit” in the alleged sexual violence, as “American tax dollars subsidize the Israeli security establishment.”

The Foreign Ministry said the NYT article was “one of the worst blood libels ever to appear in the modern press.”

“In an unfathomable inversion of reality, and through an endless stream of baseless lies, propagandist Nicholas Kristof turns the victim into the accused,” it said. “Israel – whose citizens were the victims of the most horrific sexual crimes committed by Hamas on October 7, and whose hostages were later subjected to further sexual abuse – is portrayed as the guilty party.”

The article’s publication was “no coincidence” and forms part of a “false and well-orchestrated anti-Israel campaign aimed at placing Israel on the UN secretary-general’s blacklist,” the Foreign Ministry said.

It denounced the NYT for publishing the op-ed and not the findings of Israel’s Civil Commission into Hamas’s systemic violence during and since the October 7 massacre.

This two-year independent investigation into the sexual and gender-based crimes committed during the October 7 massacre and against hostages in Hamas captivity found that sexual and gender-based violence was systematic, widespread, and integral to the attack.

While it is not clear, the source told the Post that the NYT article might have given the UN additional power to make the move to blacklist Israel.

'A major blight on the UN'

US-based human-rights advocate, attorney, and policy expert Elliot Malin told the Post the decision was a “major blight on the UN, the entire professional apparatus, and an indictment on its ability to objectively weigh in on conflict.”

“It’s directly contrary to the purpose of the UN and its establishment,” he said. “In an institution where they commonly single out and demean a democracy while ignoring the atrocities of totalitarian states, even elevating them to prominent roles in UN appendant bodies – this is just another demonstration of the inability of the UN to act in a fair and balanced manner.”

Malin condemned the way in which international institutions are being “weaponized for lawfare.”

“If democracies want the UN to survive, they must act to clean house,” he said. “Antonio Guterres must be forced to retract this reprehensible action, and the UN must be completely audited for systemic bias.”

“Every democratic state should withhold its citizens’ tax dollars from going to the UN until this is retracted and the house has been cleaned,” Malin said. 

Mathilda Heller

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-897572

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Why Any Deal with Iran Is a Mistake - Khaled Abu Toameh

 

by Khaled Abu Toameh

There can be no "good" deal with a jihadist regime that openly sponsors terrorism across the Middle East, brutalizes its own people, calls for the destruction of Israel, and continues to chant "Death to America." 

• Tehran sees diplomacy as a tactical weapon: a means to buy time, get intrusive foreign governments off their back, weaken international opposition, divide Western allies, and secure economic relief -- all while continuing its long-term strategic objectives as fast as the circumstances after President Donald J. Trump's term in office will allow.

• Even if any new agreement does not contain sunset clauses allowing the Iranian regime eventually to resume advanced uranium enrichment activities legally after restrictions expire, the Iranian regime will view a "deal" as a green light quietly to continue rebuilding its nuclear weapons program. Such provisions do not eliminate the nuclear threat; they postpone them.

• Already, Iran has reportedly already restarted much of its ballistic missile production and "could restore significant portions of its offensive drone capabilities within months."

• Significantly, the response from the Arab and Muslim world to Trump's latest demand [to join the Abraham Accords] has been largely unenthusiastic. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have shown no public eagerness to comply, while Pakistan flatly rejected the idea. This silence and rejection underscore a larger reality: meaningful peace agreements cannot be manufactured for public relations purposes or used to obscure strategic failures elsewhere.

• Worse, many of the supposedly neutral Middle Eastern countries "facilitating" the deal -- Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar -- have well-worn records of not being even slightly neutral.

• Expanding peace agreements between Israel and Arab and Muslim countries is unquestionably a positive goal. Peace and normalization are in the interests of Arabs and Muslims no less than Israelis. The Abraham Accords demonstrated that cooperation with Israel promotes regional stability, security, economic growth, and technological advancement. Genuine peace, however, may not be able to be imposed through pressure or threats. Peace made at gunpoint rarely lasts. Arabs and Muslims might choose peace with Israel because they recognize that coexistence and regional cooperation serve their own national interests, not because they are being publicly pressured by the US president.

• [B]y linking the Abraham Accords to the conflict with Iran, Trump risks creating the impression that normalization is being used to compensate for the failure to topple the Iranian regime or halt its nuclear ambitions. It almost appears as if the Trump administration understands that any forthcoming agreement with Tehran will be viewed by many in the Middle East as a weak and dangerous concession, and is therefore searching for a diplomatic achievement elsewhere to offset criticism.

• Unfortunately, the Iranian regime, although its top layers of leadership have been eliminated, has not changed. The "terrorists with an oil field" will emerge from a future agreement economically stronger, politically legitimized, and closer than ever to an eventual nuclear breakout capability.

• Any agreement that leaves intact the current Iranian regime -- one that has repeatedly called for Israel's destruction and repeatedly violates its own signed commitments, such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty -- cannot be trusted.

• The only realistic strategy is one based on sustained maximum pressure -- including kinetic action if necessary -- diplomatic isolation, economic sanctions, and decisive measures aimed at dismantling Iran's nuclear and ballistic programs permanently. Anything less will simply postpone the next crisis while making the Iranian regime richer, stronger, and more dangerous.

There can be no "good" deal with a jihadist regime that openly sponsors terrorism across the Middle East, brutalizes its own people, calls for the destruction of Israel, and continues to chant "Death to America." Pictured: Iran's then "Supreme Guide," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gives a speech on November 1, 2023, televised on Iran's Channel 1. (Image source: MEMRI)

Once again, the US appears prepared to negotiate another agreement with Iran in the hope of limiting Tehran's nuclear ambitions and reducing tensions in the Middle East. The negotiations are a dangerous illusion, based on the false assumption that compromise, sanctions relief, and engagement are the only path to regional stability.

There can be no "good" deal with a jihadist regime that openly sponsors terrorism across the Middle East, brutalizes its own people, calls for the destruction of Israel, and continues to chant "Death to America."

U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum this week called Iran's current Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leaders "terrorists with an oil field."

An agreement will not moderate them. It will embolden them.

The Iranian regime and its terror proxies – Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Houthis in Yemen – will interpret any deal as a victory over the US and the West. They will see it as proof that terrorism, missile attacks, hostage-taking, nuclear blackmail, and claiming control of the Strait of Hormuz forced Western powers into concessions.

This is exactly what happened when the Obama administration signed the 2015 "nuclear deal," the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The deal provided Tehran with sanctions relief and access to billions of dollars while merely delaying -- not totally dismantling -- its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The Iranian regime never changed its behavior. There was never any need to. Instead, the regime expanded its ballistic missile program, increased support for terrorist organizations, intensified regional aggression, and steadily advanced its nuclear capabilities. Iran's mullahs repeatedly violated restrictions while exploiting loopholes and enforcement mechanisms that were pitifully weak.

Why should anyone believe that this time will be different?

The Iranian regime does not view negotiations the way Western democracies do. Tehran sees diplomacy as a tactical weapon: a means to buy time, get intrusive foreign governments off their back, weaken international opposition, divide Western allies, and secure economic relief -- all while continuing its long-term strategic objectives as fast as the circumstances after President Donald J. Trump's term in office will allow.

For the Islamist rulers in Tehran, hostility toward the US and Israel is not rhetoric. It is a core pillar of the regime's ideology and identity -- its entire reason for being.

Any agreement that eases sanctions will inject billions of dollars into Iran's economy. That money will not improve the lives of ordinary Iranians suffering under corruption, repression, and economic mismanagement. It will only strengthen the IRGC, finance terrorism, and fuel new wars across the Middle East.

The Iranian regime continues supplying its proxies with weapons and political backing. More money for Tehran means more drones and rockets for Hezbollah in Lebanon, more weapons and training for Hamas, and more drones and ballistic missiles for the Houthis in Yemen.

The Houthis have already demonstrated their ability to threaten vital international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, with repeated attacks on commercial vessels and disruptions to global maritime trade.

Any agreement that enriches the Iranian regime will jeopardize global energy security by leaving critical oil chokepoints vulnerable to state-sponsored sabotage wherever countries will end freedom of navigation. Endless negotiations with the Iranian regime -- particularly until the US midterm elections in November to make sure that oil prices stay high and voters stay "madder" -- consume enormous American diplomatic energy and strategic attention that are urgently needed elsewhere. Washington risks becoming trapped once again in a cycle of talks, temporary understandings, violations, and renewed crises with a regime that has consistently acted in bad faith.

Even if any new agreement does not contain sunset clauses allowing the Iranian regime eventually to resume advanced uranium enrichment activities legally after restrictions expire, the Iranian regime will view a "deal" as a green light quietly to continue rebuilding its nuclear weapons program. Such provisions do not eliminate the nuclear threat; they postpone them.

Already, Iran has reportedly already restarted much of its ballistic missile production and "could restore significant portions of its offensive drone capabilities within months."

Every concession made to Tehran weakens America's credibility and emboldens those seeking to undermine Western interests.

Against this backdrop, Trump's demand that Arab and Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Pakistan, join the Abraham Accords and normalize relations with Israel raises additional questions about Washington's strategy in the Middle East. Expanding peace agreements between Israel and Arab and Muslim countries is unquestionably a positive goal. Peace and normalization are in the interests of Arabs and Muslims no less than Israelis. The Abraham Accords demonstrated that cooperation with Israel promotes regional stability, security, economic growth, and technological advancement. Genuine peace, however, may not be able to be imposed through pressure or threats. Peace made at gunpoint rarely lasts. Arabs and Muslims might choose peace with Israel because they recognize that coexistence and regional cooperation serve their own national interests, not because they are being publicly pressured by the US president.

In addition, by linking the Abraham Accords to the conflict with Iran, Trump risks creating the impression that normalization is being used to compensate for the failure to topple the Iranian regime or halt its nuclear ambitions. It almost appears as if the Trump administration understands that any forthcoming agreement with Tehran will be viewed by many in the Middle East as a weak and dangerous concession, and is therefore searching for a diplomatic achievement elsewhere to offset criticism.

Significantly, the response from the Arab and Muslim world to Trump's latest demand has been largely unenthusiastic. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have shown no public eagerness to comply, while Pakistan flatly rejected the idea. This silence and rejection underscore a larger reality: meaningful peace agreements cannot be manufactured for public relations purposes or used to obscure strategic failures elsewhere.

The consequences of a deal with Tehran could extend far beyond Israel and the Middle East.

Worse, many of the supposedly neutral Middle Eastern countries "facilitating" the deal -- Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar -- have well-worn records of not being even slightly neutral.

Within hours of Hamas's October 7, 2023 invasion of Israel, Pakistan's Defense Minister Khwaja Asif announced that "all Muslim countries should fight united against Israel" and that we "are standing by Iran in every way."

Turkey's antagonism toward Israel after October 7, 2023, has only hardened. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has openly been calling for Israel's destruction.

Saudi Arabia earlier this month refused to grant the United States the use of Prince Sultan Airbase as well as flyover rights for Project Freedom.

Qatar, with its state-owned Al Jazeera media empire that promotes the Muslim Brotherhood, is, along with Turkey, a long-time supporter of Hamas. In October 2023, then US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly asked Qatar to "tone down the volume on Al Jazeera's coverage because it is so full of anti-Israel incitement."

Qatar's school textbooks "remain rife with antisemitic content" according to both a 2024 US State Department report and a 2025 ISGAP report.

Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have interests in making sure that Iran's regime survives.

First, a "deal," prevents further Iranian missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which is why the Iranian regime attacked its neighbors in the first place: to pressure Trump into stopping US military operations and instead persuade him to make a deal.

Second, all four countries might well prefer to have Iran ruled by a weakened regime to seeing Israel's stature in the Middle East strengthened.

Third, if the IRGC "terrorists with an oil field" remain ruling Iran, it makes it easier for all of these countries -- after Trump leaves office -- to resume trying to annihilate Israel.

And if they deployed soldiers as part of an "International Stabilization Force" in Gaza, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan would be positioned militarily, right on Israel's doorstep. Apart from Turkey, these countries have never even recognized that Israel even exists.

Unfortunately, the Iranian regime, although its top layers of leadership have been eliminated, has not changed. The "terrorists with an oil field" will emerge from a future agreement economically stronger, politically legitimized, and closer than ever to an eventual nuclear breakout capability.

For Israel, the consequences are especially grave.

Any agreement that leaves intact the current Iranian regime -- one that has repeatedly called for Israel's destruction and repeatedly violates its own signed commitments, such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty -- cannot be trusted.

Any agreement that strengthens the Iranian regime financially and politically also strengthens its network of terrorist organizations that surround Israel on multiple fronts: Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen, and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria.

The missile and drone capabilities that Iran is actively rebuilding already enable its proxies to attack Israel with increasingly sophisticated precision weapons. Every sanctions-relief package and every diplomatic concession accelerate this process. Every day of negotiations sees Iran's capabilities rapidly being restored.

The consequences would extend far beyond Israel and the Middle East.

At the same time, a "deal" would send a message that defiance and blackmail eventually produce rewards and economic benefits.

Equally disturbing is the moral message such an agreement would send.

The Iranian regime is one of the world's leading violators of human rights. It brutally suppresses dissent, jails journalists and political opponents, persecutes women and minorities, and executes critics. Rewarding such a regime with sanctions relief and international legitimacy would normalize repression and signal that systematic human rights abuses carry no meaningful consequences.

Finally, a deal with Tehran would undermine American deterrence worldwide. America's enemies would see negotiations and concessions not as diplomacy, but as weakness.

The fundamental problem is not only Iran's nuclear program, but also the nature of the regime itself. This is a revolutionary Islamist regime committed to exporting jihad (holy war), destroying Israel, undermining pro-Western governments, and threatening American interests throughout the Middle East. No "deal" can change that reality.

The only realistic strategy is one based on sustained maximum pressure -- including kinetic action if necessary -- diplomatic isolation, economic sanctions, and decisive measures aimed at dismantling Iran's nuclear and ballistic programs permanently. Anything less will simply postpone the next crisis while making the Iranian regime richer, stronger, and more dangerous.

• Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter) 

Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22563/iran-deal-mistake

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Iran unearthing missiles buried in underground facilities - JNS Staff

 

by JNS Staff

Satellite images show that Tehran has been using the ceasefire to clear access points to projectiles struck by U.S. and Israeli forces.

 

A fragment of a missile fired from Iran, intercepted by Israeli air-defense systems and lodged in the ground in the Golan Heights, April 7, 2026. Photo by Maor Kinsbursky/Flash90.

Since the ceasefire took effect on April 8, Iran has cleared at least 50 entry points to 18 different missile sites damaged during the war, CNN reported on Thursday.

The access points were bombed by U.S. and Israeli air forces during the war to prevent Iran from launching missiles stored in underground facilities.

However, a CNN analysis of new satellite images from Airbus Defence and Space, an aeronautics division of Airbus, has found that 50 out of 69 blocked tunnels have been cleared by bulldozers and dump trucks. The images analyzed were taken last month.

Many other bases across Iran are being repaired, the report added.

U.S. and Israeli officials have stated that while the total stockpile of Iranian missiles has not been dismantled, Tehran’s capacity to manufacture new missiles has been significantly reduced.

CNN reported last week that the Islamic Republic has been exploiting the ceasefire to rebuild some of its drone and missile production sites much faster than initially expected.

While the timetable for rehabilitating its military industry varies for different weapons systems, Tehran could fully restore its drone attack capacity within six months, the report cited a U.S. official as saying.

Another source said Iran’s rehabilitation rate is progressing faster than expected due to the help it is receiving from Russia and China.

China in particular is supplying Iran with components required for a rebuild of its forces, although this has been curtailed amid the naval blockade imposed by U.S. forces, CNN reported. 

JNS Staff

Source: https://www.jns.org/news/world/iran-unearthing-missiles-buried-in-underground-facilities

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US sanctions Iranian body accused of Strait of Hormuz extortion - Israel National News

 

by Israel National News

US Treasury Department sanctions Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority, accusing IRGC-linked body of trying to extort vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, funneling funds to Iran’s terror network.

 

Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz                                                                     iStock

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Wednesday took action against Iran’s so-called Persian Gulf Strait Authority, a new attempt by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to monetize its campaign of state-sponsored terror by extorting vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

"This entity spearheads an Iranian-controlled scheme that flagrantly violates international law and US sanctions," the Treasury stressed in a statement. "Anyone cooperating with the so-called strait authority may be providing support to and receiving services from the IRGC, which ultimately benefits from this attempted extortion, and may therefore be exposed to sanctions risk."

"The Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash," said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. "Through Economic Fury, the United States has imposed a financial stranglehold on the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Treasury has deprived the Iranian regime of revenue for their weapons programs, terrorist proxies, and nuclear ambitions. Under President Trump’s leadership, we will remain relentless in our pursuit to constrict the network of vessels, intermediaries, and buyers through which Iran exports both its oil and malevolence."

Wednesday’s action builds on recent guidance warning of the sanctions risk for complying with Iranian demands for passage through the Strait of Hormuz such as "toll" payments, including payments made via fiat currency, digital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments such as nominally charitable donations, and providing sensitive vessel information.

The Treasury also stressed that the action "is being taken pursuant to the counterterrorism authority, Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended. It continues the robust sanctions campaign targeting Iranian oil sales in support of Economic Fury and the President’s National Security Presidential Memorandum 2 (NSPM-2), instituting a campaign of maximum economic pressure on Iran."

The statement stressed, "Through the blockade, the Trump Administration is directly targeting the regime’s primary revenue stream. Any person or vessel facilitating the illicit trade of oil or other commodities, through covert trade or financial channels, risks exposure to US sanctions."

"The Persian Gulf Strait Authority is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the IRGC."

In addition, the US Treasury clarified, "As a result of Wednesday’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked person described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of US persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked persons."

Israel National News

Source: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/427733

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Nuances on China in USIC’s 2026 Threat Assessment - Stu Cvrk

 

by Stu Cvrk

A slight softening toward China is detected.

 

The 2026 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community was published on 18 March. The unclassified report is posted here.

One of the most notable structural shifts in the 2026 report is that communist China is no longer singled out as the preeminent individual threat the way it was previously. The 2025 assessment highlighted China as the actor that most “stands out” as a threat to the United States, whereas the 2026 assessment draws more attention to how a cluster of adversarial nations is collectively propping each other up.

The report now frames the threat in coalition terms: Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea—individually and collectively—are challenging U.S. interests by attacking or threatening others in their regions, promoting alternative systems to compete with the United States, and growing their cooperation in ways that increase their collective fortitude.

Let us examine the report as related to communist China, as well as differences from prior assessments.

Taiwan

The 2026 assessment makes a significant and noteworthy downward revision to the Taiwan threat calculus. Most notably, the IC assesses that Chinese leaders do not currently plan to execute an invasion of Taiwan in 2027—downplaying the oft-cited target for China’s military to be ready to take the island—nor do they have a fixed timeline for achieving unification. At the same time, the IC assesses that China is building a force with the aim of being capable of deterring and disrupting U.S. and allied forces in its region and developing the ability to seize Taiwan by force if necessary, but that China will likely seek to set the conditions for an eventual peaceful reunification with Taiwan, short of conflict.

China is also described as responding aggressively to regional diplomatic statements. China is employing multidomain coercive pressure that probably will intensify through 2026, aimed both at punishing Japan and deterring other countries from making similar statements about their potential involvement in a Taiwan crisis.

The PLA: Missile and Military Capability

The IC assesses that China and Russia are developing advanced delivery systems meant to be capable of penetrating or bypassing U.S. missile defenses and that threats to the homeland will expand collectively to more than 16,000 missiles by 2035, from the current assessed figure of more than 3,000 missiles.

Cyber

China and Russia present the most persistent and active cyber threats and are continuing their R&D efforts. DNI Tulsi Gabbard highlighted a specific example in congressional testimony: a China-run data-extortion operation in August 2025 used an AI tool to extort international government, healthcare, public health, emergency services sectors, and religious institutions.

Artificial Intelligence

The 2026 assessment identifies China as “the most capable competitor” to the United States in AI, calling AI a “defining technology for the 21st century.” The report notes that China is driving AI adoption at scale—both domestically and internationally—by using its sizable talent pool, extensive datasets, government funding, and burgeoning global partnerships. This builds on a theme from the 2025 report, which had described China’s multifaceted, national-level strategy designed to displace the United States as the world’s most influential AI power by 2030, with Chinese AI firms already world leaders in voice and image recognition, video analytics, and mass surveillance technologies.

Economic and Technological Competition

The IC assesses that China aims to elevate its own political, economic, military, and technological power to increase its regional positioning and global influence, while fending off threats to its interests. On Latin America, China’s demand for raw materials is likely to continue to drive its economic outreach.

Chemical and Biological Threats

China most likely possesses capabilities relevant to chemical and biological warfare that pose a threat to U.S., allied, and partner forces as well as civilian populations. DNI The report revisits COVID-19 origins in pointed terms: the COVID-19 pandemic began in China, which Beijing still refuses to acknowledge, and China’s strict censorship prevented doctors from warning the world of a far more serious contagion, slowing the world’s preparedness and response.

Key Differences from Prior Year Assessments

The contrast with the Biden-era assessments is stark. Under Biden, China was consistently the “pacing threat” and singular focus. The shift to a collective adversary framework—China, Russia, Iran, North Korea together—arguably dilutes the China-specific alarm while also fitting a political moment where the administration is simultaneously pressuring all four and negotiating with some. It also happens to align with a White House narrative that frames the Trump administration as uniquely capable of managing great-power competition through deal-making.

More specifically:

1. China is no longer the singular “stand-out” threat. The 2025 assessment explicitly elevated China above all others; the 2026 version shifts to a collective adversary framing—China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea acting in coordinated alignment—rather than spotlighting Beijing alone.
2. The 2027 Taiwan invasion timeline is walked back. Prior assessments treated 2027 as a credible Chinese military readiness target for Taiwan. The 2026 assessment explicitly says Chinese leaders have no current plans for an invasion in 2027 and no fixed reunification timeline—a meaningful intelligence revision.
3. AI gets dramatically elevated treatment, with China at the center. The 2026 report treats AI far more prominently than the 2024 and 2025 versions, and China’s role as an AI competitor is central to that expanded framing in ways it was not before.
4. AI disinformation is dropped from the China threat picture. Notably, missing from the 2026 report is any meaningful mention of AI’s role in election interference, disinformation, and the advancement of autocracy—a big change from 2024, when those uses of AI drew significant attention at the threat assessment hearing. Prior reports flagged China and Russia’s use of AI-generated content to undermine U.S. institutions; the 2026 report omits this. This is very odd given recent revelations that China likely accessed U.S. voter registration information in 2020.
5. The diplomatic tone toward China is softened slightly. The 2026 assessment acknowledges Trump administration engagement with Beijing in relatively positive terms, noting that President Trump’s diplomatic engagements with President Xi to work towards U.S. interests have enabled progress where those interests align—a framing absent from prior assessments under a different administration.

What the 2026 Assessment Still Gets Right

It’s worth noting what didn’t change from prior assessments. The assessment still:

• Identifies China as the most capable AI competitor
• Flags the massive expansion in Chinese missile forces
• Describes ongoing cyber operations and infrastructure targeting
• Notes Chinese military coercion of Japan and the Philippines
• Acknowledges China’s continued buildup toward Taiwan contingency capability

So, the underlying Chinese threat picture remains largely intact. The softening is more in the top-line framing, the explicit prioritization, and certain notable omissions than in the substantive threat descriptions themselves.

Concluding Thoughts

In sum, the 2026 assessment presents China as a formidable, multidimensional competitor—especially in AI, cyber, missiles, and economic influence—but frames it more as part of a hostile coalition than as a uniquely singular threat and noticeably softens some of the harder-edged Taiwan invasion language that characterized recent prior years.

The assessment almost certainly reflects a mixture of genuine analytical revision (Taiwan timeline, coalition dynamics), real-world developments (PLA corruption, Chinese economic constraints), and politically influenced framing (the disinformation omission, the positive reference to Trump-Xi engagement, the de-centering of China as the singular threat).

The real risk in this assessment is that PLA capability keeps expanding even when China’s assessed intent softens—and capabilities, once built, don’t require intent to remain a constant threat when geopolitical winds change. 

Photo: BEIJING, CHINA - MAY 12: China's President Xi Jinping looks on before the welcoming ceremony for Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon outside the Great Hall of the People on May 12, 2026 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov Pool/Getty Images)

 
Stu Cvrk

Source: https://amgreatness.com/2026/05/27/nuances-on-china-in-usics-2026-threat-assessment/

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Marxist streamer Hasan Piker says scrutiny over Cuba trip is about China-based ‘target’ Roy Singham - Jerry Dunleavy

 

by Jerry Dunleavy

Hasan Piker, an influencer in socialist social media lamented the alleged scrutiny he was receiving from the federal government, but argued that Neville Roy Singham was likely the main target.

 

Far-left online influencer Hasan Piker responded to reports that the Treasury Department was sending him a subpoena related to his March trip in support of the Communist Cuban regime, with the streamer suggesting that the real “target” was the China-based Marxist multimillionaire Neville Roy Singham and his "Singham Network."

Piker has repeatedly denied actually being served a federal subpoena in recent days, despite news reports claiming he had been, and he suggested that the Trump Administration’s alleged focus was actually “probably Singham and his operation.” Singham is a wealthy pro-CCP activist whose financial network played a key role in the so-called Nuestra America Convoy to Cuba in March.

It was reported by Fox News over the weekend that the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control had served subpoenas to the Marxist influencer and to CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin. The probe relates to a federal investigation into whether Singham Network-linked groups and other pro-Communist organizations had violated U.S. laws and sanctions during their trip to Cuba in March in support of the regime.

Just The News had reported back in March that the now-infamous scenes of far-left activists descending upon Cuba to provide alleged humanitarian aid that month were preceded by high-level meetings between leaders within the Singham Network and the strongman head of Communist Cuba in the weeks prior, as Cuba’s allies sought to prop up the regime.

Piker responded to the subpoena news on Sunday with a Twitch stream titled, “FEDS ARE AFTER ME.”

“I’m not going to lie to you guys, it’s not great. The news, it’s not great, okay? I mean it’s bullshit, but still not great that, you know, they’re after your boy,” Piker said, adding, “Free me. Free me. Free me. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but I’m, you know, I’m about to be seemingly made an example of.”

Piker denies being served with subpoena

Piker and Benjamin both denied in social media over the weekend that any such subpoenas had actually been served on them yet. The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Piker called the alleged subpoena an “intimidation operation” and claimed his actions in Cuba were “not illegal” but were actually “very legal.”

The streamer said he found out about the alleged subpoena from a voicemail from a Fox News producer, but that “I haven’t gotten anything yet, so I don’t know, I don’t fucking know anything [...] Guys, I have not had anything happen to me yet. Like technically nothing has happened to me, it’s just Fox News saying things are happening to me [...] I don’t know anything because I have not received a subpoena.”

Piker also spoke about Evans — Singham’s wife — saying, “She’s one of the founders of Code Pink. She’s wonderful.”

The Marxist streamer held another episode on Twitch on Monday again titled, “FEDS ARE AFTER ME” and “BLUEMAGA/NAZIS LOVE IT.”

“I have not been served it,” Piker said of the alleged subpoena against him, adding that he was not sure if the subpoena is real.

“I think that the target is — I think that ultimately the target is probably Singham and his operation, from PSL to ANSWER Coalition to Code Pink, like anything that he has ever financed,” Piker said.

“And it’s not new, it’s been around for a while, but it’s held through regardless because like it’s ridiculous, right? It’s totally fucking ridiculous to try and, you know, to try and stop the political advocacy of an American citizen, right?” Piker said of Singham’s actions. “Roy Singham is an American citizen, he lives in China now, and he’s a centimillionaire, I think he has like almost a billion dollars, not sure how much money he has now, but like he’s been a funding vehicle for a lot of like political — a lot of political movements in the country, like a lot of activism.”

Piker continued: “The American government hates that shit, so they are trying to jam him up, you know, they are trying to hit him on anything and everything they possibly can. That’s it, that’s the goal here, that’s the broader goal.”

Piker repeated on Tuesday that “I’ve yet to receive a subpoena.” The influencer also sought to downplay any claims that he had given away any secrets about Singham, saying that he had simply read a “Wikipedia readout summary” about the Singham Network and that “I went through readily available information about Roy Singham.”

Code Pink denies receiving federal subpoena too — but defends Cuba actions

Code Pink’s Benjamin also responded to the news of an alleged federal subpoena, saying Sunday that “I am guilty. Guilty of loving the Cuban people. Guilty of believing Cuban children deserve medicine instead of sanctions. Guilty of believing that trying to save lives should not be treated like a crime.”

“It looks like the Trump Administration is investigating me, Hasan Piker, and others for a trip that Code Pink and other groups organized in March to bring medicines and medical supplies to Cuba’s pediatric hospitals,” the Code Pink co-founder claimed on X. “I want my government to leave the Cuban people alone!”

Benjamin also said in a Code Pink statement on Sunday that “contrary to rumors, I have not received any subpoena from the U.S. government” but that “perhaps one is on the way.”

“But let me be clear: we did nothing wrong during our March 2026 trip to Cuba. On the contrary, we acted as moral U.S. citizens trying to bring some relief to a population being deliberately starved by the cruel policies of our own government,” Benjamin said.

Ryan Grim, a reporter at the leftwing Drop Site News, tweeted Tuesday that “Medea Benjamin tells me Code Pink now has gotten an email from OFAC requesting information about the trip. Not a subpoena but does confirm some sort of probe.”

Piker’s pro-jihadist and pro-Communist commentary

Piker has a long history of pro-jihadist and pro-Communist commentary, including saying in 2019 that "America deserved 9/11.” Piker has also infamously praised the terrorist group Hamas as he has attacked Israel, claiming in an X post in January that “as a lesser evil voter i will once against repeat my harm reductionist credo! hamas is a thousand times better than the fascist settler colonial apartheid state” of Israel.

“I stand by that,” Piker said of his support for Hamas during a Pod Save America podcast episode in April. Podcast host Jon Favreau asked him, "When you say Hamas is a thousand times better, do you actually mean that?" Piker replied that "I do mean it" and that “I would vote for Hamas over Israel every single time.”

Code Pink's Medea Benjamin told one X user that she had gotten an email from OFAC requesting information about the trip. "Not a subpoena, but does confirm some sort of probe.”

Singham associates rally behind Raul Castro

Last week, key leaders and groups within the CCP-linked Singham Network quickly began to mobilize to defend Fidel Castro’s brother Raul in the wake of the Justice Department’s indictment against the Cuban Communist leader.

The DOJ’s indictment of former Cuban strongman Raul Modesto Castro Ruz last Wednesday — just the latest example of the Trump Administration’s efforts to launch a maximum pressure campaign against the Communist island regime — saw swift pushback from key members of the financial and activist network led by Singham.

The DOJ revealed that Raul Castro, the brother of former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, has been charged in connection with a 1996 attack on two airplanes in which four U.S. nationals, including three U.S. citizens, were killed.

The unsealed indictment against Raul — the second revolutionary leader of Communist Cuba following the stepping down of his brother Fidel — charged him and other co-defendants in connection with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, the destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder for the Cuban MiG fighter jet shooting down of humanitarian supply-and-rescue planes flown by Brothers to the Rescue over international waters near Cuba three decades ago.

Singham Network played key role in Communist Cuba trip

In the lead-up to March’s pro-Communist revolutionary events in Cuba, the leaders of the People’s Forum, Tricontinental, the PSL, Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) Coalition, and the International Peoples’ Assembly all traveled to Havana for a warm “solidarity” meeting with Miguel Diaz-Canel, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba.

The so-called “humanitarian” trips to Cuba in March were in large part organized by groups within the activist network tied to and funded by Singham, as well as by the far-left Progressive International (which counts the leftist anti-war group Code Pink, which is personally and financially tied to Singham, as one of its member organizations).

The Venceremos Brigade (VB) was also part of the Nuestra America convoy in March. The VB is a far-left activist group sympathetic to the Communist revolution in Cuba and which U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies as well as Cuban defectors have identified as being co-opted by Cuban intelligence services.

Progressive International — linked to Singham Network — took lead in Cuba convoy

Piker said he didn’t attend the Cuba convoy in March with Code Pink, but rather with Progressive International, which played a key organizing role in the convoy. Code Pink is one of the 11 North American member organizations within Progressive International.

Piker said on Instagram in March that “im going to cuba” as he shared a graphic which declared that “I’m joining the Nuestra America Convoy.”

“Seeing the cuban embargo’s impact first hand has only made my commitment to the cubans more steadfast! we are destroying the tremendous potential of cuba for no reason at all!” Piker posted on Instagram while in Cuba. “i’ll be releasing a mini doc about the daily struggles and the systemic impact of the oil blockade and the complex bureaucratic sanctions regime that has held back cuba since its people got sovereignty in their revolution.”

The streamer also shared a video in collaboration with Al-Jazeera Plus about his trip.

James Schneider, the communications director for Progressive International, said on the socialist Workers Lit podcast in mid-March that “the Nuestra America ‘Convoy for Cuba’ brings together people of conscience from around the world to bring humanitarian aid to Cuba by air, land, and sea.”

The “Nuestra America — Convoy to Cuba” website contended that “we are mobilizing to Cuba, bringing critical humanitarian aid for its people” and that “the Trump administration is strangling the island, cutting off fuel, flights, and critical supplies for survival.”

Progressive International’s advisory council also includes a top member of the Communist Cuban government. Mariela Castro Espin is a Deputy of the National Assembly of People's Power and is also the director of the Cuban National Center for Sex Education in Havana. She is the daughter of former Cuban Communist leader Raul Castro and and the niece of former Cuban Communist dictator Fidel Castro. Jeremy Corbyn, a far-left member of Parliament in the United Kingdom and a former leader of the Labour Party, is also on the advisory council.

Progressive International in March tweeted “it’s simply wrong what is happening” as they shared a video where Corbyn and the activist rap group Kneecap “explain why they have travelled to Cuba as part of the Nuestra América Convoy.”

Schneider of Progressive International had said in mid-March that “the People’s Forum in New York and Code Pink in the U.S.” were the two main American groups organizing March’s Cuba convoy movement alongside Progressive International.

Code Pink played key role in Cuban efforts

Progressive International in March tweeted out a quote from Benjamin, who said that "we're so disgusted with our government's policy of deliberately causing misery for the Cuban people."

The antiwar group was sharing a link to an article from Le Monde, which had quoted Benjamin and reported that her group “is one of the organizers of the international convoy and chartered two planes to make the short crossing from Miami to Havana on Friday.”

Code Pink said in its March press release that “140 people from across the United States will depart Miami for Havana as part of the international Nuestra America Convoy, delivering humanitarian aid to Cuba and protesting U.S. policies that are deliberately creating an economic crisis on the island.” Code Pink added that the delegation was “organized … in collaboration with Progressive International, Cuban Americans for Cuba, and other partners, includes doctors, lawyers, union leaders, professors, social media influencers, and community organizers from across the country.”

The antiwar group had tweeted in March that “we're on our way to Cuba! Our CODEPINK delegation to the Nuestra America convoy is carrying thousands of pounds of urgently needed humanitarian aid. We stand with Cuba!”

Benjamin said in a Code Pink livestream that day that “we’re going to support the Cuban people and we are in 150% opposition to what Donald Trump and Marco Rubio and the cruel congresspeople from southern Florida are doing.”

“We're in Havana!” the Singham Network group said on X later that day. “We have landed with our solidarity & humanitarian aid to break the U.S. blockade that is trying to suffocate the Cuban people into submission.” Code Pink excitedly posted a picture in March of “CODEPINK co-founder Jodie Evans with Hasan Piker in Havana, Cuba!” Evans was smiling widely while Piker gave the peace sign. Evans is married to Singham.

The group run by Evans touts itself as antiwar and has become increasingly pro-China in recent years. Just the News previously reported on how Evans personally recruits Americans to join Code Pink on “Red China” trips focused on lauding Chinese Communist revolutionary history.

Singham Network affirmed “solidarity with the Revolution” in meeting with Cuban leader

The Cuban government’s official website in early March wrote that “the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, received members of the delegation of the International Peoples' Assembly, who have been developing a program on the Island since last Sunday motivated by cooperation and solidarity.”

“We know what it means to visit Cuba in these times,” Diaz-Canel reportedly told the Singham Network delegation members “who have been carrying out a program on the Island since last Sunday motivated by cooperation and solidarity.”

“From the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, the Head of State affirmed to the visiting friends … that they, and the largest of the Antilles, are inspired by the common goal of the anti-capitalist and anti-colonial struggle,” the Cuban government said.

The Cuban government wrote that “the purpose of the above, the dignitary said, is to confront with coordinated actions the ideological, cultural and media war of the United States government, which is an expression of its hegemonic ambition.”

Diaz-Canel shared a message on X in early March touting the meeting with far-left Singham Network leaders. “I held a fraternal meeting with the delegation from the International Assembly of the Peoples, who are carrying out a visit to our country, to reaffirm their permanent support and solidarity with the Revolution, at this moment when the threats of Yankee imperialism are intensifying,” the Cuban leader said, in a tweet translated by Google and by X.

Diaz-Canel specifically described “Brian Becker and Manolo De Los Santos, from the Party for Socialism and Liberation of the United States” as among the “friends of our people” who “reaffirmed their solidarity.”

“The accompaniment of spaces such as the International Assembly of the Peoples demonstrates the broad support that the Revolution possesses, and that we are never and will never be alone in the struggle for the defense of our sovereignty in the face of the constant imperial pretensions,” the leader of the Communist-run island added.

The International Peoples’ Assembly quickly reshared the X message from the Communist leader.

“Cuba is not alone!” the Singham Network group declared. “Movement leaders from across the world, part of the International Peoples' Assembly delegation, met with President Miguel Díaz‑Canel to reaffirm unwavering solidarity with the Cuban Revolution and its people, who are facing the ongoing illegal US blockade.”

“Today, we met with President Miguel Diaz-Canel not to make statements, but to stand shoulder to shoulder,” De Los Santos said on X. “Trump’s extreme fuel blockade is a brutal act of economic warfare and we refuse to be silent bystanders. We are comrades with the Cuban people in the fight to dismantle it.”

The People’s Dispatch — also part of the Singham Network — reported that ANSWER leader and PSL founder Brian Becker was also at the meeting. The Cancilleria de Cuba — Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs — also shared photos from the meeting, including of De Los Santos, Becker, and others.

“International Assembly of the Peoples' Delegation, made up of representatives from various countries, visits Cuba and holds exchanges with diverse sectors to learn about the country's reality and reaffirm international solidarity,” the Cuban government account said on X.

One day after De Los Santos met with Cuba’s president, the People’s Forum tweeted that “this month, we’re going to Cuba with 40 young organizers!”

“Our delegation of young people will meet, exchange, and stand together with Cuban youth — building bonds of solidarity at a moment when the Cuban people face the full force and brutality of the U.S. blockade,” the Marxist forum said on X. “This brigade is part of a broader wave of solidarity — one that has moved over 3k people to donate more than $500,000 to send solar generators & panels to Cuban hospitals.”

The People’s Forum added: “Along with other delegations of people from around the world part of the Nuestra America Convoy, we will deliver humanitarian aid to the Cuban people and reaffirm that a blockade will never sever the ties between peoples who share a common struggle for dignity and justice.”

Singham Network hasn’t faced consequences or charges

Republicans in Congress have spent years pushing the Justice Department and IRS to scrutinize and investigate the CCP-linked Singham Network in the U.S., but so far these groups organizing far-left protests nationwide appear to retain their tax-exempt status and have avoided any foreign agent prosecutions.

Just the News has previously reported on how these and radical activist groups have leadership links or financial ties to the funding network backed by Singham, who himself is linked to the CCP and whom some in his network call "Comrade” — and who has also been scrutinized by Republican congressional investigators.

Congressional Republicans have long called for investigations into the Singham network, its links to the CCP, its leadership in nationwide leftwing protests, and its role in anti-Israel encampments, vandalism, and violence on campus. The GOP has wanted the DOJ to look into possible Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) violations and has called upon the Treasury Department and IRS to consider revoking the tax-exempt status for Singham’s network of non-profits.

The GOP-led House Oversight Committee also voted this year to subpoena Singham himself for information about this sprawling activist network.

The House Ways and Means Committee is also scrutinizing elements of the Singham Network, with some of these Singham-linked groups themselves being defended by a leftwing law firm which is tied into the network. 

Jerry Dunleavy

Source: https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/marxist-streamer-hasan-piker-says-scrutiny-over-cuba-trip-about-china

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Judge clears Trump’s voter citizenship checks and mail-in voting crackdown, slapping down Democrats - John Solomon

 

by John Solomon

Judge ruled Democrats failed to show they have standing at present to challenge the order or have suffered any harm.

 

A federal judge on Thursday cleared the way for President Donald Trump to implement his executive order tightening mail-in voting, slapping down Democrats’ arguments for now that federal efforts to police voter rolls with citizenship checks was illegal.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointed jurist, ruled that Democrats failed to show they have standing at present to challenge the order or have suffered any harm that would warrant a preliminary injunction.

"Given that the Executive Order does not command Plaintiffs to do anything, and that no agency has yet acted pursuant to the Order in a way that could harm Plaintiffs, they have not suffered any harm at present," the judge wrote.

You can read the ruling here.

show_public_doc.pdf

Nichols rejected several of the Democrats' arguments that Trump’s executive order could disenfranchise millions of voters, including that creating state-by-state citizenship lists to check voter rolls would somehow be harmful, even if they were inaccurate.

“It remains speculative whether the State Citizenship Lists, if and when they are initially compiled, will contain inaccuracies,” he wrote. “Even if they contain initial inaccuracies, the Executive Order requires the adoption of procedures that will allow individuals to access and, if necessary, update or correct their information in the Lists.”

The judge also rejected the notion that the federal government sending information to the states about voters would somehow violate voters' privacy.

“Plaintiffs fail to demonstrate that such action—that is, the sharing of name, age, and residence information between and among government agencies, if already known to the federal government—would cause a harm sufficient to establish Article III standing," he ruled. 

John Solomon

Source: https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/judge-clears-trumps-voter-citizenship-checks-and-mail-voting-crackdown

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California Gov Newsom calls for 100% tax on recipients of Trump's $1.8B 'anti-weaponization' fund - Kevin Killough

 

by Kevin Killough

Legislation to impose a 100% tax on payouts from Trump's "anti-weaponization" fund, which was established to compensate victims of alleged political persecution under the Biden administration, is being pursued in California, New Jersey and New York.

 

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to impose a 100% tax on anyone in his state receiving money from Trump's "anti-weaponization" fund. 

Newsom in expressing his desire Wednesday called the money a "slush fund." 

His threat follows similar ones in other blue states, according to Politico. New York state Rep. Alex Bores, a Democrat, introduced legislation this week to tax payouts from Trump's fund also at rate of 100%. New York lawmakers may vote on the measure as soon as next week. 

Similar legislation is being drawn up in New Jersey. 

The Department of Justice established the $1.8 billion fund as part of a settlement that ended President Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns. It's meant to compensate victims of alleged political persecution under the Biden administration. 

Kevin Killough

Source: https://justthenews.com/nation/states/california-gov-newsom-calls-100-tax-beneficiaries-trumps-anti-weaponization-fund

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