US NATIONAL NEWS

Ahead of NATO Summit, Sens. Rick Scott & Dan Sullivan Lead Colleagues in Urging Biden to Ensure NATO Countries Meet Defense Spending Commitments

Published

3 years ago

July 9, 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Ahead of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Vilnius starting next week, Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) in leading a bipartisan group of 34 senators in writing a letter to President Biden urging the President to ensure NATO countries meet their defense spending commitments. Since 2006, NATO member nations have agreed to commit a minimum of 2 percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to defense spending. The letter notes that despite increasing levels of aggressive behavior by authoritarian nations, particularly Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many member states continue to fail to meet their treaty obligations.

The senators write, “As you prepare for the NATO summit this year in Vilnius, we write to underscore the critical need for NATO members to increase and fully meet defense spending commitments to the alliance. Failure of many of our allies – including some of NATO’s largest members – to meet commitments of 2% of GDP on defense has the potential to undermine American support for the alliance, severely limits Europe’s ability to contribute to our shared interest in defending against Russia, and is a source of long-term instability in Europe, not to mention frustration for American taxpayers…

“Although we appreciate the assistance that many of our European allies have provided Ukraine, the heavy European emphasis on economic and refugee assistance is directly attributable to the inability of many to meet their NATO commitments in a way the alliance demands. This has immediate implications in Ukraine where our allies could be a force multiplier in helping bring this conflict to a successful end… The lack of sufficient progress is politically and economically unsustainable. American citizens rightly question why our government disproportionately bears the burden – decade after decade – for Europe’s defense. In Vilnius, we respectfully request that you make this issue a top priority…”

Read the full letter HERE.

Politics

State Rep. Angie Nixon Condemns Deadly ICE Shooting, Calls for Independent Investigation

Published

5 days ago

July 10, 2026

FNN NEWS

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (FNN NEWS) — Following the fatal shooting of 52-year-old father and construction worker Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Houston, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate and Florida State Representative Angie Nixon released the following statement:

Statement from Rep. Angie Nixon

“Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was a father who spent decades building homes and providing for his family. He was fatally shot in the street by an ICE agent operating from an unmarked vehicle. My heart breaks for his wife and three sons.

“Our nation faces a moral choice. We must stop investing billions of taxpayer dollars in an agency that, in my view, terrorizes communities, operates with too little accountability, and often conducts enforcement actions without body cameras or clear identification. Those resources should instead be invested in strengthening our communities and helping families meet their basic needs. I believe ICE should be abolished.

“I stand in full solidarity with Lorenzo’s family in calling for a fully independent and transparent investigation into his death. I also call for the immediate release of his brother and the other individuals who were detained during this incident if they are being held without legal justification.”

Key Points

Rep. Angie Nixon expressed condolences to the family of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
She called for a fully independent and transparent investigation into the fatal shooting.
Nixon criticized ICE’s enforcement practices and renewed her call to abolish the agency.
She urged the release of Lorenzo’s brother and others detained during the incident if their continued detention is not legally justified.

US NATIONAL NEWS

U.S. Expands Sanctions Targeting Iran’s Financial Networks and Regime Financiers

Published

5 days ago

July 10, 2026

FNN NEWS

WASHINGTON (FNN NEWS) — The Trump administration announced a new round of sanctions Friday targeting individuals and businesses accused of helping finance Iran’s ruling elite and facilitating international financial transactions on behalf of the Iranian regime.

The sanctions, announced by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, target a global financial network that U.S. officials say supports Iran’s Supreme Leader and other senior regime officials.

Global Financial Network Targeted

According to the administration, the sanctions focus on Ali Ansari, a Dubai-based Iranian national accused of managing an extensive network of real estate and commercial holdings across multiple countries on behalf of Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s Supreme Leader, and other regime insiders.

U.S. officials said the network includes assets and business interests in:

Germany
United Kingdom
Spain
Cyprus
United Arab Emirates
Other international jurisdictions

The administration alleges the network has been used to help Iranian regime officials maintain access to international financial markets.

Currency Exchange Houses Sanctioned

The Treasury Department also imposed sanctions on three Iran-based currency exchange firms and their associated leadership:

Mohammad Darbani and Partners
Lavasani and Partners
Mohsen Khandan and Partners

The sanctions also extend to the firms’ managing partners and affiliated front companies.

According to the administration, these entities allegedly enabled Iran to obtain foreign currency and conduct international financial transactions despite existing U.S. sanctions.

Administration Cites Maximum Pressure Campaign

The White House said the latest designations are part of President Donald Trump’s broader strategy to increase economic pressure on Iran.

Administration officials said they will continue targeting individuals, businesses and financial institutions—including foreign entities—that facilitate illicit Iranian commerce or assist the regime in evading U.S. sanctions.

The administration maintains that the sanctions are intended to pressure Iran to end what it describes as destabilizing activities in the region and to hold accountable those who enable corruption within the Iranian government.

Authorities Used for Sanctions

The sanctions were imposed under multiple executive authorities, including:

Executive Order 13902, targeting Iran’s financial and petroleum sectors.
Executive Order 13876, focusing on Iran’s Supreme Leader and affiliated individuals.
Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886, which provides counterterrorism sanctions authority.

Treasury officials said the latest designations build upon previous actions by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) targeting Iran’s shadow banking system and currency exchange networks.

US NATIONAL NEWS

White House: Trump Administration Deports Convicted Child Sex Offender After Minnesota Pardon

Published

5 days ago

July 10, 2026

FNN NEWS

WASHINGTON (FNN NEWS) — The White House announced Friday that the Trump administration deported a Laotian national convicted of sexually abusing a child after Minnesota officials granted him a pardon.

Conviction and Deportation

According to the White House, Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian national, was convicted in Minnesota of repeatedly sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl. An immigration judge ordered his removal from the United States in 2006.

The White House said Secretary of State Marco Rubio terminated Vang’s legal status, allowing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to carry out his deportation.

White House Criticizes Minnesota Leaders

The administration sharply criticized Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, alleging they attempted to prevent Vang’s deportation by granting him a pardon.

In a statement, the White House accused the two Democratic leaders of placing the interests of a convicted child sex offender ahead of public safety and federal immigration enforcement.

The administration argued the deportation demonstrates President Donald Trump’s commitment to removing noncitizens convicted of serious crimes from the United States.

Administration Statement

The White House said the case underscores the administration’s immigration enforcement priorities.

“Under President Trump, criminal illegal aliens who rape children will be found, arrested, and removed,” the White House said.

The administration also asserted that state actions would not prevent federal immigration authorities from enforcing U.S. immigration law.

Political Dispute

The case has become part of the broader national debate over immigration enforcement and the relationship between state criminal justice decisions and federal immigration authority.

Minnesota officials have not been included in the White House announcement, and any response from Gov. Walz, Attorney General Ellison or their offices was not immediately available.