Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday ordered the immediate expulsion of Spanish representatives from the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Kiryat Gat. The move serves as a forceful assertion of Israeli sovereignty against a nation the prime minister characterized as a serial defamer of the Jewish state.
&#8220;Israel will not remain silent in the face of those who attack us,&#8221; Netanyahu declared. &#8220;Spain has defamed our heroes, the soldiers of the IDF, the soldiers of the most moral army in the world. Therefore, I have instructed today to remove Spain&#8217;s representatives from the coordination center in Kiryat Gat, after Spain has chosen repeatedly to stand against Israel. Those who attack the State of Israel instead of terrorist regimes will not be our partners regarding the future of the region. I am not willing to tolerate this hypocrisy and hostility. I do not intend to allow any country to wage a diplomatic war against us without paying an immediate price.&#8221;
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
“Israel will not remain silent in the face of those who attack us.
Spain has defamed our heroes, the soldiers of the IDF, the soldiers of the most moral army in the world.
1/4 <a href="https://t.co/c95fTDNXkW">pic.twitter.com/c95fTDNXkW</a>
&mdash; Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) <a href="https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM/status/2042596981600596128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The expulsion from the CMCC is a significant blow to Spain’s regional influence. Established in 2025 as the &#8220;nerve center&#8221; for Gaza’s post-war stabilization, the Kiryat Gat facility coordinates international aid and monitors ceasefire compliance under the oversight of U.S. Central Command. By removing Spain, Israel has effectively stripped Madrid of its seat at the table in shaping the region’s future.
The prime minister’s firm stance was echoed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar, who described Spain’s anti-Israel bias under President Pedro Sánchez as &#8220;obsessive&#8221; and &#8220;egregious.&#8221; He stated that for a long time, the Spanish government led by Sánchez &#8220;has been operating against the State of Israel in every way possible. Sánchez and his ministers level false blood libels against Israel and its army, defame and incite against Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu. The government of Spain has been attempting to harm us in international institutions, including repeated &#8211; and unsuccessful &#8211; attempts to push sanctions against us in the European Union. During the war against Iran, it acted against our interests and against the interests of our ally, the United States of America.&#8221;
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For a long time, the government of Spain under <a href="https://twitter.com/sanchezcastejon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sanchezcastejon</a> has been operating against the State of Israel in every way possible. Sánchez and his ministers level false blood libels against Israel and its army, defame and incite against Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu. The…
&mdash; Gideon Sa&#39;ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) <a href="https://twitter.com/gidonsaar/status/2042588466026844380?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Israeli MP Amichai Chikli delivered a more blistering rebuke:
<blockquote>
Let me remind you, Mr. Sánchez: Israel did not attack Lebanon, not on October 8 and not now. It was Hezbollah that opened fire in defense of its Iranian masters. Israel has no conflict with Lebanon. It is at war with the Iranian axis of evil, with Hezbollah, and with its enablers, including Maduro and you. You, Sánchez, chose to align yourself with this terror regime. By doing so, you have become a full partner in the oppression of the Iranian people and a full partner in the terror imposed by Hezbollah on Lebanon. 
And we will not forget how you cynically exploited the release of hostages, women and children, at the Rafah crossing to stage a public relations campaign for Hamas. Many European leaders are trapped in a profound moral vertigo that is dragging their nations toward the abyss. But in your case, this is not confusion. This is alignment. A deliberate alignment with Iran, with Hamas, with Hezbollah, with pure evil. There are no words to describe my contempt for you. You are a complete and utter zero.
</blockquote>
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Pedro Sánchez will be remembered as the man whose face was etched by a terror regime that massacred tens of thousands of its own citizens onto a ballistic missile aimed at innocent civilians.
Let me remind you, Mr. Sánchez: Israel did not attack Lebanon, not on October 8 and not… <a href="https://t.co/71hT00WQQq">https://t.co/71hT00WQQq</a>
&mdash; עמיחי שיקלי &#8211; Amichai Chikli (@AmichaiChikli) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmichaiChikli/status/2042239894928474471?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2026</a></blockquote>
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This modern friction is viewed by many in Israel and elsewhere through the lens of Spain’s long and virulent history of antisemitism. For centuries, Spain has been a center of institutionalized Jewish persecution. History remembers the 1391 pogroms, in which thousands of Jews were murdered, and the infamous 1492 Alhambra Decree, which forced Jews into exile or forced conversion. Spain even pioneered &#8220;Limpieza de Sangre&#8221; (purity of blood) laws — a precursor to modern racial antisemitism — which barred those of Jewish descent from society regardless of their faith.
In recent years, the Sánchez government has revived these tensions by permanently withdrawing its ambassador from Tel Aviv and leading the charge to recognize a Palestinian state. Critics argue that Spain’s current foreign policy is merely a modern iteration of its historical hostility. By expelling Spain’s representatives, Netanyahu has sent a clear signal: Israel will no longer tolerate &#8220;hypocrisy&#8221; from a nation with such a checkered past.

Israeli PM Netanyahu Delivers Address To Joint Meeting Of U.S. Congress

Netanyahu Expels Spain From Gaza Coordination Hub: ‘I Am Not Willing To Tolerate This Hypocrisy’

antisemitism

Benjamin Netanyahu

Global Politics

Israel

Spain

World

Sometimes a news event comes along that is so chillingly horrific that it confirms the presence of the devil in our midst. Thursday’s murder of a young woman by the state through euthanasia certainly qualifies.
This particular case also contains a warning: it is happening in Europe as a result of societal trends that are also gathering speed in America. These include family breakdown, secularization, the growth of the state, and the resulting embrace of a culture of death by the bureaucracy, the media, and the Left.
And this was not a one-off. Noelia Castillo Ramos, in Spain, is the second young woman in less than three years to be euthanized by a European state.
In fact, the two cases are alarmingly similar. Noelia and Milou Verhoof, who was euthanized in the Netherlands in 2023, were both raped as mere girls, understandably fell into depression, and eventually asked the state to help kill themselves. And the state was only too happy to oblige.
The case of Noelia — killed at a hospital near Barcelona — has drawn worldwide attention online, which is itself proof that the desire to cling to life is a basic human instinct.
Noelia suffered a lot in her life. The Spanish government took custody from her parents 12 years ago when she was just 13, after they divorced, fell into hard times, and lost their house. Her father, Gerónimo, drank at the time, according to news reports.
The Catalan regional government, of which Barcelona is the capital, then placed her in a state-supervised youth center. It was there that Noelia was gang-raped by three young men who were reportedly illegal aliens.
Nothing happened to her aggressors, but Noelia was never the same. She plunged into a severe depression, and suffered as well from borderline personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
In 2022, Noelia tried to end her life by throwing herself from a fifth-floor window. She survived, but ended up a paraplegic, stuck in a wheelchair and suffering great pain.
She then demanded euthanasia, which Spain’s current government of Socialists and communists legalized in 2021. Noelia’s father opposed it, arguing that her many disorders prevented her from making an informed decision, and pursued the case till the end in the courts.
On Thursday, a Barcelona judge denied a last-minute request to halt the proceedings. Around 6:00 pm, doctors at Hospital Residència Sant Camil in Sant Pere de Ribes, near the Catalan capital, gave her a lethal injection that stopped her breathing and her heart.
Noelia, in other words, was asphyxiated by the same state that took her away from those who loved her — and then either could not or would not protect her.
For the Left, this was a victory. The newspaper El País wrote caustically about the Abogados Cristianos, the Spanish Foundation of Christian Lawyers, which worked with Noelia’s father to stop the euthanasia. In typical lapidary style, the paper wrote:
<blockquote>For a year and a half this organization [Abogados Cristianos] has been behind the father’s legal battle to prevent the assisted death of Noelia, who suffers from paraplegia. … Advised by the ultra-Catholic group Abogados Cristianos, the man has entangled his daughter in a legal maze that has kept her alive, against her will, for 601 days.</blockquote>
For Spain’s main leftist newspaper, this was about “dying with dignity.” The court battle “prolonged the suffering of a young woman who has never wavered in her decision and who has received scientific endorsement from the independent professionals who make up the Catalan Guarantee and Evaluation Commission (CGAC).”
And this has indeed been a battle between those who believe that the state, led by technocrats, has the right to impose its choices on the family, even to make life-and-death decisions, and those who believe in a higher order. Good and evil, some might say.
Bestselling Spanish author Irene Gonzalez, a friend and insightful observer of Spanish life, called it a “state execution.&#8221; She wrote on X:
<blockquote>The State separated her from her parents — who loved her — yet failed to protect, shelter, or provide her with psychological or emotional support. She was a vulnerable young woman whom the State left in a state of absolute defenselessness; its solution is simply to get her out of the way. Euthanasia appears to be the execution — the final step in a case involving abduction and torture — carried out with the haste of a system eager to erase the traces of what the “State” is truly doing in the name of a dignified death.</blockquote>
America, look at Europe — and beware.
* * *
Mike Gonzales is the Angeles T. Arredondo E Pluribus Unum Senior Fellow at The Heritage Foundation.

A Barcelona Judge Refuses For The Third Time To Suspend Euthanasia For Noelia Castillo

The State Took Her From Her Family. Then It Decided She Should Die.

Child rape

Europe

Euthanasia

Heritage Foundation

Immigrants

Rape

Women

A 25-year-old woman in Spain is set to be euthanized on Thursday, bringing a controversial case that has ignited outrage over state responsibility, immigration policy, and the expansion of assisted dying to a close.
Noelia Castillo Ramos, from Barcelona, has been paraplegic since 2022, when she attempted suicide by jumping from a fifth-floor window. The attempt <a href="https://x.com/visegrad24/status/2037149633692967039">reportedly</a> followed a period of severe psychological distress after she had been raped by three North African migrants while living in a state-run facility for vulnerable youth. Authorities have released limited details about those allegations.
Castillo has also said she was previously raped by a former boyfriend. The trauma of that period, combined with a long history of psychological struggles, culminated in the suicide attempt that left Castillo permanently paralyzed and in chronic pain.
“I simply want to go in peace and stop suffering,” Castillo said in a television interview. “None of my family is in favor of euthanasia. But what about my suffering?” 
Her euthanasia request, first approved in 2024, set off a prolonged legal fight led by her father, who argued that her psychiatric history, including borderline personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, compromised her ability to make a fully informed decision.
Backed by the Christian legal group Abogados Cristianos, he appealed through every level of Spain’s judicial system, ultimately taking the case to the Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights. Each challenge was rejected, with courts finding Castillo met the legal criteria. 
Critics argue the case represents a cascading institutional failure: a vulnerable young woman placed in state care, subjected to trauma, left with life-altering injuries, and ultimately approved for euthanasia.
The case has also drawn international commentary. El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has been the lone world leader weighing in, arguing that some human rights frameworks place too much emphasis on autonomy in death rather than protection in life.
Supporters of Spain’s law counter that the system is working as designed, allowing individuals facing irreversible suffering to make their own decisions with dignity and legal safeguards. 
Castillo has remained consistent in her decision.
“I was very clear from the beginning,” she said. “I simply want to go in peace.”
In her final interview, Castillo said she hopes to “finally rest,” adding that she plans to wear her “prettiest dress” and put on makeup for the procedure. She indicated she wished to be alone at the moment of her death, while keeping several childhood photographs nearby, reminders, she said, of the few happy moments in her life. Her mother, though opposed, has said she will remain by her side. 
Barring any last-minute intervention, Castillo’s euthanasia is expected to proceed.
The case is expected to fuel ongoing debate over the role of government, mental health, and the expansion of assisted dying laws in Western countries.

07e37f98d0a9c140e64764e6f43875df

A Tragic Case Is Forcing New Questions About Assisted Dying

Assisted Suicide

Immigration

The following is an edited transcript from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mks-ep-1938-sub?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">The Michael Knowles Show</a>.
* * *
Lego has just <a href="https://tribune.com.pk/story/2598968/legos-biggest-set-yet-leaks-with-12000-pieces">announced</a> its largest Lego set ever. 
And in our culture, what would you expect that Lego set to be? The pride progress flag? What would you expect it to be — some big lib thing? Maybe even the &#8220;Kamala Sitting Under a Coconut Tree&#8221; set?
Do you know what it is? It’s a Catholic church.
The largest Lego set ever — some 12,060 bricks priced around $600 — is The Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona, Spain.
This is good news for the culture. We’re not done yet.
The hottest toy that’s coming out this year is of a Catholic church that has been under construction for — what — 140 years now? They started building this thing in March of 1882. It’s not even completed yet. It’s expected to be completed in 2034.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mks-ep-1938-sub?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-1054531 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MK-watch-now-1-1024x171.jpg" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MK-watch-now-1-1024x171.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MK-watch-now-1-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MK-watch-now-1-768x128.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MK-watch-now-1-1536x256.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MK-watch-now-1.jpg 1800w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
This is such good news, in the abstract, that I’m willing to overlook the fact that this church is one of the ugliest buildings ever constructed. It is so bad. 
I had the privilege of visiting Spain once and got to see The Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona — and it’s pretty ugly. It looks like a melted anthill or some kind of weird distorted honeycomb.
It’s supposed to be kind of like a neo-Gothic church, like all those great Gothic churches of Europe. But it’s weird because it’s modern. Construction started in the late 19th century, and then continued for a long time — these cathedrals can take centuries — and as other people took over, it somehow got even worse.
<div id="attachment_1065731" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1065731" class="size-large wp-image-1065731" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-1236701325-864x576.jpg" alt="BARCELONA, CATALONIA, SPAIN - 2021/11/20: A lego reproduction of the temple of the Sagrada Família by Antoni Gaudí is seen inside the new store.The Danish construction toy company LEGO has opened a new store on Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona inspired by the work of the modernist architect Antoni Gaudi. The 800 m2 makes it the brand's third largest store after New York and China. (Photo by Paco Freire/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-1236701325-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-1236701325-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-1236701325-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-1236701325.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Paco Freire/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images</div>
Now, when you go inside, however, it’s quite stunning. It’s still a little too weird for me to say it’s beautiful, but it is stunning — the way the glass reflects the light. Really stunning.
But it’s just ugly to look at. It&#8217;s not as ugly as sin, but it’s ugly.
And yet — we’ll take the &#8220;W&#8221;. We’ll take the win.
I am confident I will be pilloried from all sides for this — the people who say I’m a Philistine for not appreciating the modern basilica, the people who say I’m too religious not to be focused on a toy church — I don’t care. I’m going to take the win.
But let’s not lie to ourselves. Let’s use our our taste, our real intelligence — not artificial intelligence — and say it’s not ugly.
Listen, Lego could have done the Cathedral of Chartres.
They could have done Notre-Dame de Paris.
They could have —
But no matter. I’ll take the win.

The Sagrada Familia cross is now fully revealed

Lego’s Biggest Set Ever Takes An Unexpected Turn And It’s A Win For Tradition

Catholic Church

Lego

Michael Knowles

Toys

President Donald Trump delivered a scathing rebuke of Spain’s socialist government on Wednesday following Madrid’s decision to block the United States from using joint military bases for ongoing operations against the Iranian regime.
The Spanish government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has refused to allow the United States to use the Rota and Morón airbases for offensive strikes against Iran. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said the country&#8217;s position has not changed &#8220;one iota&#8221; or &#8220;by a single comma,&#8221; insisting that the bases will only be used for missions consistent with the United Nations Charter. Because of the refusal, the U.S. military has been forced to reroute assets.
Speaking to reporters, Trump did not mince words about Sánchez, whose administration has moved to distance itself from the U.S.-Israeli coalition. Spain also just took the radical step of permanently withdrawing its ambassador to Israel.
President Trump characterized Spain&#8217;s lack of cooperation as a betrayal of NATO obligations.
&#8220;I think they’re not cooperating at all,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Spain, I think they’ve been very bad. Very bad. Not good at all.&#8221;
The president hinted at potential economic consequences, suggesting a cutoff of trade with the European nation. He also pointed to Spain’s long history of failing to meet its financial obligations to NATO while relying on American protection.
&#8220;They get protected. They don’t want to pay their fair share,&#8221; Trump noted, though he was careful to distinguish between Spain&#8217;s citizens and its leadership. &#8220;The people of Spain are fantastic. The leadership&#8230;not so good.&#8221;
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;I think they&#39;re not cooperating at all. Spain? I think they&#39;ve been very bad, not good at all&#8230; they&#39;ve been very bad to NATO. They get protected, they don&#39;t want to pay their fair share&#8230;the people of Spain are fantastic. The leadership, not so good.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/oRRX3RrOnt">pic.twitter.com/oRRX3RrOnt</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2031776024598282428?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2026</a></blockquote>
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While criticizing European holdouts, Trump expressed pride in what he described as the effectiveness of the U.S. military’s campaign to neutralize 47 years of Iranian aggression, saying it has significantly degraded Tehran&#8217;s ability to project power in the region.
According to Trump, Iran&#8217;s navy has been effectively dismantled, with roughly 60 mine boats and most major vessels now &#8220;at the bottom of the sea.&#8221; He added that the Iranian air force has been neutralized and that radar and anti-aircraft systems have been completely destroyed. Trump noted that key regime leaders are &#8220;gone&#8221; and that Iran no longer has a functioning air defense apparatus.
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on the Iranian regime: &quot;They&#39;ve inflicted 47 years worth of damage to the world — and now they&#39;re paying a big price.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/6imbz0MvrW">pic.twitter.com/6imbz0MvrW</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2031776419416551536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2026</a></blockquote>
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: I just spoke with the leaders of various countries, and they said they&#39;ve never seen anything like it. I built it during my first term, and I didn&#39;t realize I was going to use it this much, but we have the greatest military in the world by far — nobody close. <a href="https://t.co/MoxqGG6IaY">pic.twitter.com/MoxqGG6IaY</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2031774574627401986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Our military is the best. It’s the most powerful in the world,&#8221; Trump said, adding that world leaders have expressed awe at the speed of the American operation. &#8220;We’ve done something that nobody ever thought was possible to do.&#8221;
When asked about the timeline for the operation&#8217;s end, Trump remained firm, stating that the United States would continue &#8220;more of the same&#8221; until the threat was eliminated. He warned that while the U.S. military has been precise, it has the capability to &#8220;take them out by this afternoon&#8221; in a way that would make it impossible for the country to be rebuilt.

President Trump Departs White House For Ohio And Kentucky

Trump Slams Spain, Threatens Trade Cutoff As He Touts Massive Military Success In Iran

Donald Trump

Iran

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Sunday, mocked Secretary of State Marco Rubio for a passage in his historic speech at the same event a day earlier, which elicited a <a href="https://x.com/JCAndersonNYC/status/2022768689561448678">standing ovation</a>.
“Our expansion into the interior followed the footsteps of French fur traders and explorers whose names, by the way, still adorn the street signs and towns’ names all across the Mississippi Valley,” Rubio noted before the appreciative crowd.  “Our horses, our ranches, our rodeos – the entire romance of the cowboy archetype that became synonymous with the American West – these were born in Spain. And our largest and most iconic city was named New Amsterdam before it was named New York.”
At a TU Berlin event with German Bundestag member Isabel Cademartori, AOC taunted, “Rubio’s speech was a pure appeal to Western culture. My favorite part was when he said that American cowboys came from Spain. I believe the Mexicans and descendants of African slave peoples would like to have a word on that.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
AOC tries to take a swing at Sec. Rubios address in Munich:
“You are starting to see the ascent of the Right, even in places like Munich. Marco Rubio’s speech was a pure appeal to Western culture.“ <a href="https://t.co/Ksh5HpH5FL">pic.twitter.com/Ksh5HpH5FL</a>
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) <a href="https://twitter.com/Osint613/status/2023134644674138196?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Of course, what Rubio actually said was “the entire romance of the cowboy archetype that became synonymous with the American West – these were born in Spain.”
Absolutely true.
The word &#8220;cowboy&#8221; itself is a direct translation of the Spanish word vaquero (from vaca, meaning cow). The tradition began in the medieval hacienda system of Spain and was brought to the Americas by conquistadors like Hernán Cortés and Gregorio de Villalobos in the early 1500s. These Spaniards introduced the first horses and cattle to the Western Hemisphere.
The &#8220;look&#8221; and equipment of the cowboy is almost entirely Spanish in origin: The lariat comes from la reata; chaps is a shortened form of the Spanish chaparreras, which were leather leggings used to protect riders from brush; the western saddle came from Spanish war and ranching saddles, and even the Stetson hat comes from the Spanish sombrero.
The rodeo dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries, when Spanish hacendados held annual rodeos to gather, count, and brand cattle. Spain introduced the ranching association and the system of branding cattle for ownership.

US politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Berlin

AOC Tries To Dunk On Rubio Over ‘Cowboys From Spain.’ History Dunks Back.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Congress

Marco Rubio

Politics

After Spain, France, and Italy blocked a move to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, Dutch member of the European Parliament Bart Groothuis blasted the decision.
The IRGC acts as the &#8220;praetorian guard&#8221; for the Supreme Leader of Iran, tasked with ensuring the regime&#8217;s survival by crushing any internal opposition. Reports indicate that IRGC and Basij forces used live fire against peaceful demonstrators and even raided hospitals to arrest injured protesters. Estimates range from 5,000 to more than 15,000 deaths in January. The IRGC <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/08/14/iran-detainees-ill-treated-and-disappeared-after-israeli-evin-prison-attack">controls</a> its own intelligence apparatus and secret detention centers (such as Ward 2A of Evin Prison), where dissidents, journalists, and dual nationals are subjected to physical and psychological torture, forced confessions, and summary executions. Through its Quds Force, the IRGC operates as the world&#8217;s most active state sponsor of terrorism, conducting operations on nearly every continent.
Germany and the Baltic states are among the countries <a href="https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/01/14/pressure-mounts-on-eu-to-list-irans-revolutionary-guards-as-terror-organization?utm_source=chatgpt.com">pushing</a> for the European Parliament to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization. Under EU rules, all 27 member states must agree for the designation to move forward.
“Italy, Spain, and France are against putting the Islamic Iranian Revolutionary Guard, IRGC, on the EU terrorist list,” Groothuis noted. “Let’s call things as they are: France, Spain, and Italy say there are legal obstacles. Well, maybe murdering people inside Europe, or funding several terrorist organizations, or burning synagogues in Düsseldorf; maybe that is not enough. But surely, unleashing chemical weapons on the Iranian population or killing many thousands of innocent civilians.”
“Spain, Italy, and France say they need a legal court order; well, there is one, like in Düsseldorf. And please ask Israel, Saudi Arabia, United States, Canada, Bahrain, who have already designated IRC a terrorist organization, whether there was a diplomatic collapse: there wasn’t. Can the High Representative formally acknowledge here today that it is these three countries — like the press is reporting constantly in the Council — who are blocking to list the IRGC? Will the High Representative be on our side to sanction the IRGC, and expose their children and grandchildren who are studying here in Europe, enjoying our liberties, while their relatives are pouring chemical weapons over the heads of innocent, freedom-abiding Persians?”
“Let’s call things as they are,” he repeated.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WOW. I’m speechless.
Spain, France, and Italy have BLOCKED the declaration of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization.
Dutch Member of the European Parliament Bart Groothuis from the right-center party bloc &#8220;Renew Europe&#8221; opposes the blocks set by Spain,… <a href="https://t.co/LDAbCOwbeF">pic.twitter.com/LDAbCOwbeF</a>
— Chaya’s Clan (@ChayasClan) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChayasClan/status/2013946594601599432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
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European Defence And Security Summit Held In Brussels

Dutch Lawmaker Slams France, Spain, Italy For Blocking Terror Label On Iranian Revolutionary Guards

European Union

France

Italy

terrorist

A high-speed train derailment in southern Spain on Sunday resulted in a horrific crash that left at least 40 dead and dozens more injured — with more dead and injured feared to still be buried in the wreckage.
The crash took place near the town of Adamuz in Cordoba Province around 7:45 p.m. local time and involved two high-speed trains, both of which were traveling at approximately 130 miles per hour at the time of the derailment and subsequent crash, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01/18/world/spain-high-speed-train-derailment">reported</a>.
According to multiple reports, the last two cars of a northbound train traveling from Malaga to Madrid derailed first, crossing the tracks and crashing into a southbound train traveling from Madrid to Huelva. The second train derailed as well after the impact and tumbled down an embankment.
The scene, according to local police, was &#8220;utter chaos&#8221; as injured passengers attempted to climb out of the damaged train cars. The bodies of some of those killed were thrown a considerable distance from the train.
Spanish transportation minister Óscar Puente told reporters that even the experts are confused as to what might have caused the crash, especially since the section of track that goes through the area of the crash is primarily flat and was only recently renovated. &#8220;The accident is extremely strange. All the experts we have consulted are extremely baffled.&#8221;
The northbound train was carrying more than 300 passengers at the time of the derailment, and the southbound train was carrying about 100 passengers.
In the wake of the crash, rail service between Madrid and Andalusia has been temporarily suspended, and the Spanish Red Cross has set up a temporary center for victims and their families near Adamuz. Carmen Moreno, of the Andalusian Red Cross, told The New York Times that they are providing families with food, but information surrounding the crash is what they want most.
&#8220;What people are demanding most is information. And since we cannot give them all the information we would like, there is a lot of tension, a lot of anxiety, temporary anxiety from not knowing what is happening, and sadness,&#8221; she explained.
Spain is currently home to the most extensive high-speed rail system in Europe — and the second-largest in the world, behind only China.

TOPSHOT-SPAIN-RAILWAY-ACCIDENT-TRANSPORT

‘Utter Chaos’: High-Speed Train Collision Leaves Dozens Dead, Some Still Trapped In Wreckage

'Utter Chaos': High-Speed Train Collision Leaves Dozens Dead, Some Still Trapped In Wreckage

Train

Transportation

The pilot who kicked roughly 50 Jewish children and teenagers visiting Spain off a flight from Valencia to Paris trained two of the 9/11 hijackers, including Mohamed Atta, the ringleader of the plot that lead to the deaths of 3,000 Americans.
Vueling Airlines confirmed that Ivan Chirivella was the pilot who removed the Jewish teenagers from a Wednesday flight. The children, who were attending summer camp, were on their way to Paris.
“Many of the children were wearing tzitzit and Star of David symbols, and their singing is said to have been consistent with customs of Jewish youth groups,” Israel National News <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/412246?fbclid=IwY2xjawLwfa5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHrrMqevEMAUzhfP5cMvqcmwtvBKnRhLwvFulCIgxc0KL2giShc5CSBEfNVQp_aem_dif0r6rGjJpUCTIXdNqSVg">reported</a>, adding, “Flight crew reportedly asked the children to stop singing. When they did not comply, local police were called. Officers instructed the group to place their cell phones on the ground to prevent the incident from being recorded.”
“Chirivella has previously made headlines after his realization that he taught Mohamed Atta and Marwan Al-Shehhi to fly at Jones Aviation prior to the attacks of 9/11.  A year before the World Trade Center attacks, Chirivella flew with the two future hijackers nearly every day for several months,” The Jewish Chronicle <a href="https://www.thejc.com/news/world/pilot-who-kicked-over-50-jewish-children-off-plane-reportedly-taught-9-11-terrorists-to-fly-dejiuf1t">reported</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Actualización &#8211; Comunicado de Vueling en relación con el desembarque por comportamiento conflictivo en el vuelo VY8166 <a href="https://t.co/ksAFHogFeW">pic.twitter.com/ksAFHogFeW</a>
&mdash; Vueling Airlines (@vueling) <a href="https://twitter.com/vueling/status/1948623690989547879?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“Iván Chirivella, originally from the Canary Islands and a Vueling pilot since 2006, operated the flight,&#8221; the airline shared. &#8220;Throughout his 19-year career with the airline, he has accumulated more than 12,500 flight hours, covering routes connecting to more than 30 countries. In addition to his role as captain, Iván Chirivella—like many pilots—also works as an instructor for aviation professionals at an independent flight school,” the airline posted.
A group leader was reportedly thrown to the ground, handcuffed and taken into custody when she protested the way police had intervened. “She was later released after signing a non-disclosure agreement, according to witnesses,” Israel National News noted.
A mother of one of the children told i24NEWS that flight staff threatened him for singing in Hebrew. &#8220;If you continue, we will call the police,&#8221; she said the staff told him.
The airline issued a statement saying that a “group of teenagers displayed disruptive and confrontational behavior,” adding, “The cabin crew was alerted that the group of teenagers was tampering with passenger safety equipment, posing a high risk to the aircraft, passengers, and crew. These actions included attempts to grab life jackets, tamper with overhead oxygen masks, and remove the high-pressure oxygen cylinder—conduct that potentially poses a serious hazard in the cabin.”
“As with any other incident involving safety, the captain was forced to request the intervention of the Civil Guard. After assessing the situation, the Civil Guard proceeded to disembark the group to safeguard the safety of the remaining passengers,” the airline stated.
But testimony came from at least one of the children that the airline was not telling the truth.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Breaking: One of the French Jewish teenagers thrown off a plane in Spain testifies about what happened and what was said to cause such a reaction. <a href="https://t.co/SfgUORxs6H">pic.twitter.com/SfgUORxs6H</a>
&mdash; Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) <a href="https://twitter.com/HenMazzig/status/1948782115643928719?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In addition, a passenger on the flight who was a religious Christian seated in the eighth row said the children behaved politely and there was no reason for concern.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨✈️ EXCLUSIVE TESTIMONY FROM A PASSENGER ON VUELING FLIGHT VY8166 🇪🇸
50 French Jewish teenagers, aged 15, were expelled from a <a href="https://twitter.com/vueling?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@vueling</a> flight… because one of them simply said the word “Limot” (meaning “the days” in Hebrew), attempting (unsuccessfully) to start a summer camp… <a href="https://t.co/cFCpI6wODk">pic.twitter.com/cFCpI6wODk</a>
&mdash; SwordOfSalomon (@SwordOfSalomon) <a href="https://twitter.com/SwordOfSalomon/status/1948384151222030596?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
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London Gatwick Airport

Pilot Of Spanish Plane That Expelled 50 Jewish Children Trained 9/11 Hijackers, Including Ringleader

9/11

Airlines

Jews

President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened that Spain would have to &#8220;pay twice as much&#8221; in a future trade deal after the NATO member refused to commit to the alliance&#8217;s new target of spending 5% of its gross domestic product on defense and security.
&#8220;You&#8217;re the only country that is not paying. I don&#8217;t know what the problem is,&#8221; Trump said at the NATO summit in The Hague when questioned about Spain&#8217;s refusal to go along.
&#8220;You know what we’re gonna do? We&#8217;re negotiating with Spain on a trade deal. We&#8217;re going to make them pay twice as much. And I&#8217;m actually serious about that,&#8221; the president added.
NATO members <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-triumphs-nato-bows-to-u-s-pressure-with-5-defense-pledge?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Nathan+Gay&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Trump+Triumphs%3A+NATO+Bows+To+U.S.+Pressure+With+5%25+Defense+Pledge">agreed</a> to increase defense spending from the current 2% level to 5% of their country’s gross domestic product by 2035. Spain was the only member that rejected this target, arguing that it would strain the country’s extensive welfare state.
“We fully respect the legitimate desire of other countries to increase their defense investment, but we are not going to do it,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-heads-to-nato-summit-demanding-freeloading-allies-pay-their-fair-share?author=Nathan+Gay&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Heads+To+NATO+Summit+Demanding+%E2%80%98Freeloading%E2%80%99+Allies+Pay+Their+Fair+Share">said</a> before the summit.
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President Trump rips into Spain for refusing to increase NATO spending.
&quot;I think Spain&#39;s terrible what they&#39;ve done, they are the only Country that won&#39;t pay 5%&quot; <a href="https://t.co/WD5JGnc2WU">pic.twitter.com/WD5JGnc2WU</a>
&mdash; Media Research Center (@theMRC) <a href="https://twitter.com/theMRC/status/1937881474520223900?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;They want a little bit of a free ride, but they&#8217;ll have to pay it back to us on trade, because I’m not going to let that happen. It’s unfair,” Trump said.
As a part of the European Union, Spain <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-25/trump-threatens-to-double-tariffs-on-spain-over-nato-spending">negotiates</a> trade as part of the 27-member bloc, not individually, per Bloomberg. Still, Trump emphasized his intention to bypass the European Union&#8217;s regular trade negotiation protocols.
&#8220;I&#8217;m going to negotiate directly with Spain. I&#8217;m going to do it myself,&#8221; Trump insisted. &#8220;They&#8217;re going to pay, they&#8217;ll pay more money this way.&#8221;
The threat comes ahead of the Trump administration&#8217;s July 9 deadline for the European Union to agree to a trade deal. If no agreement is reached, tariffs on EU products imported into the United States are set to increase to 50%.
NATO members condemned Spain for rejecting the 5% target.
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, whose country allocates a higher percentage of its GDP for defense than any NATO member, blasted Spain’s lack of commitment.
“We believe that any deviation from this principle by any member country is a bad example,” he said.
“It’s incredibly unfair to the alliance,” another NATO official <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/spain-nato-canada-defense-target-spending-gdp/">said</a> to POLITICO.
At the press conference on Wednesday, Trump said his outlook on NATO had changed. Previously critical of &#8220;freeloading&#8221; nations not paying their fair share in defense, he now believes the alliance is no longer a &#8220;rip-off&#8221; given the new 5% commitment. The increase is expected to significantly boost the alliance&#8217;s collective defense capabilities at a time of heightened global tensions, as the United States has historically shouldered more than two-thirds of NATO&#8217;s collective defense spending.

NATO Summit In The Hague Final Day

Trump Says Spain Will ‘Pay Twice As Much’ On Trade After NATO Defiance

Economy

Executive

NATO

Tariffs

trade

Trade War

A Spanish couple killed when a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/split-in-half-six-people-killed-in-nyc-helicopter-crash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">helicopter crashed</a> in the Hudson River in New York City on Thursday was identified by authorities as the investigation into the tragedy continues.
Agustín Escobar, a senior executive at German technology firm Siemens, and his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, were both killed after a tourist helicopter appeared to break apart mid-air before falling into the water, NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hudson-helicopter-crash-victims-named-rcna200801" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Three minors, who are reportedly the children of Escobar and Montal, were also killed but have not been identified. The name of the pilot who died in the crash has also not been released as of Friday morning.
Escobar brought his family to New York City after a business trip, and the family was celebrating Montal&#8217;s 40th birthday on Thursday when they went on the tourist helicopter flight, according to Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, who added that the children were all 11 years old and under. The Spanish newspaper El Diario <a href="https://www.eldiario.es/internacional/muere-familia-espanola-accidente-helicoptero-nueva-york_1_12212531.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the trip was to celebrate the birthday of one of the children.
A video posted on social media showed the Bell 206 helicopter falling from the sky after it appeared to lose its propellers. Witnesses described hearing a loud boom and then seeing the helicopter &#8220;split in half.&#8221; One witness told ABC News that she “heard five or six loud noises that sounded almost like gunshots in the sky and saw pieces fall off, then watched it fall into the river.”
Authorities quickly recovered all six bodies from the Hudson River Thursday evening. Four of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, and two more were transported to a hospital, where they were later pronounced dead. Later that night, the helicopter was removed from the river.
Michael Roth, the CEO of New York Helicopter Tours, said the pilot called in before the crash to say that he needed fuel and was preparing to return, The Telegraph <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025/04/10/helicopter-hudson-river-crash-live-latest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Roth added, &#8220;It should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn’t arrive.&#8221;
&#8220;We’re all devastated,&#8221; he said.
Leaders in the United States and Spain mourned the deaths. Spain&#8217;s prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, called the crash &#8220;an unimaginable tragedy.&#8221; President Donald Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114316199673595819" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on Truth Social, &#8220;The footage of the accident is horrendous.&#8221;
&#8220;God bless the families and friends of the victims,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, and his talented staff are on it. Announcements as to exactly what took place, and how, will be made shortly!&#8221;

Helicopter crashes into Hudson River

Authorities Identify Husband, Wife Who Died In NYC Helicopter Crash

Air and Space

Death

New Jersey

New York

New York City

U.S.

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/brad-pitt">Brad Pitt</a>’s rep shared his reaction to multiple <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fraud">scammers</a> pretending to be the movie star on social media, which resulted in several victims being tricked out of more than $350,000.
&#8220;It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities, and this is an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence,” the actor’s spokesperson said, per <a href="https://people.com/brad-pitt-rep-speaks-out-scammers-pose-as-actor-8718169">People</a>.
A recently published press release from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/spain">Spain</a>&#8216;s Ministry of the Interior detailed some of the alleged crimes, including scam artists pretending to be Pitt and initiating online relationships with the victims. These individuals then had the women transfer money into various accounts by claiming they were investing in his upcoming projects, the outlet noted.
The scammers &#8220;managed to make these women believe they had become so close to the well-known American actor that they believed they had a romantic relationship with him,&#8221; the docs said. One woman was duped into transferring around $167,000, while another got bilked out of approximately $195,500.
So far, five total suspects have been arrested in connection with the scam and were charged with crimes including fraud, money laundering, and forgery, per Spanish authorities.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a>
The victims were targeted through Brad Pitt fan pages. The 60-year-old “Ad Astra” star has no official authorized social media accounts on Instagram, X, Facebook, or TikTok.
Pitt has voiced his disinterest in using social media in the past. He told GQ during a 2014 <a href="https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/brad-pitt-british-gq-november-issue-cover-story-interview">interview</a> that he sees social media as being more trouble than it&#8217;s worth.
“Listen, I see a benefit in it. You could, you know, combat the misconceptions or the misquotes immediately. And if I&#8217;d have had that in my younger days, I&#8217;d have used it,&#8221; the actor said at the time. 
&#8220;Because I felt quite used, and completely misunderstood, and misread, and not given the benefit of the doubt,&#8221; Pitt continued. &#8220;You know, I felt that a lot in my first years. I would have brought some logic to the table, and brought it immediately. But now, at this point, I don&#8217;t want to bother with it.&#8221;
In 2019, the actor <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1058939/here-s-why-brad-pitt-isn-t-joining-instagram-anytime-soon">said</a> he didn’t “see the point” in creating an Instagram account.

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt’s Rep Responds To Impersonators Scamming Fans Out Of $350K

Brad Pitt's Rep Responds To Impersonators Scamming Fans Out Of $350K

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Entertainment

Fraud

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