WASHINGTON — The State Department has uncovered several birth tourism networks around the world, The Daily Wire can first report.
Under guidance from the State Department to be on high alert about fraudulent documentation, U.S. embassies in West Africa, Europe, and North Africa found evidence of multiple plans to produce fraudulent documents and facilitate individuals traveling to the United States to give birth within American borders, The Daily Wire has learned.
In West Africa, a U.S. embassy uncovered a &#8220;sophisticated birth tourism network&#8221; wherein more than 100 foreign nationals were using fraudulent documents to obtain visas and secure U.S. citizenship for their children. The State Department shut down this birth tourism network and revoked the foreign nationals&#8217; visas. State is also coordinating with local authorities to &#8220;systematically identify and cut off any similar operations.&#8221;
&#8220;Under President Trump, the State Department is defending the integrity of U.S. citizenship by ending illegal birth tourism schemes,&#8221; said State Department messaging viewed by The Daily Wire. &#8220;No foreigner is permitted to obtain a visitor visa for the primary purpose of acquiring U.S. citizenship for a child by giving birth in the U.S.&#8221;
A U.S. embassy in Europe found that more than 400 suspected birth tourism cases had occurred since 2024. In this case, investigators traced the birth tourism to at least six companies that were coaching applicants on what to say in their visa interviews, arranging housing, and setting up delivery plans. State again shut down the process, revoked the visas, and permanently banned &#8220;several fraudsters from traveling to the United States ever again.&#8221;
An embassy in North Africa revoked more than 100 visas for &#8220;birth tourist&#8221; parents who came to the United States specifically to give birth to children who would get U.S. citizenship. State Department consular officers worked with law enforcement and used data analytics to identify the networks abusing the visa system in this case.
&#8220;A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right,&#8221; the State Department messaging said. &#8220;The State Department is taking action around the world to stop this abuse, dismantle birth tourism networks, and hold accountable those who try to scam our system.&#8221;
The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-are-chinese-birth-centers-hiding-in-your-backyard-we-went-to-find-out">previously investigated</a> eyebrow-raising cases of birth tourism in Texas, where the state sued De’Ai Postpartum Care Center in Houston for “exploiting birthright citizenship by unlawfully facilitating the invasion of Chinese nationals … for the sole purpose of giving birth.” That center is accused of facilitating the births of more than 1,000 American-born babies, as reported by to The Daily Wire&#8217;s Jennie Taer.
President Donald Trump promptly signed an executive order ending birthright citizenship after taking office in January 2025, but the order has been repeatedly paused due to legal challenges. The Supreme Court will hand down a decision on the order sometime in late June or early July.
&#8220;We are the only Country in the World STUPID enough to allow &#8216;Birthright&#8217; Citizenship!&#8221; protested the president, the day that the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case. He attended those oral arguments in person, the first president in United States history to do so.

US-KUWAIT-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY

EXCLUSIVE: State Department Uncovers ‘Birth Tourism Networks’ Across The World

Africa

birthright citizenship

Europe

State Department

Visas

On Thursday, the U.S. State Department sent a warning to the United Kingdom with regard to the tragic events in the death of Henry Nowak, warning against “two-tiered” policing.
“Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilizational decline. They must be rejected across the West,” the State Department wrote on X. “The United States sends our condolences to the family of Henry Nowak and the people of the United Kingdom at this troubling time.”
Henry Nowak, 18, a first-generation university student studying accounting and finance at Southampton University, was walking home alone after a night out on December 3, 2025, when he crossed paths with Vickrum Digwa, 23, a Sikh man who was carrying a large ceremonial dagger on his belt. There was a brief exchange in which Nowak asked if Digwa was &#8220;a bad man&#8221; after noticing the visible blade. The exchange then escalated into a confrontation, and Digwa stabbed Nowak four times, including once through the chest, piercing his lung. Over two pints of blood pooled in Nowak&#8217;s chest cavity.
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After the attack, Digwa told police that Nowak had racially abused him and that he had acted in self-defense. Officers arrived to find Nowak on the ground. &#8220;I&#8217;ve been stabbed,&#8221; Nowak told them. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think you have, mate,&#8221; an officer replied. He was handcuffed, read his rights, and informed he was under arrest for assault. He lost consciousness shortly after. First responders attempted CPR, but he was pronounced dead at 12:37 a.m.
At trial, the jury rejected Digwa&#8217;s self-defense and racism claims entirely. Sentencing Judge William Mousley was s<a href="https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Digwa-Final-Sentencing-Remarks.pdf">cathing</a>, calling Digwa&#8217;s story &#8220;wicked lies&#8221; and finding that Nowak had said nothing racist. Digwa filmed Nowak as he lay dying, directed his mother to remove the murder weapon from the scene, and whispered to his brother in a police van — unaware they were being recorded — that he had stabbed Henry three times and that self-defense would fall apart if cameras existed in the area. He was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years.
Nowak&#8217;s father, Mark, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/protests-erupt-as-footage-shows-cops-ignored-dying-teens-cries-for-help">said</a> his son &#8220;did not die with dignity&#8221; — that he was treated as a criminal while his killer was believed on the spot.
Body camera footage released after the conviction confirmed the family&#8217;s account. Within days, hundreds of protesters gathered outside a Southampton police station, chanting &#8220;I can&#8217;t breathe&#8221; and carrying photographs of Nowak. Riot police blocked streets. Objects were thrown. Reform U.K. leader Nigel Farage called the killing evidence of &#8220;two-tiered&#8221; policing, and Elon Musk amplified the case globally. Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged the footage raised &#8220;serious questions.&#8221;

Protestors outside Southampton Central Police Station hold

State Department Slams U.K.’s ‘Two-Tiered Policing’ As Outrage Grows Over Henry Nowak Killing

Henry Nowak

United Kingdom

The Trump administration delivered a sweeping blow to the Cuban regime on Thursday, sanctioning its president, members of the Castro family dynasty, Cuba&#8217;s military ministry, and a gold mining operation that funnels wealth to regime elites.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has framed the Trump administration’s efforts as an existential campaign against a government he considers a direct threat to American security.
Secretary Rubio <a href="https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/06/sanctions-on-cuban-actors-responsible-for-subversive-anti-american-activities-fact-sheet/">announced the designations</a> under a May 1 <a href="https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/06/sanctions-on-cuban-military-instrumentalities-other-actors-responsible-for-subversive-anti-american-activities/">executive order,</a> targeting five Cuban entities and five individuals. At the top of the list: Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and his wife, Lis Cuesta Peraza, along with their stepson — as well as Alejandro Castro Espín, the son of Raúl Castro and former head of Cuban intelligence, and Castro Espín&#8217;s son. The Castro name is now, once again, directly in Washington&#8217;s crosshairs.
&#8220;The Cuban people are the hostages of a brutal and repressive government,&#8221; Rubio declared. &#8220;Which disregards their safety and prosperity to advance the Castro regime&#8217;s true purpose: serving as an outpost for our adversaries and exporting radical left-wing violence and terror across our hemisphere.&#8221;
The sanctions also hit Cuba&#8217;s Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR), which controls vast swaths of the Cuban economy through military-owned enterprises. Any entity owned 50% or more by MINFAR — or by the previously designated military holding company GAESA — is considered blocked as well, strangling the military cartel&#8217;s economic empire. Rubio has <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5868122-rubio-us-sanctions-cuba-leadership/">previously called</a> GAESA &#8220;the heart of Cuba&#8217;s kleptocratic communist system.&#8221;
The State Department also sanctioned the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), a Fidel Castro-founded organization that U.S. officials say supports Cuban intelligence operations; the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, Cuba&#8217;s neighborhood surveillance network; and Minera la Victoria, a Cuban-Australian gold mining joint venture whose profits flow directly to the regime.
Foreign banks and companies that continue doing business with any of the designated parties now face their own sanctions exposure — a warning shot aimed squarely at international firms still profiting from the regime.
&#8220;We will continue to take action,&#8221; Rubio had warned on X in early May, &#8220;until the regime takes all necessary political and economic reforms.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Today’s sanctions demonstrate that the Trump Administration will not stand by while Cuba’s communist regime threatens our national security in our hemisphere. We will continue to take action until the regime takes all necessary political and economic reforms.
&mdash; Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) <a href="https://x.com/SecRubio/status/2052456966753026262?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Trump Targets Cuba’s Power Structure In Sweeping Blow To Communist Elites

Cuba

Donald Trump

Marco Rubio

WASHINGTON— U.S. embassies around the world will not be flying Pride flags this June, thanks to a State Department directive implemented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio shortly after he took office.
Rubio&#8217;s order prohibited State Department personnel from &#8220;conducting or participating in any public diplomacy outreach or representational activity&#8221; celebrating, commemorating, or recognizing theme day holidays or observances that are not official U.S. holidays or the subject of a U.S. Presidential proclamation, according to an internal State Department memo.
A separate State Department &#8220;One Flag Policy&#8221; also states that only the flag of the United States, a Prisoner of War/Missing in Action flag, or the Hostages and Wrongful Detainees flag may be flown or displayed at U.S. facilities worldwide. That memo, <a href="https://freebeacon.com/trump-administration/trump-state-department-tells-embassies-and-outposts-only-fly-the-stars-and-stripes/">first reported by The Washington Free Beacon</a>, specifically notes: &#8220;Examples: Posts should not fly or display the Pride or Progress flag at the U.S. Embassy.&#8221;
&#8220;Per the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024, only the United States of America flag is authorized to be flown or otherwise publicly displayed at U.S. facilities, both domestic and abroad, and featured in U.S. government content,&#8221; the guidance states.
&#8220;No symbol or affiliation marking other than those authorized by U.S. statute, the President, or the Secretary may be displayed, projected, or exhibited at any U.S. facility, both domestic and abroad.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1106273" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-june-looks-different-at-u-s-embassies-under-marco-rubio/a-black-lives-matter-banner-a-united-states-national-flag" rel="attachment wp-att-1106273"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1106273" class="wp-image-1106273 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-1219978849-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-1219978849-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-1219978849-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-1219978849-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-1219978849.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>A Black Lives Matter banner, a United States national flag and a rainbow flag are hung on the facade of the US embassy building in Seoul. (Photo by Simon Shin/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;The flag of the United States of America unites all Americans under the universal principles of justice, liberty, and democracy,&#8221; the Trump State Department guidance adds. &#8220;These values, which are the bedrock of our great country, are shared by all American citizens, past and present.&#8221;
A similar directive was issued during President Donald Trump&#8217;s first administration, when Mike Pompeo led the State Department (though some embassies defied the order and still flew the flags). Under President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken encouraged embassies to follow Biden&#8217;s lead in supporting &#8220;the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons and communities.&#8221;
The Biden State Department <a href="https://abcnews.com/Politics/biden-admin-grants-blanket-authorization-fly-pride-flag/story?id=77270757">gave embassies</a> &#8220;blanket written authorization&#8230;to display the Pride flag on the external-facing flagpole, for the duration of the 2021 Pride season.&#8221; Blinken had promised to do this during his confirmation hearings, during which he also promised to name a special LGBTQ envoy. His State Department also provided asylum categories for people who identify as LGBTQ and said they were fleeing persecution.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-june-looks-different-at-u-s-embassies-under-marco-rubio/screenshot-2026-06-01-at-5-10-51-pm" rel="attachment wp-att-1106261"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-1106261 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-5.10.51-PM-720x576.png" alt="" width="720" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-5.10.51-PM-720x576.png 720w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-5.10.51-PM-300x240.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-5.10.51-PM-768x615.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-5.10.51-PM-1536x1229.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-01-at-5.10.51-PM.png 1752w" sizes=" (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a>
The U.S. Embassy in Uruguay, for example, raised a Pride Flag in 2023. The embassy&#8217;s Ambassador Heide Fulton said at the time that “raising the Pride flag is a celebration of the hard-won accomplishments of LGBTQI+ activists and their allies, and a reaffirmation of our commitment to the work that still needs to be done to promote the protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of LGBTQI+ persons across the globe and within our own communities and workplaces.”
The State Department&#8217;s former Pride Month webpage is <a href="https://www.state.gov/pride-month/">no longer active</a>, and the department does not appear to be running any Pride Month promotions.
The State Department&#8217;s stance toward the theme, which celebrates adults and children who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex, is matched by the White House. Last year, the White House did not celebrate Pride Month at all, and the Department of Education <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-education-department-celebrates-title-ix-month-ditches-pride-month">instead declared</a> June “Title IX Month,” highlighting the Trump administration’s actions taken to protect female sports and spaces.
Asked by The Daily Wire on Monday if the White House will be observing Pride Month this June, a White House official responded: &#8220;We celebrate all Americans every day.&#8221;

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-BIDEN-LGBTQ-PRIDE

Why June Looks Different At U.S. Embassies Under Marco Rubio

Pride Month

WASHINGTON — The State Department is gathering European partners in an aggressive push to combat spikes in far-left terrorism around the world, The Daily Wire can first report.
American representatives will attend a law enforcement workshop in Europe this week focused on far-left terrorism, State Department officials told The Daily Wire, engaging other countries that are also grappling with the issue. The technical workshop will bring together officials from multiple European countries that have also seen increases in politically motivated violence tied to anarchist and far-left groups.
&#8220;We&#8217;re going to talk about what this threat stream looks like,&#8221; explained a State Department official, &#8220;what kind of targets that it&#8217;s engaging in, what kind of recent acts they&#8217;ve engaged in, what the tools are that we have to address this.&#8221;
A higher-level conference on the issue will be held in Washington, D.C. later this summer and will include officials from Europe, East Asia, and the Western Hemisphere.
The move comes as officials acknowledge a sharp increase in far-left terrorist incidents in the United States and Europe since 2016, particularly in France, Germany, Greece, and Italy.
In France, far-left anarchists <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/attack-train-system-highlights-broad-array-security-threats-paris-olym-rcna163921" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sabotaged a high-speed rail</a> in 2024 before the opening of the Olympic Games, and in 2026, beat a 23-year-old man, Quentin Deranque, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/21/world/quentin-deranque-death-france-intl">to death for his political beliefs</a>. Italy <a href="https://eucrim.eu/news/europol-te-sat-2025/">faced 18 terrorist attacks</a> from far-left militants in 2024, and in 2026, two such left-wing anarchists <a href="https://www.euractiv.com/news/italian-anarchists-blow-themselves-up-while-making-bomb/">blew themselves up</a> on the outskirts of Rome while making a bomb.
In Germany, the number of far-left actors <a href="https://www.bundestag.de/presse/hib/kurzmeldungen-920554">grew</a> from 10,300 in 2021 to 36,500 in 2022 — and a January 2026 Berlin <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/07/europe/berlin-power-outage-intl">power grid attack</a> by left-wing activists caused a five-day outage for more than 100,000 residents.
In Greece, more than 80% of violent events by radical organizations involved far-left and anarchist groups, <a href="https://acleddata.com/brief/radical-group-violence-rise-eu-acled-insight">according to the ACLED</a> (Armed Conflict Location &amp; Event Data), and more than 20 far-left individuals <a href="https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1230319/16-arrested-over-far-right-assault-on-police-in-athens/">were arrested in 2024 for attacks</a>, including targeting police.
<div id="attachment_1103391" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-state-department-organizing-global-push-against-far-left-terror/anti-government-protest-in-turin" rel="attachment wp-att-1103391"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1103391" class="wp-image-1103391 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2258719645-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2258719645-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2258719645-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2258719645-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2258719645.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>Clashes with police and protesters, including numerous anarchists and far-left activists from across Italy and abroad, in Turin, Italy, on January 31, 2026. (Photo by Andrea Carrubba/Anadolu via Getty Images)</div>
Notably, since the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists, officials have noticed an &#8220;increased convergence&#8221; between these far-left groups and those participating in antisemitic violence, a State Department official shared. While they are very concerned about groups like Salafi jihadist terrorist groups, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS, they are also aware of the &#8220;new and emerging threats&#8221; presented by far-left groups and actors — and how all these groups cross over.
&#8220;A lot of these pro-Hamas, very violent groups that are operating in all of our respective countries, that these different groups are starting to converge with what you could call your far-left terrorist groups or anarchist groups, right, that engage in these kinds of terrorist violent acts.&#8221;
The State Department&#8217;s Counterterrorism operating system needs updates to address the reality of these threats, officials said, noting that the Department risks creating blind spots by ignoring these emerging trends.
&#8220;America First means protecting our country, people, and way of life—we are leveraging counterterrorism tools and global partnerships to deter this threat before it metastasizes,&#8221; the State Department official said.
On the home front, the State has already taken steps to dismantle both transnational far-left and anarchist terrorism by using visa restrictions to target individuals and designations against the Antifa aligned groups, Antifa Ost (Germany), Informal Anarchist Federation (Italy), Armed Proletarian Justice (Greece), and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense (Greece).
All of this is specifically targeting violent activity that meets the definition of terrorism, including assassinations, kidnappings, violent threats against U.S. facilities and law enforcement, attacks on critical infrastructure, military personnel, and civilians.
&#8220;Because our focus is international, we&#8217;ve been meeting with a lot of our partners to build a body of knowledge, so that we can better understand what this problem set looks like in their backyards, where there are transnational links, and then we&#8217;re also able to explore some best practices and other types of concerns,&#8221; explained the State Department official.
This specific workshop will be tailored towards far-left terrorism as a phenomenon, whether they engage in violent, terrorist, and criminal acts, particularly given that this area has become a blind spot for some law enforcement. As they take note of the rise in attacks, particularly those targeting critical infrastructure, U.S. partners are noticing that they lack the tools to address them properly.

Gemini_Generated_Image_5i7urp5i7urp5i7u

EXCLUSIVE: State Department Organizing Global Push Against Far-Left Terror

Antifa

Terrorism

WASHINGTON— The State Department is overhauling how it evaluates potential Foreign Service Officers, ending a process that administration officials say was &#8220;outdated&#8221; and widely known in the foreign diplomat community to be flawed.
State Department officials who spoke exclusively to The Daily Wire about the changes say they are being made to identify the &#8220;truly exceptional officers,&#8221; and fast-track them into the highly selective group of American diplomats.
The move is a significant shift aimed at modernizing the State Department under Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The new evaluation is a data-driven matrix system that will allow the State Department to properly assess Foreign Service Officers, designed to cut around favoritism and subjective narratives and properly assess personnel.
&#8220;Having been involved in supervising and evaluating personnel for many years in different contexts, I believe this change will restore accountability and ensure that evaluations reflect actual performance rather than inflated ratings designed to evade difficult conversations,&#8221; Deputy Secretary Chris Landau told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;For too long, our system rewarded consensus and score inflation instead of distinguishing between officers who consistently deliver results and those who do not, which undermined morale and weakened confidence in the promotion process,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This reform is consistent with the Trump administration’s emphasis on accountability in government, and many career Foreign Service Officers inside the building have quietly been calling for a more honest and rigorous evaluation system for years.&#8221;
The new approach will make it easier for State to assess performance accurately and recognize substantive contributions, one active foreign service officer shared with The Daily Wire on Friday, describing it as a &#8220;significant improvement over the previous system.&#8221;
&#8220;The revised framework provides clearer standards and more meaningful feedback, which will help ensure officers are evaluated fairly and matched with assignments that best align with our skills and experience in service to the Department’s mission,&#8221; the officer explained. &#8220;The new system clarifies to both supervisors and rated employees how well we are performing and, when appropriate, where we can improve.&#8221;
The department&#8217;s old process for evaluating its personnel has long been criticized by insiders as an agonizing, drawn-out bureaucratic exercise.
&#8220;We competed to see who could write the most effusive self-praise, all while smugly pretending to be modest,&#8221; another foreign service officer shared with The Daily Wire. &#8220;Because of the length of the essays, many supervisors had their employees ghost-write their own evaluations. Predictably, every employee was &#8216;one of the best officers I’ve met in my twenty-year career,&#8217; rendering the exercise largely meaningless.&#8221;
The process had become so bad that the department was swirling with rumors about secret codes that supervisors would insert into the evaluations to tip off the review boards about which officers were actually good performers. One foreign service officer insisted those rumors weren&#8217;t true, but pointed to their existence as proof that nobody trusted the current process.
&#8220;The rumors weren’t true but their existence alone was a scathing acknowledgment from employees that the reviews were meaningless,&#8221; the officer noted. &#8220;On top of all that, the process was so lengthy that the entire department essentially shut down for a month, postponing business while employees obsessed over their [Employee Evaluation Reports] and supervisors wrote lengthy statements for dozens of employees.&#8221;
&#8220;The current effort to simplify this process and connect it directly to achieving results for the American people is 100% welcome.&#8221;
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the new evaluation process was both developed and led by career Foreign Service Officers who understand the situation and are fixing problems that many other administrations should have dealt with prior.
&#8220;The updated system is data-driven, leverages best practices from across the government, and was designed thoughtfully to better assess the workforce and align employees with roles that best match their skills and experience,&#8221; he added. &#8220;It reflects a broader focus by the Trump administration and Secretary Rubio to pursue institutional reforms aimed at improving accountability and performance across the federal workforce.&#8221;

President Trump Meets With Visiting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban

EXCLUSIVE: Trump State Dept Set To Overhaul Foreign Service

American diplomats will push countries around the world to adopt policies that prioritize the online safety of kids while not jeopardizing free speech or digital privacy, according to an internal memo first obtained by The Daily Wire. 
The memo from the State Department directs diplomats to encourage their host countries to pursue policies that keep children safe from the dangers of online pornography and sexual abuse while not compromising fundamental freedoms. 
“The Trump Administration strongly prioritizes the protection of children online, advancing policies that combat exploitation while safeguarding privacy, free expression, and innovation,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott told The Daily Wire. “As countries explore frameworks to protect children online, we stand ready to engage and encourage approaches that are effective, balanced, and do not impose unintended consequences on fundamental freedoms or technological progress.”
The memo from the State Department says that it supports age verification technology if implemented within a scope that protects privacy, freedom of speech and digital innovation. In general the State Department said it favored an open internet, especially when it comes to political speech, with the exception to pornography and adult commercial activities such as gambling, tobacco, or alcohol. 
“The United States seeks to engage global partners to ensure that, if they implement or consider age assurance measures, they do so in close coordination with the U.S. government, tech companies, and civil society, including parents, to inform their approach,” the memo said. 
The memo added that its priority was prioritizing parental involvement. 
“The United States favors regulatory approaches that empower parents to prescribe access limitations for devices used by their child, rather than mandating one-size-fits-all access limitations imposed by the government.  The United States also favors digital-literacy campaigns that educate parents about how to manage relevant device settings,” the memo read.  
One form of age-verification the State Department said it favored was zero knowledge proof (ZKP) age verification systems. This approach is to be verified while precise personal details are kept private at the same time. 
“The United States encourages ZKP standards that are interoperable across platforms and regulatory regimes and encourages a diverse ecosystem of ZKP credentialing that includes relatively anonymous, low-friction options,” the memo added. 
It said it does not favor approaches that mandate the production of a driver&#8217;s license or a passport.
President Donald Trump has pushed for protections online for kids and signed “The Take It Down Act” in 2025, a law championed by First Lady Melania Trump requiring the removal of content featuring nonconsensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated deepfakes. 
Polling <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/where-americans-stand-on-forcing-age-checks-for-porn-sites">shows</a> that the vast majority of Americans support a federal law requiring age verification for app downloads or access to pornographic content online. A poll conducted by Cygnal in February found that 83% of likely voters support an age verification law for mobile app downloads, and 81% of likely voters support age verification for pornographic sites.

Girl lying on bed at night and using a mobile phone

Trump Admin Launches Global Crackdown To Shield Kids From Pornography, Online Abuse

Free Speech

Online porn

Pornography

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has terminated the legal status of three Iranian nationals tied to Masoumeh Ebtekar, the spokeswoman for the militants behind the Iran Hostage Crisis, placing them in ICE custody and initiating their removal from the United States.
“I terminated their lawful permanent resident status and today, Seyed Eissa Hashemi, Maryam Tahmasebi, and their son are now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement pending their removal from our country,” Rubio said.
Rubio added that the decision reflects a broader principle: “America can never become home for anti-American terrorists or their families — and under the Trump administration, it never will.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
‼️ NEW DETAILS: 
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has TERMINATED the legal status of three Iranians tied to regime figure known as “Screaming Mary.”
They are now in ICE custody and facing deportation.
“I terminated their lawful permanent resident status and today, Seyed Eissa… <a href="https://t.co/7XnEgjbyQ0">https://t.co/7XnEgjbyQ0</a> <a href="https://t.co/xU3udiFLJ8">pic.twitter.com/xU3udiFLJ8</a>
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) <a href="https://twitter.com/MOSSADil/status/2042982578995478677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2026</a></blockquote>
The individuals are directly connected to Masoumeh Ebtekar, known to many Americans as “Screaming Mary,” who served as the English-language spokeswoman for the militants who seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979.
That crisis saw 52 Americans held hostage for 444 days, a defining moment in U.S.-Iran relations that continues to shape policy decades later.
Chosen for her fluent English and familiarity with the United States, she became the public face of the hostage-takers, appearing repeatedly on American television to defend the operation and relay the group’s demands. She has never expressed regret for her role, and frequently used her appearances to justify the takeover.
After the crisis, she transitioned from revolutionary activist to establishment figure, eventually rising to serve as a vice president of Iran, specifically Vice President for Women and Family Affairs from 2017 to 2021.
Despite that history, her son Hashemi had been living in Southern California, working as a lecturing psychology professor while residing in Los Angeles County with his wife, according to the <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/06/us-news/son-of-irans-twisted-pr-chief-found-living-life-of-luxury-in-la-and-hes-teaching-superrich-california-kids/">New York Post</a>. Reports and photographs placed him at upscale locations in the area, fueling criticism that relatives of senior regime figures were benefiting from life in the United States.
Public pressure had been building for months. Petitions and protests called for federal authorities to review the immigration status of Hashemi and others connected to Iran’s ruling apparatus, arguing that allowing such individuals to remain in the country undermines U.S. credibility on human rights and national security.
In its statement, the State Department <a href="https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/04/secretary-rubio-terminates-green-cards-of-foreign-nationals-tied-to-infamous-iranian-regime-propagandist/">indicated</a> that the individuals originally received visas during the Obama administration before later obtaining green cards through the Diversity Visa Program.
Later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters, “Her family should never have been allowed to benefit from the extraordinary privilege of living in our country. America can never become home for anti-American terrorists or their families.”
The move comes amid a broader push by the administration to target individuals in the U.S. with ties to Tehran’s ruling apparatus. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/daily-wire-asks-leavitt-about-iranian-officials-family-living-lavishly-in-the-u-s?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=8&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Daily+Wire+Asks+Leavitt+About+Iranian+Official’s+Family+Living+Lavishly+In+The+U.S.">The Daily Wire</a> the effort is a “top priority,” particularly in cases involving fraud or national security concerns.
“I understand one of the individual’s visas was revoked by Secretary Rubio, and they were deported by ICE because they had a fraudulent asylum claim,” Leavitt said, referring to a separate case involving relatives of the late Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. “Anyone who is here illegally or fraudulently is subject to our nation’s immigration laws and will be removed from our country.”
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1076379" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/iranian_official_fam_members_LA-1-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/iranian_official_fam_members_LA-1-300x199.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/iranian_official_fam_members_LA-1-870x576.jpg 870w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/iranian_official_fam_members_LA-1-768x509.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/iranian_official_fam_members_LA-1-1536x1017.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/iranian_official_fam_members_LA-1-2048x1357.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/iranian_official_fam_members_LA-1-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/iranian_official_fam_members_LA-1-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
That case involved Soleimani’s niece and grandniece, who were also taken into custody after reportedly living openly in the United States while expressing support for the regime, part of what officials describe as a pattern now under increased scrutiny.
The administration has already deported dozens of Iranian nationals over the past year, with hundreds more potentially facing removal as enforcement ramps up.
The message from the administration is that drawing a harder line not just against Iran’s government, but against those connected to it, is going to continue and we could see similar moves going forward.
For all the latest Iran news, follow <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-iranian-protests-intensify-as-citizens-demand-end-to-ayatollah-rule?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Daily+Wire&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=LIVE+UPDATES%3A+U.S.%2C+Iran+Face-To-Face+As+Trump+Warns+Negotiating+Window+Could+Close+Fast">The Daily Wire’s live blog</a>.

1179b268-3139-11e9-b26a-04579b7820b3.jpg

Anti-American ‘Screaming Mary’ Terrorist Family Faces New Reality: U.S. Isn’t Their Playground

Executive

Global Politics

Iran

World

In a major legal victory for free speech, the State Department has settled a lawsuit brought by The Daily Wire and others in 2023, ensuring an end to its support for censorship of American media outlets and putting the burden on the government to prove compliance to outlets harmed by its actions.
A federal judge on Wednesday entered a consent decree placing The Daily Wire and The Federalist, a co-plaintiff, in charge of ensuring that future State Departments do not fund efforts to deem news outlets &#8220;disinformation,&#8221; concluding the years-long First Amendment battle. The settlement will prohibit the State Department from supporting any further censorship of Americans, and appoint the plaintiffs as compliance monitors until 2036.
&#8220;Today marks an important day for preserving free speech in the digital era,&#8221; said Daily Wire CEO Caleb Robinson. &#8220;The U.S. government has acknowledged its censorship structures under the Biden administration, and will now be subject to limitations on similar behavior in the future.&#8221;
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/">The Daily Wire will not be silenced, and will always fight for freedom. Join us today to support the fight. </a>
In 2023, The Daily Wire and The Federalist <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/daily-wire-texas-ag-ask-court-to-block-state-departments-domestic-misinformation-efforts">sued</a> the State Department after President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration used its Global Engagement Center to fund and promote companies that worked to bankrupt conservative news outlets by deeming them &#8220;disinformation.&#8221; The Daily Wire, represented by the <a href="http://nclalegal.org/press_release/in-historic-settlement-ncla-strikes-fatal-blow-to-state-departments-censorship-industrial-complex/">New Civil Liberties Alliance</a> (NCLA), demonstrated in the case how the State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC) was used during the Biden administration to deliberately target disfavored news outlets.
Many of the more than 30 products showcased by GEC would assign reputability scores to news outlets, often due to their coverage of issues like COVID and election integrity. At the same time, advertisers were pressured not to do business with flagged outlets, based on the idea that it would be toxic to their brand.
One such company was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/congress-to-probe-media-rating-firm-newsguard-for-possible-taxpayer-funded-censorship?author=Luke+Rosiak&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Congress+To+Probe+Media+Rating+Firm+NewsGuard+For+Possible+Taxpayer-Funded+Censorship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NewsGuard</a>, which sells its ranking list to advertisers and whose co-CEO said it was &#8220;empowering governments… to support quality journalism and systemically defund sources of harmful misinformation.&#8221;
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/11Pgvwj3RVE?si=r0AQ3j5MjQLszXI6" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Another is the Global Disinformation Index, which claimed that liberal sites like ProPublica are among the “least risky,” while outlets like the New York Post, Reason Magazine, The Federalist, and The Daily Wire are among the “riskiest.” The group received a cash award from the State Department’s GEC and said it would “support market-wide deployment so that the ad-tech space can offer advertisers the chance to choose which sites their ads support.”
Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro said that GDI &#8220;fed basically a blacklist of sites to advertisers so that advertisers would want to pull their money&#8221; and that the effort &#8220;deprived groups and organizations like the Daily Wire of legitimately millions of dollars in advertising.”
Outlets were down-rated for their coverage of vaccines, the efficacy of masking, election integrity, abortion, transgenderism, and other topics.
Since it would be unconstitutional for the government to work to bankrupt news outlets that criticized the government&#8217;s official line, the Biden administration backed third parties who were doing it, the lawsuit argued. GEC seemingly attempted to avoid scrutiny by using a mysterious company called Park Capital Investment Group, helmed by a former State Department employee, as an additional middleman.
In a historic first, the State Department has publicly acknowledged through a binding legal agreement that the types of speech it previously sought to censor like the news and opinions published by The Daily Wire and The Federalist are protected by the First Amendment, and the State Department has agreed to dismantle its censorship apparatus by no longer using “technologies to knowingly or intentionally suppress, censor, demonetize, or downgrade the constitutionally protected speech of Americans or domestic media outlets,&#8221; or recommending that third parties do so.
<div id="attachment_663179" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-663179" class="size-large wp-image-663179" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/GettyImages-1712281320-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/GettyImages-1712281320-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/GettyImages-1712281320-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/GettyImages-1712281320-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/GettyImages-1712281320.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />President Joe Biden (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/ Washington Post via Getty Images)</div>
Congress defunded the Global Engagement Center in 2024 following the lawsuit, but the Biden administration moved its employees to a similar group doing similar work, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in April 2025, announcing that all those employees had been hit with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-department-shutters-misinformation-censorship-agency-salts-the-earth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">layoff notices</a>.
“Under the previous administration, this office, which cost taxpayers more than $50 million per year, spent millions of dollars to actively silence and censor the voices of Americans they were supposed to be serving,” Rubio said. “This is antithetical to the very principles we should be upholding and inconceivable it was taking place in America.”
The agreement is a binding contract that cannot be dissolved by future administrations, and requires the State Department — including under any future Democratic president — to report annually on its activities so The Daily Wire and The Federalist can monitor for compliance.
If violations are uncovered and the government does not rectify them, a federal judge in Texas would force the State Department to come into compliance with the agreement. The State Department settlement also requires the department to hold employee trainings in 2030 and 2035 on how the First Amendment precludes them from censoring Americans.
&#8220;The prohibitions, reporting, and training required by the Consent Decree will protect Free Speech for well more than the decade that the Decree is in force,&#8221; said Zhonette Brown, a top attorney for NCLA.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/daily-wire-texas-ag-ask-court-to-block-state-departments-domestic-misinformation-efforts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> said that GEC &#8220;researched, assessed, funded, investigated, evaluated, tested, marketed, and/or promoted over 365 so-called Countering Propaganda and Disinformation or ‘CPD’ tools and technologies, including tools and technologies that target American speech and the American press.&#8221; GEC created a platform called “Disinfo Cloud” to house them, and encouraged U.S. social media and tech companies to use the resources, even creating a Silicon Valley office.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-department-shutters-misinformation-censorship-agency-salts-the-earth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elvis Chan</a>, an FBI agent involved in asking Twitter to take down posts including those related to the Hunter Biden laptop, told Congress that he worked regularly with GEC, and that GEC did not seem to be concerned with the First Amendment since it was used to operating in foreign countries.
The State Department has always been forbidden from running propaganda on Americans, yet GEC sponsored a “COVID-19 misinformation and disinformation” tech challenge, and the three winners were all “American companies which offer technologies that target Americans’ speech broadcast to Americans,” the conservative outlets argued.
&#8220;Media literacy&#8221; is a term that has been used by the State Department to import left-wing censorship from countries like Germany and impose it on Americans. The U.S. Embassy in Berlin funded a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-department-paid-germans-to-bring-censorship-and-propaganda-to-u-s-schools" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seminar for United States teachers</a> who heard from an activist at a German group that lamented that on the internet, “it is not just progressive voices which are being spread,” but also “ideologies which are based on hatred.”
For that event, the State Department worked with Media Literacy Now, which calls media literacy a &#8220;tool to create the society we all deserve: one that nurtures racial equity, social justice, and true democracy. Media literacy equals cultural change.&#8221; It is a nonprofit linked to the for-profit Ad Fontes, which sells lists of &#8220;reputable&#8221; news outlets to advertisers.
The Daily Wire’s Andrew Klavan called it a “major victory for The Daily Wire, for The Federalist,” and a “major step in preserving the most precious right we have, a right that came very close to being extinguished during the Biden administration.”
The media outlets were represented on a pro bono basis by Margaret Little, Margot Cleveland, Casey Norman, Zhonette Brown, and Margaret Harker of the New Civil Liberties Alliance.
&#8220;We&#8217;re grateful to NCLA for representing us, and I also appreciate our co-plaintiffs&#8217; efforts in this landmark case,&#8221; Robinson said. &#8220;We&#8217;re proud to join them in the fight for freedom.&#8221;
The Daily Wire stands for the American birthright of freedom —  freedom of speech, faith, open debate, and the pursuit of objective truth. These are not just ideals; they are the promise of America, and we refuse to surrender them. 
If you believe in this nation&#8217;s greatness, <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/">stand with us</a> in the fight to preserve it.

dw_vs._state_dept_16x9_720

Daily Wire Wins Landmark Free Speech Victory In Censorship Lawsuit Against State Department

Social Media Censorship

The Daily Wire

On March 6, 2024, Reza Valizadeh — a journalist and dual American-Iranian citizen — returned to Iran for the first time in nearly two decades to visit his elderly parents.
Six months later, he was arrested. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confiscated his U.S. passport and other documents. He was interrogated about his work, convicted of “collaborating with a hostile government,&#8221; and sentenced to 10 years in Tehran&#8217;s notorious Evin Prison. According to the United Nations, detainees at Evin are frequently held in solitary confinement, denied access to lawyers, and subjected to harsh and often abusive conditions.
Now, as President Donald Trump suggests the United States and Iran could soon renew diplomatic talks, Valizadeh&#8217;s supporters hope he could soon find freedom.
<h3 style="max-width: 728px; margin: 0 auto;">Trapped in Iran: The Fight to Free American Journalist Reza Valizadeh<iframe style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; max-width: 100%; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/6t7Sdm7y01d6GhJZddXudZWRUlivNLIma?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=b44f296f-18b6-41c0-b755-fee2e8aaa58d&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=March%2024%2C%202026%20-%20Inside%20the%20Case%20of%20Reza%20Valizadeh&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2F0a924ad5-c02e-40ed-a4ba-5d4b8a5dc1af.webp&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></h3>
Valizadeh was forced into exile in 2009 after angering the Islamic regime with his reporting on corruption, election manipulation, and the regime’s security apparatus. He returned to Tehran knowing that his reporting on the regime&#8217;s corruption and abuses — which he continued in exile for Radio Farda, a Persian-language outlet affiliated with Radio Free Europe — had angered the Iranian government and IRGC.
“With the news of the negotiations with Iran, we are hoping the cessation of strikes (if even brief) will open a window for the administration to prioritize the release of Americans being held in Evin prison,” Valizadeh’s attorney, Ryan Fayhee, told The Daily Wire.
That possibility follows a recent de-escalation in tensions, after President Trump cited ongoing talks as a reason for backing off his demand that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on its energy infrastructure. While Tehran has denied that negotiations are ongoing and reportedly rejected a U.S.-ceasefire plan on Wednesday, Fayhee still has hope.
For advocates, even the prospect of dialogue creates a potential opening for U.S. officials to prioritize the release of detained Americans.
Fayhee told The Daily Wire that Valizadeh was misled about his safety before returning to Iran in 2024.
“He did receive some assurances — they ended up being false assurances — that he would not face any concerns,” Fayhee said. “He was ultimately arrested, interrogated, and then held in the political wing of Evin Prison with many other political dissidents, former government officials who are being held there.”
Fayhee says what followed was a sham trial where Valizadeh was denied due process protections, meaningful access to legal counsel, and in which the judge acted as a prosecutor and decision-maker.
Valizadeh was present for a 2025 Israeli strike on Evin Prison, during which prisoners were <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/08/14/iran-detainees-ill-treated-and-disappeared-after-israeli-evin-prison-attack" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> transferred in chaotic, cruel conditions to overcrowded facilities without adequate food or medical care. Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, <a href="https://x.com/gidonsaar/status/1937083300373541216" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the attack was a response to Iran targeting civilians and was intended to help liberate detainees.
<div id="attachment_1065091" style="width: 802px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1065091" class="size-large wp-image-1065091" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2222337441-792x576.jpg" alt="" width="792" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2222337441-792x576.jpg 792w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2222337441-300x218.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2222337441-768x559.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2222337441.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 792px) 100vw, 792px" />Iranian cameramen capture videos of an office building of the Evin prison, which is destroyed in Israeli strikes in northern Tehran, Iran, on July 1, 2025. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)</div>
Valizadeh is believed to have been held in Ward 209 of Evin Prison, the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention center, where reports indicate prisoners are held without access to sunlight and “subjected to indiscriminate physical torture, including floggings, electric shocks, mock executions, waterboarding, sexual violence, suspension, force-feeding of chemical substances, and deliberate deprivation of medical care,” according to the United Nations.
He is now being held in Ward 7, where inmates are kept in overcrowded cells under poor living conditions, including just four toilets for every 200 prisoners. According to his brother, Valizadeh’s small cell holds 18 inmates, many of whom are forced to sleep on the ground.
Fayhee said Valizadeh was arrested not only for his reporting, but to send a broader warning.
“Reza appears to have been targeted really for the purposes of sending a message to other journalists who would report outside Iran on what&#8217;s happening within Iran,” he said.
Fayhee, who has represented wrongfully detained Americans abroad since 2019, said Valizadeh’s case follows a familiar pattern in which Iran targets dual nationals and particularly journalists on vague national security charges. The two most prominent Iranian-American journalists to be wrongfully detained by Iran are Jason Rezaian and Roxana Saberi, both of whom were released amid international pressure.
“Essentially, the crime is alleged to be sort of consorting with the enemy and outside forces,” Fayhee said. “It’s truly a fake crime, fake proceeding. There&#8217;s no real rule of law when it comes to anyone who&#8217;s publicly criticizing the regime. And so this is the charge that they rely upon.”
Valizadeh has since been designated by the State Department as wrongfully detained — a classification that opens additional government resources to help secure his release.
Due to the lack of an American diplomatic presence in Iran, Switzerland’s embassy in Tehran serves as the protecting power for the United States, providing consular assistance to American citizens, including prisoners. The embassy was <a href="https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/foreign-affairs/swiss-embassy-in-tehran-closes-temporarily-amid-escalating-middle-east-conflict/91081782" target="_blank" rel="noopener">temporarily closed</a> earlier this month due to Operation Epic Fury, with the Swiss ambassador and staff leaving Iran.
According to Fayhee, it is difficult to communicate with his client, though he has received some messages that have made him concerned about Valizadeh’s health.
“I grew quite concerned immediately because I know he&#8217;d had some respiratory issues in the past,” he said. “A lot of coughing, pretty raspy, difficult.”
The United Nations confirms Valizadeh suffers from asthma and has experienced worsening symptoms in detention while being denied adequate medical care. His family has been unable to deliver him medication due to the prison’s doctor not providing him a prescription.
For now, Fayhee says ensuring visibility is key.
“I think it&#8217;s important that his name be known by everybody across the U.S., whether it&#8217;s in Capitol Hill, whether it&#8217;s at the UN, whether it&#8217;s at the White House,” Fayhee said. “I think that&#8217;s his best protection.”

Reza Valizadeh

He Went Home To Visit His Parents — Now He’s Fighting To Get Out Alive

Evin Prison

Operation Epic Fury

WASHINGTON—The nominee to serve as United Nations Secretary General is a pro-abortion extremist who is unfit to serve in the role, Republicans told Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a letter first obtained by The Daily Wire.
The bicameral group of lawmakers, led by Republican Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey, told Rubio on Thursday that former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet &#8220;does not match the qualifications&#8221; President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration is seeking in the next secretary general, given her record of pro-abortion advocacy and the support she has from abortion proponents around the world.
As one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, the United States has the power to veto Bachelet&#8217;s selection to be the next Secretary General. The lawmakers urge Rubio to instruct U.N. Ambassador Michael Waltz to exercise that veto.
&#8220;Dr. Bachelet’s resume reveals a pro-abortion zealot intent on using political authority to override state sovereignty in favor of extreme agendas,&#8221; the lawmakers write. &#8220;She has both overtly attacked pro-life laws — including those of the United States — and sought to weaken them through intimidation and coercion.&#8221;
Bachelet served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, as Executive Director of United Nations Women, and as the president of Chile. In each of these roles, the Republicans stressed, she has pushed for abortions of unborn babies as a woman&#8217;s right. President Donald Trump actually pulled the United States out of U.N. Women in January 2026, saying that participation in U.N. Women is contrary to U.S. interests.
&#8220;Dr. Bachelet has repeatedly prioritized an extreme abortion agenda at the expense of state sovereignty,&#8221; the lawmakers told Rubio. &#8220;She is an unsuitable candidate, and the United States, as a permanent member of the Security Council, should veto Dr. Bachelet’s selection.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1066457" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-republicans-press-rubio-to-block-pro-abortion-zealot-un-secretary-general-nominee/chile-election-runoff-vote" rel="attachment wp-att-1066457"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1066457" class="wp-image-1066457 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2251241254-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2251241254-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2251241254-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2251241254-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2251241254.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>Chile&#8217;s former president (2006-2010 and 2014-2018) Michelle Bachelet speaks to the press after casting her ballot during the presidential runoff election in Santiago on December 14, 2025. (Photo by Raul BRAVO / AFP via Getty Images)</div>
The United States has previously emphasized that it wants a Secretary General who shares the American vision of &#8220;returning the UN to its founding purpose of maintaining international peace and security,&#8221; as Ambassador Dorothy Shea argued in October 2025, during remarks at a United Nations Security Council Briefing. &#8220;The next Secretary-General should reject initiatives that fall outside the Charter’s founding purpose, prioritize accountability and transparency, and respect state sovereignty.&#8221;
The lawmakers argue that Bachelet would not match such a vision, and that she would instead promote &#8220;divisive ideologies.&#8221;
&#8220;However, Dr. Bachelet’s previous promotion of an extreme abortion agenda suggests that, if selected as the next UNSG, she would 
continue the UN practice of engaging in &#8216;the propagation of divisive ideologies that undermine national sovereignty and stir controversy rather than bring member states together to address issues of common concern.&#8217;  Her demonstrated ambitions and priorities, outlined below, conflict with the United States determination to bring the UN &#8216;back to the basics.'&#8221;
They note that Bachelet, when she served as the High Commissioner for Human Rights, deplored the United States Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022, calling the decision a &#8220;major setback,” a “huge blow to women’s human rights,” and a decision that “strips autonomy” from women. They note that she described abortion as &#8220;firmly rooted in international human rights law,&#8221; saying that the procedure, which brutally ends the life of a human baby, &#8220;is at the core of women and girls’ autonomy.”
Since Bachelet has set the precedent of &#8220;using her office to attack United States pro-life law,&#8221; she cannot be trusted to respect the United States&#8217; &#8220;right to enforce pro-life laws and policies, include the Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance policy and the executive order Enforcing the Hyde Amendment,&#8221; the Republicans argue.
Bachelet has spent her career arguing for more abortions and fewer pro-life laws: in 2022, as the lawmakers point out, she said that &#8220;restrictive abortion laws and practical barriers pose a threat to human rights&#8221; and praised the weakening of pro-life laws in Colombia, Argentina, and Mexico.
&#8220;The truth is that killing an unborn child by abortion can never be construed to be a human right,&#8221; the Republicans wrote. &#8220;Every person — born and unborn—deserves to have his or her human rights secured and protected.&#8221;
They also point to a 2020 fact sheet from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, published under Bachelet&#8217;s purview, that claims &#8220;treaty body jurisprudence has indicated that denying women access to abortion can amount to violations of the rights to health, privacy and, in certain cases, the right to be free from cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment.”
Failure to abort babies is &#8220;a form of gender based violence against women, which can amount to torture and/or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment,&#8221; the fact sheet asserts. The Republicans argue that these claims are in contradiction to the Geneva Consensus Declaration, a document signed by the United States and 30 other nations affirming there is no international right to abortion.
Bachelet has also failed to oppose coerced abortion in China, traveling to the nation at the invitation of the Chinese Communist Party in order to investigate reports of human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the lawmakers tell Rubio.
&#8220;She should have honestly identified the atrocities committed by the CCP against the Uyghurs as a genocide,&#8221; they wrote. &#8220;Instead, she released a watered-down report literally minutes before her term expired. She allowed the CCP to blatantly shield itself from an honest assessment and to sidestep responsibility for its horrific human rights abuses. In an appalling failure of leadership, Dr. Bachelet crumbled under pressure and enabled the CCP to manipulate the visit for its own advantage.&#8221;
As she campaigned for the Chilean presidency, Bachelet promised to weaken the country&#8217;s pro-life law that protected all unborn babies. She followed through by authoring a bill legalizing abortion and sending it to Chile&#8217;s Congress. The bill was approved and established into law, allowing abortions when the baby was a risk to the mother&#8217;s life, had fatal fetal abnormalities, or was the result of a rape.
While the change in law might seem minimal or even standard for Americans, for Chileans, the law change was a cultural shift and a door opened to future pro-abortion laws.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.

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EXCLUSIVE: Republicans Press Rubio To Block ‘Pro-Abortion Zealot’ UN Secretary General Nominee

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The Trump administration designated another branch of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization Monday, marking its fourth such designation in an effort to curb the Islamic extremist group active throughout the world.
The designation targets the Muslim Brotherhood’s Sudanese chapter, whose fighters the Trump administration says received training from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and carried out mass executions.
The State Department said the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood — composed of the Sudanese Islamic Movement and its armed wing, the al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade (BBMB) — uses “unrestrained violence against civilians” to advance its violent Islamist ideology and undermine efforts to resolve the conflict in Sudan.
In January, the Trump administration <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-designates-three-muslim-brotherhood-branches-as-terrorist-organizations">designated</a> three branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations, including affiliates in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt.
The Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan was designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) and the administration said it intends to classify the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), the most severe designation, which criminalizes providing material support under federal law. The SDGT designation allows the Treasury Department to freeze assets and block financial transactions.
“The Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood uses unrestrained violence against civilians to undermine efforts to resolve the conflict in Sudan and advance its violent Islamist ideology,” the State Department said. 
The group contributed more than 20,000 fighters to Sudan’s civil war, which has displaced about 12 million people and may have caused as many as 400,000 deaths, <a href="https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/power-struggle-sudan">according to</a> the former U.S. envoy to Sudan.
According to the State Department, many of the fighters received training and other support from the IRGC, and members of the BBMB have carried out mass executions of civilians in captured areas, including killings based on race, ethnicity, or suspected affiliation with opposition groups.
“Its fighters, many receiving training and other support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have conducted mass executions of civilians,” the statement added. “As the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, the Iranian regime has financed and directed malign activities globally through its IRGC.”
It added that the U.S. will continue to “use all available tools to deprive the Iranian regime and Muslim Brotherhood chapters of the resources to engage in or support terrorism.”
The Treasury Department previously designated BBMB in September 2025 under Executive Order 14098 for its role in Sudan’s brutal civil war.
Under the new designation, all property and financial interests belonging to the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood that fall within U.S. jurisdiction are blocked and U.S. citizens and businesses are prohibited from conducting transactions with the organization.
The State Department warned that foreign individuals or companies that engage in certain dealings with the group could also face secondary sanctions under U.S. counterterrorism authorities.
The designation is scheduled to take effect on March 16.
The designation follows Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/desantis-joins-texas-in-designating-cair-and-muslim-brotherhood-as-terrorist-organizations">issuing</a> state-level orders in late 2025 labeling the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations. 
CAIR, which describes itself as the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group in the United States, responded by suing both states and denying that it supports terrorism. After DeSantis issued his order, the group accused the Florida governor of being “Israel first.”
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna, an Islamist schoolteacher who sought to build a movement dedicated to implementing Islamic law and resisting Western influence in the Muslim world. It is one of the most influential movements in the Middle East and Africa, and has spawned terrorist groups, including Hamas.

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Trump Admin Takes Fight Beyond Battlefield With New Terror Blacklist Move

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