The Trump administration does not plan to intervene to stop the extradition of controversial influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate to the United Kingdom, despite the brothers&#8217; legal team urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to step in.
A senior administration official told <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/22/trump-rubio-tate-brothers-extradition">Axios</a> on Wednesday that the United States will not block the proceedings as the brothers fight extradition in federal court. &#8220;The U.S. has an extradition treaty with the U.K. and the administration intends to honor it in this case,&#8221; the official said.
The State Department likewise indicated it has no plans to intervene. A senior department official said Rubio has not spoken with the Tate brothers or their attorneys and that the department &#8220;has no plans to act on this matter at this time.&#8221;
Andrew and Tristan Tate were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/andrew-and-tristan-tate-arrested-in-florida-on-rape-child-pornography-charges?author=Tim+Rice&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Andrew+And+Tristan+Tate+Arrested+In+Florida+On+Rape%2C+Child+Pornography+Charges">arrested</a> in Miami on Saturday, following a British extradition request tied to dozens of new criminal charges. The Crown Prosecution Service recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tate-brothers-slapped-with-38-new-charges-in-expanding-sex-trafficking-case?author=Daily+Wire+News&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Tate+Brothers+Slapped+With+38+New+Charges+In+Expanding+Sex+Trafficking+Case">announced</a> 38 additional <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/read-the-graphic-allegations-unsealed-against-the-tate-brothers?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Read+The+Graphic+Allegations+Unsealed+Against+The+Tate+Brothers">charges</a> against the brothers, bringing the total number of charges they face in the United Kingdom to 59. The charges include allegations of rape, sex trafficking, assault, and offenses involving indecent images of children and extreme pornography.
The brothers have thus far denied all wrongdoing, and they appeared Monday before a federal judge in Miami to begin extradition proceedings. Their attorney, Joseph McBride, argued outside the courthouse that the prosecution is politically motivated and has vowed to challenge the request. &#8220;We are of course objecting to extradition because Andrew and Tristan are innocent,&#8221; McBride told <a href="https://apnews.com/article/andrew-tristan-tate-sex-trafficking-rape-uk-miami-3a3748e075f49b00f286a003f5103485">reporters</a>. &#8220;They&#8217;ve never done nothing wrong. They shouldn&#8217;t be extradited for crimes they did not commit.&#8221;
McBride has also argued that Rubio has the authority to deny the extradition request if he determines the brothers are being politically persecuted. Court filings acknowledge the secretary retains final authority over extradition decisions after judicial proceedings conclude, but administration officials have indicated there is no appetite to exercise that discretion in this case.
According to Axios, Rubio has privately expressed disdain for the brothers, with one source telling the outlet the secretary views them as &#8220;scum.&#8221; Another source familiar with President Donald Trump&#8217;s thinking said the president likewise wants nothing to do with the influencers despite their repeated public support for him. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/who-are-andrew-and-tristan-tate-everything-to-know-about-the-controversial-manosphere-brothers?author=Tim+Rice&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Who+Are+Andrew+And+Tristan+Tate%3F+Everything+To+Know+About+The+Controversial+%E2%80%98Manosphere%E2%80%99+Brothers.">The Tate brothers</a> have cultivated a massive online following through content promoting wealth, hyper-masculinity, and controversial views on women. They became prominent figures within the so-called &#8220;manosphere&#8221; and have repeatedly portrayed themselves as allies of Trump and the MAGA movement.
The extradition case is only the latest legal challenge facing the brothers. They remain under criminal investigation in Romania on separate human trafficking and rape allegations, which they have also denied.
A federal judge has scheduled the brothers&#8217; next hearing for July 27 as the extradition process continues. If the court determines the treaty requirements are met, the final decision on whether to surrender the brothers to British authorities will rest with Rubio, though administration officials have made clear they currently have no intention of blocking the request.

Andrew Tate

The Trump Admin Will Not Intervene On Behalf Of The Tate Brothers

Britain

Donald Trump

Extradition

Florida

Marco Rubio

Miami

Rape

Sexual Abuse

Sexual Assault

State Department

Tate Brothers

Tristan Tate

Trump Administration

U.K.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Wednesday directed every state Medicaid program to begin phasing out the use of mercury-containing dental fillings, The Daily Wire has learned.
CMS, which is part of the Robert F. Kennedy Jr.-led Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), told state Medicaid directors to restrict or end Medicaid coverage for “dental amalgams,&#8221; fillings which are roughly 50% mercury. According to HHS, the material poses health and environmental risks.
State Medicaid directors were told to &#8220;end the use of mercury-containing dental amalgam in its facilities by 2027.” The notification added, “This reflects growing environmental and health concerns regarding mercury exposure, along with global efforts to reduce the use of mercury-containing materials.&#8221;
“Mercury has no place in the mouths of our children or in modern American health care,” RFK said in a statement sent to The Daily Wire. “For decades, we have relied on a material that contains one of the world’s most toxic heavy metals when safe, effective mercury-free alternatives are widely available.&#8221;
&#8220;The Make America Healthy Again agenda means confronting outdated practices that needlessly expose Americans to toxic substances,&#8221; Kennedy added. &#8220;Taxpayer dollars should support the safest care available — not yesterday&#8217;s materials. It’s time to turn the page on dental amalgam and help every state move toward safer, mercury-free care.”
HHS says mercury exposure from dental amalgam may pose elevated health risks to vulnerable people, including pregnant women and their babies, women trying to become pregnant, children under six years old, and people with neurological diseases or impaired kidney function.
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz similarly said the move is fully in line with the MAHA agenda.
“Americans should feel confident that the health care they receive is always working in their best interest,” Dr. Oz said. “That’s why we&#8217;re urging state Medicaid programs to end the use of mercury-containing dental fillings. This is a straightforward and meaningful step that reflects our shared commitment to safe, higher quality care for all Americans and supports the Trump Administration&#8217;s broader goal to Make America Healthy Again.”
Since President Trump returned to office, HHS has made reducing exposure to chemicals and other potentially harmful substances a centerpiece of the MAHA agenda, including efforts targeting food dyes, additives, school nutrition, and infant formula standards.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rfk-punishes-blue-states-for-rampant-fraud-concerns?trueLinkId=P%2FGps7vsLowr2pwr%2F2JS%2FgoZjrOloijVv93ikqdGim%2FhUXfTjo2HE3PY%2BkaLCUuL97Ef79SmBP%2FsNypb6Pxq5g%3D%3D&amp;trueLinkTs=1782820892&amp;trueLinkExpiry=43200">RFK Punishes Blue States For Rampant Fraud Concerns</a>

GettyImages-2258942424

EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Oz, RFK Take Action On Mercury In Your Dental Fillings

EXCLUSIVE: CMS Directs States To Stop Use Of Mercury For Dental Practices 

Dentist

Health

MAHA

Medicaid

Mehmet Oz

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The United States and Saudi Arabia are set to sign a landmark civil nuclear cooperation agreement Wednesday, advancing Riyadh&#8217;s long-sought nuclear ambitions and setting up a congressional fight over nuclear proliferation.
The agreement establishes a framework for American companies to help develop Saudi Arabia&#8217;s civilian nuclear program, including the potential construction of a uranium enrichment facility if a joint U.S.-Saudi study determines that enriching uranium inside the kingdom is economically justified. 
The 30-year agreement is estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars and is intended to give American firms a central role in Saudi Arabia&#8217;s nuclear infrastructure, according to The <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/trump-approves-landmark-nuclear-deal-with-saudi-arabia-in-big-win-for-kingdom-2ed77584?st=eE7ySw&amp;reflink=article_copyURL_share">Wall Street Journal</a>.
Under the agreement, the United States and Saudi Arabia will conduct a two-year study examining whether it is more practical for the kingdom to enrich uranium domestically rather than importing nuclear fuel. If the study concludes domestic enrichment is warranted, American companies would build the facility under what The Wall Street Journal described as a &#8220;secretive black box arrangement&#8221; designed to prevent the transfer of sensitive nuclear technology. 
If Washington objects to enrichment, Saudi Arabia would reportedly be barred from pursuing it independently or with another country for at least 10 years. 
Trump administration officials argue that placing American companies at the center of Saudi Arabia&#8217;s nuclear program will give Washington greater oversight while helping ensure the kingdom&#8217;s civilian nuclear program cannot be diverted toward developing nuclear weapons.
Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman are expected to sign the agreement Wednesday afternoon.
While the agreement is intended to support Saudi Arabia&#8217;s civilian nuclear energy program, the possibility of Riyadh having nuclear weapons ambitions has raised concerns, especially since de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has repeatedly said Saudi Arabia would pursue a nuclear weapon if Iran develops one.
In a 2018 interview with CBS News, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/15/saudi-arabia-iran-nuclear-bomb-threat-mohammed-bin-salman#:~:text=Crown%20prince%20Mohammed%20bin%20Salman%3A%20'Saudi%20Arabia,article%20is%20more%20than%208%20years%20old.">he said,</a> &#8220;If Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible.&#8221; 
He reiterated that position during a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_u8ghPr3HE">2023 interview</a> with Fox News&#8217; Bret Baier, saying, &#8220;If they get one, we have to get one &#8230; for security reasons and for balancing power in the Middle East.&#8221; 
Riyadh views Iran as its primary regional rival, and the kingdom has increasingly linked its own security posture to Tehran&#8217;s nuclear program.
Still, Saudi Arabia has long sought civilian nuclear power as part of its effort to diversify its economy and free more of its oil production for export. 
The agreement is also expected to benefit American industry, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that Westinghouse Electric and its AP1000 reactor technology are among the companies expected to gain. 
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who as a senator was a vocal critic of Saudi Arabia obtaining nuclear capabilities, defended the agreement Wednesday.
&#8220;Suffice it to say, the U.S. is not going to reach any agreement with any country in the world that leads to the risk of proliferation,&#8221; Rubio told reporters.
The agreement is known as a &#8220;123 Agreement,&#8221; which establishes the legal framework for civilian nuclear cooperation between the United States and foreign governments. According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/us/politics/trump-saudi-nuclear-deal.html">The New York Times</a>, the United States has 26 such agreements with 51 governments and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The agreement will be reviewed by Congress under the Atomic Energy Act, which allows lawmakers to block the agreement by passing a joint resolution of disapproval. However, Congress would need a two-thirds majority to override a likely presidential veto, making it unlikely the agreement would be rejected.
Still, some members of Congress including Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) have <a href="https://www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/no_nuclear_weapons_for_saudi_arabia_letter.pdf#:~:text=aid%20that%20the%20United%20States.%20%E2%80%9Cshould%20suspend,...%20Regrettably%2C%20it%20appears%20that%20the%20A">requested</a> clarification from the Trump administration as to how Saudi Arabia will be prevented from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Others have criticized the agreement because it differs from the nuclear cooperation agreement the United States reached with the United Arab Emirates in 2009, which became known as the &#8220;gold standard&#8221; for nuclear nonproliferation.
Under that agreement, the UAE permanently gave up the right to enrich uranium and adopted the International Atomic Energy Agency&#8217;s Additional Protocol, subjecting its nuclear program to more rigorous inspections.
The Trump administration argues its agreement with Saudi Arabia contains different safeguards, including extensive U.S. involvement in the kingdom&#8217;s nuclear program, that will allow Washington to closely monitor its development. 
Critics, however, contend the agreement weakens longstanding U.S. nonproliferation standards by allowing for the possibility of domestic uranium enrichment, giving Saudi Arabia infrastructure that could one day support a nuclear weapons program. They also warn the agreement could encourage other countries in the region — including Turkey, Egypt, and even the UAE — to pursue enrichment programs of their own.
Rubio has previously argued that any U.S. nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia should include strict nonproliferation safeguards.
In 2018, he <a href="http://sherman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/senators-markey-and-rubio-and-reps-sherman-and-messer-introduce">co-sponsored bipartisan</a> legislation that would have required Congress to affirmatively approve any civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Riyadh while conditioning cooperation on Saudi Arabia permanently renouncing uranium enrichment, adopting the International Atomic Energy Agency&#8217;s Additional Protocol and meeting additional human rights conditions. 
The following year, Rubio joined then-Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) in <a href="https://www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/03-14-19%20RM%20Rubio%20Letter%20to%20GAO%20re%20123%20Agreement%20with%20KSA1.pdf">requesting</a> a Government Accountability Office review of the Trump administration&#8217;s nuclear negotiations with Saudi Arabia, citing concerns over transparency and nuclear proliferation.
In 2025, Wright and bin Salman Al Saud <a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/us-energy-secretary-and-saudi-arabias-energy-minister-announce-deal-civil-nuclear">signed a</a> Joint Declaration on the Completion of Negotiations on Civil Nuclear Cooperation. At the time, Wright called it a “historic day.”
“We&#8217;ve come together on a deal for civil nuclear cooperation,” he said. “Together, with bilateral safeguard agreements, we want to grow our partnership, bring American nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, and keep a firm commitment to nonproliferation.” 
The agreement had also been explored during the Biden administration, though negotiations were tied to a broader effort to persuade Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords. Those efforts largely stalled after Hamas&#8217; October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza. 
The Trump administration instead pursued the nuclear agreement independently as part of its broader effort to deepen economic and strategic ties with the kingdom. 
During his trip to the kingdom last year, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-secures-historic-investment-deal-from-saudi-arabia-on-first-day-of-middle-east-trip">announced</a> what the White House described as the largest defense sales agreement in history — a nearly $142 billion package providing Saudi Arabia with air and missile defense systems, maritime and coastal security capabilities, border security modernization and communications upgrades from more than a dozen American defense companies. 
The White House said the agreement forms part of Saudi Arabia&#8217;s broader $600 billion investment commitment in the United States and &#8220;represents a significant investment in Saudi Arabia&#8217;s defense and regional security, built on American systems and training.&#8221;

US-IRAQ-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY-TRUMP

Trump Set To Strike Major Nuclear Agreement With Middle East Power

Iran

Nuclear

Saudia Arabia

Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a straightforward <a href="https://x.com/StateDept/status/2079908555969245667">warning</a> on Wednesday about efforts to push communist influence inside the United States.
“The United States doesn’t want to be a communist country,” he said. “We’re never going to be a communist country. We’re not going to allow communist influences to undermine our politics or our society.”
“Our system doesn’t want communism,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And we’re certainly not gonna allow communist efforts to undermine American society and drive wedges into our country.”
Rubio identified the Cuban regime as one of the leading forces behind these kinds of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rubio-reveals-how-cuba-is-trying-to-undermine-america">operations</a> in the hemisphere. He tied the comments to a recent intelligence report from the administration.
Rubio also stressed that while the United States interacts with different governments and systems around the world, there is a clear boundary when it comes to protecting American institutions and society from communist subversion.
His comments on Wednesday come shortly after the Secretary of State delivered a major international <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rubio-levels-the-left-pledges-to-crush-global-marxist-terror-networks-in-historic-address?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Rubio+Levels+The+Left%2C+Pledges+To+Crush+Global+Marxist+Terror+Networks+In+Historic+Address">address</a> focused on the threat of far-Left militant networks. In that speech to delegates from more than 60 nations, Rubio described the militant networks as being driven by a deep hatred for civilization itself and laid out how America aimed at confronting them. Those steps include offering bounties to disrupt their financing and officially designating several violent far-Left groups as &#8220;Foreign Terrorist Organizations.&#8221;
Rubio called for dismantling these networks brick by brick. He reviewed the history of earlier movements that followed similar ideologies. He referenced groups such as the Tupamaros and the Montoneros in Latin America, the Shining Path in Peru, the Red Brigades in Italy, the Red Army Faction in Germany, and the Weather Underground in the United States. He also pointed to current trends showing far-Left violence increasing in several European countries. Rubio noted that such violence has risen more than 40% in Germany and makes up over 80% of radical violence in Greece.
Rubio outlined the administration&#8217;s responses to the issue, which include both domestic vigilance against influence operations and international coordination against violent extremist networks.

President Trump Hosts Prime Minister Of Norway Jonas Gahr Store To The White House

Rubio Warns Communist Influence In America Has Met Its Match

Communism

The widow of a U.S. Army soldier killed while serving in Iraq said she will &#8220;never recover&#8221; after losing her husband, who leaves behind a 6-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter.  
Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed on July 19 at Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq during the controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone, according to the Department of War. The department identified him publicly on Tuesday, and the incident remains under investigation.
Shortly after military officials informed her of his death, Swinton&#8217;s wife, Mia Gonzalez-Swinton, shared the news in a series of emotional Facebook posts.
&#8220;I didn&#8217;t think this would be the last time I ever saw you. I have no words,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;I was informed this morning that my husband, Michael, was killed while serving in Iraq. I&#8217;m navigating how to process this so please bear with me.&#8221;
Later in the day, she added, &#8220;I see all the love and messages. I appreciate everyone reaching out but I don&#8217;t have it in me to respond to everyone. My husband, my best friend, my daughter&#8217;s father, he&#8217;s gone and I don&#8217;t have the words right now.&#8221;
In another post, she wrote, &#8220;I will never recover from this, you should be home. We had so many plans for when you got back. I&#8217;m sick to my stomach.&#8221;
She also shared a touching <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/r/19ATpJs8BQ/">video</a> showing Swinton in various photos with his children.
Swinton, an active-duty soldier assigned to D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Fort Bragg, had served in the Army since enlisting in 2017. He lived in nearby Spring Lake, North Carolina.
His mother, Christel Swinton Andujar, told <a href="https://abc7ny.com/amp/post/us-soldier-killed-iraq-was-30-year-old-father-north-carolina/19551017/">The Associated Press</a> that his wife and children &#8220;were the center of his world.&#8221;
&#8220;His legacy will live on through the countless lives he touched, the laughter he shared, the strength he gave others, and the unconditional love he poured into his family,&#8221; she said. &#8220;He will forever be missed, forever honored, and forever our hero.&#8221;
She described her son as someone who could light up a room with his humor and contagious laugh.
&#8220;Michael had a remarkable ability to excel at whatever he set his mind to,&#8221; she said. &#8220;He knew when it was time to laugh and when it was time to be serious. Whether serving his country, supporting his family, or helping a friend, he gave his whole heart and expected nothing in return.&#8221;
Swinton will be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant and awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and Combat Action Badge. He had previously received several other military decorations during his service. 
Military leaders remembered Swinton as a dedicated noncommissioned officer who put others before himself.
&#8220;USASMDC is saddened by the loss of Sgt. Swinton, whose death occurred during an operation to safeguard fellow Soldiers,&#8221; Lt. Gen. John L. Rafferty, commanding general of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, <a href="https://www.army.mil/article-amp/294025/dow_announces_death_of_usasmdc_soldier_in_iraq">said in a statement</a>. &#8220;His service will not be forgotten, and his sacrifice is not in vain. We will support Sgt. Swinton&#8217;s family and his unit during this difficult period.&#8221;
Brig. Gen. John L. Dawber, commanding general of the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, described Swinton as &#8220;an experienced noncommissioned officer who took great pride in his work and the people around him.&#8221;
&#8220;He answered the call to duty with courage, honor, and selfless dedication,&#8221; Dawber said.
Swinton is at least the 17th U.S. service member publicly identified as having died during the conflict with Iran since March. The Department of War has announced multiple fatalities in recent weeks, including two soldiers killed in Jordan, six soldiers killed in Kuwait, and six airmen killed in a KC-135 crash supporting operations against Iran. 
Following the recent deaths of American service members, President Donald Trump vowed retaliation on Monday, writing, &#8220;Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!&#8221;

Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton

‘I Will Never Recover’: Widow Of U.S. Soldier Killed In Middle East Shares Heartbreaking Tribute

U.S. Army

On Thursday, July 16, 2026, President Donald Trump accused the People’s Republic of China of conspiring to undermine his presidency. Appearing before the nation from the White House, Trump <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HmhOFfJr5ro">shared</a> intelligence indicating that Beijing “engaged in…election-related activities to undermine my first administration and our 2020 campaign.” According to the president, Beijing “fought like hell” to head off a second term and “make him resign or prevent his reelection.”
The next day, administration officials <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/peter-navarro-speaks-to-white-house-reporters-about-election-security/682908">said</a>, inexplicably, that Trump’s speech about Beijing’s election influence was “not a story about China.” Instead, Peter Navarro claimed, the true villains were domestic “nefarious actors” who wanted to swing the election away from Trump. Later on that day, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://x.com/katiadoyl/status/2078171530257686641?s=61">confirmed</a> that Chairman Xi Jinping’s upcoming trip to the White House remained on track. Apparently the punishment for meddling in American democracy is pageantry and hospitality.
Friday evening, Reuters reported new <a href="https://www.justice.gov/olc/media/1453136/dl">guidance</a> from the Department of Justice: TikTok was now safe to download on government devices. No matter that the CCP still appears to control the app’s all-important <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us-lawmaker-says-licensing-deal-tiktok-algorithm-would-raise-serious-concerns-2025-10-16/">algorithm</a>, or that Beijing <a href="https://www.hudson.org/technology/stop-giving-beijing-advantage-through-tiktok-michael-sobolik">leveraged</a> that control last year to turn the American people against Trump’s trade war with China. Or, most alarmingly, that a National Intelligence Council <a href="https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/NICM-Declassified-Cyber-Operations-Enabling-Expansive-Digital-Authoritarianism-20200407--2022.pdf">assessment</a> from 2020 identified TikTok as a primary vector of CCP election interference in the United States. With its hand on the app’s algorithm, the CCP can still manipulate TikTok’s content and shape U.S. public opinion.
If President Trump wants to prevent China, Russia, or any foreign adversaries from meddling in U.S. elections, he needs to address these contradictions immediately. As it stands now, his administration is unwittingly doing Beijing’s work for it.
Consider this warning from an NIC <a href="https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/NICM-Declassified-Cyber-Operations-Enabling-Expansive-Digital-Authoritarianism-20200407--2022.pdf">assessment</a> on April 7, 2020. China uses a variety of means, including TikTok, “to extend the coercive reach of their ideological enforcement and political control efforts beyond their borders. In some cases, they are impinging on Western democracies’ sovereignty and interests to enhance their domestic stability.” Beijing targets American democracy because its autocracy is weak. The CCP, like most authoritarian regimes, is parasitic. It has no internal source of legitimacy, and can only survive on the strength of others. Xi sought to destabilize Trump not primarily to weaken an American president, but chiefly to make himself strong.
It was bad enough that Navarro misidentified the antagonist in this whole episode. This story is clearly about China. But understanding the CCP’s motive is even more important: it’s less about preferring Trump or Biden, and more about sowing doubt in U.S. elections. Missing that theme will invite further meddling.
These assessments, and China’s own actions, give Trump considerable leverage. Xi clearly has his own political challenges at home, based on the persistent high-profile <a href="https://thedispatch.com/article/xi-jinping-china-military-purge/">purges</a> at the party’s highest levels. As much as Trump wants high-level meetings with Xi for trade negotiations, Xi may need these meetings even more for his own domestic standing. By inviting Xi to Washington in September and letting China off without any punishment or deterrent action, Trump will telegraph considerable weakness.
There is one thing that Trump could do immediately to alleviate these concerns, buttress U.S. election integrity, and regain the upper hand against Xi: revisit his TikTok negotiation. The app is the CCP’s most potent weapon of psychological warfare against Americans, and a powerful tool to turn us against each other. Congress moved as quickly as it did in 2024 to separate TikTok from its Chinese parent company ByteDance because of compelling evidence that the app was directly responsible for spikes in antisemitism, just months after Hamas’ barbaric attacks against Israel on October 7th. The powerful algorithm behind that operation still rests under CCP control.
It isn’t weakness to revisit a bad decision. Letting it stand, and leaving Americans vulnerable to threats, is weakness. Should the day come when China leverages TikTok in elections, we will look back on this moment as a lost opportunity. Thankfully, the president has time to fix this problem. He has accused Xi of trying to ruin his presidency. Will he turn around and receive Xi at the White House in September? Will he allow the CCP to retain control of TikTok’s algorithm? More than Trump’s legacy rides on the answer to these questions. The resiliency of America’s democracy depends on them.
***
Michael Sobolik is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.

Trump Truth Social Post About TikTok Shown On Smartphone With Chinese And U.S. Flags In Background

TikTok Is The CCP’s Most Potent Weapon Of Psychological Warfare. Will Trump Stop It?

ByteDance

Communist China

DW Opinion

election integrity

Peter Navarro

TikTok

WASHINGTON— A group of Republican lawmakers are urging acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to bring long-awaited clarity to the gruesome deaths of five premie-sized babies recovered from a Washington, D.C., abortion clinic in 2022.
Utah Senator Mike Lee and Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey, along with more than 50 other lawmakers, are calling on Blanche to &#8220;comprehensively investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of five preborn children&#8221; whose remains &#8220;were recovered by the Metropolitan Police Department in 2022, after they were allegedly aborted in the Washington Surgi-Clinic operated by the late-term abortionist Dr. Cesare Santangelo.&#8221;
&#8220;For four years, members of Congress have remained alarmed at this clear violation of life and law, but the Biden Administration Department of Justice refused to act,&#8221; the lawmakers write in a letter exclusively obtained by The Daily Wire, noting that their remains are in the possession of the D.C. Medical Examiner and calling on Blanche to find out if the babies &#8220;were victims of the crimes of infanticide or partial-birth abortion.&#8221;
Blanche, who has been acting attorney general since April, is in the midst of a confirmation battle on Capitol Hill. Blanche faced the Senate Judiciary Committee last week in a two-day hearing where Republican and Democrat lawmakers alike questioned him about the Trump administration&#8217;s handling of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ag-nominee-todd-blanche-shuts-down-trump-epstein-claims">Jeffrey Epstein case</a>, among other issues.
Lee and three other signatories of Tuesday&#8217;s letter — Senators Chuck Grassley, Ted Cruz, and Josh Hawley — all serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Blanche will need their votes to get to a full floor vote, and then for confirmation. As the committee prepares to vote, the signatories are calling Blanche to conduct a &#8220;thorough investigation into the death of each child, including autopsies of the infants and the preservation of all collected evidence.&#8221;
That is not all, however: they also want the babies to be properly buried.
&#8220;We cannot undo the grievous, barbaric acts that killed these children in their most vulnerable stage, but we equally cannot allow such lawlessness and inhumanity to evade our justice system any longer,&#8221; the letter reads. &#8220;Under President Trump’s and your leadership, we are hopeful that these children will finally receive the justice they deserve.&#8221;
A Justice Department official told The Daily Wire on Tuesday afternoon that the DOJ has gathered and reviewed documents related to the DC Five and is in the process of finalizing that process and turning things over to Congress. Should Congress identify any crimes in the DOJ&#8217;s trove of documents, the DOJ will &#8220;certainly investigate those matters,&#8221; the official shared.
“The Department of Justice is aware of the Senators’ request and takes these matters seriously,&#8221; DOJ spokeswoman Kiersten Pels shared. &#8220;As with all allegations of potential criminal conduct, the Department will review the information carefully and will investigate any credible allegations of criminal actions. The Department remains committed to following the facts and the law wherever they lead.”
Pro-life activists Lauren Handy and Terrisa Bukovinac originally discovered the baby bodies in boxes outside a Foggy Bottom abortion clinic in 2022 shortly before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The Daily Wire has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-went-to-the-clinic-of-the-dc-abortionist-accused-of-gruesome-crimes-heres-what-i-saw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extensively reported</a> on Washington&#8217;s lack of interest in how these fully formed babies died.
Advocates and Republican lawmakers have sounded the alarm for years about these babies, warning that they appear to have been brutally and illegally aborted in violation of federal law, but the Biden administration took no steps to properly investigate the matter, instead targeting the women who recovered the bodies.
Doctors estimated to The Daily Wire in 2022 that several of the babies were the victims of late-term abortions — and that at least one baby may have been aborted using illegal partial-birth abortion methods, showing “deep lacerations to the posterior neck which presumably correlates to the method of abortion used to end her life.”
&#8220;If this baby girl was alive when the abortionist made these lacerations, then her death directly violated the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 (18 U.S. Code § 1531), which criminalizes the partial deliverance of a living child for the purpose of performing an overt act that intentionally takes the life of the child,&#8221; they wrote.
The lawmakers also point to the estimations of pro-life doctors, noting that one baby boy was estimated to be around 28 to 32 weeks, while another baby looked “like he should have been in the nursery” and was “about the same size as [her] granddaughter when she was born.”
Lee and Smith called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to conduct an investigation into the babies in 2022, as The Daily Wire first reported at the time, but the Justice Department never investigated or responded.
&#8220;On the contrary, after two years of inaction, reports indicated that the Department of Justice advised the Chief Medical Examiner to discard the bodies of the infants,&#8221; Lee and Smith write in their letter. &#8220;Fortunately, members of Congress were able to intervene with the Chief Medical Examiner and urge him to preserve the bodies.&#8221;
As recently as April, Republican Reps. Chip Roy (TX) and Andy Biggs (AZ) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-fbi-must-investigate-biden-coverup-of-aborted-babies-found-in-dc-lawmakers-say">pushed FBI Director Kash Patel</a> to investigate the babies and their deaths.
Editor’s Note: This piece was updated with additional comment from the Department of Justice.

Screenshot 2026-07-20 at 5.05.43 PM

EXCLUSIVE: Republican Senators Make Big Demand Of Todd Blanche Ahead Of Confirmation Vote

Abortion

Todd Blanche

Washington D.C.

Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance welcomed their fourth child on Sunday. 
Alec Neel Vance was born Sunday morning at Walter Reed Medical Center. “Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother,” Vance said on Sunday. Alec Neel Vance joins older brothers Ewan and Vivek and older sister Mirabel.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/VMCGCCRd7s">pic.twitter.com/VMCGCCRd7s</a>
— JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://x.com/JDVance/status/2078962245216731298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
Alec Neel Vance&#8217;s birth marks the first time in more than 150 years that a sitting vice president has welcomed a newborn. The last baby born to a sitting vice president was Vice President Schuyler Colfax&#8217;s son, born in 1870 during President Ulysses S. Grant&#8217;s administration.
Alec Vance is the second baby born to a top Trump administration official in recent months after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt gave birth to a baby girl in May. When Vance subbed in for Leavitt one day at the briefing room podium during Leavitt&#8217;s maternity leave, he joked that she would be vice president for a couple weeks when he welcomes his baby. 
Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was the most recent sitting cabinet member to welcome a child while in office, and he took a two-month paternity leave after he and his husband adopted twins in 2021. Vance, however, has said he will not be taking formal paternity leave from office. Instead, he will spend more time at home as he continues his official duties. 
Vance revealed in his new book that the assassination of his friend Charlie Kirk last year, helped influence his and Usha&#8217;s decision to have a fourth child. The vice president’s latest book “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith” describes sitting next to widowed Erika Kirk with Usha after Kirk’s assassination as Erika Kirk told Usha “between sobs” that she wished she had had more kids with Charlie. Vance said that although a fourth child was already a discussion between him and Usha, “something changed” that day. 
&#8220;I think it really heightened JD&#8217;s sense that he&#8217;d been talking about this for a while, this sense that there was this possibility of having another kid whom he could love as much as the three that we had,&#8221; Usha <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/jd-vances-wife-usha-details-how-charlie-kirks-death-influenced-decision-have-fourth-child">said</a>. &#8220;It really did crystallize for [him], that sense that if you could have that other child, then you would have nothing to regret. And if we couldn&#8217;t have that other child, then we were very happy with the children that we had. So it was very powerful what she said about her own family and certainly very moving to both of us.&#8221;

President Trump And First Lady Melania Trump Host Military Mother’s Day Event At The White House

JD And Usha Vance Welcome First Vice Presidential Baby In Over 150 Years

baby

JD Vance

Usha Vance

Vice President JD Vance&#8217;s decision to spend nearly three hours chatting with Joe Rogan on his podcast is the type of choice that drives consultants to drink more heavily than they do on a normal Wednesday. Devoting that amount of time to open questioning and long-winded theorizing about politics, culture, and conspiracy theories is a minefield for any elected politician, and one where it&#8217;s easy to create clips that will be edited and used to make half-baked arguments or warp what&#8217;s said into an unintended context.
Unfortunately for Vance, despite his well-known and much-admired communication prowess, that&#8217;s exactly what happened. On Iran, Israel, Jeffrey Epstein, and more, the vice president came across as far more interested in defending his own personal opinions than fulfilling the task of representing the Trump administration. Taken as a whole, the interview reads as if he&#8217;s already the 2028 nominee, speaking for the Republican Party he wants to manifest, not the one that currently exists under President Trump.
Time and again, the knock on this VP has been simple: He&#8217;s too online. He pays far too much attention to random social media accounts criticizing his tireless advocacy for a bad deal with Iran than he does to the possibility that the deal is, well, bad. He complained vociferously to Rogan that Israel is apparently funding some of the same people who are criticizing his deal online. But given that polls show the deal is unpopular with a significant portion of Republicans, and that only a small minority of voters think it&#8217;s a better deal for America than it is for Iran, Vance seems to be investing a gargantuan belief in the effectiveness of pro-Israel propaganda to move the needle.
Conservative Fox viewers and Daily Wire readers have never been sold on this deal, and now that it&#8217;s fallen apart, it&#8217;s something he should be eager to put in the rearview mirror — a collapse he should understand is the fault of Iran doing what Iran always does, not something he should blame on foreign manipulators. The sooner voters forget about Vance&#8217;s cheerleading for a doomed plan as his first major foray into foreign policy, the better it is for him.
For a vice president who seems to view the world more through the lens of podcasters than real life, the prescription is clear. The biggest viral trend over the past few months for American parents is in favor of giving kids a &#8220;nineties summer&#8221; — minimal screen time, maximum outdoor time, a throwback to the America where the rare moment of connecting to the internet came with the crackling sound of AOL dial-up and people focused on the real world of their neighbors and friends, long before the word &#8220;podcast&#8221; even existed. Perhaps that&#8217;s the recipe the vice president needs to reset, and get back to being the effective voice for this administration he was in its first year. Let the podcasts roll on. Everybody needs a break sometimes.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

JD Vance Is In Desperate Need Of A Nineties Summer

Foreign Policy

Iran war

Not long ago, if people predicted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would issue rules to help kill off gas-powered cars or reliable electricity sources like coal and natural gas, they would have been called unhinged.
But that’s what the agency did. And now the problem goes beyond anything one administration can fix on its own.
The EPA has a long history of going well beyond what Congress has authorized, but in the last decade, the agency took overreach to shocking levels.
President Obama’s EPA finalized the <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2015/10/23/2015-22842/carbon-pollution-emission-guidelines-for-existing-stationary-sources-electric-utility-generating">Clean Power Plan</a> rule that tried to shift electricity generation away from coal power plants. The agency was effectively assuming the role of national grid manager. In 2022, the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/20-1530_n758.pdf">struck down</a> this rule, explaining “a decision of such magnitude and consequence rests with Congress itself, or an agency acting pursuant to a clear delegation from that representative body.”
Did this stop the EPA from again reasserting vast authority that common sense tells us Congress never would have authorized? Nope. The Biden EPA issued a greenhouse gas power plant <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/05/09/2024-09233/new-source-performance-standards-for-greenhouse-gas-emissions-from-new-modified-and-reconstructed">rule</a> even more <a href="https://cei.org/news_releases/epa-rule-against-power-plants-bad-for-energy-reliability-and-prices-bad-for-rule-of-law/">heavy-handed</a> than Obama’s Clean Power Plan in shutting down reliable electricity generation.
The agency’s biggest overreach has been the Biden administration <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/18/2024-06214/multi-pollutant-emissions-standards-for-model-years-2027-and-later-light-duty-and-medium-duty">rule</a>, often referred to as the de facto electric vehicle mandate. According to the agency, by 2032, the rule would result in internal combustion engine vehicles <a href="https://cei.org/blog/epas-latest-unlawful-assault-on-vehicle-affordability-and-choice/">being</a> less than <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/18/2024-06214/multi-pollutant-emissions-standards-for-model-years-2027-and-later-light-duty-and-medium-duty">30%</a> of new light-duty vehicles sold.
The compliance cost of the rule is a staggering <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/18/2024-06214/multi-pollutant-emissions-standards-for-model-years-2027-and-later-light-duty-and-medium-duty">$760 billion</a>, based on the agency’s own estimate. To put the cost in context, the projected and then-shocking cost of the 2009 stimulus bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, <a href="http://stimulus.org/financialresponse/2009-stimulus-american-recovery-and-reinvestment-act">was</a> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/American-Recovery-and-Reinvestment-Act">$787 billion</a>.
To its credit, the Trump EPA is trying to get rid of these Biden administration rules, and there’s a good chance its efforts will be successful. But success is not guaranteed. And future administrations will inevitably use the EPA and the Clean Air Act as a pretext for trying to change the economy and restrict individual freedom.
To achieve a durable solution that ends these abuses, Congress needs to do its part and pass legislation. The good news is that some leaders in Congress recognize the need and are taking action.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) have introduced the End EPA Abuse Act (<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9453">H.R. 9453</a> and <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4931?hl=end+epa+abuse+act&amp;s=1&amp;r=1">S. 4931</a>). The bill makes it clear that there are common-sense limits to what the agency can do. Considering the agency tried to help kill off gas-powered cars and act as a national grid manager, the bill expressly prohibits the EPA from issuing such rules under the Clean Air Act, along with other overreaching rules.
The bill doesn’t prevent the agency from aggressively doing its job to protect the environment. Rather, it creates protections to ensure the agency isn’t constantly trying to usurp congressional power.
This legislation has wide support, deservedly so. Recently, a coalition of over 40 organizations sent a <a href="https://cei.org/coalition_letters/cei-leads-coalition-supporting-end-of-epa-abuse-act-of-2026/">letter to Congress</a> urging lawmakers to support the bill. And 20 state attorneys general already sent a <a href="https://www.lee.senate.gov/services/files/D4827DFA-BCCC-4832-A045-4A8E548CE6F4">letter</a> to Sen. Lee and Rep. Clyde expressing their support for their bill. They explained, “The End EPA Abuse Act of 2026 would close the door on some of EPA’s worst overreach while still leaving the agency plenty of room to perform its legitimate functions.”
Unless lawmakers think it is fine for the EPA to restrict the types of cars Americans drive or develop rules that undermine the reliability of the electricity grid, among other extreme abuses, then supporting this bill should be a no-brainer.
Let’s hope members of Congress get on board and help stop the worst EPA abuses once and for all.
***
Daren Bakst is director of the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Center for Energy and Environment and a Senior Fellow.

EPA’s New Contaminants List Is A Warning On Microplastics, PFAS

The EPA Needs A Power Check

Biden Administration

Clean Air Act

End EPA Abuse Act

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

For the first time in decades, peace between Lebanon and Israel is becoming a reality. In June, Lebanese and Israeli officials signed a U.S.-brokered framework in Washington, marking their first direct talks since 1983. This achievement was personally facilitated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with key diplomats — Lebanon&#8217;s Nada Hamadeh Moawad and Israel&#8217;s Yechiel Leiter — engaged in direct negotiations, alongside Ambassadors Mike Huckabee and Mike Waltz, longstanding advocates for the region&#8217;s Christian communities. When Aoun meets President Trump at the White House on July 21, these dedicated individuals are prepared to turn this fragile opening into a lasting peace.
Lebanon&#8217;s president, Joseph Aoun, is a leader, and this is a critical moment.
Aoun is a president who says out loud what timid men whisper. When Iran&#8217;s Revolutionary Guard presumed to dictate the terms of Lebanon&#8217;s peace, Aoun answered them to their faces, on television, with Christiane Amanpour: &#8220;It&#8217;s not your country, it&#8217;s our country.&#8221;
Everyone understood he was speaking about Hezbollah — the militia contrived and funded by Iran to build a colony inside Lebanon, an armed state within a state that has fomented only war, at home and across every border. The words were so plainly true they should have been unremarkable. Yet no Lebanese leader of Aoun&#8217;s stature had ever dared to say them quite so clearly on a platform quite so public. His predecessors were frightened, bought, or weak.
This is why the United States should give President Aoun his due. He inherited a state hollowed out by corruption, a currency turned to paper, a port turned to rubble, and a militia that answered to Tehran, not Beirut. A weaker leader would manage the decline and scrape what personal gains he could for himself. Instead, Aoun leads.
&#8220;I will not let my people die,&#8221; he says. But keeping people alive is the bare minimum. The harder task now is to help them thrive again — and that he cannot do alone.
If America truly has the partner in Beirut it appears to have, it should validate him with substance, not sentiment: far greater support for the Lebanese army as it meets its commitments, the Gulf mobilized to underwrite reconstruction, and Europe and the wider world rallied behind Aoun — first to deny Hezbollah the power to steal any more of Lebanon&#8217;s future, and then to speed regional peace.
Lebanon is worth it.
If Hezbollah, an enemy of Lebanon, of America, and of Israel, is no longer able to deny the Lebanese government a monopoly on force, then regional peace will be inevitable.
The geostrategic arithmetic is simple. A country cannot have two armies. A state cannot be sovereign while a foreign-funded militia holds a veto over war and peace. Disarming Hezbollah is not an obstacle to Lebanon&#8217;s freedom; it is the precondition. A majority of Lebanese now say so. The only party still betting on rockets and ruin is the one that dragged Lebanon into catastrophe again and again — and would gladly do it once more.
Now the test: words have carried Aoun to the White House, but only deeds can carry Lebanon the rest of the way. President Trump&#8217;s terms should be just as plain: disarm Hezbollah and choose peace with your neighbors, Israel among them, and the United States will be no less a friend to this new Lebanon.
Lebanon’s cedars raised Solomon&#8217;s Temple; its shores gave the world its alphabet. It remains the only Arab nation with a Christian head of state, and Christians are still nearly a third of its people, the largest such community left in the region.
St. John Paul II called Lebanon &#8220;more than a country; it is a message.&#8221; Pope Leo XIV carried that word onto Lebanese soil last winter, preaching &#8220;Blessed are the peacemakers&#8221; while calling on Hezbollah to lay down its weapons.
To achieve this would rank among the great achievements of any American president in modern history. President Trump would help restore Lebanon and finish off Iran&#8217;s most prized proxy, and the price of it all would be peace with Israel.
I can already see the Lebanon that waits on the other side of this decision. I see a Lebanon of open borders and open markets, where a young professional eats lunch in Haifa and dinner in Beirut. I see Beirut restored to its place as the jewel of the Mediterranean, a rival to Dubai and Tel Aviv. I see ancient Christian communities no longer fleeing westward but flourishing in their land. I see the cedars standing tall again — just as the Psalmist promised, &#8220;The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.&#8221;
This Lebanon is waiting for leadership.
***
Reverend Johnnie Moore, PhD, is Vice Chancellor and the head of Middle East studies at Pepperdine University. Moore was twice appointed by President Donald J. Trump to the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom. The views expressed in this piece are his own.

LEBANON-VATICAN-RELIGION-DIPLOMACY-POPE

Lebanon’s Peace Means Middle East Peace – And Trump Holds The Key

Joseph Aoun

Lebanon

Middle East

Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed the Trump administration&#8217;s anti-globalism campaign forward on Monday and took aim at the International Criminal Court (ICC), which Rubio called the “unaccountable arbiter of a new global law.”
The ICC claims it possesses authority to prosecute American officials and servicemen who work for America’s interests. The secretary wrote a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/why-were-dismantling-the-icc-0af0a8a6?mod=hp_opin_pos_2">Wall Street Journal</a> opinion piece on the ICC’s latest affronts to American law. Rubio <a href="https://x.com/SecRubio/status/2076671740407652582?s=20">said</a> the ICC wants to remove America’s sovereignty.
“They believe that they should be in charge of your laws, of your country, your life — and they don’t care whether or not you agree,” Rubio said.
Rubio perceives the ICC’s actions as waging war against the United States under the guise of “international law.” He added that the court is filled with “unelected globalist bureaucrats&#8221; who assert nearly limitless authority.
“The ICC is backed and run by a powerful network of leftist nongovernmental organizations, smug globalists, and hostile Third World governments united by their enmity toward the U.S.,” Rubio wrote.
The ICC has taken action against the United States in recent years, including launching an investigation into “war crimes by members of the United States armed forces” in Afghanistan. 
Last year, major activist groups <a href="https://ccrjustice.org/civil-society-calls-urgent-un-action-denounce-usel-salvador-detention-agreement">pushed the court</a> to prosecute the Trump administration for deporting violent illegal immigrants to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center. Rubio also pointed out that, last year, a former chief prosecutor of the ICC accused the United States of violating international law by issuing an airstrike against an alleged drug smuggling boat — what the former chief prosecutor claimed was “a crime against humanity.” The former ICC prosecutor also called U.S. servicemen “criminals, not soldiers.” 
“If we stand idle, all of them [American servicemen] would be at the mercy of foreign judges thousands of miles away, facing the constant risk of prosecution and even imprisonment for the so-called ‘crime’ of defending their own country,” Rubio added in a video released Monday.
The State Department also released a <a href="https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/07/state-department-launches-campaign-to-dismantle-international-criminal-courts-threat-to-american-sovereignty/">document</a> on Monday detailing Rubio’s campaign against the ICC, which includes calling on the senior leadership of other nations to discuss the threat the ICC poses and encouraging withdrawal from the international court. Rubio is also pushing for greater scrutiny of nations that continue to comply with the ICC while using U.S. assistance and encouraging other nations not aligned with the ICC to “leverage their diplomatic networks” and take action along with the United States.
The department also imposed visa bans and travel restrictions on ICC personnel and greater sanctions against the ICC and affiliated organizations. 
The ICC was originally established in 2002 to prosecute only the most serious offenses, such as genocide or war crimes, and only if a nation’s court couldn’t prosecute these issues on its own. It marketed itself as a global backdrop, not seeking to interfere with nations’ internal affairs. However, Rubio listed several examples of the ICC overstepping its bounds and seeking to remove America’s sovereignty, in addition to its targeting of the Trump administration over actions taken on immigration and national security concerns. 
<a href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260306-us-group-urge-iran-to-grant-icc-jurisdiction-over-apparent-war-crimes/">In March</a>, the American organization Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) told Iran to file a “declaration” to allow the ICC to have “jurisdiction over crimes committed on its territory since the war began” against the United States. The ICC has also <a href="https://www.cfr.org/articles/international-criminal-court-prosecutor-threatens-united-states-senators">called for arrest warrants</a> against Israeli officials, and 12 U.S. senators told the ICC that such action would be perceived as a threat to both Israel’s sovereignty and the United States.
“The United States will not tolerate politicized attacks by the ICC on our allies,” the 12 senators wrote in response. “Target Israel and we will target you.” 
The ICC responded in a post on social media, saying that anyone who threatens to retaliate against the court is an “offense against the administration of justice.”

2026 NATO Leaders Summit In Ankara

Marco Rubio Draws A Line Against An International Power Grab

Globalism

International Criminal Court

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