Fox News Latest Headlines
Spencer Pratt fires back as reports swirl that his LA mayoral bid is being filmed for a reality show
Is Spencer Pratt ready to step back in front of the reality TV cameras?
Pratt's team was quick to push back on reports the former reality star was filming his bid to be the next mayor of Los Angeles. "This is inaccurate," a spokesperson told The Wrap. "There is no series in production and cameras have not been following the campaign."
According to his rep, fans shouldn't expect to see any behind-the-scenes TV content even if he wins.
"He does not have any signed contract," the rep added. "No contract exists related to this because it isn't true."
SPENCER PRATT AND HEIDI MONTAG’S HOLLYWOOD JOURNEY FROM TABLOID FAME TO LA MAYORAL RACE
Reports claimed Pratt had signed a contract with Santa Monica’s Boardwalk Pictures and that filming had already begun. "It’s both familiar and uncharted territory, isn’t it?" a production source told Deadline. "That’s part of Spencer and Heidi’s appeal, right?"
Fox News Digital reached out to Pratt's representative for additional comment.
Pratt's mayoral campaign has come under scrutiny as he fields various accusations, including questions over his current living situation.
The speculation intensified following reports he was not living in an Airstream trailer parked on the lot of his former California home. The former "Hills" star acknowledged he is not actively staying in the trailer despite suggesting he was in a recent mayoral campaign ad.
"Hey guys, why don’t they wanna talk about why I need a hotel in the first place?" Pratt wrote on X. "Karen Bass let my home burn down. Also 6,000 of my neighbors. NBD.
"Funny how they never attack my policy ideas," the reality TV star added in a separate post. "They can only try to assassinate your character. They don’t wanna talk about my debate masterclass a week ago, they wanna talk about a reality show from a lifetime ago."
"That’s because they want the continued decline of the city," Pratt continued. "They are locked in an ideological death spiral and can’t shake it. Come at my policies or go sit back down on the back bench. I’m in the arena, son."
Pratt has been staying at the Hotel Bel-Air for the past month while his wife and kids have been staying in Carpinteria, California, sources told TMZ.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
The 42-year-old told the outlet the Airstream had become unsafe as he campaigns to be Los Angeles’ next mayor, claiming the hotel’s "armed security" made it "the only option."
"The reality is the Ba--holes and Ramaniacs are a little bit whacko, and since I destroyed them in the debate, and am surging in the polls, they are getting increasingly desperate and hostile," he explained.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Pratt doubled down during TMZ Live on Wednesday, claiming critics were missing his point.
"I don't live at the hotel Bel Air. I don't live in the Airstream. I don't live in Santa Barbara. I don't have a house. They burned it down," he told the outlet.
Despite his house burning down, Pratt emphasized the Palisades property is his home.
"That is where I live, period," Pratt noted. "I don't need to sleep there every night. I don't need to go number two on that toilet. That is where I live."
Minnesota Medicaid operator’s bankruptcy-to-riches rise crashes into fraud probe
A Minnesota Medicaid-funded home care operator who once touted his climb from bankruptcy to multimillion-dollar businesses is under investigation by state officials over allegations that his companies failed to provide services they were paid to deliver to vulnerable clients.
Arnold Kubei, who came to the United States in 2007 as an asylee from Cameroon, went bankrupt in 2014 after a failed investment in a gas station, according to an interview he gave to a local media outlet in 2022. By 2021, however, Kubei was running a pair of home care businesses that he told the outlet had brought in a total of $3.7 million that year.
Now, the Minnesota Department of Human Services has suspended Kubei’s license to provide home and community-based services as it investigates allegations that he was failing to render the services the state was paying him to provide.
Kubei’s companies were expected to help find community-based housing for the disabled, former convicts, nursing home residents, and other people who have difficulty finding permanent housing.
MAGNITUDE ‘CANNOT BE OVERSTATED’: FEDS SAY MINNESOTA FRAUD MAY BE MORE THAN $9B
The Minnesota Department of Human Services determined Kubei’s businesses presented an "imminent risk of harm to persons served" due to their failure to provide certain services.
Letters from the department sent in late April state that Kubei’s businesses were failing to ensure that their patients were adequately medicated, seriously injured patients lacked a contact to reach for assistance and some patients struggling with addiction relapsed "due to the lack of staff supervision to maintain their sobriety." Kubei was also allegedly failing generally to provide patients with services "in response to identified needs as specified in their support plans."
"The license holder and controlling individual are the subjects of a pending administrative investigation and pending administrative action related to fraud against Minnesota’s Medicaid program," a letter from the Minnesota Department of Human Services to Kubei reads.
Home Sweet Home Minnesota alone has received nearly $3.2 million in taxpayer-funded payments since 2024, according to Alpha News’ review of Minnesota’s transparency database.
"People use fraud, fraud, fraud everywhere, to attack us with it," Kubei told a local news outlet in April after his license was suspended. "We are not the guys. We are not the guys. We are the guys who want to collaborate with the Department of Human Services."
"This is damaging of my reputation in this community. This is targeting. This is bullying," he continued.
YOUTUBER TO TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS ON MINNESOTA'S MASSIVE $9B FRAUD NETWORK INVESTIGATION
After getting the businesses off the ground, Kubei reportedly appeared for an interview on the YouTube channel "Immigrant Money" detailing how he "went from bankruptcy to multimillions in just five years," according to Alpha News.
The video, which included footage of Kubei drinking champagne inside his home, was made private on the account before Fox News Digital could review it. Footage of the interview has since surfaced on other social media platforms, including X.
Kubei’s interview was preceded by a jingle, singing: "Immigrant money, immigrant money, I came from overseas and now I got the money."
"I urge you to come to my summit for me to teach you how these things are supposed to be done," Kubei said in the interview, per Alpha News. "I figured it out."
Fraud in Minnesota has become a national flashpoint, with Republicans alleging that state oversight failures combined with norms in some immigrant communities have exacerbated the problem. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson claimed in December 2025 that the amount of fraud in the state’s Medicaid programs likely exceeds $9 billion since 2018.
He has appealed his license suspension and is seeking to restore state-funded payments to his businesses.
Kubei did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Friday.
Former NFL defensive end Josh Mauro died from fentanyl, cocaine and ethanol overdose: report
Former NFL player Josh Mauro died from a drug overdose, the California Post reported, citing the Maricopa County Medical Examiner.
The Post said that Mauro died from "acute combined fentanyl, cocaine, and ethanol intoxication."
Mauro's death was ruled accidental, the outlet added.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Greg Mauro, Josh’s father, announced his son’s death in a Facebook post last month, saying he passed on April 23.
"With many tears and broken hearts, yet anchored in the unshakable certainty that our precious Josh Mauro is now healed and made new – live in the presence of the Lord – we humbly covet your prayers as our family walks through the devastating loss of our amazing son, brother, uncle, grandson and friend," Greg Mauro wrote in the post.
"On Thursday, April 23rd, Josh breathed his last breath on this Earth and his first breath in heaven. The Lord has been our strength in this unimaginable moment. Your prayers for continued strength and comfort mean more to us than words could ever express."
WISCONSIN SENATOR SAYS 'ENOUGH IS ENOUGH' AFTER NFL PUTS PACKERS HOLIDAY GAME BEHIND NETFLIX PAYWALL
Mauro entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Stanford, signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2014. But the Steelers didn’t hold on to the 6-foot-6, 290-pound defensive end long, cutting him during final roster moves before the start of the season.
However, Mauro landed with the Arizona Cardinals, and he would spend the next four seasons in the desert helping their defensive line.
Over six seasons with the Cardinals, Mauro collected 83 combined tackles and four sacks across 55 games (29 starts). He worked himself into a starting role in 2016, when he saw seven tackles for loss across 15 games.
Mauro also spent time with the New York Giants and then-Oakland Raiders before a return to the Cardinals for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Mauro was born in England, where his father was stationed for work. He would eventually move from England to Texas and work up a high school resume that allowed him to play Division I football at Stanford.
Across 80 career games, Mauro had five sacks, 130 combined tackles (20 for loss), two forced fumbles and five passes defended.
Fox News' Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Trump hits dramatic milestone in massive departure from Biden border plan: 'What a difference'
The Trump administration marked a full year of "zero releases" at the southern border on Friday, a milestone officials touted as evidence that the president has effectively ended the catch-and-release policies that defined the Biden-era border crisis.
"Zero releases" refers to U.S. border patrol not releasing illegal border crossers into the U.S. interior after apprehension. It does not mean zero illegal crossings or zero apprehensions.
In a news release announcing the decline in releases at the southern border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) pointed to broader enforcement statistics showing illegal crossings and apprehensions at levels officials said have not been seen in more than three decades. CBP said Border Patrol recorded 8,943 southwestern border apprehensions in April, 94% lower than the Biden administration’s monthly average, 96% below the December 2023 peak during Biden’s tenure and fewer than the number apprehended in just three days in April 2024.
"The days of catch and release are over," said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. "We are enforcing the nation’s laws and sending illegal aliens back to their home countries."
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, told Fox News Digital that the administration’s claim of "zero releases" from Border Patrol custody "does appear true," but noted that the figure does not capture migrants transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and later released on bond, parole, medical or humanitarian grounds, or after winning their cases.
"What a difference," CBP Commissioner Rodney S. Scott said. "The U.S. Border Patrol released zero illegal aliens into our country again this month, unlike April 2024 when more than 68,000 were released under President Biden. Every minute of every day President Trump’s border security policies are making every American safer."
DHS said the April daily average of 298 apprehensions was lower than a single hour during the height of the Biden-era surge, when officials said Border Patrol was averaging 336 apprehensions per hour in December 2023. CBP also said total encounters so far this fiscal year, 215,876, are 13% lower than the total recorded in April 2024 alone.
Beyond illegal crossings, CBP highlighted drug and trade enforcement numbers, noting that nationwide seizures of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl and marijuana by weight increased 60% from April 2024. The agency said it seized 463 pounds of fentanyl in April and has seized 61% more drugs so far this fiscal year than during the same period in FY 2024.
US DRUG OVERDOSE DEATHS PLUMMET 20% AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CRACKS DOWN ON SOUTHERN BORDER
"The specific claim of catch and release is in reference to the practice involving Border Patrol releasing migrants directly from Border Patrol custody," Reichlin-Melnick clarified when speaking to Fox News Digital. "Some people are still crossing the border, and then eventually being released. It’s just that they’re not being released directly from the Border Patrol."
Reichlin-Melnick acknowledged that Trump’s hardline immigration approach has produced results at the border, saying apprehensions are "down significantly" and that "the hardened tactics against migrants has produced results." But he argued the administration’s policies have gone too far by effectively shutting off access to asylum at the southern border.
"The Trump administration has sent the message to the world that the United States is no longer a place where people can seek safety," Reichlin-Melnick said.
Reichlin-Melnick agreed the asylum system had long needed major reform, including more asylum officers, more immigration judges and changes to screening standards. But, he said the goal should not be to end access to the system altogether, something he suggested the Trump administration has effectively done.
"I think most Americans believe we should be a place where people can find safety," he said, invoking Ronald Reagan’s image of America as a "shining city on a hill." "I don’t think the answer was to shut it off completely."
DHS officials, however, have argued the dramatic decline in border crossings shows the administration’s policies are working after years of record-setting illegal immigration under Biden.
Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Joe Biden, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Eric Trump plans to sue Jen Psaki, MS NOW for alleged 'blatant lies' about him joining father's China trip
Eric Trump said Friday he plans to sue MS NOW and its primetime host Jen Psaki for what he called "blatant lies" she said about him regarding his recent trip to China alongside his father, President Donald Trump.
During a monologue on Wednesday, Psaki put a spotlight on the president's adult son joining him despite him not having a government job and that "supposedly" he was firewalled from the administration to prevent potential conflicts of interest as he and his brother Donald Trump Jr. have taken over the family business.
Psaki read off statements from the White House insisting there wasn't a conflict of interest, and a statement from Eric Trump's spokesperson said he was joining his father in a personal capacity and that he would not be involved in any business meetings and doesn't have any business ties with China.
"Now, that is quite an interesting denial given this piece in the Financial Times out just today," a skeptical Psaki reacted before reading the headline, "Eric Trump joins Beijing trip as family-linked group chases China deal."
MSNBC'S PSAKI CORRECTS HERSELF AFTER ACCIDENTALLY REFERRING TO TRUMP AS A 'PREDATOR'
According to the report, Eric Trump was labeled an "observer" to the board of fintech company ALT5 Sigma last year. ALT5 Sigma has financial ties to the Trump family's crypto business and is currently exploring a deal with a Chinese chip manufacturer as ALT5 Sigma pursues building AI data centers in the U.S.
However, in her monologue, Psaki said that Eric Trump "sits on the board" of the ALT5 Sigma and pointed to him and his brother ringing the Nasdaq bell on behalf of the company.
"It certainly seems like Eric might be getting a little bit more than just quality time with his dad out of this China trip, doesn't it?" Psaki said before listing other "sketchy ways" she claims he and his brother Donald Trump Jr. are profiting from the administration.
FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL FILES $250 MILLION LAWSUIT AGAINST THE ATLANTIC OVER ‘DEFAMATORY HIT PIECE’
On Friday, Eric Trump announced his intention to sue Psaki and MS NOW.
"Contrary to her monolog [sic] and blatant lies, I have NEVER been on the board of ALT5 — not now, not ever. Any person with basic access to Google and willing to open a company’s annual report or proxy statements would know this," Trump wrote on X. "I have had zero involvement in any merger discussions involving any public entity I do not run or control. I have zero business interests in China. No properties, no investments, nothing!"
He continued, "I joined this trip for one reason: as a loving son who adores my father and wouldn’t miss being by his side for this incredible moment. During the bilateral talks, @LaraLeaTrump and I went to the Great Wall of China. More to come…"
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST MEDIA AND CULTURE NEWS
MS NOW did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Academy Award-winner Brendan Fraser named as the honorary starter for the Indianapolis 500
Friday is Fast Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as teams and drivers crank up their engines in preparation for a weekend of qualifying.
And while it got off to a soggy, delayed start, there was a big piece of news, and that is this year's honorary starter for the Indianapolis 500.
This year, the job goes to none other than actor Brendan Fraser.
IMS announced the news on Friday while everyone was waiting for the rain to clear so cars could get on track.
INDYCAR DRIVER ROMAIN GROSJEAN GIVES STOMACH-CHURNING DETAILS ABOUT HITTING A BIRD DURING INDY 500 TEST
Fraser — who was born in Indianapolis — has a new movie coming out called "Pressure," in which he plays General Dwight D. Eisenhower in the hours leading up to the D-Day invasion of Normandy.
IndyCar and IMS President Doug Boles said that this makes Fraser a perfect choice to start a race that is an American and Memorial Day weekend tradition.
BRENDAN FRASER SAYS AMERICA IS ‘DOING IT WRONG’ COMPARED TO JAPAN AFTER 'EYE-OPENING' EXPERIENCE
"Brendan stars in a movie about one of the most pivotal moments in World War II," Boles said in a statement. "His presence atop the flag stand is fitting as we honor the service and sacrifice of our military heroes on Memorial Day Weekend and prepare for another iconic edition of the world’s greatest race.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
"Brendan was also born in the Circle City, and we’re incredibly excited to give him a warm Hoosier welcome as he returns for ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.’"
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Fraser is best known for roles in the "Mummy" franchise and, more recently, won an Academy Award for his performance in the 2022 film "The Whale."
He has been in some great stuff. Maybe steer clear of the live-action "Dudley Do-Right" movie. Not his fault. That was just a terrible idea to begin with.
It's always great to see some serious star power getting in on not just IndyCar's biggest race, but one of the biggest races on the planet.
Qualifying takes place on Saturday and Sunday, while the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 will be on Sunday, May 24, with coverage getting started at 10 a.m. ET on Fox.
President Trump reveals Xi Jinping's response to possibly releasing imprisoned Chinese critic Jimmy Lai
President Donald Trump divulged how Chinese President Xi Jinping responded to his inquiry about releasing Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong businessman imprisoned after his outspoken criticism of the Chinese government.
Lai, 78, is serving a 20-year sentence after the communist regime found him guilty of sedition and conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign forces.
"I brought up Jimmy Lai. I would say the response to that was not positive. He said that he's been, you know, he said it's been sort of his worst nightmare," Trump told "Special Report" in an interview airing Friday.
Trump said he spoke with Xi "at length" about Lai’s declining health as the media mogul remains in a Hong Kong prison under reportedly harsh conditions.
TRUMP MUST FORCE XI TO ANSWER FOR CHINA'S CRUEL WAR ON JIMMY LAI
"I said, well, I would appreciate it if you would release him. He's gotten old and he's probably not feeling too well, it would be nice," the president told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier.
"I did not feel optimistic. I have to be honest with you about that one."
Jimmy’s daughter Claire Lai expressed high hopes of her father’s release on "The Will Cain Show" Thursday, praising Trump as the "liberator-in-chief."
"I'm more hopeful than I've ever been that he is the president and this is the administration that will free my father, and we are just so extremely grateful," she said before Trump spoke with Xi about Lai's release.
MORNING GLORY: WILL XI FREE LAI?
Lai, who was imprisoned in 2020, founded a pro-democracy newspaper that regularly criticized the Communist Party, which Chinese authorities say was an effort to undermine the government.
Despite being unable to secure Lai’s release from Hong Kong, Trump touted the "hundreds" of prisoners he has helped release, including American Pastor Andrew Brunson from Turkey.
The president also criticized former President Joe Biden's prisoner release strategy, which he suggested was a waste of American money.
"I've gotten hundreds of people out, and, by the way, I don't pay a lot of money. I don't pay any money, like Biden, where they give $6 billion all the time to get people out," he said.
Lai’s release is not the only topic the two world superpowers cannot agree on. Another central fault line is Taiwan, which Xi warned could cause "clashes and even conflicts" between the United States and China.
Though, Xi did offer to help the United States broker a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, striking a more collaborative tone.
Trump indicated a "fantastic future" of U.S.-China relations and praised Xi as a "great leader" during the talks. He departed back to Washington, D.C., on Friday.
Louisiana Senate primary heats up as Cassidy accuses Letlow of Pelosi-style stock trading, DEI support
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., accused his primary opponent, Rep. Julia Letlow, of taking a "Nancy Pelosi approach" to stock trades, claiming she made investments within days of subcommittee hearings involving those companies.
Cassidy, the incumbent senator fighting to defend his seat, joined the "Fox News Rundown" podcast ahead of Saturday’s Republican primary election.
"She's done well for herself financially," Cassidy told Fox News Radio’s Jessica Rosenthal. "Kind of the Nancy Pelosi approach to stock markets, I'll just point out, which is public record."
Cassidy argued public records show Letlow had bought or sold shares within days of subcommittee hearings related to those companies. Letlow previously denied similar allegations in April after attack ads leveled the same point.
NANCY PELOSI ERUPTS WHEN ASKED BY CNN'S JAKE TAPPER ABOUT ALLEGATIONS OF INSIDER TRADING
"I most certainly did not break federal law," Letlow told Fox 8 at the time. "I’ve had a portfolio that has been managed by a third party. And it was very important to me, whenever I was elected to Congress, to make sure that I had absolutely no direction over it."
But Cassidy claims Letlow’s broker has not provided proof the trades were made independently. "She claims that her broker did that independently. They asked the broker for a letter to that effect, and the broker would not give the letter," he said.
Letlow’s campaign fired back in a statement to Fox News Digital, calling the claims a ploy to save his campaign.
"This is a last-ditch effort by Bill Cassidy to smear Julia Letlow because he knows he is going to lose tomorrow," Letlow’s campaign spokesperson Katherine Thordahl said.
"President Trump endorsed Julia Letlow because he knows she is a strong conservative who will stand with him and fight for the America First agenda in the United States Senate. At the end of the day, Bill Cassidy will do or say anything to distract from his own record, including his vote to impeach President Trump."
Cassidy also reiterated comments labeling Letlow a "liberal," pointing to past remarks she made advocating for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
The comments came from a 2020 video of Letlow interviewing to become president of the University of Louisiana Monroe. In the footage, Letlow called the school’s record on faculty gender diversity "shameful," praised DEI efforts around the country and said she wanted to open the school's first DEI division.
"She is saying there should be a completely staffed department of DEI reporting to the president and having input before any decision was made," Cassidy said on the podcast. "Now that's not the way folks in Louisiana believe."
Earlier this week, Letlow took to the "Fox News Rundown" podcast to defend her record, arguing that DEI programs she once oversaw were "hijack[ed]" by the political left and turned into "Marxism."
'QUEEN OF DEI' RUNNING FOR CONGRESS RIPPED HER RURAL STATE AS 'BACKWARDS' ON PODCAST
"DEI six years ago was introduced in higher education as something that could be a tool to encourage students, staff, faculty to work hard and go achieve the American dream," Letlow said.
"I quickly witnessed the left completely hijack any of those efforts and turn it into indoctrination of our students, Marxism, holding people down instead of lifting them up," she added.
Letlow said the DEI issue is more complex than the ads or Cassidy suggest, arguing it was initially presented as a tool for student success but later was distorted into something she opposes.
"Once I witnessed that firsthand because I was in education, I spent the last five years in Congress fighting against it," she added.
Lebanon accuses Iran of inserting IRGC terrorists into country 'under guise of diplomatic activity'
The Lebanese government filed a sharply worded complaint with the United Nations arguing that the Islamic Republic of Iran has abused diplomatic immunity by refusing to recall its ambassador after Beirut demanded his expulsion and to stop alleged terrorist activities on its soil, according to a recently surfaced letter from late April.
The disclosure of the letter, which is reportedly a precedent-setting move by Lebanon, comes amid a second day of talks in Washington between Israel and Lebanon to normalize relations (the countries are in a state of war) and dismantle the Iranian-regime-backed Hezbollah terrorist movement in Lebanon.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Friday that "The United States facilitated talks between Israel and Lebanon have resumed today and are ongoing. The atmosphere of talks has been very positive, even exceeding expectations."
FAMILY OF AMERICAN HOSTAGE TORTURED IN LEBANON WINS LANDMARK CASE AGAINST IRAN
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott wrote on X on Friday that "On May 14 and 15, the United States hosted two days of highly-productive talks between Israel and Lebanon. The April 16 cessation of hostilities will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress. The State Department will reconvene the political track of negotiations on June 2 and June 3."
He added that, "In addition, a security track will be launched at the Pentagon on May 29 with military delegations from both countries. We hope these discussions will advance lasting peace between the two countries, full recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and establishing genuine security along their shared border."
As the sides report back to their capitals, the potentially game-changing letter in which Lebanese ambassador to the U.N. Ahmad Arafa, slammed Iran for inserting alleged terrorists from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) into Lebanon "under the guise of diplomatic activity," has given hope to critics of Iran and Hezbollah.
Arafa said, according to the letter, that Iran committed "unlawful acts in blatant defiance of the decisions of the Government of Lebanon." He continued, "This Iranian conduct constitutes direct and blatant interference in the internal affairs of Lebanon and drags the country into a war it did not choose to become involved in."
The U.S. and the European Union have classified the IRGC as a terrorist entity.
The letter took the Iranian Ambassador to Beirut, Mohammad Reza Sheibani, to task for "blatant interference" in Lebanon.
According to Lebanon’s U.N. letter, Beirut argued that Iran is violating the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and interfering in Lebanon’s state of affairs.
When asked about the details of the letter, a spokesperson for Lebanon’s ambassador to the U.S. declined to comment. The spokesperson also declined to weigh in on the current talks with Israel in Washington.
Walid Phares, a leading U.S. expert on Lebanon and the Mideast, told Fox News Digital that "Many have considered the Lebanese memo to the U.N. as the start of the Lebanese government change of attitude towards Iran and a sign of escalation by Beirut. While the tone of the letter and its narrative make people feel that there is a government resistance to Iran and Hezbollah reality is still lesser."
He added that "The subject of the last quarrel is a legal change of status regarding the presence of Iranians on Lebanese soil. The Lebanese government has decided not to grant Iranians, government, and private citizens an automatic visa waiver, which upset Iran and Hezbollah. Besides, Tehran is furious at the fact that the Lebanese government has not been helpful in dealing with the elimination of a number of IRGC members killed in Lebanon by Israel. Tehran blames the foreign ministry of Lebanon, particularly foreign minister Youssef Raggi, for the ‘lessening of solidarity with Iran."'
According to Phares, "Raggi represents a Lebanese Christian bloc in the parliament, who is not sympathetic to the regime. However, the actual talks in D.C. are designed by the Lebanese government to show the Trump administration that the ‘state wants to talk’ but not to reach an agreement that would trigger Hezbollah's wrath. The leaders of the Lebanese state are not yet where the U.S. and Israel expect them to be."
A regional official well-versed in the U.N. dispute told Fox News Digital that Lebanon "argued that Iran had not given the Lebanese foreign ministry the list of all Iranians and the details about their place of stay. And that’s why Israel targeted that hotel in Lebanon in which six were killed, which is true."
The official said that "Iran had not told the foreign ministry of Lebanon about those six people."
Trump admin launches 'summer surge' of feds to make DC safest city in America ahead of 250th anniversary
The D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force is launching a massive "summer surge" of federal law enforcement to ensure Washington, D.C., is the safest city in America ahead of the nation’s 250th Independence Day celebrations.
During a news conference Friday, leaders touted the Trump administration's success in driving down violent crime in the city since the D.C. task force launched last year.
The joint law enforcement operation has resulted in nearly 13,000 arrests, the seizure of more than 1,400 illegal guns, the apprehension of 32 murder suspects, and the recovery of 23 missing children.
Due to the aggressive enforcement efforts, overall crime in D.C. has plummeted 26%, with homicides dropping nearly 50% and carjackings down 60%. The U.S. Attorney's Office added it has secured more than 7,000 convictions over the past year.
Officials said a focal point of the summer surge will be crushing the "teen takeovers" that have terrorized D.C. neighborhoods and shut down local businesses.
Blasting the D.C. Council for "refusing to deal with the problem," U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced a zero-tolerance policy that shifts the legal burden onto the parents of delinquent youth.
Starting immediately, federal prosecutors will charge parents under a D.C. statute for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Parents who drop their kids off, fail to supervise them or allow them to skip school to participate in the chaos will face fines, court-mandated classes and up to six months in jail.
DC US ATTORNEY SAYS ‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’ AS YOUTH CRIME PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON NATION’S CAPITAL
"Law-abiding taxpayers should no longer have to pay for parental neglect," Pirro said. "Parents, do your jobs or we will do ours. In the end, taxpayers will no longer subsidize the chaos caused by parental neglect."
Noting that the task force is "coming for perfection," officials said multiple federal agencies will flood the district with personnel and advanced technology to root out remaining criminal networks.
A formal request has been made for an additional 1,500 National Guardsmen to deploy to D.C., bringing the total troop presence to 5,000.
The task force will also deploy high-visibility patrols, drones, tactical K-9 units and helicopters to curb crime.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said it will ramp up resources to target out-of-state drug trafficking cartels, arguing that drug dealers should be "treated like terrorists."
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said it will increase operations to seize illegal firearms being trafficked into the city from Maryland and Virginia.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) will double its special agents on the streets to target identity theft and those who fraudulently obtain housing without paying rent.
In a stark warning to anyone planning political violence in the capital, Pirro said offenders will face "the full wrath of the law," announcing her office filed notice to seek the death penalty against Elias Rodriguez, 31, the suspect accused of murdering two young Israeli embassy staff members at the Capitol Jewish Museum on May 21, 2025.