A divided Pennsylvania Supreme Court, including two Democrat justices, ordered Soros-backed Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office to face new outside scrutiny over its post-conviction concessions, after the state’s high court found the office’s handling of one convicted murderer’s case was unreliable and said similar problems extended beyond just that single case.

Justice Kevin Dougherty wrote the 4-3 opinion in the case of Levar Brown, a Philadelphia man whose murder convictions became the centerpiece of a broader legal fight over Krasner’s Conviction Integrity Unit and the office’s willingness to concede relief in serious criminal cases. Dougherty was joined by Justice Daniel McCaffery, another Democrat judge on the state’s Supreme Court, and two other Republican judges. The dissenters were all Democrats.  

The 4-3 decision reversed a Philadelphia post-conviction order granting Brown a new trial after Krasner’s office conceded his conviction should not stand and a Philadelphia judge approved the request. It also ordered that, going forward, Philadelphia judges handling post-conviction challenges must notify the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and allow the office to intervene before granting relief in any case where Krasner’s office concedes that a conviction should be overturned.

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The ruling stops short of handing control of the cases to the state attorney general, but it creates a new court-ordered check on Krasner’s office in future post-conviction matters.

«The prosecutor does not decide whether a defendant is entitled to relief under the Post Conviction Relief Act,» Dougherty wrote for the majority, emphasizing that a judge must independently determine whether a conviction should be overturned even when prosecutors agree with the defense.

The majority concluded that Krasner’s office’s concession in Brown’s case «was not reliable,» finding that Krasner’s office conceded relief when it was not warranted by the existing record, withheld material evidence from the court, submitted a false stipulation of fact, misstated facts in its pleadings, failed to conduct a reasonable investigation and opposed a required evidentiary hearing.

The court suggested that if its concerns in the Brown case were confined to just that case alone, it would not have justified a broader remedy. But the majority opinion said the concerns were evident in other post-conviction cases as well.

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Since 2018, the Philadelphia DA’s office has conceded relief «well over 100 times,» mostly in murder cases, according to the opinion. The court also said there are apparently more than 1,000 cases still waiting to be reviewed by the office’s Conviction Integrity Unit.

The case was brought to the high court by family members of murder victims Michael Richardson and Robert Crawford. Brown was convicted by a Philadelphia jury in the 2004 murder of Richardson and convicted by another Philadelphia jury in the 2005 murder of Crawford, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

Two decades later, Krasner’s office conceded that Brown should receive a new trial and argued that relief was due without an evidentiary hearing, the attorney general’s office said.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner speaks during a news conference in Philadelphia, on Jan. 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday praised the ruling, saying his office will now be able to serve as a check on the process for Philadelphia residents and victims’ families.

«As prosecutors, our role is to advocate for victims of crime, for public safety, and for justice,» Sunday said in a statement. «Centuries of experience teach that the best way to achieve that justice is through the adversarial process, with vigorous representation for both sides.»

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Sunday’s office said the court concluded the Philadelphia DA’s concession in Brown’s case was «not reliable» and «recognized that similar concessions in numerous other cases also appeared to be unreliable.»

«The Court directed judges to notify the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General of any concessions before granting relief, and to permit the Office of Attorney General to intervene in future cases where the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office attempts to concede a conviction,» the office said.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office said it is still assessing what the ruling will mean for its workload, budget and personnel.

«We are assessing what yesterday’s Supreme Court of Pennsylvania order will mean for our office’s workload and what impacts it may have on our budget and our personnel,» the OAG Press Team said. «Given the many unknowns involved, including the number of cases concessions will be made in and our response to those concessions, it may be difficult to fully assess these impacts until the process truly begins.»

The office added that it appreciates the court allowing the AG’s office to «serve as a check on this process for the citizens of Philadelphia and ensure that the interests of victims’ families are represented.»

The State Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024.  (Rachel Wisniewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Krasner’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. But Krasner posted a video response online defending his reform agenda and attacking the ruling as an anti-democratic move that treats Philadelphia differently from other counties.

The video featured images of civil rights icons Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. as Krasner framed criminal justice reform as part of a broader social justice movement.

«Reform can be scary to those who need it,» Krasner said in the video. «Which part don’t you like? The safety or the freedom?»

Krasner said Philadelphia has not had better numbers for «safety» or «freedom» in his lifetime and argued that critics are fighting a national criminal justice reform movement.

«The truth is that criminal justice reform is a national social justice movement,» Krasner said. «And like all other social justice movements, it follows a certain pattern. First they ignore you. We’re past it. Then they laugh at you. We’re past that. Then they fight you. And we have been fighting for eight and a half years. And then the next step – we got to get there – is you win.»

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner speaks in Philadelphia, on Jan. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

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Krasner said the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, in a «close decision,» ruled that when his office supports a defense position that someone deserves a new trial or release from custody, «we need to have the attorney general’s office looking over our shoulder unlike every other county.»

«Does that help democracy? No,» Krasner said. «It actually undermines the value of a vote in Philadelphia as compared to every other county.»

The majority opinion, however, said the order does not strip Krasner’s office of prosecutorial discretion. Instead, the court said the DA’s office remains free to litigate cases as it sees fit, but that the attorney general’s independent assessment and participation will «enhance the reliability» of post-conviction proceedings and their subsequent decisions.

In dissent, Justice David Wecht warned that the majority was injecting the attorney general into local post-conviction proceedings and interfering with the discretion of Philadelphia’s elected prosecutor. But the majority rejected that argument, saying the attorney general’s role would not override the DA’s discretion and would instead give courts the benefit of an adversarial process before convictions are overturned.

The ruling sends Brown’s case back to the Pennsylvania post-conviction court for further proceedings and sets a new process for future cases where Krasner’s office seeks to concede relief.

El Ejército israelí informó este viernes la muerte de cuatro de sus soldados tras un ataque con dron explosivo por parte del grupo terrorista Hezbollah en el sur de Líbano.

“Murieron a causa del impacto de un proyectil contra un tanque en el sur del Líbano”, reportaron las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel (FDI) en un comunicado.

Entre los fallecidos se encuentra el teniente coronel Dor Gedalya, de 32 años, y otros tres soldados cuyos nombres no se han desvelado. En el reporte tampoco se especifica cuándo fueron abatidos los cuatro miembros de las FDI.

Por otra parte, el Ejército israelí indicó que, durante la noche, un oficial de la reserva de las FDI resultó gravemente herido y tres soldados, tanto de la reserva como regulares, sufrieron heridas leves a consecuencia de otro ataque con dron explosivo también al sur de Líbano.

Poco antes, las FDI confirmaban que continúan atacando infraestructuras de Hezbollah en diversas zonas al sur de su país vecino.

“Las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel atacaron durante toda la noche y continúan atacando a terroristas e infraestructuras de la organización terrorista Hezbollah en varias zonas del sur del Líbano”, rezaba dicha nota castrense.

Según el Gobierno libanés, al menos 18 personas murieron y 33 resultaron heridas en ataques israelíes lanzados este viernes contra dos zonas del sur del Líbano, en una violación de los términos del acuerdo alcanzado entre Irán y Estados Unidos para el cese de las hostilidades, que se extiende al país mediterráneo.

Estos ataques llegan después que el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, y el de Irán, Masud Pezeshkian, firmaran digitalmente el memorando de entendimiento, que entró en vigor inmediatamente tras la rúbrica, y que extiende el cese de hostilidades al Líbano.

Irán lleva semanas advirtiendo que el frente libanés es una de las líneas rojas que puede hacer descarrillar el acuerdo con EEUU en caso de que Israel sigue atacando Líbano, como ha continuado ocurriendo.

El vicepresidente de EEUU, JD Vance, pidió ayer al Gobierno de Netanyahu “respetar” el proceso de paz en curso con Irán y no atacar a Donald Trump, “el único jefe de Estado de todo el mundo que simpatiza con la nación de Israel en este momento”.

El primer ministro israelí, Benjamín Netanyahu, dijo que Israel “hará pagar un precio muy alto a Hezbollah” por la muerte de cuatro soldados en Líbano.

“La lucha aún no ha terminado y nos esperan más desafíos. Estos requieren serenidad de juicio y una defensa firme de los intereses de seguridad de Israel”, señaló Netanyahu durante una ceremonia, según un comunicado difundido por su oficina.

El jefe de Gobierno también subrayó la necesidad de defender “nuestra relación vital con nuestros amigos estadounidenses, que han estado hombro con hombro con nosotros en esta batalla, una alianza que valoramos profundamente”.

Netanyahu aún no se ha pronunciado directamente sobre el acuerdo, aunque algunos miembros de su coalición lo descalificaron incluso antes de que se conocieran los detalles del texto, divulgados el miércoles.

Los términos del acuerdo exigen “el fin inmediato y permanente de las operaciones militares en todos los frentes, incluido el Líbano”, donde Israel pretende mantener presencia militar.

Por su parte, el ministro de Seguridad Nacional israelí, Itamar Ben Gvir, declaró este viernes que “todo el Líbano debe arder” tras el anuncio del ejército israelí de la muerte de cuatro soldados en el país.

Las bajas israelíes fueron las primeras anunciadas desde la firma del acuerdo entre Estados Unidos e Irán para poner fin a la guerra en Oriente Medio.

El acuerdo también debía detener los combates entre Israel y el grupo militante Hezbollah, respaldado por Irán, en el Líbano, y Washington ha expresado su frustración por la campaña israelí en curso.

“Con el debido respeto a los estadounidenses, Israel debe dejar claro al mundo entero que la sangre de nuestros hijos y la seguridad de nuestros ciudadanos no son negociables. Todo el Líbano debe arder”, afirmó Ben Gvir en un comunicado.

“Por cada lágrima derramada por una madre israelí, mil madres libanesas deben llorar”, añadió.

“En Oriente Próximo, no se gana con respuestas mesuradas ni con moderación”.

El ministro de Finanzas de extrema derecha, Bezalel Smotrich, declaró que Israel debe “actuar con furia. Erradicar. Derrotar el terrorismo”. «Debemos dejar que el fuego hable… y abrir las puertas del infierno», añadió, sin mencionar explícitamente al Líbano.

El acuerdo entre Estados Unidos e Irán ha sido ampliamente percibido en Israel como perjudicial para sus intereses, lo que evidencia el fracaso del primer ministro Benjamin Netanyahu a la hora de obligar al presidente estadounidense Donald Trump a tener en cuenta las demandas de seguridad israelíes.

Netanyahu se encuentra bajo presión de cara a las elecciones previstas para finales de octubre.

Según una encuesta publicada el viernes por el periódico Maariv, el 63% de los israelíes están «preocupados» por el futuro de Israel tras el acuerdo.

Avigdor Lieberman, líder del partido nacionalista de oposición Yisrael Beiteinu, pidió el viernes que se imponga un «alto precio» en el Líbano «del que la otra parte jamás se recuperará».

Si los suburbios del sur de Beirut, bastión de Hezbollah, «siguen en pie, esto es un fracaso directo del primer ministro y del ministro de Defensa», escribió en X.

(Con información de EFE y AFP)

A proposed $300 billion investment fund for Iran included in the U.S.–Iran memorandum of understanding may face major legal obstacles under existing U.S. sanctions law, raising questions about whether the plan is workable even if both sides move toward a final agreement.

The memorandum, digitally signed Wednesday by President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, is aimed at ending the war and restoring traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. As part of the 14-point plan, the U.S. agreed to lift sanctions on Iran, allow Tehran to increase its oil revenue and regain access to parts of the international banking system, among other measures.

But one of the most ambitious parts of the framework — a proposed $300 billion private investment fund for Iran’s reconstruction and development — may collide with a longstanding U.S. determination that Iran’s construction sector is controlled directly or indirectly by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The issue is not just technical. It goes to whether one of the central economic promises of the Trump-Iran framework can realistically be executed under current U.S. law. If the $300 billion fund depends on investment in sectors Washington has already identified as IRGC-controlled, experts say the administration may be forced to rely on temporary waivers or new licenses — a legal structure that could make long-term investors wary and complicate any final deal.

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The State Department formally determined in 2020, and again in May 2025, that Iran’s construction sector was controlled directly or indirectly by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Under the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act, known as IFCA, that finding creates sanctions risks for people or companies doing business in the sector.

Miad Maleki, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control executive, told Fox News Digital that the legal and sanctions-related problems surrounding the fund are more complicated than simply asking whether Congress would have to approve it.

«I think Congress is unavoidable for a durable version of that investment,» Maleki said. «If we have a final deal and now as part of this commitment, the U.S. government and allies are going to have to go in and help Iran to set up this fund or get access to such a fund.»

Maleki said the president has meaningful unilateral authority to begin easing restrictions. Trump could revoke relevant executive orders, direct the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control to issue general licenses and waive some congressional sanctions laws.

But he said that does not mean the fund would be durable enough to attract serious investors.

«Technically, the fund could be switched on through some kind of an executive action plan alone, but it would be on paper and it would have to be renewed every 180 days,» Maleki said, referring to waivers for mandatory sanctions tied to Iran’s construction sector.

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An Iranian police officer stands on patrol near a poster depicting Iranian soldiers holding a net shaped like the Strait of Hormuz with U.S. military aircraft ensnared in Tehran, Iran, on May 9, 2026. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

«If you’re anyone who is in an investment-type business, it’s hard to find someone who would be investing in construction-type projects that take time,» he added. «These projects are not like 180-day projects.»

The concern, Maleki said, is especially acute in Iran, where investors would face sanctions uncertainty, political risk and an unreliable partner.

«It’s hard to find someone who would be investing … based on something that could not just be renewed if Iran, especially in the context of Iran, where you don’t really have a reliable partner, where things can blow up any minute,» he said.

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A woman walks past a billboard showing a military hand holding the Strait of Hormuz with Farsi text which reads, «In Iran’s hands forever,» «Trump couldn’t do a damn thing,» «The control of Strait of Hormuz will be Iran’s forever,» in Vanak Square, in northern Tehran, Iran, on April 16, 2026. (Vahid Salemi/AP)

That structure raises a broader question about whether negotiators were truly expecting the memorandum to mature into a final, durable agreement.

«The more I’ve been digging into this memorandum of understanding, sanctions paragraphs of this memorandum, the more I have come to this kind of doubt that the negotiators really were counting on a final deal to be reached,» Maleki said.

«If you do get to a final agreement and you’re looking into actually meeting the commitments that you made, this $300 billion investment fund, it’s not something you can really set up,» he added. «I think it would be almost close to impossible to get something that would materialize.»

READ IT: THE FULL TEXT OF THE US-IRAN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING:

Iranians burn American flags during an anti-U.S. demonstration outside the former U.S. embassy headquarters in Tehran, Iran, on May 9, 2018, after President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. (Photographer: Ali Mohammadi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Maleki said one possible explanation is that the U.S. side may view its role as limited to providing sanctions relief, while leaving Iran and potential investors to sort out whether the fund can actually be built.

«We’re going to give them the waivers that they need. If they can’t find investors to invest in this, that’s their problem,» he said, describing one possible view of the negotiators’ approach.

The Treasury Department and the Iranian mission to the U.N. did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The issue could become a congressional flashpoint. Because IFCA waivers are limited to 180 days and require justification to Congress, any long-term investment framework for Iran could force the administration to repeatedly defend why sanctions tied to an IRGC-controlled sector should be suspended.

The legal obstacles also come as critics warn the pact gives Iran major economic benefits while leaving some of the most difficult nuclear and security questions for future negotiations. Maleki said the U.S. had already built significant leverage over Iran through sanctions, military pressure and the blockade, but may now be trading that leverage for the reopening of Hormuz.

«We reached a point that we had leverage that no U.S. president has ever had with Iran,» Maleki said. «Yet we gave that away for this, for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.»

He argued that Iran is likely to use the process to delay rather than rush toward a final agreement.

«Iran is going to go back to its playbook of dragging, buying time with the sanctions relief-type incentives that I’m seeing in this package,» Maleki said. «I do not think that the Iranian regime is going to rush to get to a deal.»

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A man applies fresh paint to an anti-U.S. mural on a building wall on Karim Khan Zand Avenue in Tehran on April 8, 2025. The mural features the slogan «Down with the USA» and skulls replacing stars on the U.S. flag. (Atta Kenare/AFP)

John Hannah, a senior fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America and a former national security adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney, warned that any economic windfall from the agreement could help the IRGC rebuild.

«It’s almost certain that the IRGC will use any economic windfall granted by this MOU to reconstitute as much of their conventional military as possible as fast as possible — especially the vast missile and drone arsenal that the IRGC believes proved critical to the strategic successes they achieved during the war,» Hannah told Fox News Digital.