INTERNACIONAL
Rubio announces new visa restrictions on families of fentanyl traffickers

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new sanctions on Thursday that he called «necessary» to «deter and dismantle» the flow of deadly fentanyl into the United States.
The new policy imposes new visa restrictions on family members and close personal and business associates of foreign drug traffickers.
Speaking with reporters Thursday afternoon, State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said that this move «will not only prevent them from entering the United States, but also serve as a deterrent for continued illicit activities.»
In a statement released by the State Department, Rubio stressed the importance of further expanding sanctions to stop the flow of fentanyl and other drugs into the country.
«The fentanyl crisis in the United States is unprecedented, with overdoses remaining the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 44,» said Rubio.
STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS IT HAS PROVIDED GUIDANCE TO MORE THAN 25,000 PEOPLE IN ISRAEL, WEST BANK AND IRAN
Left: Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., May 20, 2025. Right: Over 1.2 million fentanyl pills, which were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The secretary said that «more than 40 percent of Americans reportedly know someone who has died from an opioid overdose, and in 2024, the United States averaged over 220 overdose deaths daily.»
«Today’s action expands upon existing tools,» he said, adding that the State Department «will use all necessary tools to deter and dismantle the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs from entering the United States and harming U.S. citizens.»
Fentanyl is a dangerous drug that is often trafficked into the United States across the southern and northern borders by cartels and other criminal elements. In 2024, fentanyl was linked to the deaths of 48,422 persons in the United States, according to the CDC.
During his campaign, President Donald Trump vowed to wage a war against fentanyl traffickers through increased border security and by cracking down on illegal immigration. Since taking office, Trump has deployed U.S. troops to the southern border, targeted cartels and transnational criminal groups as «foreign terrorist organizations» and hit cartel leaders with sanctions.
LIBERAL NEWS OUTLET MOCKED FOR REPORTING ON ‘MYSTERIOUS’ DROP IN FENTANYL FLOWING ACROSS BORDER

Liberal news outlet The Washington Post is being mocked online and by the White House for «pathetic» reporting on what the outlet calls a «mysterious» decline in fentanyl flowing across the border. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Fox News)
According to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), the U.S. law enforcement seizures of fentanyl, which the group explains is a «key indicator of broader total smuggling at and between the southern border’s ports of entry,» have dropped 50% since the November election. CIS states that this significant decline indicates a «greater decline in total fentanyl smuggling.»
In May, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that authorities had made one of the biggest fentanyl busts in U.S. history with the seizure of 409 kilos of fentanyl pills and 11.5 kilos of fentanyl powder. Bondi said that around 35 kilos of methamphetamine, 35 kilos of meth, 7.5 kilos of cocaine and 4.5 kilos of heroin also had been seized along with $5 million in cash and 49 rifles and pistols.
Sixteen people including three women, were arrested in the operation. Six of the males are in the U.S. illegally, according to Bondi.
BONDI ANNOUNCES ONE OF LARGEST FENTANYL SEIZURES IN US HISTORY

Bondi described fentanyl as a weapon of «mass destruction» and laid down a stern warning to drug pushers looking to distribute the potentially deadly drug throughout the nation. (Pool)
Bondi described fentanyl as a weapon of «mass destruction» and laid down a stern warning to drug pushers looking to distribute the potentially deadly drug throughout the nation.
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«When we catch you like all of these individuals, if convicted, we will put you behind bars. There will be no negotiating and we will lock you up for as long as humanly possible,» Bondi said. «We will not negotiate with those who are killing our family members, including brothers, sisters, daughters, sons, parents, friends, everyone in this room.»
Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
El gigantesco resort de playa de Corea del Norte para 20 mil personas, con hoteles y cafés: ¿Qué turistas espera Kim Jong-un?

Primero, los turistas nacionales y los rusos después
Se espera la llegada de turistas rusos
Tours surcoreanos y estadounidenses, poco probables
¿Cómo es el resort de Wonsan-Kalma, en Corea del Norte?
INTERNACIONAL
Ex-Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy pleads for civil political discourse, warns ‘democracy is at risk’

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Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy warned Thursday that the tone of political discourse and threats to judges are undermining the ability of the U.S. to serve as an example of freedom and democracy around the world.
Kennedy, a Reagan appointee who retired in 2018 during President Donald Trump’s first term, was speaking during a virtual forum about threats to the rule of law, as he defended the role of judges in a democracy and advocated for the need to protect them and their families from threats.
«Many in the rest of the world look to the United States to see what democracy is, to see what democracy ought to be,» Kennedy said during the «Speak Up for Justice» event, one day before the current Supreme Court justices are set to deliver their final rulings of the current term.
«If they see a hostile, fractious discourse, if they see a discourse that uses identity politics rather than to talk about issues, democracy is at risk. Freedom is at risk,» he continued.
BOOKER, CRUZ SPAR OVER THREATS TO US JUDGES IN FIERY SENATE EXCHANGE
Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy warned that the «tone of our political discourse» and threats to judges are harming the ability of the U.S. to serve as an example of freedom around the world. (Getty Images)
Kennedy did not mention Trump, even as other participants expressed concern about the barrage of threats and attacks against judges for blocking key parts of the president’s political agenda during his second term, including his immigration policies, firings of federal workers and his implementation of broad-based tariffs.
But Kennedy’s remarks appeared to be sparked, at least in part, by the Trump administration’s repeated attacks against judges who have ruled against him, including some whom he appointed during his first term.
In March, Trump criticized U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg as a «radical left lunatic» and called for his impeachment after he attempted to block the administration from removing alleged Venezuelan gang members from the U.S. under the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime presidential power Trump invoked.
Last month, Trump attacked «USA-hating» judges as «monsters who want our country to go to hell.»
Trump’s rhetoric has come alongside an uptick in threats against judges, according to POLITICO, although spokespeople for the administration have said the president is against any threats and that they would face prosecution from the Justice Department.

Kennedy, a Reagan appointee, defended the role of judges in a democracy and advocated for the need to protect them and their families from threats. (Getty Images)
Kennedy said «judges must have protection for themselves and their families» and that «judges are best protected when the public and our nation realize how central they are to our discourse.»
«We should be concerned in this country about, as I’ve already indicated, the tone of our political discourse,» he said. «Identity politics are used so that a person is characterized by his or her partisan affiliation. That’s not what democracy and civil discourse is about.»
Other participants at the forum, which featured judges from the U.S. and other countries who warned about how attacks on courts can threaten democracies, also took aim at Trump’s statement denouncing the courts.
Without mentioning Trump by name, U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, whose son was killed by a disgruntled lawyer who went to her New Jersey home in 2020, said disinformation about judges was spreading «from the top down,» with jurists attacked as «rogue» and «corrupt.»
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS DOUBLES DOWN ON DEFENSE OF COURTS AS SCOTUS GEARS UP TO HEAR KEY TRUMP CASES

Kennedy’s remarks appeared to be sparked, at least in part, by the Trump administration’s repeated attacks against judges who have ruled against him. (Getty Images)
«Judges are rogue. Sound familiar? Judges are corrupt. Sound familiar? Judges are monsters. … Judges hate America,» Salas said. «We are seeing the spreading of disinformation coming from the top down.»
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Salas warned that the number of threats recorded against judges this year was reaching historic heights in the U.S., noting that the U.S. Marshals Service has tracked more than 400 threats against judges since January, when Trump was inaugurated.
«We’re going to break records, people, and not in a good way,» she said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
EEUU afirmó que la vía diplomática con Irán sigue abierta y que los bombardeos no excluyen un posible acuerdo futuro

La Casa Blanca afirmó este jueves que mantiene abierta la comunicación con Irán y que la relación bilateral continúa en “una vía diplomática”, en medio de tensiones provocadas por recientes bombardeos del ejército estadounidense contra instalaciones nucleares iraníes el pasado fin de semana. Así lo expresó la portavoz Karoline Leavitt durante una rueda de prensa, al referirse a los intentos de Washington de alcanzar acuerdos tras la ofensiva militar.
“El presidente Donald Trump quiere la paz, siempre la ha querido, y ahora mismo estamos en una vía diplomática con Irán. El presidente y su equipo, en particular el enviado especial para Oriente Medio, Steve Witkoff, siguen en comunicación con los iraníes”, afirmó Leavitt frente a periodistas.
El ataque del sábado por la noche tuvo como objetivo las plantas de enriquecimiento de uranio en Isfahan, Natanz y Fordow, según detalló la portavoz, quien subrayó que aunque existe disposición para dialogar, aún es temprano para definir una agenda concreta de contactos con Teherán.
Frente a las declaraciones del presidente estadounidense sobre eventuales acercamientos la próxima semana y la posibilidad de que un acuerdo ya no sea imprescindible tras los daños infligidos al programa atómico de Irán, Leavitt indicó que “acaban de realizar este ataque” y pidió paciencia antes de divulgar plazos oficiales.
Por su parte, el ministro de Asuntos Exteriores del régimen iraní, Abbas Araghchi, negó firmemente las especulaciones de que Irán se dispone a reanudar las negociaciones nucleares con Estados Unidos.

“Algunas especulaciones sobre la reanudación de las negociaciones no deben tomarse en serio”, dijo Araghchi en la televisión estatal. “Quiero dejar claro que no se ha llegado a ningún acuerdo, arreglo o conversación para iniciar nuevas negociaciones. Todavía no se ha establecido ningún plan para iniciar negociaciones”.
“No se ha llegado a ningún acuerdo o arreglo para reanudar las negociaciones. No se ha hecho ninguna promesa ni se ha mantenido ninguna discusión al respecto”, declaró Araghchi al canal estatal de noticias iraní IRINN.
“Hemos tenido una experiencia engorrosa con los estadounidenses: que traicionaron las negociaciones en mitad del proceso. Esta experiencia afectará sin duda a nuestras decisiones futuras. Pero esa decisión se tomará en última instancia en función del bienestar del pueblo iraní, no de las emociones ni de ninguna consideración superficial o temporal”, añadió.
Leavitt también informó que ha mantenido conversación “extensa” con Steve Witkoff y aseguró que la diplomacia estadounidense se coordina no solo con las autoridades iraníes, sino también con intermediarios claves como Qatar. Describió a la administración qatarí como un “aliado y socio increíble durante todo este proceso” y recordó que el emirato ha desempeñado un rol central como mediador, junto con Estados Unidos, entre Irán e Israel para propiciar el diálogo y promover un alto el fuego alcanzado el lunes.
Washington mantiene contacto constante con aliados en la región del Golfo Pérsico y el mundo árabe, en línea con los esfuerzos por consolidar “un acuerdo con Irán sobre la alianza con el Estado de Israel”, explicó Leavitt. Aseguró que la relación entre Washington y Tel Aviv “nunca ha sido tan fuerte” y resaltó la expectativa de que más Estados árabes se sumen a los Acuerdos de Abraham, iniciativas de normalización de relaciones diplomáticas con Israel ya adoptadas por Emiratos Árabes Unidos, Sudán, Baréin y Marruecos.

Por otra parte, la portavoz de la Casa Blanca también criticó al líder supremo iraní, el ayatollah Ali Khamenei, porque consideró que ejecuta una estrategia para “salvar las apariencias”, tras sus declaraciones públicas en las que minimizó el impacto de los bombardeos estadounidenses sobre las instalaciones nucleares. “Vimos el video del ayatollah, y cuando se tiene un régimen totalitario, hay que salvar las apariencias”, afirmó Leavitt en referencia a la postura del líder iraní, quien sostuvo que el presidente Trump “exageró” el daño logrado por la ofensiva militar.
El gobierno estadounidense sostiene que, pese a la escalada militar, continúa priorizando el entendimiento diplomático con Teherán y sus aliados regionales, considerando la persistente inestabilidad en el Medio Oriente y la búsqueda de nuevas fórmulas de cooperación.
(Con información de AFP y EFE)
North America,Government / Politics,Washington
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