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US ally pledges support for Trump’s push to break Iran’s grip on Hormuz: ‘We are ready to contribute’
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UNITED NATIONS — The Czech Republic is prepared to help protect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and is aligning closely with the Trump administration on security, NATO and Israel, Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka told Fox News Digital during an exclusive interview at the United Nations in New York.
Prague already had begun discussions about contributing specialized capabilities to help secure the strategically vital waterway amid growing tensions with Iran, Macinka said while speaking at Security Council-related meetings at the U.N.
«We are ready to contribute to freedom of passage and the Hormuz trade,» Macinka said.
«We were among the first countries that were ready to contribute … We have no navy, as we are in the middle of Europe,» he explained, «But we have some unique passive surveillance capabilities.»
TRUMP SEEKS WARSHIPS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES TO HELP SECURE STRAIT OF HORMUZ
Czech Republic Foreign Minister Petr Macinka arrives at the 135th Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe at the Palace of the Republic in Chisinau, Moldova, May 15, 2026. (Vladislav Culiomza/Reuters)
Macinka warned that Iran posed a global threat through what he described as four main «war tools»: nuclear proliferation, drones and ballistic missiles, international terrorism and threats to the Strait of Hormuz.
«Their nuclear military program must be stopped,» he said. «It’s a global risk and global threat.»
The comments come as the Trump administration has increased pressure on European allies to take a larger role in protecting international shipping routes amid Iranian threats tied to the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil transit choke points. Roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption passes through the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea.
Speaking after a meeting with foreign ministers in Sweden Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio questioned the value of hosting U.S. military bases in allied countries that later restrict American military operations during wartime.
«One of the arguments I always made was that these bases in the region provided us with logistical options that we wouldn’t otherwise have,» Rubio told reporters. «And when some of those bases are denied to you during a conflict that we’re involved in, then you question whether that value is still there.»
President Donald Trump also has sharply criticized NATO allies over a reluctance to participate in military operations tied to the Iran conflict and securing the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said he was «strongly considering» pulling the United States out of NATO after allies failed to join the U.S. campaign against Iran, according to an April 1 interview with Britain’s Daily Telegraph, calling the alliance a «paper tiger.»
Vessels of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps are seen during a ceremony marking the National Persian Gulf Day at the Persian Gulf near Bushehr, Iran, April 29, 2024. The National Persian Gulf Day marks the anniversary of the expulsion of Portuguese military forces from the Strait of Hormuz in 1622. (Shadati/Xinhua via Getty Images)
The Czech Republic, a NATO member since 1999, reached NATO’s benchmark of spending 2% of GDP on defense and has supported calls for Europe to increase military readiness amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Macinka strongly defended the administration’s calls for Europe to increase defense spending and reduce dependence on Washington for long-term security guarantees.
«We should do our homework and build our defense to become stronger,» he said, arguing that Europe had delayed necessary military investments for too long.
He also tied Europe’s defense spending challenges to the European Union’s Green Deal policies, the bloc’s sweeping climate agenda aimed at reducing carbon emissions, calling them ideological and financially destructive.
«If we get rid of this green, crazy alarmism, then we have enough money to build our defense,» he said.
The Czech foreign minister also voiced unusually direct support for Trump and his administration, praising what he described as a global «common sense» shift following Trump’s election victory.
«We are friends of Israel, and we are friends of America,» Macinka said. «Especially me as a politician, I’m a friend of the ideology of the current American administration.»
Macinka also referenced a clash earlier in 2026 with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Munich Security Conference, where he criticized Europe’s liberal political establishment and defended the populist wave reshaping parts of Europe and the United States.
EUROPE MUST LEAD ON UKRAINIAN SECURITY GUARANTEES, GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS: ‘WE ARE THE NEIGHBORS’
A tanker sits at the Port of Fujairah, as the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran limits marine traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. (REUTERS / Amr Alfiky / File Photo)
Macinka linked Prague’s strong support for Ukraine to the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, when hundreds of thousands of Warsaw Pact troops occupied the country for more than two decades.
He said that historical experience continues to shape Czech public opinion and support for Kyiv.
«The Czech society feels a big solidarity with Ukraine,» Macinka said, describing the war as a «symmetric war» between a powerful Russian military and a Ukrainian army backed by the West.
Macinka highlighted Prague’s leading role in a Czech-backed ammunition initiative supplying Ukraine with artillery rounds collected through international donor efforts.
Recalling a visit to Kyiv earlier in 2026, he said he received intelligence briefings on battlefield ammunition consumption from Ukrainian military officials.
TRUMP, ZELENSKYY TO MEET FOR KEY DEAL AS NATO ALLIES, RUSSIA WAIT, WATCH
Naval units from Iran and Russia simulate the rescue of a hijacked vessel during joint drills at the Port of Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan, Iran, on Feb. 19, 2026. (Iranian Army/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Czech initiative delivered more than half a million rounds of ammunition in 2026 alone, according to Macinka, helping stabilize the battlefield ahead of possible peace negotiations.
Macinka argued that maintaining a stable front is essential for meaningful negotiations, warning that shifting battle lines will only harden demands on both sides.
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Newly recruited soldiers of Ukraine’s 159th Separate Mechanized Brigade participate in integration and advanced training exercises in Kharkiv Oblast on May 14, 2026, after completing basic military training. (Yevhen Titov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
With Washington increasingly focused on the Middle East, Macinka also said Europe must begin taking a larger diplomatic role in future negotiations over Ukraine.
«America is quite busy with the Middle East,» he said. «Europe should wake up and ask for a place at the table.»
nato, united nations, ukraine, military, war with iran
INTERNACIONAL
Democrats are ‘completely stained’ after backing Platner through multiple scandals, Republicans charge
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Graham Platner is taking his name off the ballot, but the trail of debris left from the mounting controversies that brought down his nearly year-long insurgent Senate campaign in Maine is giving Republicans ammunition to use against Democrats in other crucial midterm races.
«Democrats rolled in the mud with Platner, and now they are completely stained by their association with this sick monster,» Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters charged in a statement minutes after the Marine Corp veteran announced on Wednesday night that he was suspending his campaign.
Republicans are now linking Platner to Democrats in a handful of House and Senate races that will directly impact the midterm battle for control of Congress.
Platner, a populist Democrat backed last September by leading national progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was challenging longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a high-profile, combustible and very expensive race in Maine, which is one of a handful that will determine if the GOP holds onto its slim Senate majority in November’s midterm elections.
PLANTER CALLS IT QUITS, DROPS SENATE BID AMID MOUNTING SCANDALS
Graham Platner, a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate for Maine, during a primary election night event at the Blue Hill YMCA in Blue Hill, Maine, June 9, 2026. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Platner’s exit from the race came two days after an explosive report on Monday afternoon contained an allegation of rape from a woman he previously dated. It was only after that report when a chorus of calls emerged from top Democrats across the country for him to immediately drop out.
But Platner, the combat veteran and oyster farmer whose campaign caught fire and steamrolled the Democratic establishment, had already been forced on defense ahead of the his primary victory last month.
Past inflammatory online comments made on a now-deleted Reddit account came back to haunt him at the same time he was reeling from revelations of a now covered-up tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol. Then reports that Platner exchanged sexually explicit messages with several women while married came right before allegations from ex-girlfriends of a history of rape fantasies, heavy drinking and violent episodes were made public.
Platner repeatedly called the allegations of violence untrue and dismissed his tattoo and Reddit posts as actions taken by a younger man who has now changed.
And addressing the latest rape allegation, a visibly irritated Platner charged in his suspension video on Wednesday: «This is all false. The things that have been claimed did not happen. It is not real.»
PLATNER’S GONE: HERE’S WHAT’S NEXT AND WHO’S SCRAMBLING TO REPLACE HIM
Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks to an overflow crowd outside a campaign event June 7, 2026, in Portland, Maine. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo)
But Republicans see an opportunity to use Platner’s toxic baggage as a cudgel against some Democrats on the ballot in key races this year — especially those who once backed the Maine candidate or defended him against previous allegations.
«Every Democrat that endorsed Graham Platner endorsed a rapist, and every Democrat that stayed silent was complicit,» Gruters argued.
The GOP quickly took aim at Matt Dunlap, the Democratic nominee in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, a Democrat-controlled open seat in a mostly rural district President Donald Trump carried in the past three presidential elections that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is heavily targeting.
Dunlap endorsed Platner and appeared with him at a campaign event days before Maine’s June 9 primary.
«Out of touch freak Matt Dunlap might be okay with Nazi lovers and men who abuse women, but in November, he’ll see for himself that Mainers aren’t. Dunlap’s embrace of this vile human is disqualifying,» NRCC Spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole charged.
On Monday, amid a wave of Democrats calling on Platner to call it quits, Dunlap said in a statement, «The allegations reported today are serious, and they deserve to be treated with the gravity they warrant. As such, I am calling on Graham Platner to withdraw from the race for Senate so we can all come together behind a nominee who can successfully carry the torch in November.»
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In neighboring battleground New Hampshire, the NRCC took aim at Stefany Shaheen, the polling front runner in the September primary in the state’s 1st Congressional District, another crucial swing seat that is among roughly two to three dozen that will determine if the GOP holds its razor-thin House majority in the midterms.
«Granite Staters will hold Shaheen accountable for her appalling judgment,» O’Toole argued.
Shaheen never endorsed Platner, but did not explicitly condemn him until Monday, when she said in a statement that «the allegations of sexual assault are extremely disturbing.»
«Graham Platner needs to drop out of this race. I stand with the women who bravely came forward,» she added.
The Shaheen campaign told Fox News Digital that Republicans are being hypocritical, and pointed to President Donald Trump as an example of the double standard.
«Stefany Shaheen called for Graham Platner to drop out. Republicans hacks are total hypocrites still excusing Donald Trump even after he was forced to pay millions in damages to a woman he sexually abused,» Shaheen campaign manager Emma Greenberg told Fox News Digital.
«They have nothing to say about the twenty-eight women who have accused Trump of sexually abusing them. Stefany is going to keep taking on Donald Trump’s corrupt self-dealing and misogyny along with the hacks who keep enabling it.»
The general election winner in the congressional race will succeed four-term Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, who is running for the Senate this year.
Former GOP Sen. John E. Sununu, the Republican front-runner in that race, took aim at Pappas over what he charged were the «failures of Chris Pappas when it comes to Graham Platner.»
The statement spotlights a critical piece on Pappas penned by the conservative-leaning New Hampshire Journal.
Pappas, who never endorsed Platner, also took to social media on Monday, saying, «The allegations against Graham Platner are reprehensible, and he must step aside.»
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The Pappas campaign also argued that Sununu, who is backed byTrump, is being hypocritical.
«Donald Trump was found liable for sexual abuse, bragged about sexually harassing women and girls, has publicly defamed and demeaned survivors, and is mentioned in the Epstein files over 38,000 times — and John Sununu accepted Trump’s endorsement anyway,» Chris Pappas for Senate spokesperson Gates MacPherson said. «Chris Pappas called on Platner to step aside immediately. John Sununu still stands with Donald Trump. They are not the same.»
The Senate showdown for the Democrat-controlled seat in New Hampshire is one of roughly a dozen races that will determine if Republicans retain their majority in the chamber.
Democrats question how effective any concerted push by the GOP to use Platner as ammunition may be with voters this autumn.
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«Battleground district voters don’t care about Graham Platner, CJ Warnke, communications director at the House Majority PAC, the top super PAC supporting congressional Democrats, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
Warnke, pivoting to affordability, argued that voters «care about how Republicans broke their promise lower costs by passing a toxic agenda of tariffs, new wars, and devastating health care cuts. Meanwhile, Democrats are running on making life more affordable and rooting out corruption, and in November we’re going to win.»
politics, graham platner, midterm elections, democrats elections, republicans, elections, maine
El tráfico ilícito de tabaco, alcohol, agroquímicos y electrónicos se ha afianzado en Centroamérica por una serie de fallas estructurales y regulatorias que persisten en la región, según un informe reciente de la Alianza Transnacional para Combatir el Comercio Ilícito (Tracit).
La presentación de la “Evaluación del desempeño de Centroamérica en el Índice de Comercio Ilícito” tuvo lugar en la Ciudad de Panamá, con la participación de representantes empresariales y expertos, según informó EFE. El estudio examina la situación de 158 economías en seis rubros distintos, entre ellos el entorno impositivo, la regulación, los controles gubernamentales, la corrupción y los sistemas para combatir el blanqueo de capitales.
El informe destaca que la falta de control aduanero en las zonas francas y la debilidad de los intermediarios en la cadena de suministros facilitan el flujo ilegal de una amplia gama de productos. Además, señala la existencia de una economía informal robusta, el uso indebido de zonas francas y una capacidad desigual de monitoreo estatal que favorecen la expansión del comercio ilícito en la región.
Según el índice de 2025, Costa Rica y Panamá encabezan la lista centroamericana con 51.2 y 49.6 puntos respectivamente. Les siguen El Salvador, Belice, Guatemala, Honduras y Nicaragua, estos últimos con puntuaciones que reflejan una mayor vulnerabilidad.
Dentro de América Latina, Uruguay se distingue como el país mejor ubicado. El promedio global, de 49.9 puntos sobre 100, indica que la mayoría de los gobiernos en el mundo no está preparado para prevenir o mitigar el comercio ilícito.
El informe de Tracit sostiene que, aunque algunos países centroamericanos muestran avances, la región en su conjunto sigue enfrentando obstáculos significativos para controlar la circulación ilegal de productos, de acuerdo con lo reportado por EFE.
El documento menciona que la Zona Libre de Colón en Panamá y la de Corozal en Belice son focos críticos, ya que manejan altos volúmenes de reexportaciones con baja transparencia sobre los beneficiarios finales y un mínimo de inspección física de mercancías de alto riesgo, tales como cigarrillos y destilados.
La investigación advierte que estos factores, junto a la corrupción arraigada y la informalidad, permiten que el comercio ilícito de bienes como tabaco, bebidas alcohólicas, electrónicos, medicamentos y productos agrícolas falsificados o adulterados se mantenga activo y conectado a nivel regional.
Entre los productos más afectados por el comercio ilegal se encuentran los cigarrillos, las bebidas alcohólicas y los electrónicos, principalmente de origen asiático.
A esto se suman medicamentos falsificados —antibióticos, analgésicos, tratamientos contra la gripe y productos dermatológicos— y la circulación de plaguicidas, fertilizantes y semillas adulterados o robados. Este flujo ilícito representa un riesgo para la salud y la seguridad alimentaria.
Las redes de comercio ilegal aprovechan las brechas en el monitoreo de la cadena de suministro y la falta de inspecciones efectivas para mover mercancía a gran escala en toda la región.
El informe señala que los gobiernos centroamericanos reconocen cada vez más el comercio ilícito como un asunto prioritario y han comenzado a establecer medidas de control y salvaguardas. Tracit propone que las zonas francas sean declaradas formalmente bajo jurisdicción aduanera, con derechos plenos para inspeccionar y controlar almacenes y puntos de entrada o salida.
Según el documento, “los crecientes esfuerzos de Centroamérica por fortalecer la transparencia y la integridad de la cadena de suministro, junto con los avances continuos para abordar las limitaciones de capacidad institucional y alinear los marcos regulatorios con los tratados y normas internacionales, ofrecen una base sólida para aumentar la resiliencia frente al comercio ilícito en toda la región”.
Mientras la región avanza en la coordinación y actualización normativa, el informe de Tracit subraya la necesidad de profundizar en estos esfuerzos para enfrentar el comercio ilícito y proteger tanto la economía como la salud pública.
contrabando,zona fronteriza,cigarrillos,alcohol,agroquímicos,electrónica
INTERNACIONAL
Unearthed records reveal Dem mayor sought tax hike to fund DEI role ahead of key House race
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Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, once proposed raising taxes to make room for a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officer.
A «DEI coordinator» was among eight new hires in the city’s 2023 proposed budget and would have set aside $25,500 for the position. To cover the costs of that opening and those of a police chief, a fire chief, a business administrator, a solicitor and a director of public works, the budget included a 3% property tax increase, estimated to generate $957,000 for the city.
The positions were estimated to cost $380,500. That budget was not adopted.
Cognetti’s proposed plan highlights her beliefs about diversity in government and the directness with which government should pursue representation among certain demographics as she looks to flip one of the country’s most competitive districts and unseat incumbent Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa.
RED STATE SENATOR DROPS HAMMER ON DEM MAYOR OVER NEW ‘WOKE’ DEI ORDINANCE WHILE VIOLENT CRIME SURGES
Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti speaks at a Safer America rally. (Aimee Dilger/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
In the past, Cognetti has highlighted her purposeful pursuit of diversity in government.
«We’re not doing this for the publicity. We’re doing this quietly so that these conversations just become the norm,» Cognetti said in a podcast appearance.
When asked about the DEI proposals and the 2023 budget, the Cognetti campaign pointed out that Bresnahan’s company has received government assistance for being «women-owned,» support it says is in line with DEI policies.
«Rob Bresnahan’s own company identifies itself as disadvantaged and women-owned in order to get a leg up on securing federal contracts,» a Cognetti spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital, referring to Kuharchik Construction Inc.
The company, which Bresnahan began leading as CEO in 2013, has received $162,000 in federal contracts since 2008, according to records.
MAMDANI COMPARISONS FOLLOW COLORADO DEMOCRAT INTO PIVOTAL HOUSE RACE AFTER PRIMARY WIN
Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa., arrives for a House Republican Conference caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol March 11, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
It has not received federal payments since 2017.
The campaign also said that many of Cognetti’s other acts as mayor directly helped bring the city’s costs down.
«Mayor Cognetti ran as an independent against a corrupt Democratic machine and reformed city hall. She saved taxpayers’ money by balancing the budget after years of mismanagement, turned down a government car and gas card, refused a pay raise and improved the city’s credit rating from junk bond status to an A- investment rating,» the Cognetti campaign continued.
«Now, Paige is running to take on corrupt politicians in Washington like Rob Bresnahan, who has stock traded off of his votes and his access to insider information in Congress.»
Bresnahan is not under investigation for insider trading, a violation of House rules.
Despite her emphasis on cutting government spending, Cognetti’s framing of the 2023 budget and its DEI role reflects her belief that diversity should be an area where the government places more of its resources.
She explained her thinking in a 2023 podcast.
«I will say that we’ve had some setbacks. Last year, we put a DEI coordinator in our budget. My city council cut that position with zero fanfare. There was no public comment. And this is where I think that the positive advocacy is missing,» Cognetti said of her budget proposal.
«You know, you want to raise taxes 3%. ‘Well, it should be only 2%.’ OK, well, let’s have that conversation.»
In Cognetti’s view, her work on DEI has not clashed with Scranton’s interests, and she affirms that hiring the best candidates has naturally led to greater diversity in government roles.
MAYORS WANT TO KEEP HANDING OUT FREE CASH AFTER FEDERAL FUNDS DRIED UP
Traffic passes a sign on the highway in Scranton, Pa., April 15, 2024. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)
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«We’re not doing it by cherry-picking, but by merit, and, lo and behold, City Hall looks different,» Cognetti said.
«When you walk into City Hall today, there are far more people of color and far more women working there, I think, than you would have seen four years ago. And, again, it’s not because we have had some grand strategy beyond really just hiring the best people for the jobs and trying to make sure that our jobs are posted in places that people are looking, right?»
politics, state and local, house of representatives
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