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Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi goes on weekend diplomatic tour to Russia and Oman. Trump cancels U.S. negotiating trip to Pakistan. Israel deployed Iron Dome battery to UAE, Axios reports. Iranian official threatens fourfold retaliation against U.S.-allied Gulf state infrastructure. Iran attempts to repair damaged economy. Israeli attacks continue on day 11 of “ceasefire.” Hezbollah: Ongoing Lebanese-Israel talks irrelevant to the resistance. Israeli forces kill 14 in Lebanon on Sunday, including children and women—and at least 14 over the weekend in Gaza. 1,500 patients have died awaiting medical evacuation as Israeli restrictions block treatment abroad: Gaza Ministry of Health. Palestinian teen dies of heart attack during Israeli pursuit. Settler attacks sweep occupied West Bank. Abbas loyalists win Palestinian municipal elections after Hamas was barred from running. Bennett and Lapid merge parties to form unified opposition bloc against Netanyahu ahead of Israeli elections. Six Israeli teens arrested in deadly restaurant worker stabbing. Gunman opens fire at Washington Hilton during White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Suspect Cole Tomas Allen to be arraigned in federal court. Wall Street billionaires funnel millions into super PAC targeting Graham Platner with new attack ad. Supreme Court set to hear oral arguments on Bayer-Monsanto’s cancer-causing pesticide. Justice Department to allow firing squads for executions. U.S. military kills three in latest vessel strike in the Pacific. Insurgents launch attacks across Mali. RSF drone strike kills seven, wounds 22 in El-Obeid. Leaked photos contradict Uribe’s denials of a relationship with Noboa. Russian attacks kill five across Ukraine. FARC dissidents kill 14 in highway bombing. Peruvian authorities raid former election chief’s home. U.S. modifies Venezuela sanctions to allow government to fund Maduro’s legal defense. U.S. agents killed in Mexico were not authorized, Mexico says.

NEW from Drop Site: As Trump’s narrative on negotiations flails, Iran is setting its wn terms for ending the war: the latest from Jeremy Scahill.Maine’s House Majority Leader Matt Moonen is getting paid by Gov. Janet Mills’ Senate campaign (Details below from contributor Nathan Bernard). Displaced Lebanese pool money to buy satellite images to see what remains of their homes.

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A display of the herbicide Roundup in St Louis, Missouri, May 21, 2009. Photograph by Brent Stirton/Getty Images.

Iran and Ceasefire

Iranian FM weekend diplomatic tour: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Russia on Monday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other officials. Araghchi again blamed the United States for the failure of ceasefire talks: “The U.S.’s approaches caused the previous round of negotiations, despite the progress that had been made, not to reach its objective—the excessive demands they made and the incorrect approaches they adopted,” he said. Araghchi also met Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said in Muscat on Sunday, with talks covering navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, security in the Persian Gulf, and the ongoing negotiations with the U.S. After the visit, Araghchi returned to Islamabad for talks aimed mainly at laying out Iran’s position regarding a potential deal with the U.S.
Trump cancels envoy trip to Pakistan: After reports that Iran’s Foreign Minister and an American delegation were set to convene in Islamabad for an informal round of talks over the weekend, with Iran insisting there would be no negotiations and the visit was for “bilateral” discussions,President Donald Trump told reporters Saturday that he canceled plans to send U.S. envoys to Pakistan. Iran has continuously demanded the lifting of the U.S. blockade on its ports prior to a second round of talks. Trump summed up the U.S. position by saying, “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Very simple,” and claimed that the U.S. has “all the cards.”
Axios: Israel deployed Iron Dome battery to UAE: Israel sent an Iron Dome air defense battery and several dozen Israel Defense Forces operators to the United Arab Emirates early in the war with Iran, according to a report from Axios. This marks the first time Israel has ever deployed the system to another country and the first time it has been used operationally outside of the U.S. and Israel. A senior Israeli official said the battery intercepted dozens of Iranian missiles. “It was a real eye-opening moment. To see who our real friends are,” a senior Emirati official told Axios. “We are not going to forget it.”
Iranian official threatens fourfold retaliation against U.S.-allied Gulf state infrastructure: Iran’s Vice President and Head of the Organization for Energy Optimization and Strategic Management, Ismail Saqab Esfahani, issued a direct threat warning that any damage to Iranian oil infrastructure caused by the U.S. naval blockade would be met with retaliation four times as severe against the same category of infrastructure in countries supporting the U.S. “We will respond to any act of war,” Esfahani wrote on X. The warning is directed at Gulf state energy facilities—including those of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE—whose oil infrastructure and ports have already sustained damage during the war and remain highly vulnerable to Iranian strikes.
Iran attempts to repair damaged economy: Iran’s cabinet reinstated a preferential exchange rate of 285,000 rials per dollar—far below the open-market rate of 1.55 million rials—to fund up to $3.5 billion in subsidized imports of wheat, medicines, medical equipment, and baby formula, as the war with the U.S. and Israel continues to strain the economy. Authorities also authorized drawing up to $1 billion from the National Development Fund to replenish strategic reserves of sugar, rice, barley, corn, and meat, while the Food and Drug Administration said it would begin centralized distribution of strategic medical goods within two days. Millions of jobs have been lost or suspended during the war, food prices have risen dramatically, and some residents of Tehran have begun stockpiling canned goods and water, with fears over long-term food security in the country persisting.

Lebanon

Israeli attacks continue on day 11 of “ceasefire”: At least one person was killed in an Israeli drone strike on the town of Al-Qulaylah in southern Lebanon on Monday, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. Israeli warplanes and drones carried out multiple strikes targeting areas around Majdal Selm, Al-Mansouri, Tebnine, and Kafra in the Bint Jbeil and Tyre districts. Artillery shelling also hit several southern villages. Additionally, Israeli forces carried out demolitions of houses between Yaroun and Bint Jbeil. The casualty toll due to Israeli attacks on Lebanon from March 2 to April 26 has risen to 2,521 killed and 7,804 injured, according to the Ministry. At least 38 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the announcement of the “ceasefire” on April 16.
Hezbollah: Ongoing Lebanese-Israel talks irrelevant to the resistance: Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem rejected direct negotiations with Israel, stating any reported agreements between the Lebanese government and Israel are “as if they do not exist” from Hezbollah’s point of view. He reaffirmed that the group “will not give up weapons and defense,” and criticized the Lebanese government, accusing it of “abandoning Lebanon’s rights,” and giving up land. Qassem said any solution must be based on five conditions: ending Israeli attacks, Israel’s withdrawal, the release of detainees, the return of displaced residents, and reconstruction. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun defended the direct talks with Israel, saying in a statement on Monday, “What we are doing is not treason. Rather, treason is committed by those who take their country to war to achieve foreign interests,” he said in a reference to Hezbollah’s ties to Iran.
14 killed by Israel on Sunday, including children and women: Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Sunday killed 14 people, including two children and two women, and injured 37 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, in the deadliest day since the “ceasefire” was announced on April 16. An Israeli airstrike struck a café at a crowded displacement hub in the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Tibneet in the Nabatieh district Sunday, killing at least six people and wounding many others. The IDF later claimed it carried out strikes targeting “Hezbollah terrorists and military infrastructure” in Lebanon.
Israel attacks on Saturday: At least six people were killed in Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, four of them in two strikes on Yohmor al-Shqif, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported. Israeli airstrikes hit the southern Lebanese towns of Hadatha, Sultanieh, Bazourieh, Zebqin, Safad al-Battikh, and al-Jmayjmeh in the Bint Jbeil district, according to Al Mayadeen. Two people were dead and 17 injured in southern Lebanon following an Israeli raid on the southern town of Safad al-Bateekh, Bint Jbeil.
Hezbollah drone killed Israeli soldier, wounded six after tank became stranded: A Hezbollah drone strike killed one Israeli soldier and wounded six others—four seriously—after an Israeli tank from the Golani Brigade’s 12th Battalion became stranded in the village of Al-Taybeh in southern Lebanon, roughly four kilometers from the Israeli border, the Israel Defense Forces said Sunday. When a rescue crawler was deployed to retrieve the tank, a Hezbollah drone struck the site at around 9:30 a.m.; as an Israeli Air Force helicopter landed inside Lebanese territory to evacuate the wounded, Hezbollah launched two additional drones at rescue forces, one of which was intercepted while the second fell within meters of the evacuation helicopter. On Monday, Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli troops and vehicles near Kfarkela with a guided missile, claiming a direct hit.
Israeli forces destroy solar panels and strike power substation serving dozens of villages in southern Lebanon: Israeli forces destroyed solar panels supplying electricity and water to Debel, a Christian village surrounded by Israeli troops whose residents have refused evacuation orders, Al Jazeera English journalist Heidi Pett reported Sunday from southern Lebanon. A nearby electricity substation serving Tebnine and 27 other locations was also struck in an Israeli airstrike. Debel is the same village where an Israeli soldier was previously filmed destroying a statue of Jesus, prompting a public apology and replacement by the Israeli military.

Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel

Casualty count: The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,593 killed, with 172,399 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 817 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 2,296, while 762 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Israel kills at least 14 over the weekend in Gaza:
- A 15-year-old boy, Aiham Al-Omari, was killed by Israeli gunfire Monday in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, according to WAFA.
- Israeli forces killed at least seven Palestinians Sunday in a series of strikes across Gaza, according to Palestine Online, citing Civil Defense and local sources. Three Palestinians were killed near the Kuwait Roundabout and the Al-Saqa Mosque south of Gaza City, and two others were killed by an Israeli drone strike south of Gaza City. A displaced woman was also shot and killed by Israeli forces south of Khan Younis.
- At least six people were killed across Gaza on Saturday. Israeli warplanes struck a densely populated Ramzun area of Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood Saturday evening, killing three people and wounding several others. One Palestinian was shot in the head by Israeli forces in Jabalia, and another Palestinian, a child, died from gunshot wounds she sustained from Israeli fire in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. A man also died from injuries sustained in an Israeli strike on Beit Lahia.
Hamas official accuses “Board of Peace” mediator of pushing Phase Two talks while Israel skips phase one obligations: Senior Hamas political official Dr. Basem Naim marked 195 days since the Gaza ceasefire agreement Saturday with a public rebuke of mediator Nickolay Mladenov and Trump’s Board of Peace, accusing Mladenov of pressing for Phase Two negotiations without compelling Israel to fulfill its Phase One commitments. “All he asks for is ‘dismantling the resistance project’ in exchange for improving prison conditions and empty promises,” Naim wrote in Arabic on X. He closed the post with “No pasarán”—the Spanish anti-fascist phrase meaning “they shall not pass.”
Gaza health ministry: 1,500 patients have died awaiting medical evacuation as Israeli restrictions block treatment abroad: The head of Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported Sunday that more than 1,500 patients on the medical evacuation list have died while waiting for treatment abroad due to Israeli restrictions blocking their departure, with 20,000 patients still trapped and unable to access care outside the territory. More than 90 percent of Gaza’s hospitals have been severely damaged by Israeli attacks or are entirely out of service.
Palestinian teen dies of heart attack during Israeli pursuit: 17-year-old Obada Montaser Asaad Al-Qadi died after suffering a heart attack while being pursued and detained by Israeli occupation forces. He was from the town of Surif, north of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.
Settler attacks sweep occupied West Bank; six Palestinian deaths recorded in the past week: Armed Jewish settler groups carried out widespread attacks across the occupied West Bank on Saturday, including forced displacement, arson, and armed assaults monitored by the Settlement Observatory, with incidents recorded in the Qalqilya, Nablus, Salfit, al-Khalil, and Jordan Valley governorates. Around 20 families in the Arab al-Khawli Bedouin community near Kafr Thuluth were forced to flee after settlers attacked their tents and land, while armed settlers opened fire and burned Palestinian vehicles and equipment in Qusra and Jalud, and an Islamic preacher was assaulted and worshipers detained in Khirbet Tana by settlers and Israeli soldiers.
Abbas loyalists sweep Palestinian municipal elections as Hamas barred from running: Palestinians in the West Bank and Deir al-Balah voted Saturday in their first municipal elections since the 2007 Fatah-Hamas split, with Fatah-aligned slates sweeping the West Bank—often running unopposed. Turnout reached 54% across 522,000 ballots cast across the West Bank, with women winning 33% of seats. Hamas and other political factions were barred from participating under a November 2025 decree by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas requiring candidates to commit to agreements made by the PLO with Israel. In Deir al-Balah—the sole Gaza constituency included—turnout was just 23% among roughly 70,000 eligible voters; a Fatah-backed slate won six of 15 seats, with Hamas-aligned candidates taking two. Hamas deployed over 500 personnel to support the process logistically.
Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, praised the symbolic significance of holding any vote in Gaza while sharply criticizing the structural weaknesses of the broader municipal election process, noting that out of 429 local councils in the West Bank, competitive elections took place in just 83, while 197 councils saw only a single slate submitted and 49 had no candidates at all. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem called the vote “an important and necessary step” and for presidential and legislative elections to follow. Polls continue to show Hamas as the most popular faction across both territories.
Bennett and Lapid merge parties to form unified opposition bloc against Netanyahu ahead of Israeli elections: Former Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid announced Sunday the merger of their parties—Bennett 2026 and There is a Future—into a new party called Together, with Bennett as its leader, in a bid to unite a fragmented opposition ahead of elections expected later this year. The alliance joins a right-wing and a centrist former prime minister whose primary common ground is opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Bennett pledging to establish a national commission of inquiry into failures leading up to the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack and Lapid having called the recent ceasefire with Iran a “political disaster.”
Six Israeli teens arrested in deadly restaurant worker stabbing: Six Israeli teenagers aged 13 to 17 were arrested in the killing of 21-year-old pizzeria worker Yemanu Binyamin Zelka in Petah Tikva, Israel according to the Times of Israel. Zelka was stabbed to death after asking a group of youths to stop using party spray inside the restaurant where he worked. The group allegedly waited outside for Zelka to finish his shift before assaulting and killing him.

U.S. News

By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.

Gunman opens fire at Washington Hilton during White House Correspondents’ Dinner: A gunman opened fire Saturday night in the lobby of the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and senior administration officials were evacuated from the ballroom, and hundreds of journalists and celebrity guests were ordered to shelter under tables as heavily armed guards swarmed the venue. No injuries among dinner guests or officials have been reported; Trump had returned to the event this year as both guest of honor and keynote speaker after skipping it throughout his entire first term and the first year of his second.
Suspect Cole Tomas Allen to be arraigned in federal court: Authorities identified Allen, 31, of Torrance, California—a Caltech-trained mechanical engineer and indie game developer, and part-time tutor once named “teacher of the month”—as the alleged shooter. Allen was reportedly armed with a shotgun, handgun, and knives, exchanging gunfire with law enforcement before being tackled and taken to a hospital without a gunshot wound. Minutes before the attack, Allen sent family members a note stating that Trump administration officials were “targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.” He wrote: “I am a citizen of the United States of America. What my representatives do reflects on me. And I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.” Allen had never been flagged by the FBI’s domestic counterterrorism apparatus, a senior FBI official told Ken Klippenstein. Allen faces two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer. He is expected to be arraigned in federal court today.
Wall Street billionaires funnel millions into super PAC targeting Graham Platner with new attack ad: Pine Tree Results PAC, a super PAC backing Republican Sen. Susan Collins, is spending nearly $2 million for attack ads against Democratic primary frontrunner Graham Platner ahead of Maine’s June 9 primary. The PAC has drawn funding from powerful figures in American finance, including Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman ($2 million); Elliott Management CEO Paul Singer ($1 million); Reyes Holdings executives ($1 million); Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan ($50,000); and Palantir CEO Alex Karp ($100,000). Platner, a Marine veteran and oysterman running on Medicare for All and a billionaire minimum tax, has outraised both Collins and his primary opponent, Governor Janet Mills, for two consecutive quarters on small-dollar donations.
NEW from Nathan Bernard in Maine: FEC filings show Maine House Majority Leader Matt Moonen has received more than $28,000 from Gov. Janet Mills’ U.S. Senate campaign since October. The Mills campaign paid him nearly $5,000 in biweekly salary installments throughout the fall, while the state legislature was in session. Majority Leader Moonen has not publicly endorsed Gov. Mill despite the campaign payments. To date, he has not attended any campaign events or made public statements in favor of the Governor’s Senate bid. As Majority Leader, Moonen controls floor scheduling, directs the House Democratic caucus, and determines which bills advance to a vote. He also chairs the Joint Rules Committee, governing how legislation is procedurally reviewed, and sits on the Legislative Council, the body that decides which bills are considered at all, including those sent by Mills’s own administration. Neither Majority Leader Moonen nor the Mills campaign responded to requests for comment regarding these potential conflicts of interest, or if they would support Graham Platner if he becomes the Democratic nominee.
Supreme Court set to hear oral arguments on Bayer-Monsanto’s cancer causing pesticide: RoundUp weedkiller, a Bayer-Monsanto commercial product, has become the subject of tens of thousands of lawsuits filed by customers who claim it caused their cancer diagnoses, specifically non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Nonetheless, the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency, led by former congressman and BlackRock consultant Lee Zeldin, has called the pesticide “safe” and is formally supporting Monsanto in its legal battle before the Court to keep the product on the market and dismiss claims against the company. The position marks a seismic reversal from the Biden administration’s stance. The majority conservative U.S. Supreme Court, known to take pro-corporate and deregulatory stances in recent years, will hear arguments today.
Justice Department to allow firing squads for executions: The Justice Department announced on Friday it will adopt firing squads as a permitted method of execution to kill condemned federal prisoners as it moves to ramp up and expedite capital punishment cases. The Justice Department also said it was reauthorizing the use of lethal injections with pentobarbital, which was banned by the Biden administration over concerns about the potential for unnecessary pain and suffering. Only three defendants remain on federal death row after former President Joe Biden converted 37 of their sentences to life in prison, though the Trump administration has so far authorized seeking death sentences against 44 defendants.

Other International News

U.S. military kills three in latest vessel strike in the Pacific: The U.S. military conducted a strike against a boat in the Eastern Pacific on Sunday, killing three people, according to U.S. Southern Command. SOUTHCOM posted a video of the strike and said, “Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action” without providing evidence. Over 185 people have been killed in dozens U.S. strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific since September.
Insurgents launch attacks across Mali: Mali saw one of its largest coordinated insurgent operations in recent years over the weekend, with the West Africa al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, known as JNIM, partnering with the Tuareg-dominated Azawad Liberation Front to strike simultaneously in more than half a dozen locations, including near Bamako’s airport and in Mopti, Sevare, and Gao. Mali’s Defense Minister Sadio Camara was killed in one attack on Saturday after a suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden vehicle into his residence in Kati, roughly 15 kilometers north of Bamako. The strategic northern city of Kidal—a former Tuareg stronghold—appeared to have fallen to insurgents, with the Azawad Liberation Front claiming a deal was struck to allow Russian mercenaries to withdraw from a besieged camp outside the city, though Mali’s army chief of staff said forces had “tactically repositioned” and that operations were ongoing.
RSF drone strike kills seven, wounds 22 in El-Obeid: The Rapid Support Forces launched a drone attack Saturday on residential neighborhoods in El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, killing at least seven people and wounding 22, the Sudan Doctors Network reported. The network said the drones deliberately targeted densely populated civilian areas, calling the strike a “grave violation” of international law, and warned that local hospitals are struggling to cope with the wounded.
Leaked photos contradict Uribe’s denials of meetings with Noboa: Drop Site News published photos posted on Instagram last year showing former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Vélez meeting with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa and First Lady Lavinia Valbonesi inside what appears to be the couple’s residence, revealing a longstanding relationship that Uribe has denied. Allegations have circulated that Uribe coordinated with Noboa to interfere in Colombia’s presidential race ahead of the May 31 vote, with Uribe’s visits having coincided with Ecuador’s imposition of tariffs on Colombian goods that escalated first to 50%, then to 100%. President Gustavo Petro accused Noboa of “handing over the border to the mafia,” and his allies suspect that Noboa is attempting to engineer a crisis to undermine Iván Cepeda Castro, Petro’s favored successor to the presidency.
FARC dissidents kill 14 in highway bombing: A bomb detonated Saturday on the Pan-American Highway in the El Tunel sector of Cajibio, in Colombia’s Cauca region, killing at least 14 people and wounding more than 38, including five minors, in an attack Colombia’s Armed Forces commander General Hugo López attributed to the network of a fugitive known as “Iván Mordisco” and the Jaime Martínez faction—both dissidents of the demobilized FARC armed group. Southwestern Colombia has seen at least 26 violent incidents in over two days, including a shooting at a police station in Jamundi, an attack on a civil aviation radar facility in El Tambo, and vehicle bombs detonated near military units in Cali and Palmira on Friday.
Syria opens first public trial of Assad-era official: Syria opened its first public trial of an official from Bashar al-Assad’s government, with proceedings beginning in Damascus on Sunday against Atef Najib—a cousin of al-Assad and former head of political security in the southern Deraa province. His charges include “crimes against the Syrian people” related to his oversight of the violent crackdown on protesters during the 2011 uprising. Al-Assad, his brother Maher, and other senior security officials were charged in absentia on counts including killings, torture, extortion, and drug trafficking. Authorities also recently arrested Amjad Yousef, the main suspect in the 2013 Tadamon massacre in Damascus, where nearly 300 civilians were killed.
Russian attacks kill five across Ukraine: Russian attacks killed at least five people across multiple Ukrainian regions over the weekend, with drone strikes killing two civilians in the Sumy region’s Bilopil district, two more in the Zaporizhzhia region, and one person in Dnipropetrovsk. Seven people were wounded in shelling in Kherson. In Odesa, Russian forces struck port and logistics infrastructure, damaging warehouses, cargo storage tanks, and a civilian vessel flying the flag of Palau that was loading at the time, though its crew reported no injuries.
Peruvian authorities raid former election chief’s home: Peruvian police raided the Lima home of Piero Corvetto, the former head of the National Office of Electoral Processes, on Friday as part of a judicial warrant, seizing mobile phones, laptops, and documents, with five other officials’ homes and offices of ballot transport company Galaga also targeted. Corvetto resigned Tuesday—denying any wrongdoing—amid mounting public frustration over the slow count from the April 12 presidential election and an effort by political elites in the capital to avoid a runoff vote that would include a left-wing challenger to four-time candidate Keiko Fujimori.
China drills off Luzon as Japan joins U.S.-Philippine exercises: Beijing conducted live-fire military drills in waters near the Philippines this weekend, activities that coincided with annual U.S.-Philippines military drills, which kicked off this week with over 17,000 troops. For the first time the U.S. exercises also included Japanese combat forces participating, amid growing tensions between Tokyo and Beijing. China’s decision to drill on the Pacific-facing side of Luzon, rather than the western South China Sea approaches, has been widely read as a signal that Beijing can project military force beyond the first island chain in a naval conflict.
U.S. modifies Venezuela sanctions to allow government to fund Maduro’s legal defense: The United States agreed to modify its sanctions on Venezuela to permit the government to pay legal fees for kidnapped President Nicolás Maduro, backing away from a restriction that had threatened to derail his federal “narcoterrorism” case, according to a court filing made public Friday. Manhattan-based U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein had signaled skepticism toward the sanctions restriction at a March 26 hearing, noting that Maduro and Flores “present no further national security threat” and that the right to constitutional counsel was “paramount over other rights.”
U.S. agents killed in Mexico were not authorized, Mexico says: Two CIA agents who died in a car crash in northern Mexico were not permitted to conduct operations there, Mexico’s government said Saturday. The agents were allegedly returning from destroying a drug lab in Chihuahua when their vehicle drove into a ravine and “exploded.” Two Mexican officers also died. Mexico’s security cabinet said one agent entered as a visitor, the other on a diplomatic passport, adding that foreign agents cannot take part in local operations. The CIA has declined to comment.

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