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U.S. deports migrants from Afghanistan, Iran, other countries to violence-torn Central African Republic

2026-06-12T12:11:00-0400 / CBS News

By Camilo Montoya-Galvez

Camilo Montoya-Galvez is the Immigration Correspondent at CBS News, where his reporting is featured across multiple programs and platforms, including national broadcast shows, CBS News 24/7, CBSNews.com and the organization’s social media accounts.

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Annabelle Hanflig

Updated on: June 12, 2026 / 1:56 PM EDT / CBS News

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The Trump administration on Friday deported a group of roughly 20 migrants from Afghanistan, Iran and other nations to the Central African Republic, which the U.S. government warns Americans not to visit “for any reason” due to violence and unrest, a U.S. official told CBS News.

The deportees included an Iranian pro-democracy activist who had fled to the U.S. and received legal protection from an American immigration court, according to her immigration lawyer.

One of the poorest countries in the world, the Central African Republic has been plagued by decades of armed conflict, human rights abuses and political instability. The country is one of several with a “Level 4” travel advisory from the State Department, which urges U.S. citizens not to travel there.

“Do not travel to Central African Republic for any reason. U.S. citizens are at risk due to unrest, crime, kidnapping, health, terrorism, and other” threats, the State Department says in its advisory.

The State Department even instructs Americans in the Central African Republic to draft a will, make “proof of life” protocols with loved ones and leave DNA samples with medical providers in case their families need them for identification purposes.

The U.S. official, who requested anonymity to discuss deportations that have not been officially announced, said migrants from Armenia and Iraq were also among those deported to the Central African Republic on Friday.

An aerial view of Bangui, Central African Republic, is seen on March 8, 2024. AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File

Asked for comment, a DHS spokesperson said in a statement that “[i]f you come to our country illegally, you could end up in CECOT, GITMO, or another third countries.” CECOT is a notorious prison in El Salvador where hundreds of migrants were sent early in second Trump administration, and GITMO refers to the detention facilities at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

“President Trump and Secretary Mullin are using every tool available to get illegal aliens out of American communities and out of our country,” the statement said. “The Trump Administration is utilizing all lawful options to carry out the largest deportation operation in history, just as President Trump promised. Anyone who has been deported received full due process.”

CBS News also reached out to the State Department and Central African Republic’s embassy in Washington, D.C., for comment on the deportations.

Emily Trostle, a lawyer representing the Iranian pro-democracy activist, told CBS News an immigration judge granted her client a “withholding of removal” order — meaning the U.S. cannot send her back to Iran because it is “more likely than not” she would be persecuted there. Trostle declined to name her client.

Trostle confirmed her client had no connection to the Central African Republic and that she was not told where her client would be sent until the day before the deportation flight. She claims DHS ignored requests for her client to talk to a U.S. asylum officer about her fears of being deported.

“Despite being granted withholding of removal, these individuals are being removed from the United States and abandoned in a country where they have no status, no connection and no support network,” Trostle said. “We fear they will ultimately be forced to return to the countries they originally fled.”

Two more Iranian women were transported to Louisiana for deportation to the Central African Republic, but ultimately not put on the plane, according to Ali Rahnama, the interim legal director at the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund. Rahnama says the women were Christian converts and fled Iran due to religious persecution. One of the women claims she was targeted for her political beliefs as well.

While withholding of removal protections shield immigrants from being deported to the places they fled, usually their native countries, they technically still allow the U.S. government to deport them to any other country.

Historically, many of those granted withholding of removal were allowed to stay in the U.S. with work permits. But as part of his aggressive deportation crackdown, President Trump’s administration has targeted those who have received such protections, seeking to deport them to so-called “third countries” where they have no ties.

The deportations to the Central African Republic are the latest front in the Trump administration’s unprecedented efforts to deport thousands of migrants to third countries.

The administration has persuaded several dozen countries to take in deportees who are not their own citizens, including African countries plagued by armed conflict, civil unrest and political turmoil, like South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Rwanda and Uganda have also agreed to accept third-country deportees from the U.S.

Outside of Africa, the Trump administration has convinced some Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, to receive deportees from other nations.

It’s unclear how the Central African Republic will process and treat the deportees. Some third countries that have brokered agreements with the U.S. have returned deportees to their homelands, even though some of them said they fled violence or persecution there.

Judge rejects bid to block UFC event at the White House

2026-06-12T13:32:00-0400 / CBS News

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Updated on: June 12, 2026 / 1:48 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — A federal judge on Friday rejected a long-shot effort to block the Ultimate Fighting Championship event set to take place at the White House this weekend.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta declined to grant emergency relief to two Washington, D.C., residents who sought a court order stopping the UFC event. The D.C. residents, Susan Douglas and Paul Romano, filed their lawsuit six days ago, alleging that the upcoming mixed martial arts fights violated restrictions related to events on White House grounds and that the structure, known as the Claw, that was built for the fights was constructed unlawfully.

But Mehta said the plaintiffs failed to establish that they would be harmed by the events and were unlikely to show that they had the legal right to sue, a concept known as standing.

The UFC octagon fighting enclosure on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 11, 2026. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

The “UFC Freedom 250” event is set to take place on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday, President Trump’s 80th birthday, as part of a series of events taking place in celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

For the mixed martial arts event, crews have spent the past three weeks constructing the Claw, a 92-foot-tall structure that will house the Octagon. In addition to seven fights set for Sunday, “UFC Freedom 250” also includes several smaller events that begin Friday with a press conference and face-offs between fighters at the Lincoln Memorial. A ceremonial weigh-in for the 14 fighters and a performance by the Zac Brown Band, a country music group, are set for Saturday at the UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest on the Ellipse.

The White House expects roughly 4,000 people to attend the UFC fights on the South Lawn, while an estimated 12,000 spectators are expected to watch from the Ellipse. The event is being broadcast on Paramount+, which is owned by Paramount Skydance, the parent company of CBS News.

In filings with the court, the White House described the massive effort to set up and execute the weekend’s UFC event. More than 700 subcontractors were hired to help with construction, and the White House and U.S. Secret Service cleared more than 2,000 people to participate in the “UFC Freedom 250” event and broadcast, according to Andrew Fischer, director for White House Management and Administration.

UFC and its affiliates have spent more than $60 million in preparation for the weekend, he said.

Texas overtakes California as ‘America’s center of gravity,’ claims Treasury Sec Bessent

2026-06-12 1:12pm EDT / Fox News

Bessent spoke at the Petroleum Club of Houston, linking energy abundance to AI dominance and national security

By Robert Schmad Fox News

Published June 12, 2026 1:12pm EDT | Updated June 12, 2026 1:18pm EDT

Chuck DeVore on why Texas lures Fortune 500 companies

Chuck DeVore, former California Assembly member, details the business exodus from California to Texas, emphasizing that lower taxes and regulations are key attractants for Fortune 500 companies. He contrasts Texas’s pro-business attitude with California’s challenging environmental laws and lawsuit climate, citing delayed infrastructure projects like the high-speed rail.

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FIRST ON FOX —Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent highlighted the stark difference he sees emerging between Texas and California as well as the “tale of two states” cropping up between red and blue jurisdictions.

“In California, I saw firsthand what years of failed governance looks like: a tax system that is hostile to ambition. A regulatory state that smothers enterprise. An economic climate indifferent to consequence,” he said during a meeting at the Petroleum Club of Houston on Friday in remarks shared exclusively with Fox News Digital.

California has seen a number of high-profile defections in recent years, with many businesses and wealthy individuals citing the state’s regulations and taxation regime as the reasons for their exit.

CORPORATE AMERICA IS ON THE MOVE, AND THESE RED STATES ARE CASHING IN

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said some Gulf states “have been very fulsome and come forward and given us the details and allowed us to freeze [Iran’s] assets” after the regime its Gulf neighbors.(Matt Rourke/AP)

Chevron, Tesla, Charles Schwab and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, to name a few, have all abandoned their California headquarters and shifted operations to Texas. IRS migration data also shows that the Golden State is hemorrhaging high-earning taxpayers, imperiling its finances.

“Here in Texas, meanwhile, the contrast is so striking that it begins to feel like a tale of two states,” Bessent said.

And it’s true that the Lone Star State’s business-friendly policies and lower taxes have attracted more American families and businesses to move from other states to Texas.

THE RED-STATE WINNERS IN THE CLIMB TO BECOME AMERICA’S NEXT ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a rally in Houston, Texas, on Nov. 8, 2025.(Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

During the meeting on Friday, Bessent also highlighted the importance of energy policy as a cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s economic policies.

“The AI race may be accelerated by the elegance of our code, but it will be won by the abundance of our energy,” he said. “More than strengthening an economy, [energy abundance] also secures a nation. Economic security is national security.”

RED STATES ARE THE ONES GOING GREEN AND WINNING THE CLEAN ENERGY RACE

He said that Texas is spearheading that growth.

Texas has rapidly expanded its energy production to meet booming demand, partially spurred by the construction of new data centers, recently surpassing California as the state with the most utility-scale solar capacity and hitting record-breaking levels for both crude oil production and low-carbon electricity generation.

As companies relocate to Republican-led states, blue-state leaders are facing growing scrutiny over whether high taxes and regulation are driving employers away and weakening economic growth.(Mark Felix/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

“Texas has become America’s center of gravity because it is fostering the conditions for families and businesses to flourish,” Bessent went on.

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Data indicates that Texas has seen considerable success in attracting businesses and taxpayers to the state.

Of the 725 companies that relocated headquarters between 2018 and 2025, per a CBRE report, 230 of them moved to Houston, Dallas and Austin alone. IRS migration data also shows that the Lone Star state saw a net increase of 56,000 tax filers between 2022 and 2023.

US EPA sends California emissions rules to Congress for potential reversal

2026-06-12T18:45:45.279Z / Reuters

Signage at the headquarters of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 18, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

WASHINGTON, June 12 (Reuters) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday said it was sending to Congress landmark ‌California vehicle emissions rules for potential repeal, its latest effort to prevent tougher state tailpipe requirements.

The EPA said waivers for the California regulations approved under prior Democratic administrations should have been sent to lawmakers under the Congressional Review Act. The rules include California’s Advanced ​Clean Cars I that allows California to impose vehicle emissions requirements that are stricter than federal standards.

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California did ​not immediately comment on the EPA’s proposal.

President Donald Trump’s administration has mounted a multi-pronged effort ⁠to deny California the ability to require cleaner vehicles and more electric vehicles. The EPA has also enacted ​rules making it easier for automakers to sell more gasoline-powered cars and trucks, while making it more expensive ​to buy EVs.

The four waivers sent to Congress for review granted California authority to enact its own emission standards for cars and trucks as well as lawn and garden equipment. The rules have prodded companies to produce cleaner electric models to reduce emissions.

California ​won approval in 2022 under then President Joe Biden’s EPA for the state’s current vehicle rules known as ​Advanced Clean Cars I or ACC I, which remains in effect.

In March, the U.S. Transportation Department sued the California Air Resources ‌Board, ⁠claiming the state’s zero-emission vehicle and tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions rules are illegal.

California’s rules require automakers to sell a rising number of electric vehicles and meet increasingly stringent limits on tailpipe emissions.

Those rules are much stricter than those imposed by the Trump administration, which plans to roll back federal fuel economy rules.

Trump signed legislation last year ​to overturn California’s Advanced Clean ​Cars II rules that ⁠aim to phase out new gasoline-powered cars by 2035.

California contends the fuel savings for consumers from the rules far exceed the higher upfront costs of EVs.

Congress rescinded ​authority for California to outlaw traditional gasoline-powered vehicles after 2035 after Toyota (7203.T), GM (GM.N) and ​other automakers lobbied ⁠for relief from California’s emissions regulations.

That came after the EPA sent Congress the waiver for that program for review. Many Democratic lawmakers contended the waivers are not reviewable under the CRA.

The White House also significantly weakened federal tailpipe ⁠rules. Congress ​passed legislation in 2025 to stop collecting penalties for not meeting ​vehicle tailpipe standards, saving automakers hundreds of millions of dollars.

The EPA in February separately repealed a scientific finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger ​human health, and eliminated federal tailpipe emissions standards for cars and trucks.

Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio

A key spy authority, Section 702, is expiring due to inaction in Congress. Here’s what happens next

June 12, 2026 1:42 PM EDT / CBS News

By Caitlin Yilek Politics Reporter
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

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Washington — A key surveillance tool that lets the government collect foreign intelligence without a warrant is again at the brink of expiration. Barring an 11th-hour intervention, the spy authority, known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, is set to lapse at 12 a.m. Saturday after President Trump’s pick to oversee the nation’s intelligence agencies complicated its renewal.

Democrats have opposed extending the authority since the president announced that he had selected Bill Pulte, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to temporarily serve as director of national intelligence. In addition to his lack of national security experience, Democrats railed against Pulte for his efforts to go after some of Mr. Trump’s political foes on allegations of mortgage fraud.

Lawmakers have long sounded the alarm about the risks of letting Section 702 expire. Those who serve on congressional intelligence committees say that about 60% of the president’s daily intelligence briefing is derived from information collected under the law, and they consider it a tool that is critically important to national security.

But it’s still controversial: the provision already faced stiff opposition from civil liberties-minded lawmakers in both parties who have unsuccessfully pushed for years to implement a requirement for a warrant to search Americans’ data that’s incidentally swept up in the collection. Demands for reforms led Congress to punt the issue twice since its initial expiration in April.

Here’s what to know about what happens next.

What does Section 702 do?

Section 702 was first authorized in 2008 and allows the government to sweep up the electronic communications of foreigners abroad without a warrant.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has noted that policymakers across the federal government rely on the information it provides on a regular basis.

“It is a program that makes Americans more safe,” the South Dakota Republican said on the Senate floor Thursday. “The intelligence derived from the 702 program is something that has saved American lives — in theaters of conflict, preventing terrorist attacks, preventing drug runners from getting drugs into this country.”

Documents prepared by the intelligence community and sent to House Republicans earlier this year said “no other foreign intelligence authority can replicate Section 702’s speed, agility, and insights.”

“FISA Section 702 is often the primary or only source of intelligence in areas where access to other sources of collection would be extremely dangerous and/or costly,” the documents said. They were first reported by Politico, and the White House confirmed sending them.

While Congress reauthorizes the legal framework that allows for the collection of the communications, a secretive court known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court authorizes the government to conduct the surveillance programs under certain parameters for up to a year.

After the court greenlights what categories of foreign intelligence information can be collected and determines the government is following appropriate targeting procedures, the government decides whom to target and gathers that data from U.S.-based electronic communications service providers, who are legally compelled to assist.

What happens if Section 702 expires?

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court’s recertification of the program through March provides cover after the law sunsets, according to some Democratic lawmakers and legal experts.

“Section 702 will not go dark,” said Elizabeth Goitein, the senior director of the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program. “That is a myth.”

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said the statute “makes it clear that the authorities of FISA are going to be positive and enforceable” until the recertification runs out next year.

“It will not lapse,” Durbin told reporters this week. “That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do this on a timely basis.”

Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, argued that “government surveillance activities will continue unchanged” after Friday.

“Everything that’s already been authorized and certified is already in motion, and current FISA authorizations will continue unaffected, at least through March 17, 2027,” he said.

Sen. Mark Warner, the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee who has opposed the extension due to his concerns over Pulte’s leadership, acknowledged Thursday that the expiration could be dangerous. But he noted, when asked about implications for major events like the World Cup, that it’s “not the only tool the intelligence community has.”

Communications providers may not cooperate with the government once Section 702 expires

Warner, a Virginia Democrat, said there are questions around whether communications providers would cooperate with the government’s requests after Friday, calling the scenario “a high-risk proposition.” Warner said a couple major companies threatened to stop participating in 2024 before Congress reached a deal to renew Section 702 for two years after a series of abuses by the FBI caused the program to nearly expire.

“I think they don’t mind participating as long as they get indemnification,” Warner said. “If the indemnification goes away — that’s why we’ve always tried to not get into this territory of having it expire.”

But others have pointed to the uncertainty surrounding a lapse, which has never occurred since Section 702 was authorized.

Republican Rep. Rick Crawford of Arkansas, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, also cited the potential for service providers to refuse to comply with the government’s requests for data if the statute lapses.

The Brennan Center’s Goitein said the law makes clear that the program’s existing certifications and directives remain in force until their expiration date, regardless of whether Section 702 lapses. She said the legal effect of the grandfathering clause was tested in 2008 when the statute preceding Section 702 lapsed and the intelligence court ordered Yahoo to comply with a directive.

“After that lawsuit, Congress strengthened the grandfathering provision, meaning that the law is even clearer today,” she said.

702 database “will become increasingly out of date”

Crawford said Wednesday that a lapse in the spy power would be “uncharted territory.”

“Once this authorization expires, the clock starts ticking,” he said on the House floor. “The implications get worse every single day. While the 702 database would remain available to search, the data in that database will become increasingly out of date.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, warned Thursday after the House failed to pass a short-term extension that Democrats risked “a serious calamity on our shores.” Nineteen Republicans also voted against the extension.

Rep. Keith Self of Texas, who was one of those Republicans, called such rhetoric “scare tactics.”

“FISA isn’t going dark. We have the law. We have precedent from 2008,” he said.

Jake Laperruque, the deputy director of the Center for Democracy and Technology’s Security and Surveillance Project, said it was notable that the House is heading home for a weeklong recess instead of staying in Washington to find a resolution.

“They would not be flying off to go home if they actually thought it was a real threat,” he said.

He added, “We feel really confident at this point that there is not going to be any change to operational activities when we hit the sunset period.”

The House is not due to return to Washington until June 23.

Seiji Yamashita contributed to this report.

Exclusive: US military rushed to prepare ground mission to capture Iran’s uranium, but Trump paused it, sources say

2026-06-12T16:37:24.130Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/12/politics/us-military-plan-uranium-iran-ground-troops

The US’ top general made a secret, rushed visit to US Central Command headquarters in Florida late last month to be briefed in person on plans for the US military to send ground troops into Iran to forcibly seize its highly enriched uranium, the key component necessary to produce a nuclear weapon, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

The briefings were so urgent and sensitive that they required Gen. Dan Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to rush from a meeting of senior NATO officials in Brussels back across the Atlantic to Tampa, Florida, on May 19, the sources said. The high-level and pressing nature of the briefings underscores how close the administration came to greenlighting the high-risk ground operation, sources said.

A Joint Staff spokesperson declined to comment about the preparations for a potential operation.

Caine then briefed President Donald Trump on the options for such an operation, one of the sources said.

But Trump hit pause after being warned it would likely prompt severe Iranian retaliation, extending the war and plunging the global economy into further turmoil, the sources said. Trump has also voiced concern about the potential for a significant number of US casualties, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The advanced planning for the operation came amid repeated statements by Trump that the US and Iran were approaching an agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz and conclude negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. On Thursday Trump said the US and Iran would soon be signing a deal, potentially over the weekend.

But the discussions around sending ground troops into Iran just last month show how close the US has come to massive escalation of the conflict.

“Lots of risk,” one of the sources familiar with the plans for the potential military operation said, adding it was not surprising Trump opted against giving the military the green light last month.

Tehran has also been plotting an economic “nuclear option” if negotiations with the US fail and the war resumes, three people familiar with the matter told CNN: getting the Houthis, the Iranians’ chief proxy force in Yemen, to close the Bab-al-Mandab strait — a key waterway and global trade chokepoint that has served as a shipping lifeline as the entrance to the Red Sea amid Iran’s months-long closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A senior administration official responded to a request for comment from CNN on Friday with a list of terms that Iran had allegedly agreed to as part of negotiations, including that its nuclear material be destroyed and removed, its nuclear program dismantled, the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a halt to Iran’s funding of terrorist proxy groups — and only afterward would it get sanctions relief.

Iran’s version of what it has agreed to is very different, according to Iranian state media, which said Iran would not commit to ceding management of the Strait of Hormuz and that any deal required the immediate release of $24 billion of Iran’s frozen funds.

Securing Iran’s highly-enriched uranium stands out as one of Trump’s primary objectives that has not been accomplished to date, either through negotiations or military force.

While Trump has repeatedly dangled the possibility that the US might go in and forcibly seize the uranium, he’s been reluctant to move forward with an operation that could result in a large number of US casualties — something he is skeptical the American people would support.

Speaking to Fox News about another potential US military option that would likely lead to high casualties — taking control of the Iranian oil export hub of Kharg Island — Trump said Thursday that “I don’t know if America has the stomach for it.”

Despite the risks, a mission to seize Iran’s enriched uranium — particularly the 970 pounds that it has highly concentrated to near-weapons grade — has not been taken off the table entirely.

Trump’s frustration has been growing as Iran has stalled in committing to a deal that would see the country make significant concessions on its nuclear program, including willingly relinquishing its highly enriched uranium stockpile. That stockpile is spread out across several Iranian nuclear facilities, primarily the Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow complexes, and buried deep inside tunnels, sources told CNN.

Nuclear experts have expressed skepticism that a US military operation could even locate and verify all the uranium, much less safely and completely remove it under hostile conditions. The material is believed to remain in gas form, as it was at the time of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s last verification in June 2025, CNN has reported.

Iran shut out international nuclear inspectors the following month in the wake of joint US-Israel airstrikes on its facilities. Those strikes damaged nuclear facilities, but did not destroy all of the nuclear material, leaving it in underground tunnels, CNN has reported.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi warned in a recent interview that the existing stockpile could allow Iran to build as many as 10 nuclear bombs, should it decide to weaponize its program.

The US intelligence community is also confident it knows where all of it is thanks largely to continuous overhead surveillance, according to two sources. In addition to the highly enriched uranium, Iran has significant stockpiles of low-grade material that could be turned into a “dirty bomb” capable of inflicting significant damage, according to multiple sources briefed on the issue. Thus far negotiations have focused on the highly enriched uranium, which is closer to weapons grade.

Physically securing the uranium would require a significant US ground force, however, including hundreds of special operators, CNN has reported.

“It would be insanely difficult to fish through those tunnels and all the barrels,” one source said. “We’d have to set up a massive presence. Essentially, we’d have to invade.”

US military commanders have determined that such an operation would fall between “High to Extreme” on the “Acceptable Level of Risk” for special operations forces, according to a source familiar with the guidance, meaning the mission could result in a significant number of American casualties, even if successfully carried out.

A senior administration official acknowledged Friday that removing the highly enriched uranium, even if Iran agrees to allow it to happen, will be challenging — and the technical details have yet to be worked out.

“The Iranians commit to destroying and removing the enriched material, but how do you do that? It’s going to take a little bit of time to figure it out,” the official said. “This is very combustible stuff, very volatile stuff. We’re not just going to, like, go down there with a backhoe and a guy with a backpack and start taking it out.”

If a ground operation to capture the uranium were launched, the risk of economic damage from the closing of the Bab-al-Mandab strait, one of the outcomes intelligence assessments have warned about, could be catastrophic to the world economy.

One source familiar with recent US intelligence assessments told CNN it is notable that the Houthis have not resumed large-scale attacks against US or other European vessels, but have said that any Israeli flagged or owned ships are fair game. Expanding the scope of potential targets beyond Israeli vessels would represent a serious escalation, the source noted.

The Iranians have only held back so far from enlisting the Houthis to take that step, the sources said, because they know it could derail ongoing peace talks.

But it remains a card Iran could play if the pursuit of a deal falls apart and the US resumes full combat operations — something Trump has been wary to do.

Iran’s standing army has been significantly weakened, so the biggest risk to US troops should Trump order an operation to extract the uranium would likely be booby-trapped tunnels where the material is stored, as well as surface-to-air and shoulder-fired missiles, the source said. Iran also retains a significant percentage of its drone and ballistic missile stockpile, CNN has reported.

Caine and other military leaders have previously raised concerns about the scale, complexity and potential for US casualties that could result from an extended military operation against Iran. He and others inside the Pentagon also warned, prior to the US launching its war on Iran, that a protracted military campaign would significantly impact US weapons stockpiles and military readiness.

Despite Trump’s past comments about taking the uranium, he was dismissive of the option on Thursday in comments from the Oval Office.

“Nobody’s getting close to it because it’s buried under a mountain.” Trump said.

CNN’s Kevin Liptak contributed to this story.

‘Deranged message’ on National Mall sparks police probe as Trump security fears mount

2026-06-12 14:23 EDT / Fox News

Interior Department vows to hold those responsible accountable as administration interprets the number as a political threat

By Ashley J. DiMella Fox News

Published June 12, 2026 2:23pm EDT

’86 47′ vandalized on National Mall grass near White House

Federal officials investigate ’86 47′ message vandalized into National Mall grass, threatening President Donald Trump. Former FBI Director James Comey faces federal charges for a related Instagram post.

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Law enforcement officials responded to Washington, D.C.’s National Mall on Thursday after a giant “8647” message appeared to be etched into the grass, prompting an investigation as federal authorities remain on heightened alert over political threats and violence.

“The deranged vandalism on our National Mall will not be tolerated,” an Interior Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Any threat against the President is taken very seriously by the Department, and our U.S. Park Police will investigate this incident and hold those responsible accountable.”

The marking was etched into the grass between the Washington Monument and the World War II memorial. The administration has previously interpreted the number “86” as a political threat, pointing to its common use in the restaurant industry to mean removing or refusing service, while 47 appears to refer to Trump as the 47th president.

The administration has previously treated “86 47” messages as threatening, arguing that “86” can mean to get rid of or remove, per restaurant industry slang, while “47” refers to Trump as the 47th president.

EX-FBI CHIEF COMEY’S POST TO ‘86’ TRUMP CONDEMNED BY WHITE HOUSE AS ATTEMPT TO PUT ‘HIT’ ON PRESIDENT

The numbers “86 47” on the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the World War II Memorial.(Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

U.S. Park Police responded to the incident around noon, FOX 5 reported. Grass samples were also collected for testing and examination in the area by investigators.

“Anyone who engages in or endorses political violence or assassination culture must be condemned in the harshest terms possible,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital. “They should also immediately seek psychiatric help to treat their severe and debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has warped their brains and made them sick in the head.”

The incident took place days before Trump’s birthday on Sunday, which coincides with the UFC Freedom Fight taking place on the South Law, which is expected to attract 4,000 spectators to the White House.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship was set up near the Lincoln Memorial for a weigh-in event on Friday.

America’s 250th birthday brings major events to the nation’s capital as D.C. braces for massive crowds, tight security, road closures and heightened law enforcement presence.

FROM RALLY GUNFIRE TO WHITE HOUSE SHOOTING, THREATS AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP CONTINUE TO MOUNT

The numbers “86 47” on the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the World War II Memorial.(Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump has repeatedly been targeted by violence, including just in April at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.

There were two assassination attempts on Trump’s life in 2024, beginning in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a bullet grazed his ear after a gunman climbed onto a roof during a rally on July 13, 2024.

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There will be a UFC Freedom Fight taking place at the south lawn brining 4,000 spectators to the White House.(Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

The incident comes amid heightened administration scrutiny of “86 47” messages after the Department of Justice charged former FBI Director James Comey over a similar message.

Comey was charged with two federal counts over an Instagram post last year showing seashells arranged to read “86 47,” and faces a maximum 10 years in prison if convicted. Comey has denied wrongdoing, saying he did not intend the post as a call for violence and removed it once critics interpreted it as a threat.

Ashley J. DiMella reports on politics for Fox News Digital.

U.S. military making plans to secure Iran’s nuclear materials if deal is reached, sources say

June 12, 2026 2:18 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Amid volatile diplomacy and tit-for-tat strikes between the United States and Iran, American military planners have discussed contingencies that would involve U.S. forces helping secure Iran’s nuclear materials if a deal is reached, according to U.S. officials familiar with knowledge of the ongoing planning.

The discussions, which remain preliminary and are contingent on a range of battlefield and political developments, center on how the Pentagon could support the Department of Energy in seizing Tehran’s highly enriched uranium, the officials told CBS News, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss national security issues.

Under one scenario reviewed by defense officials, U.S. troops would be deployed to several countries across the Middle East to support a rapid response operation. Specialized teams from the Department of Energy, working alongside American military personnel and other U.S. government agencies, could then enter Iran to locate, secure and remove stockpiles of enriched uranium, the officials said.

Before an American F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down back in April, triggering a major combat search and rescue effort, Pentagon officials had examined a similar concept involving the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Emergency Support Team, known as NEST, according to the officials. The proposal also envisioned participation from U.S. Special Operations forces and the Army’s 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives Command, which specializes in countering weapons of mass destruction and hazardous materials.

The officials told CBS News that the discussions do not represent a decision to conduct an operation. Rather, they are part of routine military contingency planning.

A senior administration official told reporters on a call Friday that under the terms of a deal, which could be signed in the coming days, Iran’s enriched uranium would be “destroyed on site and then taken out of the country.”

There will be a “technical process to figure that out,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Technical negotiations are slated to last 60 days, after a memorandum of understanding is signed, the official said.

Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.

Former star US bond manager Kenneth Leech pleads guilty to obstructing ‘cherry-picking’ probe

2026-06-12 16:20:16 UTC / Reuters

By Jonathan Stempel

June 12, 2026 4:20 PM UTC Updated 3 hours ago

Signage is seen at the headquarters of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2021. Picture taken May 12, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo/File Photo

• Defendant admitted to obstructing SEC probe, fraud charges dropped
• Former employer Wamco accepted $100 million SEC civil penalty
• Leech accused of allocating trades after seeing how they performed

NEW YORK, June 12 (Reuters) – Kenneth Leech, a former star bond manager at Western Asset Management Co, pleaded ‌guilty on Friday to obstructing a probe into alleged “cherry-picking,” the assigning of profitable trades to favored investors and losing trades to other investors.

Leech admitted to one count of obstructing, a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proceeding, ​averting a scheduled Monday trial in Manhattan federal court.

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The former co-chief investment officer of ​Wamco, as his former employer is known, had faced four fraud charges ⁠for allegedly orchestrating a more than $600 million cherry-picking scheme from January 2021 to October 2023. ​Those charges will be dropped.

Prosecutors accused Leech of lying during sworn SEC testimony in March ​2024, when he answered yes when asked if he had “an allocation in mind” when placing trades.

Leech, 72, could face six to 12 months in prison under recommended federal sentencing guidelines, much less than if he ​were convicted of fraud.

His lawyers declined to comment. A spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton ​in Manhattan had no immediate comment.

Wamco agreed on June 5 to pay a $100 million civil penalty to resolve SEC ‌civil ⁠charges it failed to properly supervise Leech.

The asset manager did not admit wrongdoing.

Wamco is part of Franklin Resources BEN.N, whose brands include Franklin Templeton.

LEECH ALLEGEDLY USED FIRST-DAY PERFORMANCE TO ASSIGN TRADES

Authorities said Leech waited to see how trades performed on their first day before retroactively allocating them ​to clients to boost ​Wamco revenue and his ⁠own compensation.

Leech allegedly steered trades that performed well to “Macro Opportunities” portfolios that he said reflected his best ideas, and worse trades to “Core” and “Core ​Plus” portfolios.

Prosecutors said Leech became particularly focused on supporting Macro Opportunities ​portfolios after ⁠they lost money on Russian debt in 2022 and Credit Suisse debt in 2023.

Leech was indicted in November 2024, three months after Wamco put him on leave. His sentencing is expected in ⁠September.

Wamco suffered ​large outflows after probes into Leech became public.

It ended ​March with $228.9 billion of assets under management, down 40% from June 2024.

Franklin, based in San Mateo, California, ended March ​with $1.68 trillion of assets under management.

Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Mark Porter

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Jan. 6 debanking probe once floated as way to pad anti-weaponization fund

2026-06-12T17:29:32.029Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/12/politics/anti-weaponization-fund-debanking-probe-trump

A Justice Department probe examining whether some of the nation’s biggest banks closed accounts of defendants charged in the 2021 Capitol riot and others for political reasons had been raised to the Trump administration as a way to support it’s efforts to compensate people the president claims were victims of weaponization, according to people briefed on the matter.

Some of the president’s allies in recent months have suggested to administration officials that any possible settlements from the debanking probe could be used to compensate Trump supporters who the president believes suffered financial harm because of their involvement in the January 6 attack, the people familiar with the matter said.

The idea was among other funding mechanisms discussed, according to people familiar with the matter.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche earlier this month backed off plans to set up a nearly $1.8 billion fund as part of an agreement under which President Donald Trump withdrew a lawsuit against the IRS over a 2019 leak of his tax records. Despite bipartisan backlash against the fund — which was initially supposed to be backed by the US Treasury — Trump has said he hasn’t abandoned the idea of finding a way to compensate his supporters who he claims were unfairly targeted by the government.

The next iteration of a funding mechanism to compensate people who believe they were harmed by the Justice Department may not be called the “anti-weaponization fund” — or be bankrolled by the government itself — but the goal remains the same, according to people familiar.

Even before the concept of a formal fund, people who believe they have been wrongly prosecuted by the government have the ability to sue the government and receive compensation in the form of settlements.

As many as 10 banks, including Bank of America, Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase, are the subject of an ongoing probe since last year that has focused on so-called debanking of Trump supporters and conservatives, the people briefed on the matter said.

The president last August issued an executive order targeting banks that he said engaged “in unacceptable practices to restrict law-abiding individuals’ and businesses’ access to financial services on the basis of political or religious beliefs or lawful business activities.”

Subpoenas issued in recent months by prosecutors in District of Columbia US Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office are the latest indicator of the administration’s interest in finding a way to punish banks for closing accounts, including those belonging to the president and the Trump Organization.

The probe is focused on whether banks discriminated against conservatives and industries disfavored by the Biden administration, including people who were involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol, the people familiar with the probe said.

Pirro said that her investigation has nothing to do with the “anti-weaponization fund.”

“Bringing justice to those who have been previously debanked has absolutely nothing to do with anything else,” she told CNN in a statement. “The American people deserve financial institutions that won’t cancel them for their political or religious views. The absurdity of this question is reflected in the fact our subpoenas were issued nine months before the weaponization fund was even discussed.”

The Wall Street Journal earlier reported the subpoenas issued by Pirro’s office.

“This shouldn’t happen to Republicans, it shouldn’t happen to Democrats – it shouldn’t have happened to anyone,” Pirro’s statement added. “And I’m going to get to the bottom of it.”

Trump and his company have separately filed lawsuits against some banks who ended banking relationships after January 6, 2021.

Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo have declined to comment for this story.

Prosecutors are examining whether the banks’ conduct violated a number of laws including the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act, which allows financial penalties for fraud and other violations, according to one person briefed on the matter.

US banking regulators in recent months have issued new guidelines removing the use of “reputation risk,” which Trump administration critics say were used to debank the president’s supporters, as a factor in assessing banking practices.

In court this week, Justice Department lawyers assured a federal judge that the government was no longer pursuing the program announced last month. Federal Judge Richard Leon rejected requests from a watchdog group to intervene in the matter, saying “This case appears to be moot,” though he warned the government: “Don’t play possum with this court.”

The banks previously were also scrutinized by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which in December issued a preliminary finding that nine major banks “made inappropriate distinctions among customers in the provision of financial services on the basis of their lawful business activities.”

The OCC review followed Trump’s executive order which said that “some financial institutions participated in Government-directed surveillance programs targeting persons participating in activities and causes commonly associated with conservatism and the political right following the events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.”

The OCC has said that its review is ongoing, which is separate from the probe led by Pirro’s office. A spokeswoman for the OCC didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.