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Following the McKinney City Council’s approval of a mosque relocation and other incidents involving Texas residents, Republican state Rep. Brian Harrison is calling for the Texas Legislature to enter a special session to address the threat of Sharia law.
Last week, Harrison posted an interview on WBAP with radio host Matt Locke to discuss why he is calling for a special session “to deal with the threat of Sharia law.”
During the interview, Harrison told Locke that he believes the threat is growing. He pointed to what he described as two functioning Sharia tribunals in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
According to Harrison, elected officials in Texas have repeatedly stated that Sharia law is banned in the state, but he said that is “completely false.”
“Texans have been told that their government has been handling this problem, when they objectively have not been,” Harrison told the Daily Signal.
“I’ve been trying to push back on that gaslighting and trying to raise awareness of the issue because the only way we had conservative victories have come out of the Texas government, especially the Texas House, is when people rise up and demand public pressure for action.”
Harrison applauded Gov. Greg Abbott for designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations as foreign terrorist organizations, but he said they are still able to freely operate in the state.
“I was glad the governor made the designation of CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations, but last I checked, they’re still operating,” Harrison said. “Last I checked, their money is still freely flowing throughout the state of Texas. So, are they terror organizations or are they not?”
Part of Harrison’s plan calls for tighter reviews on the grant making process, as he says he has seen “ample evidence” that the state has been funding organizations with terror ties “through grant programs administered out of the governor’s office.”
According to a report by the RAIR Foundation, the Katy Muslim American Society, also known as Masjid Ar-Rahman, received more than $91,000 in taxpayer money through a state-approved grant.
The Middle East Forum also released a report in 2025, revealing that the Texas state government had provided “$13 million of federal and state monies to mosques and community groups aligned with Islamist movements” through grants.
In January, Harrison submitted a formal request for issues to be included in interim charges and subject to immediate hearings. Among those topics was combating the threat of Sharia law.
In his request, Harrison wrote that the Legislature should explore options to “end taxpayer funding, expand prohibitions on Sharia courts to all parts of the Texas code, close loopholes such as the statutory exemption that protected EPIC City, legislatively designate CAIR and Muslim Brotherhood as terror organizations, and gather input.”
Harrison said the time is now to take action and that there will be numerous bills filed next session to address the issue.
“The bottom line for me is Texans want results. They’re getting sick of empty rhetoric, and unfortunately, that’s a lot of what we have going on here,” Harrison told the Daily Signal.
[Editor’s note: This story originally was published by The Daily Signal.]

An Islamist suspect in a Virginia murder case sent to a mental health facility instead of facing trial and conviction was given a weekend pass, and used it to take a one-way international flight out of the United States.
A published report by Fox5DC confirmed what is known is that Abdulloi Toshpulodzoda was accused of murdering his landlord in 2019.
Investigators arriving at the scene found him covered in blood, but he was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sent to the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute in 2022.
Just weeks ago a judge reaffirmed orders that he should “not be released from custody and inpatient hospitalization without further order of this court.”
But state law lets a mental health facility grant individual patients passes to leave without an escort, and in 2024 officials allowed him to travel to Washington, D.C., to obtain a passport.
Then in July, on another pass, Toshpulodzoda went to Dulles Airport and boarded a one-way flight to Tajikistan via Istanbul, the report said.
Prosecutors had opposed the release because it was outside of court decisions, but they actually played no role in decisions at the facility.
They then filed a motion asking for a warrant for his arrest should he return to the U.S.
“Abdulloi Toshpulodzoda was found by clinicians to be insane at the time he killed Mohammad Hemmatian – a legal finding that means the Commonwealth would be unable to secure a conviction at trial,” said the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s office in a prepared statement.
“Following that 2022 finding, prosecutors have opposed his release at annual review hearings, including in June of this year, where a judge ordered that he continue to be confined in a state behavioral health facility. A bench warrant was issued immediately following notice that he had escaped custody, so if he enters the U.S., he will be arrested and brought to Virginia.”
Officials at the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services said they couldn’t discuss the case because of privacy laws.
Officials did admit that the law allows “privileges” for patients “as part of treatment,” the report said.
At the Gateway Pundit was the comment, “This is the latest outrageous failure of Virginia’s Democrat-run mental health and criminal justice system under Governor Abigail Spanberger.”
“According to court records cited by FOX 5 DC, Toshpulodzoda traveled to Washington Dulles International Airport on July 6 and boarded a one-way Turkish Airlines flight to Tajikistan through Istanbul,” the report said.
It continued, “Toshpulodzoda, described in records as an illegal immigrant from Tajikistan, is now back in his home country. American taxpayers funded his housing and treatment for years after he killed a man in cold blood.”

US Issues Rare Condemnation Of Israeli Strikes On Syrian Airbase: ‘Unnecessary Escalation’

A top regional Trump envoy has said the US is “deeply concerned” after major new Israeli airstrikes on Syria overnight, following months of an absence of such attacks, and in the context of the broader Iran conflict.

The Syrian government and US Envoy to Iraq and Syria Tom Barrack said the attacks hit Abu al-Duhur military airfield in Idlib province in northwestern Syria. Barrack blasted it as an unnecessary escalation that threatens regional stability.
Source: AawsatAdditionally the Syrian Foreign Ministry of the new Sharaa/Jolani government blasted the “unjustified act of aggression” and “flagrant violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

While the Israeli government has not officially owned up to the operation, or provided any details, an unnamed senior Israeli told Fox News that “Highly sensitive intelligence was shared with the United States in advance, at the most senior levels of the various agencies and bodies.”

“Al-Sharaa understands that he cannot operate like the previous Syrian regime, which maintained proxy forces. It’s possible that he didn’t understand what was going on, or didn’t know.” Fox added that the official could not provide additional details “due to the highly classified nature of the intelligence.”

The statement is odd given its suggestion is that Iran-linked forces were still operating inside Syria (based on the reference to the “previous Syrian regime” and its proxy forces). 

However, Idlib had throughout the entirety of the war been a hotbed of Sunni al-Qaeda linked activity. The post-Assad ruling faction in Damascus previously had the northwest province as its very headquarters, where Jolani got his start commanding Nusra Front which morphed into Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.

The idea that Iran-linked militias would somehow be operating there 19 months after Assad’s exit in December 2024 is strange and unlikely.

But ultimately it remains unclear why Israel conducted the strikes, and what the precise high level target may have been.

Amb. Barrack added to his statement: “The United States continues to believe that restraint and engagement offer the more constructive course. We encourage all parties to prioritize logical discourse over further military incidents.”

Secondary explosions reported and filmed at the airbase location…

The site that was struck by Israel, the Abu Al Duhur military base in Idlib continues to burn and reports of secondary explosions are being reported.
Syria claims that the runway was struck only but runways don’t burn nor explode hours after the initial bombardment.
Something… https://t.co/pJVQNbJufE pic.twitter.com/oWVsVrtEpl
— Scharo Bajalan (@ScharoBajalan) August 18, 2026
Things in Syria have been mostly quiet of late; however, there’s still a sporadic conflict in the south, where Israeli troops occupy territory significantly beyond even the Golan Heights.

At the same time, Israel is sure to be alarmed by a fresh statement out of Syria’s foreign ministry saying it aims to keep nuclear material that was already in the country in its custody, subject to IAEA monitoring and guarantees.

Tyler Durden
Tue, 08/18/2026 – 10:55

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).Lindsay Clancy’s family was “very concerned” about her mental health in the months before she killed her three kids, according to court testimony.Lindsay Clancy, 36, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her three children — Cora, Dawson and Callan, all under 6 years old, who were found strangled in the family’s Duxbury home in 2023. Prosecutors concluded their case Monday morning.The jury seated to hear the case consists of 12 women and six men, though six of those people are alternates.During the trial on Tuesday, Susan Clancy, Lindsay’s mother-in-law, told jurors she was concerned about her mental health during the holiday season in 2022, but said she was a caring mother.POSTPARTUM MOM LINDSAY CLANCY ON TRIAL FOR MURDER BRINGS COURT TO A HALT WITH SUDDEN BREAKDOWNLindsay Clancy does not contest that she killed the children. She and her defense attorneys contend she was experiencing ongoing postpartum psychosis at the time of the deaths.She has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X”Lindsay was struggling. We were all very concerned,” Susan Clancy said. “She was very nurturing, very loving. She was a wonderful mother. Wonderful.”SIGN UP TO GET THE LATEST TRUE CRIME NEWSSusan Clancy said she began seeing a decline in Lindsay’s mental health in November 2022.LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE”She reached out to me in November and told me that she felt unwell,” Susan Clancy said. “She felt…Mostly she had insomnia. She was losing her appetite. She was, very anxious and sad.”SEND US A TIP”She was begging for help,” Susan Clancy said.WHEN IS A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS TOO SEVERE FOR TELEHEALTH? WARNING SIGNS FAMILIES SHOULDN’T IGNOREWhen asked if she ever saw Lindsay Clancy treat the children bad, her mother-in-law responded, “no.”LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCASTPaula Musgrove, Lindsay Clancy’s mother, also told jurors about the mental health problems. In an Oct. 20, 2022 text message, Lindsay Clancy asked her mother for help.GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL”Mom, will you please come up and stay with me for a bit? I’m really sick. Something is wrong. I had horrible insomnia all night, and I just don’t know how I am going to get through the day…It’s just really scary, and I don’t want to be alone,” the text read.Musgrove said she wasn’t concerned about the children’s safety.

Meta Faces Unprecedented Legal Reckoning Over Youth Mental Health As Massive Multistate Trial Begins

Meta Platforms is facing a critical juncture in its battle over youth online safety. Just weeks after suffering a massive legal defeat in New Mexico, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram is now defending itself in a California federal court against a bipartisan coalition of 29 states. The states say Meta deliberately designed its platforms to addict children and harvested their data in violation of federal law.

The California Showdown

A sweeping multistate trial opens Tuesday in Oakland, California, overseen by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. Attorneys for Colorado, California, New Jersey and Kentucky – leading a bipartisan group of 29 states – will deliver opening statements. Those four states’ claims about addictive design and deceptive marketing are what this trial tests, while all 29 states are involved over data-harvesting claims. 

Interestingly – the eight-person jury hearing the case won’t actually decide it. Rogers empaneled it in a purely advisory capacity, which is rare. The jurors will answer specific questions she selects, and she is free to disregard their findings entirely when she issues her ruling after the trial concludes in October, Reuters reports.

The states argue that features like infinite scroll were purposely engineered to keep young users hooked, that Meta misled the public about the safety of its platforms for adolescents, and that the company improperly collected and monetized children’s personal data in violation of federal law.

The financial exposure is the largest of any case Meta has faced. The company has warned that maximum statutory penalties could theoretically reach $1.4 trillion, while the attorneys general have indicated they may seek around $200 billion.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week found that 85 percent of Americans believe social media can be addictive for children.

Beyond money, the coalition wants nationwide structural changes: age restrictions, deletion of algorithms and AI models built with children’s data, elimination of infinite scroll and notifications, strict time limits for young users, and an algorithm retuned to prioritize well-being over engagement. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri are both expected to testify, alongside former employees and outside experts.

What Happened In New Mexico

The multistate trial arrives on the heels of a devastating legal blow in New Mexico. On Aug. 6, State Judge Bryan Biedscheid ruled that Meta had created a public nuisance and ordered the company to pay $567 million into a youth mental health fund, allocating $420 million to treatment, $90 million to screening and assessment, $33 million to prevention and awareness, and $15 million to referrals and care coordination over five years. The award followed a $375 million penalty a New Mexico jury imposed in March for violations of the state’s Unfair Practices Act.

The award fell well short of New Mexico’s request. The state had sought $1 billion toward a $3.7 billion plan to expand children’s mental health services.

“The Court finds that the weight of the evidence presented demonstrates that Meta’s platforms are a cause of and substantial contributing factor to the youth mental health crisis in New Mexico.”

Biedscheid compared the platforms to a polluting factory, writing that the harms “do not stay contained” but migrate “to the real world” and burden families, schools, hospitals and law enforcement.

The order, a win for New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, also imposes five years of operational changes: monthly limits on teen use of Facebook and Instagram, restrictions on notifications, tighter controls on adult contact with minors, safeguards for AI chatbots, and enhanced review of child sexual abuse reports. Meta must file written progress reports twice a year. The template is now sitting in front of the 29-state coalition.

Meta’s Defense

Meta plans to appeal the New Mexico ruling and maintains that the attorneys general in the California trial are chasing an “outlandish payout” without proof of actual harm. “We remain confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts,” the company said after the New Mexico decision.

The company argues it has invested heavily in creating a safe environment for teens, employing child safety experts and deploying technology to root out predators and harmful content. Company spokespeople have characterized the state lawsuits as an attempt to penalize Meta for industry-wide problems, such as the complexities of age verification.

The litigation traces back to 2021, when whistleblower Frances Haugen testified before the U.S. Senate and provided internal documents indicating Meta knew its platforms could harm young users but prioritized engagement over safety.

Meta is not alone. Alongside Snap, TikTok parent ByteDance and YouTube parent Alphabet, it faces more than 3,000 federal lawsuits consolidated before Rogers and another 3,300 pending in Los Angeles state court. Eight states, including Tennessee and Arkansas, opted out of the federal case and filed in their own courts. Tennessee’s trial is already underway.

Meta has told investors that legal and regulatory blowback over youth safety “could significantly impact our business and financial results.”

Tyler Durden
Tue, 08/18/2026 – 10:40

Sen. Jon Ossoff is facing backlash from White House officials and conservatives after taking a personal shot at Trump aide Natalie Harp at a campaign rally, referring to her only by her first name.”Natalie Harp is one of the most loyal and hardest working aides on President Trump’s team. Jon Ossoff is a cringeworthy, feminine theatre kid cosplaying as Barack Obama. Nobody gives a sh*t what this lightweight loser says,” said White House spokesperson Davis Ingle to Fox News Digital.Ossoff took the jab at Harp during a re-election campaign rally in Atlanta, where he slammed Trump’s handling of the Iran war and accused the president of neglecting his duties to focus on construction of the White House ballroom and “travel with Natalie,” whom he did not identify by last name.DEM SENATOR SWIPES CREDIT FOR BILL HE OPPOSED AMID HEATED RE-ELECTION BID: ‘DISTURBING PATTERN'”He doesn’t want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the emir of Qatar,” Ossoff said.His jab sparked backlash from conservatives and Trump officials, who defended the 35-year-old aide as simply doing her job, called Ossoff’s attack sexist and demanded an apology.”I don’t think any woman would want to travel with Ossoff. Natalie is smart, professional and successful. Ossoff has to make a sexist remark,” wrote communications specialist and political commentator Mercedes Schlapp.”Jon Jackoff has to be the biggest cuck loser in politics. Instead of denigrating hard working people serving their country, Jon should look deep into his soul and ask himself why he’s a miserable person who hates this country. It’s because he’s a radical, extremist Dumocrat,” said White House communication director Steven Cheung.FOX NEWS POLL: AN EARLY LOOK AT THE GEORGIA SENATE RACE”@SenOssoff comments regarding Natalie Harp were both sexists and misogynistic. John, attractive women can be qualified, hard workers, and in positions of power. Your gross implication otherwise only highlights your own insecurity and guilty conscience. I feel bad for your staff if this is what you think of women,” wrote Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna.”Natalie Harp is an incredibly hardworking, talented, principled, and loyal member of the Trump Admin who passionately wants to help our nation thrive. Every day, she brings drive and focus to her work serving our country. She’s truly a phenomenal member of POTUS’ team,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.”Natalie Harp survived bone cancer because President Trump allowed her the ‘right to try.’ Now she’s an extremely hardworking and trusted assistant. Any other insinuation is vile,” wrote Rep. Brandon Gill.”Natalie Harp is a bone cancer survivor who only lived because Trump greenlit the right to try an experimental treatment when you were terminal. I met her back then. She went to work for him after recovery,” said conservative commentator Robby Starbuck.He added, “@Ossoff is a vile coward for insinuating they’re having an affair. He should apologize to Natalie for doing this. I don’t think any of us would want our daughters talked about like this.”TRUMP’S BEHIND-THE-SCENES ENFORCER PULLS BACK THE CURTAIN IN RARE PUBLIC MOVEHarp rose to prominence in 2019 after crediting Trump’s Right to Try Act with helping her access experimental cancer treatment. She later joined Trump’s 2020 campaign before being tapped as Special Assistant to the President.She has earned the nickname the “human printer” in Trump’s orbit, updating the president with print outs of news articles, emails, social-media posts and other material for him to read.Ossoff sought to clarify his remarks Monday. “[Trump] retreats into this bubble of West Wing aides who are his security blanket to make him feel good about himself, to reassure him that he’s doing a great job,” said Ossoff on “The Briefing with Jen Psaki.”He added, “I’ve heard this particular aide referred to as his security blanket. And I think we could say that about any number of the senior aides in the White House. They’re not telling him what he needs to hear. They’re telling him what he wants to hear.”Fox News Digital reached out to Harp and Ossoff for comment.

FIRST ON FOX: As Americans grapple with soaring housing, food and energy costs, both parties are racing to convince voters they have the answer to the affordability crunch ahead of the high-stakes midterm elections.A new report from the conservative group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence lays out 10 proposals aimed at lowering costs by cutting red tape and expanding production across the economy.”Yes, there’s an unaffordability crisis and it’s the government’s fault,” Richard Stern, vice president of the Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise at Advancing American Freedom (AAF), told Fox News Digital.That argument is at the heart of the report, “10 Ways to Improve Affordability Now Across 10 Levels of the Economy,” which calls affordability the “No. 1 issue facing the American people” and targets costs associated with housing, energy and business, among others.THINK YOUR STATE IS EXPENSIVE? NEW DATA REVEALS WHERE AMERICANS FACE THE HIGHEST COST OF LIVINGThe reports’s proposals range from easing zoning restrictions and expanding oil and gas access to overhauling Social Security and SNAP eligibility, echoing parts of President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda.But the conservative blueprint breaks with Trump on two key pocketbook issues: tariffs and credit card interest rates.On trade, the report argues Trump’s sweeping tariffs have come at a cost to American consumers and the broader economy by raising prices, straining U.S. alliances and resulting in nearly 900,000 fewer jobs than expected.The authors at AAF call for shifting more tariff authority back to Congress.TRUMP JUST EXPANDED HIS TARIFF PLAYBOOK WITH A POWERFUL TRADE WEAPON NO PRESIDENT HAS EVER USEDIf nothing else, Trump’s tariffs proved to be a windfall for Washington.In January alone, duties totaled $30.4 billion, that’s up about 242% from $8.9 billion a year earlier, according to Treasury data.The report also opposes Trump’s proposed 10% cap on credit card interest rates, warning it could make lending to roughly 60% of Americans unprofitable. Stern framed the broader affordability debate as a question of whether Americans can still build a better future for their families as many see hopes of living the American dream slipping from their fingers.Housing and energy, he said, are two areas where rising costs have put “a sharper edge on this question of affordability.” Stern blamed zoning restrictions for pushing families farther from jobs and making homeownership harder for younger Americans.Those costs can be substantial. The National Association of Home Builders estimates government regulations account for about 26% of the price of a new single-family home.The report recommends limiting local zoning restrictions, streamlining approval for projects that meet existing rules and tying roughly $50 billion in annual federal housing aid to zoning reform.THE SURPRISING HIDDEN COST QUIETLY ADDING NEARLY $132K TO NEW HOME PRICES REVEALEDOn energy, the proposal calls for more oil and gas leasing and rejecting state fracking bans. Stern argued greater domestic production could lower costs throughout the economy because energy touches “every good we move, every service provided.”Stern warned that economic frustration can turn Americans against one another, toward “viewing each other as the enemy, and that’s what socialism is.””I hope that people can take away from this, that it’s not businesses that are the problem,” he said. “It’s not entrepreneurs. It’s not other Americans. It’s government.”

An immigrant in Minnesota who once received an “outstanding refugee” award from the state government has been charged with Medicaid fraud, prompting strong backlash on social media.Salman Ahmed Elmi is facing three counts of aiding and abetting by swindle and five counts of aiding and abetting by false representation as part of an alleged scam to bill Medicaid for over $1 million in fraudulent services, Fox 9 Minneapolis reported. The charges also allege that two members involved in the fraud scheme were tied to a sex-trafficking ring involving brothels.In 2021, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, an agency deeply involved in the massive fraud scheme that has unfolded across the state in recent years, honored Elmi with the title “outstanding refugee” along with an Entrepreneurship Award.News of the charges quickly spread on social media via conservative influencer accounts like LibsofTikTok and End Wokeness.VICE PRESIDENT VANCE SAYS MIGRANT COMMUNITIES SHOW ‘CLEAR PATTERN’ IN FEDERAL FRAUD AS INVESTIGATIONS WIDEN”Fraud is so rampant in this demographic that it’s rewarded instead of punished,” ACT for America Founder Brigitte Gabriel posted on X. “When the system celebrates the looters, you have a culture problem.””Deport,” Townhall columnist Dustin Grage posted on X.”This is the Minnesota Democrat officials created,” Republican National Committee member AK Kamara posted on X. “Endless depravity and taxpayer-funded fraud.”OMAR’S GOP CHALLENGER COMES OUT FIRING WITH VOW TO CLEAN UP ‘MESS’ IN DEEP BLUE DISTRICT: ‘PEOPLE ARE FED UP'”You literally cannot make this up,” conservative pundit Eric Daugherty posted on X. “Get these people out of my country.””The same agency that awarded Elmi is the SAME agency that gives out Medicaid payments,” conservative commentator Benny Johnson posted on X. “You can’t make this up.”Fox 9 Minneapolis also reported that Elmi was part of a startup that received financial backing from Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary.”I started a business to help inspire other people,” Elmi said in an archived post on the Minnesota DHS website. “No one owns businesses in my family; my entire family came here with the idea that the American dream was just getting a job and making it work, so shifting that mindset was difficult but important. Navigating those treacherous waters allowed me to provide for my family and work on my terms.”The Minnesota state government, led by Gov. Tim Walz since 2019, has been under the microscope over the past year as systemic fraud, largely involving the local Somali community, that prosecutors say could total more than $9 billion has been exposed throughout various departments and programs in the state.Critics have argued that the fraud, which was an open secret for years, was aided by the fear of publicly calling it out over fears of being labeled as “racist,” Fox News Digital reported last year.Walz was ultimately forced to drop his bid for re-election amid the fallout.Fox News Digital reached out to Walz’s office for comment.In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Minnesota DHS spokesperson said the Outstanding Refugee Awards ended in 2024.”Salman Elmi’s alleged actions are disturbing and do not reflect the goal of the Outstanding Refugee Awards,” the spokesperson said. “They also do not represent Minnesota’s refugee community. We are surrounded by neighbors, coworkers, employees and friends with powerful stories of resilience in the face of difficult circumstances, who are showing leadership in small as well as large ways to improve their communities. The Outstanding Refugee Awards were a way to recognize some of the individuals who make Minnesota better for all of us.”The spokesperson added that recipients received a certificate and a plaque but no monetary award.”The value came from the opportunity to recognize the courage, resilience and entrepreneurship of refugees and their children, and to recognize their contributions to the state,” the spokesperson said. “Refugees and immigrants offer skills to a needed workforce, provide entrepreneurial innovation and expand worldwide networks – all of which benefit Minnesota.”

Senior Trump advisor Jared Kushner confirmed that communications between the U.S. and Iran are “more robust” than ever, despite Iran’s denial of a backchannel between President Donald Trump and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.Kushner made the statement in an interview with Fox News’ Trey Yingst on Monday after a series of meetings across the Middle East about the future of Gaza and Iran. Kushner emphasized that Trump remains committed to making a deal, but there remain severe roadblocks.Kushner emphasized that Iran needs to get serious about making a deal, saying Iranian officials have so far been trying to “trick” the U.S. with false concessions and trying to “hide certain cards.”It remains unclear who exactly the U.S. is communicating with through its so-called backchannel with the IRGC. The IRGC has been the most radical faction within Tehran’s government, frequently sabotaging past negotiations with attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and other efforts.IRAN REQUESTS TALKS WITH US AS WHITE HOUSE WARNS ‘VIOLENCE WILL BE MET WITH VIOLENCE’Previous negotiations have been with members of the Iranian civilian government, such as Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and representatives of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, but reports from within Iran suggest the IRGC holds more influence in the country.Secretary of State Marco Rubio alluded to that earlier this year when he told reporters at the White House that Iran’s negotiators often don’t know what they are allowed to concede.”An offer will be made, and then it takes five or six days to get a response because you have to get it through the whole system. They have to find the supreme leader wherever he hides. They have to get him to sign off. And that’s their system,” Rubio said in May.TRUMP SAYS IRAN WILL PAY — WHAT IT TAKES TO END THE WAR REMAINS UNCLEARKushner said that Trump is open to making an economic deal with Iran that will allow the country to thrive, but first the nation must give up its efforts to build a nuclear weapon.”They have to want to be a real country,” Kushner said. “They can be one of the wealthiest countries in the world if they choose to pursue it. They have incredible people, incredible history, so they have so much potential.”Kushner said Iran has to want to “pursue that potential instead of… spreading revolution and causing instability throughout the region and the world.”As of Tuesday, a deal seems further away than ever, however, with the Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Iran having expired on Monday. Iran is continuing to target vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian officials are even making threats against Trump’s life.TRUMP CALLS ON ARAB NATIONS TO SIGN ABRAHAM ACCORDS”I think, as we said, we continue to have communications, and when the deal is ready, the deal will be ready. Deals are hard. I mean, it’s funny, President Trump is always aiming for the impossible deals,” Kushner said.One possibility for enacting lasting change in the region would be to expand the Abraham Accords, which Kushner said the administration is still focused on accomplishing.”We have a very good active conversations going with countries, some obvious, some not obvious. And I think once we get this Gaza situation moving forward, I think that will hopefully de-escalate the tensions here,” Kushner said, adding that more concrete talks may have to wait until after the upcoming Israeli elections.

Former Gambino crime family underboss Sammy “The Bull” Gravano dished on the moment he was asked to help pull off one of the mob’s most audacious power plays — the murder of John Gotti’s own boss.”We have problems with Paul. I need your help. We need you — me and John Gotti,” Gravano recalled being told by Gotti associate Angelo Ruggiero.”I said, ‘To do what?'” he recounted on the “Hang Out With Sean Hannity” podcast.SAMMY ‘THE BULL’ REVEALS WHY HIS LOVE FOR JOHN GOTTI TURNED INTO PRISON HATE”We’re gonna kill him.”The target was Paul Castellano, then-boss of the Gambino crime family, one of the most powerful figures in organized crime — making the request anything but an ordinary mob “favor.””You’re gonna kill the boss of bosses?” Gravano recalled asking, prompting Ruggiero to respond, “Yes, and we need your help.”The gravity of the request wasn’t lost on him, he told host Sean Hannity. A hit on a boss could carry serious — even deadly — consequences for everyone involved. Gravano recalled pressing the issue and asking where Gotti was himself.JOHN GOTTI PAL: I STASHED $10M IN MY KID’S TOYCHEST”I told him, ‘Angelo, first of all, where’s John Gotti? You’re talking to me. Where is he?'”The back-and-forth between the two men continued, with Ruggiero insisting that Gotti “had something to do.””[I said], ‘He had something more important than asking me to kill the boss of bosses or help you kill the boss of bosses? I don’t know what’s more important than that,'” Gravano recounted.”This is a big deal,” he added.Castellano and his new underboss, Thomas Bilotti, were ultimately murdered outside a New York City steakhouse in 1985. Gotti was the mastermind behind the incident and would soon be convicted for ordering the crime.Gravano’s sit-down conversation with Hannity went beyond the incident, into his time with the mob, his involvement in nearly 20 murders and much more.To catch Gravano’s full appearance on Hannity’s podcast, look for the latest episode on iHeart, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms.