Politics
Trump’s MRI scan raises specter of secrecy in presidential health
President Trump’s off-the-cuff disclosure that he underwent an MRI scan is raising fresh questions about the secrecy surrounding Trump’s health and the need for presidents to be more transparent. Trump is the oldest person to be elected president, and his aides and allies have long projected him as the picture of strength and vitality…
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President Donald Trump does not plan to attend tonight’s do-or-die match between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to a White House official, who says Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will lead the government’s delegation to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Trump, who is traveling to North Darkota today, has yet to attend any matches thus far in the World Cup, although he is expected at the July 19 final in New Jersey.
Other Cabinet officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, have represented the United States at its previous three matches in the tournament. Lutnick will be joined by White House FIFA World Cup Task Force czar Andrew Giuliani.
The England football legend who conceded the “goal of the century” and Hand of God goals to Diego Maradona at the 1986 World Cup is now … trying to influence the European Union’s budget negotiations.
Former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton is a supporter of an online gambling tax. The idea was proposed in April by the European Parliament to help fund the bloc’s €2 trillion budget from 2028 to 2034, and has since won the backing of several governments.
A former gambling-addict-turned-campaigner, Shilton told Blue Light News in Brussels that a new levy would starve betting companies of revenue that they would otherwise spend on advertising to lure people into gambling.
“There’s so much competition between gambling companies that they’ll go to any extent to advertise and drag people in,” Shilton said during a visit to Brussels last week with his wife and fellow campaigner, Steph.
The Shiltons campaigned for the British government to ban betting ads from Premier League shirts: “For youngsters especially, seeing their heroes in photos with a gambling company on it is not good.” They argued that having fewer gamblers would result in lower debt levels.
The EU’s online gambling tax — which is estimated to generate €1.9 billion per year — is being opposed by Malta, whose economy heavily relies on online gambling firms.
Maltese firms “will not engage with us at all. If anything, they’ve tried to shut us [down],” said Steph. “They window dress, but deep down they’re after everybody’s money … Simple as that,” echoed Peter.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Tuesday that he “danced a happy dance” when Iran was knocked out of the FIFA World Cup — unusually blunt remarks from the official whose department is overseeing security at the U.S. games.
“I’m just glad they’re done, and they’re not coming back,” Mullin said. “I was so happy when we were able to pull their visas and said they could leave U.S. soil, and I might have sung a song or two, or maybe danced a happy dance.”
The World Cup is no stranger to geopolitics, but his comments this week underscore just how politically fraught this tournament cycle has become.
Indeed, Iran’s participation in the tournament had been in doubt for months. After Trump ordered military strikes against Iran, FIFA President Gianni Infantino conducted shuttle diplomacy between Washington and Tehran to avoid a boycott that some feared would delegitimize the world’s largest sporting event. The administration ended up creating a unique arrangement where Iran would play its matches in Tijuana, Mexico — flying in the day before each match and out immediately after.
Mullin’s remarks came after he addressed employees from across the federal government at the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Special Events Coordination Center, which coordinated security planning for the expanded 48-team tournament.
Speaking with reporters afterward, Mullin vigorously defended the administration’s decision to impose unprecedented travel restrictions on the Iranian national team, arguing U.S. officials had gone out of their way to accommodate the squad while protecting national security.
He also dismissed criticisms from Iranian officials who had complained publicly that the restrictions on their national team were unfair and disrupted the team’s preparation.
“That wasn’t accurate. They — of course, you can’t trust anything Iran is saying,” he said.
According to Mullin, the administration had initially planned to admit the team five days before its opening match, but Iran sought to arrive even earlier. Instead, FIFA worked with U.S. and Mexican officials to establish a base camp in Tijuana, roughly a 45 minute flight from Los Angeles, where Iran played its opening matches.
“We worked with Mexico, talked with our counterparts there, and we talked with [Mexican] President [Claudia] Sheinbaum and it was agreed to allow them to come to Tijuana,” Mullin said. “They could stay there rather than come into the United States earlier.”
Mullin argued the Trump administration provided accommodations unavailable to any other team: Customs and Border Protection officers processed the team’s biometrics in Tijuana before each flight so players could bypass normal inspections upon landing in the United States, and federal air marshals accompanied the delegation to ensure safe travel.
“We didn’t do that for any other team,” he said.
Mullin also rejected complaints that the team had to leave immediately after matches, comparing the arrangement to NFL teams routinely flying home after games.
“The game was over. Let them get back to the hotel, their base camp, where they’re at,” he said, noting that the U.S. men’s national team similarly flew back to its Southern California base after a match in Seattle.
Behind the scenes, Mullin said Iran presented by far the greatest security challenge of any delegation participating in the tournament.
“There wasn’t a single team — not a single team — we had to spend more time with, by far, dealing with what Iran was trying to do,” he said.
Mullin alleged Iranian officials attempted to bring into the U.S. numerous individuals with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including personnel who had never previously traveled with the national team. He also said two individuals presented as media members had connections to IRGC intelligence and claimed another applicant was the subject of an international warrant.
“They were playing games the whole time,” Mullin said. “I’ve talked about them enough. They’re gone, they’re out of the tournament, we don’t deal with them anymore.”
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