The Dictatorship

I worked in Homeland Security. I don’t believe the government’s story about the Somali World Cup referee.

Published

2 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Jun. 14, 2026, 6:00 AM EDT

FIFA referee Omar Artanflew into Miami on Saturday for the assignment of his career: He was about to become the first Somali to referee in a World Cup. But Artan never made it out of the airport. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reportedly interrogated him for 11 hours then held him in a cell before putting him on a flight back to Istanbul, from where he had caught his connecting flight to the U.S. By Monday, FIFA had dropped Artanfrom the tournament.

I spent nearly a decadeat the Department of Homeland Security working in counterterrorism and civil rights, and I can say with confidence that Artan being denied entry for so-called vetting concerns and being sent away had nothing to do with national security and everything to do with his being born in Somalia. The government is dressing up its religious and ethnic discrimination in seemingly innocuous bureaucratic clothing.

We don’t have to shut out whole countries to keep our country safe.

The U.S. already operates the world’s most exacting traveler-vetting system — officials look at fingerprints, facial scans, multiple watchlists and conduct checks via the Electronic System for Travel Authorization. That system is applied every time someone tries to enter the U.S., and it makes crude nationality bans unnecessary. We don’t have to shut out whole countries to keep our country safe. We have the tools to single out threats and let everyone else through.

But during this second Trump administration, the government is restricting visits from nationals of 39 countries. FourWorld Cup teams — Haiti, Iran, Senegal and Ivory Coast — are on that list, and the administration has only given the tournament a narrow carve-out. Players and their families, coaches and staff can enter. But no one else from those nations can: not fans, not journalists, not sponsors and not the officials who run the matches. So Artan, who was named Africa’s bestofficial in 2025, was turned away at the gate as the players he may have officiated were waved through.

There are 48 nations that have qualified for the World Cup, and people from 11 of them were having a hard time getting visas to visit the United States even before the World Cup began, a BBC analysis of State Department data found. Between October 2024 and September 2025, according to that report, people from those 11 countries who applied for B1 or B2 visas to the U.S. were denied more than 40% of the time. The rate for all countries was 34%.

In Jordan, where visa refusal rates reached 57%, the head of the country’s football fan association was denied a U.S. visa after he said he brought 42 documents to his visa interview. Iran’s players received visas, but more than a dozen in Iran’s Football Federation, including its presidentdid not.

Barred from sleeping on American soil, the Iranian team has set up camp across the U.S. border in TijuanaMexico, and will cross the border to play its matches. Pressed to explain the refusals, the Trump administration said it wouldn’t let Iran “sneak terrorists” in. No evidence beyond that was offered.

Officials claimed “terror associations” had surfaced for Artan, but never showed documentation or allowed him to challenge that finding. This tactic, claiming unnamed, unappealable “threats” after a decision is made, is a pattern Muslim communities in America know intimately. A recent Opinium poll commissioned by trans-Atlantic thinktank the Concordia Forum found that only 1 in 5 Muslims in the U.S. believe they are always treated equally under the law. That’s not a fringe perception. It’s a majority experience of a system that applies different standards based on faith and origin.

It’s reasonable to conclude that Artan was turned away not because of anything in his record, but because of where he was born.

Real vetting — internally and externally — is specific, documented and open to challenge. None of that seems to have happened here. That’s why it’s reasonable to conclude that Artan was turned away not because of anything in his record, but because of where he was born.

Before the World Cup kicked off Thursday, the administration was already using the tournament as an excuse to further its exclusionary authoritarian agenda. White House border czar Tom Homan promised “more ICE than you’ve ever seen” in New York as millions of visitors arrive. The White House has floatedthe idea of sending the National Guard into Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle, and in October, Trump threatened to pull matches from any city his administration decides is unsafe.

Expect the pattern to intensify once the cameras are on: more fans turned back at the airport, more officials and reporters pulled into back rooms, more enforcement theater in host cities. America promisedFIFA a tournament free of discrimination, but issuing blanket bans based on nationality sends the opposite message.

There’s still time to stop these policies and appropriately welcome those visiting. For what America decides to do in this moment will echo long after the final whistle. We have the tools to tell who’s a threat from who’s not a threat. We only have to use them.

Haris Tarin is vice president of policy and programming at the Muslim Public Affairs Council. He previously served as a senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and was chief of staff for Operation Allies Welcome.

The Dictatorship

U.S. and Iran say they have finally reached a deal, but details are still emerging

Published

2 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

U.S. and Iran say they have finally reached a deal, but details are still emerging

Jun. 14, 2026, 9:11 PM EDT

Iran and the United States reached a deal Sunday aimed at ending the Middle East war, according to President Donald Trump and Tehran’s deputy foreign minister, marking a major breakthrough after months of conflict and on-again, off-again negotiations.

The statements from Trump and Tehran raised hopes for an end to fighting that has left more than 7,500 dead, most of them in Lebanon and Iran, and rocked the global oil market.

“The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all! I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade,” Trump announced on Truth Social. “Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!”

Oil prices fell in the hours following the announcement, with U.S. crude oil tumbling nearly 5%. Stock futures rose and Asian-Pacific stock markets traded higher Monday morning as investors appeared hopeful for a long-term peace deal.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed on Iranian state media that a deal had been reached and would be signed Friday in Switzerland. He said Iran’s agreement came after 14 hours of talks with mediators from Qatar.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has also worked as a mediator, announced on social media that “both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” where Israel has been battling the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.

“With the agreement now in place, mediators will facilitate a series of meetings this week,” Sharif said. “These pre-implementation discussions will lay the foundation for the technical talks and the official signing ceremony.”

The announcement comes after weeks of intensive negotiations mediated by regional partners after both sides had signaled in recent days that an agreement was close.

The memorandum is not a final peace treaty. Instead, it outlines commitments by both sides as negotiators work toward a broader agreement, establishing a framework for a 60-day negotiating period. That window is meant for U.S. and Iranian officials to resolve outstanding disputes and negotiate a more comprehensive agreement.

A senior administration official told reporters on a background call Friday that the framework includes commitments related to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports.

The proposed agreement, the senior administration official said, also calls for the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program, with highly enriched nuclear material to be destroyed on-site by the U.S. and a guarantee of “long-term peace in the region.”

A senior Iranian officialhowever, told Reuters that the U.S. had agreed to allow Iran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium on Iranian soil under a final deal.

“I am somewhat concerned that Iran’s view of the agreement seems different than what the American negotiating team is claiming,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said as news of the deal emerged Sunday.

The senior Trump administration official said the agreement would include Israel and Iran’s terror proxies — a notable element given that renewed attacks between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon on Sunday threatened to derail the deal entirely.

The war began Feb. 28 with joint U.S. and Israeli airstrikes that killed hundreds, including Iran’s longtime supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Trump and others in his administration repeatedly promised it would be over in weeks and that deals to pause the fighting were imminent, only to walk back those statements.

Early in the fighting, dozens of children died when an airstrike destroyed a school. Despite reports from within the U.S. intelligence community that American forces were likely responsible, and that faulty intelligence may have played a part, the Pentagon has yet to acknowledge that, saying only that it was under investigation.

As combat wore on, Iran repeatedly fired missiles and drones at U.S. allies in the region and attacked ships trying to transit the Straight of Hormuz. Israel bombarded Beirut and other areas and sent ground troops into southern Lebanon in pursuit of Hezbollah leadership.

As gas prices in the U.S. soared, Trump’s approval ratings plummeted, piling tension on his relationship with congressional Republicans, especially those up for re-election.

Expectations for a deal had risen in recent days as officials from the U.S. and Pakistan, which has been acting as a mediator, indicated that progress was being made behind the scenes.

Though the deal is set to be signed next Friday, Trump said over the weekend that he expected a deal would be signed Sunday, which he first declared on social media a day earlier. He also shared a post from Sharif — who has played a key mediating role — announcing that an agreement was expected to be finalized “in the next 24 hours.”

Iranian officials poured cold water on the expected deal up until the last minute. Citing state media, Reuters reported Saturday that Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei denied that the memorandum of understanding would be signed Sunday, which also happened to be Trump’s 80th birthday.

“We will have to wait and see about the exact date of the signing of the memorandum of understanding, although it will not be tomorrow,” Baqaei said, according to Reuters.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at BLN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics.

Julia Jester covers politics for MS NOW and is based in Washington, D.C.

The Dictatorship

Cage fighting, anyone? Welcome to Trump’s 80th birthday party on the White House lawn.

Published

2 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Jun. 14, 2026, 5:27 PM EDT

President Donald Trump is celebrating his milestone 80th birthday on Sunday with a spectacle of men cage fighting on the White House South Lawn.

“UFC Freedom 250,” a series of invite-only mixed martial art fighting competitions that are part of the Trump administration’s year-long ‘America250’ celebrations, brought lots of fanfare, and plenty of controversy.

The president is marking his new status as an octogenarian alongside administration officials, donors and family, despite criticism of the event’s venue, along with its potential to financially benefit those involved.

Trump and his friend Dana White, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO, have repeatedly claimed that the spectacle was only coincidentally timed with the president’s birthday. “It happens to be my birthday, but I didn’t do it for that reason,” Trump said. “‘Sir, we like the June 14 date.’ I said, ‘Yeah, that’s my birthday,’” he recounted. “They didn’t know it, but they picked it.”

But Vice President JD Vance wished his boss a happy birthdaysaying, “Looking forward to celebrating later today at the UFC fight!”

“Happy Birthday to the GOAT,” Vance wrote in an X post.

Several members of the Trump family were spotted in Washington for the president’s birthday weekend, including his daughter Ivanka Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner, and granddaughter Kai Trump. First lady Melania Trump was also set to join the wrestling festivities on the South Lawn, according to a White House official. The president was slated to have dinner with his family before the birthday brawl, the White House said.

Notably, Kushner — a businessman with investments in the Middle East who is not currently employed by the administration — is playing an active role in negotiations to end the war with Iran, which Trump telegraphed he hoped would reach a new breakthrough on Sunday with the possible signing of a new negotiating framework.

The podcast and social media stars who were instrumental to Trump’s 2024 election victory, including Joe Rogan, came to Washington for the spectacle. Rogan, a longtime UFC commentator, previously criticized the decision to hold the fight outdoors because of potentially dangerous weather conditions — a prescient warning with rain, wind and thunderstorms in the forecast.

On Sunday afternoon, the White House said “rain or shine, we’re celebrating our great country no matter what” after The Weather Channel posted an ominous forecast on social media.

John Shahidi, a major content creator manager and Trump ally, was also expected to be in attendance, along with two NELK Boy members, the popular YouTube podcasters who backed then-candidate Trump in 2024, Kyle John Forgeard and Salim Sirur. John Fisher, a golf creator known as “Big John,” were in the mix, too, according to a person familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity to speak freely.

The presence of viral influencers is a reminder of the political capital the president’s team needs to restore ahead of the crucial 2026 midterms, given that the president’s approval ratings have sharply dropped in recent months. UFC’s most loyal fanbase — young men —are a critical voting bloc for the GOP, who have grown frustrated with the economy under Trump.

Rogan has repeatedly taken aim at Trump’s policies, including disagreement with Trump’s mass deportation campaign, tariffs and the war with Iran. Nonetheless, the host of the most-listened-to-podcast has remained in Trump’s orbitMS NOW previously reported, demonstrating the president’s acknowledgement of Rogan’s reach to his base.

Unlike typical 12-to-15 fight Ultimate Fighting Championship events, UFC Freedom 250 consists of only seven fights. Rather than taking place in a traditional indoor sports arena or stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, the White House fight night was orchestrated underneath a 90-foot red, white and blue steel arch structure estimated to cost around $60 million. White has repeatedly insisted that the UFC — not taxpayers — are funding production costs.

MS NOW captured video on a jumbotron screen of “The Claw,” as it’s known, erected on the South Lawn. It was a compilation of imagery from the nation’s founding, civil rights protests, first responders at the scene of the 9/11 attacks, the first moon landing, boxing legend Muhammad Ali and UFC fighters in the ring — a nod to the United States’ 250th anniversary.

The imagery of the civil rights era, however, stands in stark contrast to efforts by the Trump administration to remove references to slavery or racial discrimination in museums and on federal websites. “Our fighting spirit is a living legacy of all who step forward when the moment demands,” a narrator says. “We’re a nation born of revolution, so fight is in our DNA.”

The Claw and its towering canopy and location drew fierce criticism from those who said it desecrates the historic building that represents the government’s executive branch. Critics also bemoaned the use of federal property, given Trump — whose financial disclosures showed he invested in UFC’s parent company in March — along with his allies, including Paramount CEO David Ellison, who is airing the fight, could profit from the extravaganza.

A federal judge on Friday denied an emergency request by a watchdog group to block the fights.

Lindsey Pipia contributed to this report.

Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.

Akayla Gardner is a White House correspondent for MS NOW.

The Dictatorship

Sen. Mitch McConnell hospitalized, his office says

Published

2 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Sen. Mitch McConnell hospitalized, his office says

Jun. 14, 2026, 4:31 PM EDT

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, was hospitalized on Sunday, according to his spokesperson, who provided no details on the former Senate majority leader’s condition.

“Senator McConnell was admitted to the hospital this morning. He is receiving excellent care,” the senator’s spokesman David Popp wrote in a statement. He did not say why his boss was taken to the hospital.

McConnell, 84, has suffered a series of health problems and falls in recent years, including a series of episodes in 2023 in which he appeared to freeze on camera while speaking to reporters.

He suffered a concussion and was hospitalized after falling at a Washington hotel in 2023, and fell in the Capitol multiple times after that. In February of this year, the former majority leader was hospitalized with flu-like symptoms.

First elected to the Senate in 1984, McConnell stepped aside in January as majority leader after serving 18 years as his party’s leader in the upper chamber.

McConnell, who is retiring when his term ends in January, has become a more vocal critic of President Donald Trump, whom he famously said was “practically and morally responsible for provoking the events” at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

More recently, the Kentucky Republican has criticized a number of Trump plans, including the president’s proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, which the administration had to abandon in the face of fierce bipartisan opposition. Calling it a “slush fund,” McConnell ripped the payout fund as “utterly stupid, morally wrong.”

Mychael Schnell is a reporter for MS NOW.