'Are you justifying their behaviour?': Noem blasts Dems over illegal migrants at Senate hearing - The Economic Times Video

At a fiery Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on May 20, US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem slammed Democratic senators over the surge in illegal migration. She accused them of failing to protect American borders and putting politics over national security, demanding urgent federal action to stop the influx.

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Hindustan Times

34 minutes ago

• Hindustan Times

Omar Abdullah reacts to Asim Munir-Donald Trump meeting: ‘We used to think US is our special friend, but…'

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said on Friday that the United States only acts in its own interest and doesn't care about other countries. His comment came after US President Donald Trump hosted Pakistan army chief General Asif Munir for lunch at the White House. Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah reacted to Pakistan's Asim Munir's meeting with US President Donald Trump in White House. (ANI) 'The US President (Donald Trump) is a master of his own will. Can we tell him whom he should invite for meals and whom not?' Omar Abdullah asked while talking to reporters at Srinagar railway station. He added, 'It is a separate issue that we used to think the US President was our very special friend, and he would respect our friendship. But obviously, America does what benefits it. They do not care for any other country.' Abdullah's remarks were in response to Trump hosting Asim Munir for a Wednesday lunch meeting at the White House. The meeting, held without any senior civilian officials, marked the first direct engagement of its kind between a US President and Pakistan's military leadership. Also Read | 'Honoured to meet him': Donald Trump after hosting Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir at the White House On the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, he said, 'This bombing should not have started,' and urged both sides to seek a peaceful solution through talks. "Before this, when the American intelligence in-charge was asked if Iran had the nuclear bomb, he had said he did not think Iran could make a bomb for a long time. But Israel attacked Iran within a few months. This attack should stop, and the issues should be resolved through talks,' he said. The chief minister was referring to Israel's latest narrative that Iran is nearing the development of nuclear weapons — a justification Tel Aviv has cited for launching its offensive on June 13, targeting Iran's nuclear facilities, military sites, top generals, and scientists. Follow Iran Israel war live updates. Omar Abdullah on Indians stranded in war-torn Iran Abdullah further added that efforts are being made to safely bring back Indian students, especially those from Jammu and Kashmir, who are stuck in Iran. 'We cannot bring them back overnight, as airports and ports are closed. We are bringing them via road first to those cities where there is no bombing, then they are being brought back through Armenia.' A special evacuation flight carrying 290 Indian students stranded in conflict-affected Iran arrived safely at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport late Friday night, marking the beginning of India's Operation Sindhu. Officials said two more chartered flights are scheduled to land on Saturday — one from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, expected around 4:30 PM, and another later in the night at 11:30 PM. Both flights will arrive at Delhi airport's Terminal 3. Despite the ongoing regional tensions, Iran allowed its airspace to be used for the evacuation in a special gesture towards India.

News18

44 minutes ago

• News18

Who Is Sajid Tarar, Pakistani-American Businessman Who Brokered Trump–Asim Munir White House Lunch?

Last Updated: A vocal supporter of Donald Trump since 2016, Tarar founded The American Muslims for Trump, and is known for advocating conservative values within the Muslim-American community A rare private lunch between US President Donald Trump and Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, General Asim Munir, in the prestigious White House Cabinet Room dominated global headlines this week. According to Firstpost, this was only the second time in over two decades that a Pakistani military chief was hosted at such a level in Washington—the first being General Pervez Musharraf after the 9/11 attacks. As Trump discussed regional politics, the Isarel-Iran conflict and defence technology with Munir, there was buzz over who had been able to broker the high-level luncheon. Reports now suggest that it was Sajid Tarar, a Pakistani-American businessman, who orchestrated Munir's invitation during the latter's five-day US visit to strengthen bilateral ties. WHO IS SAJID TARAR? The businessman is a lawyer, activist, and Republican political figure based in Baltimore. Born in Mandi Bahauddin, Punjab, Pakistan, Tarar immigrated to the US in the 1980s–90s, studied law at the University of Baltimore, and became a US citizen. He runs multiple business interests and serves as President of Maximus Investment Group, dealing in finance and real estate. He's also the CEO of the Center for Social Change, a Baltimore-based non-profit focused on community programmes and social services. A vocal supporter of Donald Trump since 2016, he founded The American Muslims for Trump, and has spoken at Republican National Conventions and is known for advocating conservative values within the Muslim American community. He served as an advisor to Trump on Muslim‑American engagement and frequently appeared in conservative media defending the administration's policies. According to Times of India and Firstpost, Tarar's influence in Republican circles extends beyond political rhetoric. His son reportedly worked at the US State Department during Trump's first term, further signaling his integration into Washington's conservative establishment. He also advocates for improved India–Pakistan relations and has, in the past, praised PM Narendra Modi and encouraged regional peace initiatives. While the meeting made headlines for its setting, it also stirred controversy in Pakistan. As Moneycontrol and Economic Times point out, there was no official representation from Pakistan's civilian government. This raises concerns about the military conducting parallel diplomacy—a long-standing criticism in Pakistan's power structure. The fact that a private individual like Tarar could facilitate such a high-level engagement without the Foreign Office being involved has unsettled parts of Islamabad's civilian leadership. WHAT HAPPENED IN THE MEETING? According to top diplomatic sources in Washington, Trump laid out a series of sweeping demands and bold offers aimed at reshaping the regional power balance during the lunch meeting. Trump has reportedly asked Pakistan for unconditional military and strategic support, including access to air bases, ground logistics, and potentially sea routes—making Pakistan a critical player in any upcoming military theatre. In return, Trump has promised Pakistan unprecedented access to American defence technology—including 5th-generation stealth jets and advanced missile systems—along with significant financial aid. Trump reportedly urged Munir to 'distance Pakistan from Eastern blocs," including BRICS, and instead re-join the US-led security framework. The Trump–Munir meeting comes amid shifting global alliances, ongoing unrest in West Asia, and a changing power dynamic in South Asia. As reported by Moneycontrol, this private diplomacy could signal a future alignment where military figures bypass diplomats. With his increasing involvement in geopolitical dialogues, Sajid Tarar may be shaping a new model of diaspora-driven diplomacy—one that sidesteps traditional gatekeepers in both Washington and Islamabad. First Published:

Business Standard

an hour ago

• Business Standard

Vance blames California Democrats for protests, mocks Sen Padilla as 'Jose'

Vance's visit to Los Angeles to tour a multiagency Federal Joint Operations Center and a mobile command centre came as demonstrations calmed down in the city and a curfew was lifted AP Los Angeles Vice President JD Vance on Friday accused California Gov Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of encouraging violent immigration protests as he used his appearance in Los Angeles to rebut criticism from state and local officials that the Trump administration fuelled the unrest by sending in federal officers. Vance also referred to US Sen Alex Padilla, the state's first Latino senator, as Jose Padilla, a week after the Democrat was forcibly taken to the ground by officers and handcuffed after speaking out during a Los Angeles news conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on immigration raids. I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question, Vance said, in an apparent reference to the altercation at Noem's event. I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't a theater. And that's all it is. They want to be able to go back to their far-left groups and to say, Look, me, I stood up against border enforcement. I stood up against Donald Trump,' Vance added. A spokesperson for Padilla, Tess Oswald, noted in a social media post that Padilla and Vance were formerly colleagues in the Senate and said that Vance should know better. He should be more focused on demilitarizing our city than taking cheap shots, Oswald said. Vance's visit to Los Angeles to tour a multiagency Federal Joint Operations Center and a mobile command centre came as demonstrations calmed down in the city and a curfew was lifted this week. That followed over a week of sometimes-violent clashes between protesters and police and outbreaks of vandalism and looting that followed immigration raids across Southern California. Trump's dispatching of his top emissary to Los Angeles at a time of turmoil surrounding the Israel-Iran war and the US's future role in it signals the political importance Trump places on his hard-line immigration policies. Vance echoed the president's harsh rhetoric toward California Democrats as he sought to blame them for the protests in the city. Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass, by treating the city as a sanctuary city, have basically said that this is open season on federal law enforcement, Vance said after he toured federal immigration enforcement offices. What happened here was a tragedy, Vance added. You had people who were doing the simple job of enforcing the law and they had rioters egged on by the governor and the mayor, making it harder for them to do their job. That is disgraceful. And it is why the president has responded so forcefully. Newsom's spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement, The Vice President's claim is categorically false. The governor has consistently condemned violence and has made his stance clear. Speaking at City Hall, Bass said Vance was spewing lies and utter nonsense. She said hundreds of millions of dollars were wasted by the federal government on a stunt. How dare you say that city officials encourage violence? We kept the peace, Bass said. In a statement on X, Newsom responded to Vance's reference to Jose Padilla, saying the comment was no accident. Jose Padilla also is the name of a convicted al-Qaida terrorism plotter during President George W. Bush's administration, who was sentenced to two decades in prison. Padilla was arrested in 2002 at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport during the tense months after the 9/11 attacks and accused of the dirty bomb mission. It later emerged through US interrogation of other al-Qaida suspects that the mission was only a sketchy idea, and those claims never surfaced in the South Florida terrorism case. Responding to the outrage, Taylor Van Kirk, a spokesperson for Vance, said of the vice president: He must have mixed up two people who have broken the law. Federal immigration authorities have been ramping up arrests across the country to fulfil Trump's promise of mass deportations. Todd Lyons, the head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has defended his tactics against criticism that authorities are being too heavy-handed. The friction in Los Angeles began June 6, when federal agents conducted a series of immigration sweeps in the region that have continued since. Amid the protests and over the objections of state and local officials, Trump ordered the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the second-largest US city, home to 3.8 million people. Trump has said that without the military's involvement, Los Angeles would be a crime scene like we haven't seen in years. Newsom has depicted the military intervention as the onset of a much broader effort by Trump to overturn political and cultural norms at the heart of the nation's democracy. Earlier Friday, Newsom urged Vance to visit victims of the deadly January wildfires while in Southern California and talk with Trump, who earlier this week suggested his feud with the governor might influence his consideration of $40 billion in federal wildfire aid for California. I hope we get that back on track, Newsom wrote on X. We are counting on you, Mr. Vice President. Vance did not mention either request during his appearance on Friday. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)