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Doctor Deported to Lebanon Had Photos ‘Sympathetic’ to Hezbollah on Phone, US Says

A general view of The John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts, US, July 27, 2021. REUTERS/Nicholas Pfosi/File Photo
A general view of The John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts, US, July 27, 2021. REUTERS/Nicholas Pfosi/File Photo
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Doctor Deported to Lebanon Had Photos ‘Sympathetic’ to Hezbollah on Phone, US Says

A general view of The John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts, US, July 27, 2021. REUTERS/Nicholas Pfosi/File Photo
A general view of The John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts, US, July 27, 2021. REUTERS/Nicholas Pfosi/File Photo

US authorities on Monday said they deported a Rhode Island doctor to Lebanon last week after discovering "sympathetic photos and videos" of the former longtime leader of Hezbollah and its fighters in her cell phone's deleted items folder.

Alawieh had also told agents that while in Lebanon she attended the funeral last month of Hezbollah's slain leader Hassan Nasrallah, whom she supported from a "religious perspective" as a Shiite.

The US Department of Justice provided those details as it sought to assure a federal judge in Boston that US Customs and Border Protection did not willfully disobey an order he issued on Friday that should have halted Dr. Rasha Alawieh's immediate removal.

The 34-year-old Lebanese citizen, who held an H-1B visa, was detained on Thursday at Logan International Airport in Boston after returning from a trip to Lebanon to see family. Her cousin then filed a lawsuit seeking to halt her deportation.

In its first public explanation for her removal, the Justice Department said Alawieh, a kidney specialist and assistant professor at Brown University, was denied re-entry to the United States based on what CBP found on her phone and statements she made during an airport interview.

"It's a purely religious thing," she said about the funeral, according to a transcript of that interview reviewed by Reuters. "He's a very big figure in our community. For me it's not political."

Western governments including the United States designate Hezbollah a terrorist group. The Lebanese armed group is part of the "Axis of Resistance", an alliance of Iran-backed groups across the Middle East that also includes the Palestinian movement Hamas, which sparked the Gaza war by attacking Israel almost a year ago on Oct. 7.

Based on those statements and the discovery of photos on her phone of Nasrallah and Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, the Justice Department said CBP concluded "her true intentions in the United States could not be determined."

Alawieh and a lawyer for her cousin did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In Monday's filing, the Justice Department also defended CBP officials against claims by the cousin's legal team that Alawieh was flown out of the country on Friday evening in violation of an order issued by US District Judge Leo Sorokin that day.

The judge had issued an order barring Alawieh's removal from Massachusetts without 48 hours' notice. Yet she was put onto a flight to France that night and is now back in Lebanon.

The judge on Sunday had directed the government to address "serious allegations" that his order was willfully violated ahead of a hearing that had been scheduled for Monday.

That hearing was canceled on Monday at the request of the cousin's lone remaining attorney, after lawyers at the law firm Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer representing her pro bono withdrew, citing "further diligence" about the quickly-moving case.

A lawyer with that firm said she had gone to the airport on Friday and shown a CBP officer a copy of Sorokin's order on her laptop before Alawieh's Air France flight departed, and another CBP official in a declaration on Monday said he was made aware that occurred before taking Alawieh to the boarding area.

But the Justice Department said the notification needed to be received through standard channels and be received by the agency's legal counsel for their review and guidance, which did not happen.

"CBP takes court orders seriously and strives to always abide by a court order," Justice Department attorneys wrote.

The Justice Department's filing was later sealed by Sorokin at the request of a lawyer for the cousin. Reuters reviewed it from a public terminal in the courthouse before access was further restricted.

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World

Senate Republicans Again Block Bid to Limit Trump’s Iran War Powers

Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks at a news conference at the Capitol on September 5, 2025 (AP)  
Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks at a news conference at the Capitol on September 5, 2025 (AP)  
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Senate Republicans Again Block Bid to Limit Trump’s Iran War Powers

Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks at a news conference at the Capitol on September 5, 2025 (AP)  
Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks at a news conference at the Capitol on September 5, 2025 (AP)  

Washington: Robert Jimison, Megan Mineiro

Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked the latest Democratic-led effort to curb President Trump’s authority to wage war on Iran, as a fragile ceasefire frays, dueling blockades choke traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and failed talks leave the next phase of the conflict uncertain.

The move to take up the measure failed on a vote of 52 to 47. It fell largely along party lines, with Republicans and a single Democrat, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, opposed and Democrats joined by a lone Republican, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, in favor.

Fourth Trial

It was the fourth time in recent weeks that Democrats have tried and failed to force Congress to reassert its war powers as the conflict, now stretching into its second month, continues. The repeated defeats underscore the durability of Republican backing for Trump, as his allies on Capitol Hill have foregone oversight of the war and repeatedly sought to avoid placing meaningful constraints on his authority.

Still, in the run-up to the vote, some GOP lawmakers suggested that their patience was wearing thin as the conflict drags on, its economic fallout reverberates among their constituents, and the president’s bellicose statements intensify.

“I hope that we are arriving at an exit strategy here to bring this to a close to preserve our security interests and bring down the cost of gasoline,” Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri said of the war, now in its seventh week.

Other Republicans said the administration should do more to lay out its objectives and plan for the conflict. They expressed a fervent desire to see it end promptly.

60-Day Mission

Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota said that should the president expect Congress to support continuing the conflict beyond 60 days — the initial window that the law gives a president to deploy armed forces into hostilities without congressional approval — officials from the administration should “come in and give us a full description of it and sell the point and the plan.”

The statutory deadline for Trump to either pull out US troops or request a 30-day extension would fall on May 1. Senator Bill Hagerty, Republican of Tennessee, on Tuesday appeared to suggest that such an extension would not be necessary.

“This is going to be over soon,” he said.

While home during a two-week recess, some Republicans said they had heard concerns from their constituents about the conflict, which has sent oil prices above $100 per barrel, natural gas costs rising more than 80% and fertilizer prices surging, raising costs for farmers.

Wednesday’s vote was forced by Senator Tammy Duckworth, Democrat of Illinois, who argued that the war was the latest demonstration of the president reneging on promises he made during his 2024 campaign.

“It’s clear that none of this is making America safer, bringing prices down or ending wars like he promised,” Duckworth said in a statement ahead of the vote. “Americans are sick and tired of being lied to, and Republicans cannot continue to sit by and abdicate their responsibilities as Trump continues to spiral out of control at the expense of our national security.”

Democrats’ Bet

Democrats hope that mounting Republican frustration will eventually pull the party asunder, yielding enough defections for a handful to join them in delivering a rebuke of the president.

“I have not seen, in a long time, the level of frustration,” Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, said in an interview last week. “There’s always been Republican frustration with Trump, but the frustration is sort of peaking.”

Senator Tommy Tuberville, Republican of Alabama, said he held events across his state in recent weeks and fielded questions from voters about the war. He said his response to concerned constituents was: “We just have to wait and see.”

Tuberville, who voted against the resolution, said: “I think we need to let the president of the United States handle this.”

In a recent address providing an update on the war, Trump said his administration was “on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly.” He added that “we’re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks.”

The United States and Iran have since agreed to a two-week ceasefire, while diplomatic talks between the two nations took place but ended with no resolution. Tensions have also risen as the United States has placed a blockade of vessels using Iran’s ports.

During that crucial period, Congress was out of session.

Now back in Washington, many Democrats and some Republicans have begun to press for additional information.

Hawley said that senators who do not sit on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees — which have received a series of confidential briefings since the war began — have been kept in the dark, noting that he and others “have not been briefed since the first week of March.”

“I would welcome more,” Hawley added.

The New York Times

World

Macron, Starmer Rally Allies to Mull Hormuz Mission

The leaders of Germany, Britain and France are expected to be present. Stefan Rousseau / POOL/AFP
The leaders of Germany, Britain and France are expected to be present. Stefan Rousseau / POOL/AFP
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Macron, Starmer Rally Allies to Mull Hormuz Mission

The leaders of Germany, Britain and France are expected to be present. Stefan Rousseau / POOL/AFP
The leaders of Germany, Britain and France are expected to be present. Stefan Rousseau / POOL/AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday chair a meeting of allies to consider sending a multinational force to ensure security and free-flowing trade in the Strait of Hormuz once the current conflict between Iran and the US and Israel ends.

Iran imposed the blockade on the critical shipping bottleneck as soon as the US and Israel launched the war against the Iranian republic on February 28, leading to a surge in global energy prices. Even with a shaky ceasefire in place, the US is now imposing its own blockade on Iranian ports.

European leaders are now worried that if the blockade continues, consumers will feel the effects through higher inflation, food shortages and flight cancellations as jet fuel runs out, reported AFP.

The leaders joining Starmer and Macron from 1200 GMT for the meeting -- which will mostly be held via video -- are due to call for a return to full freedom of navigation and address the economic consequences of the blockade.

But they will also "prepare the deployment, when conditions are met, of a strictly defensive multinational military mission, in order to ensure freedom of navigation," according to the invitation sent by the Elysee which was seen by AFP.

Officials have emphasized that such a force would only be deployed when the war came to an end. Macron and Starmer have also led efforts to create a European force to support Ukraine, which again would only be deployed when the war against Russia ends.

Starmer is expected to tell the meeting that "the unconditional and immediate reopening" of the strait "is a global responsibility", his Downing Street office said in a statement.

Starmer is to say both he and Macron have a clear commitment "to establish a multinational initiative to protect freedom of navigation" to reassure commercial shipping and support mine clearance operations, it added.

A French presidential official, asking not to be named, said allies needed to be sure "we have an Iranian commitment not to fire on passing ships and a US commitment not to block any ships leaving or entering the Strait of Hormuz."

- 'Major consequences' -

The meeting, which is set to gather some 30 leaders of European countries but also Asian and Middle Eastern nations mainly by video conference, is also a chance for Europe to display its capacities after having largely been sidelined by the US in diplomatic efforts to end the war.

Key EU players German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will be attending in person, their offices confirmed.

The talks according to the Elysee will involve "non belligerent countries" meaning that neither Iran, Israel nor the United States will be involved.

"The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has major consequences for the global economy, and therefore for the daily lives of French citizens and French businesses," France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Thursday.

Downing Street said planning is already underway for a "combined military effort as soon as conditions allow". Military chiefs are due to meet next week for further discussions at the UK's military command headquarters in Northwood outside London, it added.

According to the French presidency, the meeting will also address concerns over the more than 20,000 seafarers aboard the hundreds of ships which have been trapped by the blockade.

"What we want to do is build a credible proposal which is essentially a third way between the maximum pressure previously practiced by the United States on Iran and the resumption of war," said the French presidential official.

Merz, whose country was initially reluctant to be involved in any mission for Ukraine, said Berlin was "willing in principle to take part" but cautioned that "we are still very far from that".

He also added the leaders would discuss the involvement of the United States. But the French presidential official said Washington -- as a belligerent power in the conflict -- should not be involved in this mission.

World

Helicopter Crash on Indonesia's Borneo Island Kills 8

Debris at the site of a helicopter crash in Sekadau regency, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, April 16, 2026. Picture taken through a window. Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS)/Handout via REUTERS
Debris at the site of a helicopter crash in Sekadau regency, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, April 16, 2026. Picture taken through a window. Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS)/Handout via REUTERS
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Helicopter Crash on Indonesia's Borneo Island Kills 8

Debris at the site of a helicopter crash in Sekadau regency, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, April 16, 2026. Picture taken through a window. Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS)/Handout via REUTERS
Debris at the site of a helicopter crash in Sekadau regency, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, April 16, 2026. Picture taken through a window. Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS)/Handout via REUTERS

A helicopter flying between palm oil plantations on Borneo Island crashed, killing the eight people on board, Indonesian officials said Friday.

The Airbus H130 owned by PT Matthew Air Nusantara lost contact Thursday, five minutes after it took off from Melawi district in West Kalimantan province.

It was on its way to another palm oil plantation in Kubu Raya district.

Searchers later located the wreckage and recovered the bodies of the two crew members and six passengers in the dense forests in Sekadau district, according to the National Search and Rescue Agency and the Transportation Ministry.

One of those killed was Malaysian, The Associated Press reported.

Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago of about 270 million people, has been plagued by transportation accidents, including plane and helicopter crashes and ferry sinkings.