International
U.S. Confirms Death of Six Crew Members in KC-135 Crash in Western Iraq
The United States confirmed on Friday that all six service members aboard a KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq on Thursday have died, revising an earlier report that initially confirmed four fatalities.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM), based in Florida, said the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation, but stressed that the loss of the aircraft was not caused by enemy or friendly fire.
With the deaths of the six crew members — whose identities have not yet been released — the total number of U.S. military personnel killed since the start of the conflict with Iran on February 28 has risen to 14.
According to U.S. officials, seven soldiers were killed in direct Iranian attacks, one died due to a medical emergency in Kuwait, and the remaining casualties occurred in the aircraft crash in Iraq.
Conflicting claims about the crash
A pro-Iranian militia known as Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for shooting down the aircraft, saying its fighters targeted the tanker using air defense systems, causing it to crash.
The group later stated that it also attacked a second U.S. aircraft in western Iraq, which allegedly made an emergency landing at “one of the enemy’s airports,” while its crew escaped safely.
However, CENTCOM has rejected those claims and said it has no information confirming an attack on a second aircraft.
Iranian officials have also suggested that the tanker was struck by a missile fired by Iraqi armed groups, but the United States has not supported that assertion.
Second incident since conflict began
According to U.S. military reports, this is the second accident involving U.S. forces since the war began.
On Thursday, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford — the largest in the U.S. fleet — experienced a fire on board, leaving two Marines injured. CENTCOM said the incident was not related to enemy action.
International
Mexico Arrests CJNG Leader “El Jardinero” in Nayarit
Mexican authorities arrested Audias Flores, known as “El Jardinero,” on Monday during a naval operation in the western state of Nayarit, delivering another major blow to the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
Flores was considered one of the top regional leaders within the cartel and had reportedly overseen criminal operations along Mexico’s Pacific coast. Security analysts viewed him as a potential successor to slain drug kingpin Nemesio Oseguera.
The arrest was carried out by Mexico’s Navy Special Forces in a planned operation, according to Security Minister Omar García Harfuch.
The United States Department of the Treasury had previously identified Flores as a “significant foreign narcotics trafficker,” while U.S. authorities offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his capture and extradition.
A U.S. grand jury indicted Flores in 2021 on charges including conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin.
His capture comes months after the reported death of “El Mencho,” an operation that Mexican authorities considered a priority due to the cartel leader’s alleged involvement in a 2020 assassination attempt against García Harfuch.
International
Suspect Armed With Shotgun and Knives Detained at White House Correspondents Dinner
U.S. authorities confirmed Saturday that the suspect who stormed into the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner while President Donald Trump was attending acted alone, adding that there is no ongoing threat to the public following the incident, which left one Secret Service agent injured.
Acting Metropolitan Police Department chief Jeff Carroll said during a press conference that the suspect was carrying “a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives” when he attempted to pass through a Secret Service security checkpoint inside the hotel lobby at approximately 8:36 p.m. local time.
“At this point, everything indicates that this was a lone actor, a lone gunman,” Carroll stated, adding that investigators have found no preliminary evidence suggesting the involvement of additional suspects.
During the exchange of gunfire inside the hotel corridors, the suspect was not struck by bullets but was subdued by law enforcement officers and later transported to a hospital for medical evaluation.
A member of the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division was shot during the incident, though the bullet was stopped by the officer’s ballistic vest, preventing serious injuries. The agent was taken to a hospital and is reportedly “in good spirits,” according to Carroll.
The shooting prompted the immediate evacuation of President Trump, Melania Trump, and several senior officials attending the event after multiple gunshots were heard outside the hotel’s main ballroom.
International
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
Until now, the U.S. administration had blocked the Venezuelan government from covering the legal fees of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who is also jailed and facing drug trafficking charges, due to international sanctions imposed on Venezuela.
The couple’s legal team had relied on that argument in an attempt to have the indictment dismissed, claiming that preventing a defendant from accessing counsel of their choice violates rights guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
However, the U.S. Treasury Department will now allow “defense attorneys to receive payments from the Government of Venezuela under certain conditions,” New York prosecutor Jay Clayton wrote in a letter dated Friday to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case.
According to the letter, the funds must have become available after March 5, 2026, and cannot come from Venezuelan oil sales regulated in the United States.
Since Maduro’s removal from power in early January, former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has served as Venezuela’s interim leader.
The United States effectively controls Venezuelan crude exports, with revenues deposited into special accounts supervised by Washington.
Court documents filed on Friday show that the defense acknowledged the sanctions exemption and, for now, withdrew its motion seeking dismissal of the charges.
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