International
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, who oversaw mass executions, dies in helicopter crash

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi
From LifeSiteNews
By Matt Lamb
Ebrahim Raisi, a Muslim cleric expected to eventually replace Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, oversaw the execution of thousands of dissidents and supported Hamas in its terrorist attacks.
The president of Iran died in a helicopter crash Sunday evening.
Ebrahim Raisi was a Muslim cleric who claimed his family descended from Muhammed, the founder of Islam. He died near Azerbaijan along with other officials who were visiting the country for an event celebrating a new dam, according to Reuters.
Raisi was a Shiite leader who served on the 1988 commission that sentenced thousands of political prisoners to death. He was expected to eventually replace the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Human rights organizations estimate that between 4,500 and 5,000 men, women and children were killed in the summer of 1988 in prisons across Iran,” according to Amnesty International’s summary. “The pattern of political executions changed dramatically from piecemeal reports of executions to a massive wave of killings that took place over several months.”
“The true number of dead, however, is still unknown as the executions were carried out in secret. In fact, many relatives were never told about the killings or where their loved ones had been buried,” Amnesty International reported.
In September 2022, his government killed hundreds of protesters against clerical rule, according to the BBC.
“The ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement was sparked the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who had been detained by morality police in Tehran for allegedly wearing her hijab ‘improperly,” the BBC reported. “Authorities denied she was mistreated, but a UN fact-finding mission found she was ‘subjected to physical violence that led to her death.’”
Raisi oversaw Iran’s further enrichment of uranium and attacks on Israel, according to the Associated Press. He was “a hard-line protégé of the country’s supreme leader who helped oversee the mass executions of thousands in 1988 and later led the country as it enriched uranium near weapons-grade levels and launched a major drone-and-missile attack on Israel,” according to the AP’s article on his death.
“An Israeli official told Reuters it was not involved in the crash,” the news outlet reported. “It wasn’t us.”
Iran also allied itself with Russia and supplied it with weapons to fight Ukraine; Putin called Raisi “a true friend of Russia,” in his condolence message, according to Reuters.
The terrorist group Hamas also mourned Raisi’s death and that of Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, who also died in the plane crash. Hamas thanked them for supporting them in the terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023, and the ensuing war.
illegal immigration
ICE raids California pot farm, uncovers illegal aliens and child labor

Quick Hit:
ICE raided a California cannabis farm Thursday suspected of employing illegal immigrants, uncovering 10 underage workers — including 8 unaccompanied minors. The operation sparked protests, but federal officials defended the action as a necessary crackdown on illegal labor and child exploitation.
Key Details:
- ICE agents executed a lawful raid at Glass House Farms in Camarillo, targeting illegal immigrant laborers employed at the state-licensed cannabis operation.
- Ten underage illegal immigrants were found working at the site — eight of them unaccompanied minors — prompting a federal investigation into potential child labor violations.
- Protesters attempted to interfere with the operation and were dispersed by federal agents using crowd control measures; multiple arrests and injuries were reported.
🚨BREAKING: ICE just swarmed Ventura County fields, hauling away the very farm workers who keep America’s produce aisles stocked.
We’re arresting assets; treating the backbone of our food chain like a threat. That’s not “border security.” That’s self-sabotage in uniform. pic.twitter.com/GgZvnXbVsd
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) July 10, 2025
Diving Deeper:
Federal immigration agents executed a large-scale raid Thursday at a cannabis farm in Camarillo, California, targeting illegal immigrant laborers and uncovering possible child labor violations. The operation, led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), took place at Glass House Farms, a state-licensed marijuana facility that remains illegal under federal law.
Dozens of agents stormed the property with a federal warrant, encountering resistance from left-wing protesters who attempted to disrupt the operation. Agents responded with tear gas and smoke devices, and helicopters were deployed to ensure no suspects could flee or hide in nearby fields. Authorities later confirmed that 10 minors were working at the facility—eight of whom were unaccompanied illegal aliens.
Despite clear evidence of immigration and labor violations, California Democrats rushed to attack the enforcement action. Governor Gavin Newsom lashed out on social media, posting video of people running from the scene. Rep. Salud Carbajal called the raid “deplorable,” complaining about the use of tactical gear.
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott pushed back, calling out Newsom directly. “Here’s some breaking news: 10 juveniles were found at this marijuana facility – all illegal aliens, 8 of them unaccompanied,” he posted on X. “It’s now under investigation for child labor violations.”
While California officials cried foul, ICE defended the operation as necessary and lawful. The raid is part of a broader push under President Trump to enforce federal immigration laws and shut down operations that exploit illegal labor to undercut American workers.
The clash in Camarillo follows similar enforcement actions earlier this week in Los Angeles, where ICE also faced hostility from local officials. Nonetheless, the Trump administration appears undeterred, making clear that sanctuary policies will not shield illegal activity from federal scrutiny.
Crime
‘We’re Going To Lose’: Steve Bannon Warns Withholding Epstein Files Would Doom GOP

From the Daily Caller News Foundation
By Jason Cohen
Former White House adviser Steve Bannon warned on Friday that Republicans would suffer major losses if President Donald Trump’s administration does not move to release documents related to deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and associations.
Axios reported on Sunday that a two-page memo showed the Department Of Justice (DOJ) and FBI found no evidence Epstein kept a “client list” or was murdered, but public doubts have continued. Bannon said on “Bannon’s War Room” that failure to release information would lead to the dissipation of one-tenth of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement and significant losses for the Republican Party in the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election.
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“It’s not about just a pedophile ring and all that, it’s about who governs us, right? And that’s why it’s not going to go away … For this to go away, you’re going to lose 10% of the MAGA movement,” Bannon said. “If we lose 10% of the MAGA movement right now, we’re going to lose 40 seats in ’26, we’re going to lose the [presidency]. They don’t even have to steal it, which they’re going to try to do in ’28, because they’re going to sit there and they go, ‘They’ve disheartened the hardest-core populist nationalists’ — that’s always been who governs us.”
Bannon also demanded the publication of all the Epstein documents on “Bannon’s War Room” Thursday. He called on the DOJ to go to court and push for the release of the documents or for Trump to appoint a special counsel to manage the publication.
Epstein was arrested in 2019 and charged with sex trafficking. Shortly after, he was found dead in his New York Metropolitan Correctional Center cell shortly after. Officials asserted that he hanged himself in his cell.
However, Epstein’s death has sparked years of theories because of the malfunctioning of prison cameras, along with guards admitting to falsifying documents about checking on the then-inmate. The DOJ inspector general later confirmed that multiple surveillance cameras outside of his cell were inoperable, while others captured the common area outside his door.
Both Bannon and Daily Caller News Foundation co-founder Tucker Carlson have speculated that Epstein had connections to intelligence agencies.
Former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta allegedly indicated that Epstein was tied to intelligence, according to Vicky Ward in The Daily Beast.
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