The International Criminal Court on Friday called on its member states to stand up against sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump, saying that the move was an attempt to “harm its independent and impartial judicial work.â€
And the embattled court got plenty of support from traditional U.S. allies in Europe who stood up against the Trump measure. Trump’s executive order on Thursday imposing sanctions on the court because of its investigations of Israel.
Neither nation recognizes the court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes over his military response in Gaza following the Hamas attack against Israel in October 2023.
Here's the latest:
House speaker and Israeli leader to meet
Friday's encounter is a make-up date because House Speaker Mike Johnson missed a scheduled meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Capitol.
That’s because the speaker and other congressional Republicans were at the White House Thursday in a meeting with Trump and other officials that stretched well into the late afternoon.
Trump popped in and out of the nearly five-hour meeting as the Republicans, who have struggled to agree on their agenda, hammered out differences in the Cabinet Room. They ended up staying so long they were served turkey-bacon sandwiches for lunch.
Trump signs order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel
Trump has signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel, a close U.S. ally.
Neither the U.S. nor Israel is a member of or recognizes the court. Israel is a close U.S. ally, and the court recently issued an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his actions toward Palestinians in Gaza after the Hamas attack against Israel in October 2023.
Trump’s order says the ICC’s actions set a “dangerous precedent.†Sanctions include blocking ICC officials from entering the United States.
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DOJ ends program seizing Russian oligarchs’ assets over Ukraine invasion
The Trump administration’s Justice Department has disbanded a Biden-era program aimed at seizing the assets of Russian oligarchs as a means to punish Russia for invading Ukraine.
The move to disband Task Force KleptoCapture is one of several moves undertaken by the Justice Department under the new leadership of Attorney General Pam Bondi that presage a different approach toward Russia and national security issues.
The department also ended the Foreign Influence Task Force, which was established in the first Trump administration to police influence campaigns staged by Russia and other nations aimed at sowing discord, undermining democracy and spreading disinformation.
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