Lobbyist for man pardoned by Trump indicted on extortion charges

2026-04-24T14:55:10.809Z / Reuters

By Luc Cohen

April 24, 2026 2:55 PM UTC Updated 54 mins ago

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The Brooklyn Federal Court building is pictured in the Brooklyn borough of New York, January 7, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

NEW YORK, April 24 (Reuters) – A lobbyist who helped a nursing home owner convicted of tax fraud secure a pardon from President Donald Trump ​has been indicted on extortion charges, court records showed.

Attorney Joshua ‌Nass, founder of lobbying firm Merkava Strategies, faces six criminal counts stemming from an attempt to extort money from three people, according to an indictment in Brooklyn ​federal court made public on Thursday evening.

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• Nass was arrested in ​March on charges of hiring someone to intimidate a former ⁠client and his son into paying him $500,000. Court papers did not identify ​the former client, but two people familiar with the matter said it ​was Joseph Schwartz, the nursing home owner who received a pardon last year.
• Court records had previously indicated that Nass was in plea talks with federal prosecutors. The ​indictment, which paves the way for Nass’ case to continue toward trial, ​signals that those talks have not resulted in an agreement.
• Nass has not entered a ‌plea. His ⁠lawyer, Henry Mazurek, said Nass had never harassed, threatened or committed violence against anyone, and that the case was “created” by the government and an informant.
• “Josh never took the government’s bait. This indictment is an attempt to ​humiliate Josh for ​doing the work ⁠of obtaining pardons for those serving long prison sentences,” Mazurek said in a statement.
• A spokesperson for the Brooklyn ​U.S. Attorney’s office declined to comment.
• Congressional lobbying records show ​Nass ⁠agreed to represent Schwartz in connection with petitioning for a pardon. Trump pardoned Schwartz on November 14, three months after he began serving a three-year prison ⁠sentence.
• Trump, ​during his second term in the White ​House, has made far earlier and more frequent use of the president’s unchecked clemency powers than ​his predecessors.

Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York, Editing by Franklin Paul

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

由于伊朗战争导致能源成本上涨，经济师预计美国联邦储备局今年只会降息一次。图为纽约市曼哈顿区一处加油站。 （法新社）

经济师上调了对美国通货膨胀的预期，并指出由于伊朗战争导致能源成本上涨，预计美国联邦储备局今年只会降息一次。

根据彭博新闻社4月的经济师调查，第二季度个人消费支出（PCE）价格指数现在料将同比上升3.6%。相比之下，3月调查得到的预测升幅为3.3%。

另外，预测人士认为，剔除了食品和能源成本的一项价格指标涨幅将超过此前预期，两项指标年内都将保持在3%或以上。他们对美联储降息时点的预测也推迟至2026年10月和2027年3月。

彭博对90名经济师开展的这项调查，于4月17日至22日期间进行。

Over a dozen Dems demand Trump admin protect Iranians living in the US

April 24, 2026 9:50am EDT / Fox News

The letter declares that ‘the Trump administration bears a moral and humanitarian responsibility to provide Iranian nationals with an immediate shield from removal.’

By Alex Nitzberg Fox News

More than a dozen Democratic lawmakers have signed onto a letter urging President Donald Trump’s administration to protect Iranians living in the U.S. who could not safely return to Iran.

“We write to urge the Trump administration to immediately institute protections for Iranian nationals currently in the United States who cannot return home safely,” the letter states.

“The Administration must not forcibly return Iranian families in the United States to Iran — where they face the dual threat of the regime’s humanitarian abuses and dangers a resumption of the war poses — and should therefore pause deportation flights and designate Iranians for temporary protection, such as Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED),” it continues.

US-IRAN CEASEFIRE DEAL HANGS IN THE BALANCE AS ISRAEL, LEBANON SLATED FOR RARE WASHINGTON TALKS

Flanked by U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari D-Az., right, speaks with members of the press outside the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 6, 2025.(BRYAN DOZIER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

The letter accuses the Trump administration of launching “attacks on Iran unlawfully, without the constitutionally required congressional authorization, plunging millions of innocent civilians into a state of insecurity, with the human cost of the conflict mounting daily.”

“Having initiated the current war with Iran, the Trump administration bears a moral and humanitarian responsibility to provide Iranian nationals with an immediate shield from removal,” the message asserts.

“The Administration should also provide assistance to Iranians in the United States while they are unable to return home, by resuming the processing of immigration benefits and expediting the issuance of work authorization documents,” the letter states.

ONCE TRUMP-ALIGNED PODCASTS ARE WARNING HE’S LOSING HIS COALITION OVER BROKEN PROMISES

U.S. President Donald Trump walks over to speak to the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on April 16, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The April 23 letter is directed to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow.

The letter is signed by Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, Sen. Alex Padilla of California, Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Sen. Adam Schiff of California, Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, and Reps. Dan Goldman of New York, Hank Johnson of Georgia, Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, Dave Min of California, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Brad Sherman of California, Lateefah Simon of California, and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton of Washington D.C.

FOX NEWS POLL: MODEST BOOST IN SUPPORT FOR IRAN CONFLICT, BUT CONCERNS PERSIST

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, talks with then-U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., as they attend President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025.(WIN MCNAMEE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House to request comment on Friday.

Rubio has yanked the lawful permanent resident status of multiple individuals with ties to the Iranian regime. For example, the State Department announced earlier this month that “the niece and grand niece of deceased Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Qasem Soleimani were arrested by federal agents following Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s termination of their lawful permanent resident (LPR) status.”

“Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter are now in the custody of U.S.Immigration and Customs Enforcement.As identified by both press reporting and her own social media commentary,Soleimani Afshar is an outspoken supporter of the totalitarian, terrorist regime in Iran,” the department noted in the April 4 notice.

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

确保能源供应稳定 白宫延长航运豁免90天至8月中旬

2026年4月24日 22:06 / 联合早报

确保能源供应稳定 白宫延长航运豁免90天至8月中旬

美国《琼斯法》航运豁免将延至8月。图为在洛杉矶长滩港的一个集装箱码头。 （路透社）

美国总统特朗普政府将一项航运豁免延长90天，让石油、燃料和化肥更容易在美国境内运输。这是白宫为应对与伊朗战争相关供应中断所采取的最新举措。

这一决定在原定于5月17日到期的现有豁免基础上再增加约三个月，使悬挂外国国旗的船只得以在美国港口之间运输大宗货物，直至8月中旬。

彭博社报道，通常情况下，根据1920年的《琼斯法》，经由水路在美国国内港口之间运输的货物，必须由悬挂美国国旗、在美国建造并由美国拥有的船舶承运。特朗普的豁免暂时取消了针对煤炭、原油、成品油、天然气、天然气液、化肥及其他能源衍生品的这些限制。

最初的豁免适用于美国海关与边境保护局认定的约659种特定产品，此次延期并未缩减所涵盖的货物范围。

白宫发言人罗杰斯说：“延长这项豁免为美国和全球经济提供了确定性和稳定性。特朗普政府已采取多项行动，以缓解能源市场的短期扰动，而此次延期将有助于确保关键能源产品、工业材料和农业必需品的供应得到维持。”

确保能源供应稳定 白宫延长航运豁免90天至8月中旬

2026年4月24日 22:06 / 联合早报

确保能源供应稳定 白宫延长航运豁免90天至8月中旬

美国《琼斯法》航运豁免将延至8月。图为在洛杉矶长滩港的一个集装箱码头。 （路透社）

美国总统特朗普政府将一项航运豁免延长90天，让石油、燃料和化肥更容易在美国境内运输。这是白宫为应对与伊朗战争相关供应中断所采取的最新举措。

这一决定在原定于5月17日到期的现有豁免基础上再增加约三个月，使悬挂外国国旗的船只得以在美国港口之间运输大宗货物，直至8月中旬。

彭博社报道，通常情况下，根据1920年的《琼斯法》，经由水路在美国国内港口之间运输的货物，必须由悬挂美国国旗、在美国建造并由美国拥有的船舶承运。特朗普的豁免暂时取消了针对煤炭、原油、成品油、天然气、天然气液、化肥及其他能源衍生品的这些限制。

最初的豁免适用于美国海关与边境保护局认定的约659种特定产品，此次延期并未缩减所涵盖的货物范围。

白宫发言人罗杰斯说：“延长这项豁免为美国和全球经济提供了确定性和稳定性。特朗普政府已采取多项行动，以缓解能源市场的短期扰动，而此次延期将有助于确保关键能源产品、工业材料和农业必需品的供应得到维持。”

瑞士外交部的声明说，瑞士正密切关注地区局势发展，并与各方保持紧密联系，愿为缓和地区局势提供支持。 （示意图 / Pexels）

瑞士宣布，在经过风险评估并与伊朗和美国磋商后，决定逐步重新开放瑞士驻伊朗大使馆。

瑞士外交部星期五（4月24日）发表声明说，一个由瑞士驻伊朗大使馆人员组成的小型团队已返回伊朗首都德黑兰，为使馆逐步恢复运作作准备，使馆其余人员将在使馆重开的评估完成后按计划返回。

新华社引述声明说，瑞士正密切关注地区局势发展，并与各方保持紧密联系，愿为缓和地区局势提供支持。

瑞士外交部3月11日发表声明说，鉴于中东局势和日益加剧的安全风险，瑞士决定暂时关闭驻伊朗大使馆。与此同时，瑞士将继续保持美伊之间的沟通渠道畅通。

美国与伊朗1980年断绝外交关系，此后，美国在伊朗的事务由瑞士驻伊朗大使馆代理。

Israel’s Netanyahu says he was treated for prostate cancer, delayed the news so Iran wouldn’t use it as “propaganda”

April 24, 2026 / 9:38 AM EDT / CBS News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was treated for early-stage prostate cancer 18 months ago, he revealed Friday, saying he delayed making the news public so Iran would not use it as “propaganda against Israel.”

In a post on X, Netanyahu said he had an early-stage malign tumor — “a tiny spot of less than a centimeter” — that was successfully removed a year and a half ago, and that he is now in “excellent physical condition.”

His annual medical report was due to be published two months ago, he added, but he “requested a delay” to prevent Iran from spreading “even more false propaganda against Israel.”

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a ceremony commemorating Israel’s Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers, in Jerusalem, on April 21, 2026. Ilia YEFIMOVICH / POOL /AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu went on to use his treatment for the condition as a metaphor for his leadership of Israel.

“You already know me,” he wrote. “When I’m given information in time about a potential danger, I want to address it immediately. This is true on the national level and also on the personal level.”

The news comes with Netanyahu set to visit the White House in the next few weeks to discuss a more sustainable peace with Iran than the current fragile ceasefire.

The Israeli prime minister has visited the White House a record six times since President Trump returned to office in early 2025.

On Thursday evening, Israel extended their ongoing U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Lebanon by a further three weeks, though Hezbollah and Israeli military forces continue to exchange fire.

瑞士外交部的声明说，瑞士正密切关注地区局势发展，并与各方保持紧密联系，愿为缓和地区局势提供支持。 （示意图 / Pexels）

瑞士宣布，在经过风险评估并与伊朗和美国磋商后，决定逐步重新开放瑞士驻伊朗大使馆。

瑞士外交部星期五（4月24日）发表声明说，一个由瑞士驻伊朗大使馆人员组成的小型团队已返回伊朗首都德黑兰，为使馆逐步恢复运作作准备，使馆其余人员将在使馆重开的评估完成后按计划返回。

新华社引述声明说，瑞士正密切关注地区局势发展，并与各方保持紧密联系，愿为缓和地区局势提供支持。

瑞士外交部3月11日发表声明说，鉴于中东局势和日益加剧的安全风险，瑞士决定暂时关闭驻伊朗大使馆。与此同时，瑞士将继续保持美伊之间的沟通渠道畅通。

美国与伊朗1980年断绝外交关系，此后，美国在伊朗的事务由瑞士驻伊朗大使馆代理。

Justice Department readopts firing squads in US federal executions

April 24, 2026 3:18 PM UTC / Reuters

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The seal of the U.S. Attorneys Office is seen during a press conference at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 22, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

April 24 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Justice said on Friday it is taking actions to strengthen the federal death penalty, including firing squads and readopting the lethal injection protocol.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has authorized seeking death sentences against nine people after the Justice Department rescinded a Biden-era moratorium on federal executions, the department said.

The Reuters Iran Briefing newsletter keeps you informed with the latest developments and analysis of the Iran war. Sign up here.

“Among the actions taken are readopting the lethal injection protocol utilized during the first Trump Administration, expanding the protocol to include additional manners of execution such as the firing squad, and streamlining internal processes to expedite death penalty cases,” it said in a statement.

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“Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Justice is once again enforcing the law and standing with victims,

特朗普排除用核武打伊 称伊朗求和机会进入“倒数计时”

2026年4月24日 22:46 / 联合早报

本摘要由AI辅助生成，仅供参考

美国总统特朗普（中）星期四在白宫椭圆形办公室告诉记者，美国有的是时间，并不急于结束与伊朗的战争。美国副总统万斯（左一）和国务卿鲁比奥当天也出席了记者会。 （彭博社）

（华盛顿综合电）美国总统特朗普表明，不动用核武打击伊朗。但他急于从战争抽身的姿态，使观察家担忧美伊新一轮协议即便达成，在伊核问题上也会相对薄弱，甚至是2015年伊核协议的倒退。

特朗普星期四（4月23日）在白宫反问记者：“既然我们已通过常规手段将他们摧毁殆尽，为何还需动用核武器？”

他称伊朗或已在两周停火期间“稍微”扩充了武器库，但美军只需一天就能将它们摧毁。

记者问他，愿意等上多长时间促成与伊朗长期的和平协议，特朗普答说：“别催我……我现在就能达成协议，但我不想那么做。我希望它能永久有效。”

特朗普同日在社媒发文称，美国并不急于结束战争，但伊朗争取和平的机会已进入“倒数计时”。

以色列防长卡茨星期四晚发表视频声明说，以军已准备好重启对伊朗的军事行动，现在“就等美国开绿灯”，彻底消灭哈梅内伊王朝，使伊朗退回黑暗的石器时代。

据美国中央司令部消息，第三艘航母布什号已于周四抵达中东。官员透露，五角大楼向中东增派部队，做好准备在谈判万一失败时为特朗普提供更多选项。

巴基斯坦政府消息人士透露，伊朗外长阿拉格齐料星期五晚间率团抵达伊斯兰堡，或与美国进行第二轮谈判。美国后勤和安全团队也已抵达伊斯兰堡，为可能的谈判做准备。

伊朗官方通讯社随后证实，阿拉格齐将于星期五访问巴基斯坦、卡塔尔和俄罗斯，但未透露是否安排与美方会谈。

特朗普急于从战争抽身 新伊核协议恐更薄弱

彭博社引述知情人士报道，特朗普急于从战争抽身，恐怕没耐性在谈判中坚持，要伊朗达成如2015年由前总统奥巴马促成的伊核协议般细致的核计划监察机制。最终协议可能只是表面宏大、实际难以执行的空壳。

欧洲对外关系委员会高级政策研究员格拉纳梅耶（Ellie Geranmayeh）指出，2015年的伊核协议“纳入了伊朗进一步履行承诺”的条款，也加强核查力度。

她认为，任何新协议都应该至少做到这点，让国际社会有更多机会实地监督伊朗。“这将是建立信任、使协议更持久的最佳途径。”

然而，伊朗已公开表明，拒绝接受2015年协议中一些最严格的条件，包括移交铀库存。多名知情人士透露，目前伊朗对核监督行动比之前更加敏感。

彭博经济研究首席经济师、前国务院官员肯尼迪（Chris Kennedy）说：“任何协议若不纳入联合国安理会与国际原子能机构，都会显得更加薄弱，因为根本无法执行。”

欧盟外交与安全政策高级代表卡拉斯也认为，如果相关谈判只围绕核问题展开，且谈判桌旁少了核问题专家，最终达成的协议，很可能还不及2015年协议。

特朗普星期四在社媒贴文中再次强调，只会与伊朗达成对美国“恰当且有利”的协议。伊朗外交部发言人则说，当前谈判与以往谈判本质不同，重心在于结束战争，而非伊核问题。

美伊继续在霍尔木兹海峡互相封锁

美伊谈判陷入僵局之际，两军继续在霍尔木兹海峡互相封锁，紧张局势持续升温。

美军星期四声称，拦截了两艘试图突破封锁线的伊朗油船。过后，一艘运载米粮的船只在伊朗革命卫队的护送下穿过阿曼海域，在伊朗靠岸。伊朗塔斯尼姆通讯社报道称，美军曾试图拦截这艘船。

美国战争部长赫格塞斯星期五说，美对伊封锁“正走向全球”，美军迄今已在霍尔木兹海峡拦截了34艘船。

星期五公布的航运数据显示，过去24小时，有五艘船通过霍尔木兹海峡，包括一艘伊朗油轮。