Salem News Channel

The death toll from Venezuela's devastating earthquakes has climbed to at least 164, with authorities warning the number is expected to rise as rescue crews continue searching through collapsed buildings. Officials say nearly 1,000 people have been injured following the powerful 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes, which struck just hours apart and caused widespread destruction across northern Venezuela. The coastal state of La Guaira is among the hardest-hit areas, where emergency crews are using heavy equipment, search dogs, and specialized rescue teams to locate survivors trapped beneath the rubble. Thousands of residents have been displaced, and hospitals are treating a steady stream of injured victims. Authorities say the earthquakes damaged homes, roads, bridges, and public buildings, complicating rescue efforts and slowing the delivery of emergency aid to affected communities. Seismologists say the twin earthquakes are among the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century, prompting widespread power outages and infrastructure damage across several regions. The Venezuelan government has declared a national emergency and is coordinating relief efforts with international aid organizations as search-and-rescue operations continue. Officials say their priority remains locating survivors and providing shelter, food, and medical care to those impacted by the disaster.

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An oil tanker has successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz using a new shipping route near Oman, marking another sign that commercial traffic is beginning to recover despite ongoing tensions in the region. The transit comes as threats from Iran's Revolutionary Guard continue, even as the United States and Iran work under an interim peace agreement aimed at ending months of conflict. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important energy corridors, carrying a significant share of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. Commercial traffic through the waterway had slowed dramatically during the conflict, raising concerns about global energy supplies and fuel prices. Under the interim agreement, Washington and Tehran have 60 days to negotiate a permanent settlement. Key issues still unresolved include Iran's nuclear program, sanctions relief, and security guarantees in the region. At the same time, renewed fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon has complicated diplomatic efforts, with the violence emerging as a major sticking point in broader regional negotiations. Shipping companies continue to monitor security conditions closely, but the successful transit is being viewed as an encouraging sign that maritime commerce through the strategic waterway may gradually return to normal if the ceasefire holds.

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Vermont has become the first state in the country to ban paraquat, a widely used herbicide, over concerns about possible links to Parkinson’s disease. Supporters of the ban say the move is a major step for public health and could encourage other states to consider similar restrictions on the chemical. Paraquat is commonly used by farmers to control weeds, but it has faced growing scrutiny from health advocates and researchers who have raised concerns about long-term exposure risks. Some farmers oppose the ban, warning it could increase production costs and make crop management more difficult. The Environmental Protection Agency says it is still reviewing paraquat’s safety at the federal level. Vermont’s ban is set to take effect in November, though some farmers will have until 2030 to fully phase out use of the herbicide.

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Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold has been arrested in connection with an alleged kidnapping and armed robbery in Florida, where prosecutors say he played a leading role in a violent retaliation plot. Authorities in Tampa say the 23-year-old is facing eight felony charges, including four counts of armed robbery and four counts of kidnapping. Investigators allege Arnold orchestrated the February attack after believing three men had stolen more than $250,000 in cash and valuables from an Airbnb he was renting. Police later determined the victims were not responsible for the theft. According to investigators, Arnold allegedly coordinated the assault with several accomplices, who held the victims at gunpoint, beat them, and stole their belongings. Six other suspects have already been arrested in the case, with two pleading guilty and four awaiting trial. Arnold turned himself in to authorities Wednesday and is expected to make his first court appearance Thursday. If convicted on the kidnapping charges, he could face life in prison under Florida law. Through his representative, Arnold has denied all allegations, calling the case unsupported and arguing prosecutors are relying on testimony from convicted felons who have incentives to shift blame. The Detroit Lions acknowledged the arrest but declined further comment, citing the ongoing legal process.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump launched celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary with a rally on Washington’s National Mall, opening the 16-day Great American State Fair. The event marks the start of 16 days of festivities honoring the nation’s 1776 founding, with themed days celebrating the military, health initiatives, patriotism and Independence Day as the country begins commemorating its semiquincentennial.

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Larry Elder discusses the impact of socialism on American education and society, highlighting how it undermines the principles that have made the nation prosperous and powerful. He emphasizes the troubling trend of educators who do not understand the country's history, values, and foundational documents, leading to a generation ill-prepared to lead. Elder criticizes the notion of wealth redistribution, pointing out the unfairness of penalizing those who have worked hard and saved to achieve success. He argues that such policies disrespect the efforts of hardworking individuals and threaten the very foundations of American prosperity and freedom.

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Socialists Are Taking Over the Democrat Party

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WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte sought to calm tensions with President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, using a mix of flattery and gentle pushback to argue that examples of allies' reluctance to support the U.S. war with Iran were "isolated cases." The NATO chief is visiting Washington to try to ease strains over the Iran war and U.S. threats to draw down troops in Europe ahead of a pivotal NATO leaders' summit in July in Ankara. Trump, a longtime NATO critic who has called the alliance a "paper tiger," has been angered by its reluctance to support the U.S. in the Middle East conflict or help reopen the Strait of Hormuz after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28 disrupted the major oil shipping route. During the Oval Office meeting, Rutte used cardboard charts to show how much NATO countries have stepped up their defense spending since Trump first came into office in 2017. He also said thousands of U.S. military planes had operated from bases in Europe during the war, pointing to that cooperation as a sign of the allies' support. "I know there have been isolated cases about which you are really disappointed, but generally speaking your European allies have been there," Rutte said. Trump appeared largely unconvinced, though he praised Rutte's efforts. "You really have done a good job, and I think if anybody else were in that position, we wouldn't even be meeting today, to be honest with you, because we were let down. We didn't need help on this at all," Trump said. One of Rutte's primary roles since Trump's second election victory in November 2024 has been managing the president's hostility toward the alliance and preventing tense moments, including Trump's push to acquire Greenland, from spiraling into lasting crises. Tensions between Washington and NATO have escalated in recent months. After NATO allies refused to back Trump's Iran campaign, which he began without prior consultation, Trump openly questioned whether the U.S. should stand by NATO’s mutual defense pact and said he was considering leaving the alliance.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has berated Senate Republicans during his visit to the Capitol for allowing a vote to block his war in Iran, further escalating a feud that has diverted GOP efforts to focus on election-year affordability issues and brought much of the chamber’s business to a halt. Trump had signaled ahead of time that he would use the closed-door meeting to push senators to pass his proof-of-citizenship voting bill. But the conversation was more focused on Tuesday’s vote to approve the war powers resolution, a mostly symbolic measure that allows Congress to rebuke the administration’s military actions.

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TEL AVIV/DUBAI June 24 (Reuters) - The United States' top diplomat sought backing from sceptical Gulf allies on Wednesday for President Donald Trump's deal with Iran to end their war, while in another challenge to the accord, Israel insisted it would keep troops in southern Lebanon. The U.S. and Iran signed an initial accord last week to end a war that has upended the Middle East and pressured global economies with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a transit point for a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies. Under the deal, the strait is now slowly reopening and on Wednesday benchmark oil prices fell more than $3 to their lowest level since before the war started as supply concerns eased further. But conflicting accounts have emerged over elements of the deal, which has prompted criticism of Trump at home and in the Middle East. Financial incentives for Iran, control of the Strait of Hormuz and Israel's parallel war in Lebanon have all been disputed, highlighting the fragility of the accord. "We're winning by a lot. Iran is making very big concessions," Trump told reporters on Wednesday. Speaking in Kuwait City, the second stopover in a tour of three Gulf nations, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. was "completely aligned with our partners in the Gulf". "We're not going to do anything that undermines the security of our allies, our longstanding allies in the region," he told reporters before heading to Bahrain. Rubio also reiterated the Trump administration's opposition to Iran's demand to charge tolls on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, something also opposed by Washington's Gulf allies. REGIONAL SCEPTICISM The proposed peace deal has been met with scepticism in the Middle East, where many states came under attack from Iran during the war and view the accord as too generous to Tehran, including a $300 billion fund and the waiver of some sanctions. Washington's Gulf allies fear the reconstruction fund could help Iran to rebuild its military, while the accord also does not address Tehran's ballistic missile capacity. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz both stressed again on Wednesday that Israel would not pull troops out of southern Lebanon, where they say they have created a security zone to protect residents of northern Israel. "The IDF is prepared ... and we are not retreating. We announced that in any case we are not withdrawing, and as of this moment — and this is a political achievement — there is no American demand for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon," Katz said in an onstage interview at a conference in Tel Aviv. He made his comments as Lebanon and Israel discuss a U.S.-backed proposal at talks in Washington for Israeli forces to pull out of some of the territory it invaded in the war and hand it to Lebanese-army control. Israel has been battling Hezbollah in Lebanon since the militant group attacked Israel on March 2 in support of Iran, and Tehran has made a cessation of hostilities there a central tenet of its demands in any peace deal with the U.S. "For us, a ceasefire in Lebanon is as important as a ceasefire in Iran, and further, an end to the war in Lebanon is as important as an end to the war in Iran," Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Wednesday. An Israeli drone strike on a car in southern Lebanon killed at least two people on Wednesday, Lebanese security and medical sources told Reuters. The Israeli military told Reuters it was checking the reports. Earlier, it said its air force had struck two armed Hezbollah fighters near a zone controlled by Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. It was not immediately clear if the incidents were the same. IRAN SLAMS U.S. 'MILITARISM' Rubio held a working lunch on Wednesday with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan before moving on to Kuwait. He was also due to visit Bahrain. Kuwait and Bahrain host strategic U.S. military bases, and both were hit by an onslaught of Iranian missiles, resulting in civilian deaths and a heavy economic toll. Responding to Rubio's comments in Kuwait, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on X: "We can't have a peaceful region so long as American militarism and interventionism persist, and their occupying proxy (Israel) continues, with absolute impunity, to inflict endless wars across the region and perpetrate genocide..." The interim accord signed by the U.S. and Iran paved the way for 60 days of talks aimed at hammering out thornier details, including issues related to Iran's nuclear programme. A first round of talks between high-ranking U.S. and Iranian officials in Switzerland ended on Monday. Rubio said on Wednesday that technical negotiators would resume their talks at the end of the month, most likely also in Switzerland. Divergent reports have emerged on agreed provisions relating to Iran's nuclear programme. Trump said preventing Tehran from building a nuclear weapon was the central reason for starting the war on February 28. Iran has said it has no plans to do so. Iran pushed back again on Wednesday after Trump said it had agreed to nuclear inspections into "infinity" as part of the initial accord. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi reiterated on X that no meeting was held in Switzerland with International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi, despite Grossi's request, and said there were currently no plans to grant access to nuclear facilities that had been attacked or to nuclear materials. He said such issues would be considered only within the framework of a final agreement and after the U.S. took practical steps to lift all sanctions on Iran.

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The Liberal Reaction to UFC White House 250 Event highlights the stark contrast in perspectives surrounding the UFC event held at the White House, which attracted a massive audience of 15.26 million viewers in the U.S. and an additional 1.67 million from Latin America. The discussion centers on the overwhelming positive reaction from conservatives who saw it as a grand, patriotic celebration of America, contrasting sharply with the negative commentary from some liberal voices. The panel explores how the UFC event on the National Mall, complete with a flyover by the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds, was perceived as an extravagant and jubilant tribute to the nation. The conversation also touches on the thwarted terror plot by a Mexican national, raising questions about security under different administrations. The segment delves into the divisive reactions, including a Boston College professor’s controversial comparison of the event to a lynching, illustrating the deep ideological rifts in American society. Moreover, the discussion sheds light on the implications of AI-generated misinformation, exemplified by a fabricated exchange purportedly between Eric Trump and a UFC fighter, which went viral despite being debunked. The panel emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and media literacy in navigating the current landscape of online disinformation, especially as we approach significant political events like the midterm and presidential elections.

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Socialism Is Dangerous to the USA

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Tensions Are High for Trump 

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This episode of the Carl Jackson Show is a must-listen for anyone concerned about the state of our nation and the world. The host dives into a shocking report from the UK that reveals the extent of the grooming gang scandal, where over 250,000 young girls were sexually abused by predominantly Muslim Pakistani gangs. The report highlights the catastrophic institutional failure that enabled these crimes for decades, with the government turning a blind eye and even destroying evidence. The host also discusses the resignation of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is accused of letting 13,000 suspected Muslim rapists and pedophiles off with warning letters when he was Director of Public Prosecutions. The host questions how someone like Starmer can claim to be a champion of justice and equality while allowing such atrocities to occur. The conversation also touches on the dangers of woke ideology and its impact on our society, including the censorship of free speech and the erosion of our values. The host also shares a powerful testimony from an Iranian-American woman who escaped Sharia law and warns about the dangers of Islamic extremism in the West. Her words are a stark reminder of the importance of protecting our freedom and way of life. If you're concerned about the direction of our country and the world, you won't want to miss this episode of the Carl Jackson Show. The host's passionate and insightful commentary will leave you feeling informed and motivated to take action. Listen now to hear the full discussion and learn how you can make a difference. Follow Carl Jackson: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carljacksonradio X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/carljacksonshow Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecarljacksonshow Website: http://www.TheCarlJacksonShow.com Store: https://CarlJacksonStore.com

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Goodbye, New York

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Socialism Sweeps in New York

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has arrived at the Capitol for lunch with Senate Republicans, hours after he called off a signing ceremony for a housing bill. Trump said Wednesday that he won't sign the housing bill until Congress sends him a bill to require proof of citizenship for all voters. Trump made the announcement on social media, just before he was set to arrive at the Capitol for a signing ceremony. Republicans had been hoping to use the housing bill as a selling point to voters ahead of the elections, and GOP senators were eager for a conciliatory luncheon with the president. But the Trump upended their plans.

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June 24 (Reuters) - The operators of Camp Mystic, where 28 campers and staff members died in catastrophic flooding in Texas last year, filed for bankruptcy protection on Wednesday. The company in charge of the camp cited total debts between $10 million and $50 million, and assets that were between $1 and $10 million, in a Chapter 11 petition filed in Houston, Texas, bankruptcy court. Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls, said in April that it had decided not to open this summer after previously seeking approval from state regulators to do so. Families of victims of last summer's camp flooding testified in April before the Texas Legislature and called for ?closure ?of the camp. The deaths came after heavy downpours in Texas Hill Country transformed the Guadalupe ?River ?into a killer torrent on July 4, 2025. Widespread flash flooding in the region that morning and in the following days killed nearly 140 people in the sixth-deadliest freshwater flood disaster in the United States. The camp did not have written emergency evacuation plans and poorly trained its staff, according to a report released by the Texas Legislature last week. Camp Mystic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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The results from the Tuesday Republican runoff for Governor in the State of South Carolina are in. In South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson beating Lieutenant Governor Pam Evette for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. Wilson winning by an almost a 2-to-1 margin. President Trump initially endorsed Evette in the first round when 3 other candidates including Congresswoman Nancy Mace were eliminated. President Trump then took to his Truth Social page and endorsed Evette and Wilson saying "it's a wealth of riches with either...you can't go wrong."

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BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge has permanently barred President Donald Trump’s administration from implementing most of his first executive order on elections. It includes provisions that would have required people to show documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and prevented mail ballots from counting if they are received after Election Day. The ruling on Wednesday by U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper effectively makes permanent a preliminary order she issued a year ago. Casper agreed with arguments from Democratic attorneys general who filed the lawsuit that the Constitution gives states and Congress, not the president, the power to regulate elections.

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