Changes

==Max Blumenthal==

==Max Blumenthal==

[[Independent Journalist]] [[Max Blenthal]] flew to [[Tehran]] in July 2026 to cover the funeral of [[Ayatollah Ali Khamenei]]. Upon his return to the [[United States]] he was detained by the [[Customs and Border Patrol]]. Days before he returned Loomer wrote a lengthy post on [[X]], raising questions about who paid for his trip and urging the [[Trump 2.0|Trump administration]] to arrest him. During Blumenthal’s detention, CBP officers asked questions that closely mirrored Loomer’s post. On July 14, 2026 after CBP seized two of his phones, Loomer celebrated the seizure and described him as a [[national security]] threat. Officers questioned him about his journalism, who funded his travel, whether he had been paid for interviews, and whether he planned to return to [[Iran]]. When he declined to provide the passcodes to his two phones because doing so could compromise his [[constitutional rights]] and confidential sources, an officer said the devices would be “hook[ed] up to machines” to extract their data. CBP seized the phones but left his laptop and camera untouched, despite claiming to be searching for evidence of criminal activity or child sexual material. This inconsistency suggests agents were seeking access to Blumenthal’s private contacts and protected communications, and the differential treatment he experienced compared with other American journalists on the same trip raises the specter of unlawful viewpoint discrimination.<ref>https://thegrayzone.substack.com/p/adc-sues-dhs-secretary-mullin-over</ref>

[[Independent Journalist]] [[Max Blumenthal]] flew to [[Tehran]] in July 2026 to cover the funeral of [[Ayatollah Ali Khamenei]]. Upon his return to the [[United States]] he was detained by the [[Customs and Border Patrol]]. Days before he returned Loomer wrote a lengthy post on [[X]], raising questions about who paid for his trip and urging the [[Trump 2.0|Trump administration]] to arrest him. During Blumenthal’s detention, CBP officers asked questions that closely mirrored Loomer’s post. On July 14, 2026 after CBP seized two of his phones, Loomer celebrated the seizure and described him as a [[national security]] threat. Officers questioned him about his journalism, who funded his travel, whether he had been paid for interviews, and whether he planned to return to [[Iran]]. When he declined to provide the passcodes to his two phones because doing so could compromise his [[constitutional rights]] and confidential sources, an officer said the devices would be “hook[ed] up to machines” to extract their data. CBP seized the phones but left his laptop and camera untouched, despite claiming to be searching for evidence of criminal activity or child sexual material. This inconsistency suggests agents were seeking access to Blumenthal’s private contacts and protected communications, and the differential treatment he experienced compared with other American journalists on the same trip raises the specter of unlawful viewpoint discrimination.<ref>https://thegrayzone.substack.com/p/adc-sues-dhs-secretary-mullin-over</ref>

===Hospitalization of Sen. Mitch McConnell===

===Hospitalization of Sen. Mitch McConnell===