Category: Agrees

Hamas Agrees To Free Edan Alexander, Last Living U.S. Hostage

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 07: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, poses for photos with the family of Edan Alexander at Ohel Chabad Lubavitch on October 07, 2024 in New York City. Trump commemorated the one-year anniversary of October 7th by visiting to Ohel Chabad Lubavitch, the final resting place of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson the Rebbe, with the family of Edan Alexander, who was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th, in attendance. On October 7, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from Gaza by land, sea, and air, killing more than 1,200 people and taking Israeli soldiers and civilians hostage. To date, there are over 90 people still being held hostage by Hamas. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, poses for photos with the family of Edan Alexander at Ohel Chabad Lubavitch on October 07, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

OAN Staff James Meyers
7:27 AM – Friday, March 14, 2025

Terrorist group Hamas said Friday that they would be releasing the last living American hostage Edan Alexander.

The 21-year-old New Jersey native will be the only living hostage in the next release, which will include the bodies of four dual-nationals who died in captivity, the terror group said, as negotiations have led to talks of the second phase of a ceasefire deal with Israel.

However, it wasn’t immediately clear when the transfer would take place, or which parties participated in negotiating the deal.

Alexander, who enlisted in the Israeli army, was 19 when he was taken from his base in southern Israel during the October 7th terrorist attack that sparked the war.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has been calling for his release as a “top priority.”

“Edan Alexander is very important to us — as all the hostages are — but Edan Alexander is an American, and he’s injured, so he’s a top priority for us,” Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said just last week.

In recent days, meetings between Hamas leaders and U.S. hostage negotiator Adam Boehler were focused on getting him released from captivity.

This also comes after the White House made a surprise announcement last week, saying that American officials had been engaging in “ongoing talks and discussions” with Hamas officials, which went away from a long-standing U.S. policy of not directly engaging with terrorists.

Nevertheless, Hamas’ Friday announcement comes as talks have continued in Qatar to try to get to the next stage of the ceasefire.

The U.S., Qatar, and Egypt have been trying to reconcile differences between the terrorist group and the Jewish State to restart negotiations in order to release the remaining hostages that are being held in Hamas captivity and deliver aid into the war-battered area.

On March 2nd, Israel blocked the entry of aid trucks into Gaza as a standoff over the truce escalated, with Hamas calling on mediators to intervene.

Since January 19th, the fighting in Gaza has been put on pause under the first phase of the three-phase ceasefire deal.

Currently, Hamas has exchanged 33 Israeli hostages and five Thais for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

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Russia Agrees To Work With Trump On Iranian Nuclear Talks

A picture taken on November 10, 2019, shows workers on a construction site in Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant during an official ceremony to kick-start works for a second reactor at the facility. - Bushehr is Iran's only nuclear power station and is currently running on imported fuel from Russia that is closely monitored by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)
A picture taken on November 10, 2019, shows workers on a construction site in Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant during an official ceremony to kick-start works for a second reactor at the facility. (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN Staff Blake Wolf
11:03 AM – Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly agreed to work with the United States on communicating with Iran regarding its nuclear program, as well as its regional proxies.

The report was confirmed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who stated that “Russia believes that the United States and Iran should resolve all problems through negotiations.”

Peskov added that Moscow “is ready to do everything in its power to achieve this.”

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has relayed mixed messages about his stance on Iran, vowing to apply “maximum pressure,” while also stating that he plans on working on a “verified nuclear peace agreement with Iran.”

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, stated that it is “natural” for countries to offer help with various issues, given the significance and the current political climate in the Middle East.

“It’s possible that many parties will show good will and readiness to help with various problems,” he stated on Monday. “From this perspective, it’s natural that countries will present an offer of help if it’s needed.”

The talks between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Saudi Arabia on February 18th regarding the Ukraine war also reportedly included conversations surrounding Moscow potentially facilitating talks between the U.S. and Iran.

However, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated in February that President Trump cannot be trusted following the withdrawal of the nuclear agreement between the U.S. and Iran, signed by former President Barack Obama.

The Obama-era deal curbed Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions placed on Iran.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Russia has strengthened its ties with Iran, signing a strategic cooperation treaty in January, signaling a long-term alignment.

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El Salvador Agrees To Accept Deported Migrants Under New U.S. Deal, Including Criminals

Inmates look on as they remain in a cell at the Counter-Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) mega-prison, where hundreds of members of the MS-13 and 18 Street gangs are being held, in Tecoluca, El Salvador on January 27, 2025. The CECOT, the largest prison in Latin America and emblem of the war against gangs of the government of President Nayib Bukele, celebrates two years since it was inaugurated on February 1. (Photo by Marvin RECINOS / AFP) (Photo by MARVIN RECINOS/AFP via Getty Images)
Inmates look on as they remain in a cell at the Counter-Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) mega-prison, where hundreds of members of the MS-13 and 18 Street gangs are being held, in Tecoluca, El Salvador on January 27, 2025. The CECOT, the largest prison in Latin America and emblem of the war against gangs of the government of President Nayib Bukele, celebrates two years since it was inaugurated on February 1. (Photo by MARVIN RECINOS/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN Staff James Meyers
10:34 AM – Tuesday, February 4, 2025

El Salvador has agreed to take in violent U.S. criminals who are currently in jails and prisons. They have also agreed to accept deportees of any nationality.

Monday’s announcement came after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele during his visit to the nation. 

Rubio said the Salvadoran president had “agreed to the most unprecedented, extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world.”

The former Florida Senator said that, in addition to taking deportees, El Salvador had “also offered to do the same for dangerous criminals currently in custody and serving their sentences in the United States, even though they’re U.S. citizens or legal residents.”

He made the announcement when he was visiting El Salvador. He went to the country to help push its government to help meet Trump administration demands for cracking down on immigration. 

“President Bukele agreed to take back all Salvadoran MS-13 gang members who are in the United States unlawfully.”

Additionally, Bukele promised to accept and incarcerate violent illegal immigrants, including members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, but also criminal illegal migrants from any country," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement. 

“And in an extraordinary gesture never before extended by any country, President Bukele offered to house in his jails dangerous American criminals, including U.S. citizens and legal residents,” Bruce added. 

Bruce called it a “tremendously successful meeting that will make both countries stronger, safer, and more prosperous.”

However, it is unclear whether the U.S. government will take up the offer as there are questions around the legality of such moves. Any effort by the Trump administration to deport incarcerated U.S. nationals to another country would face significant legal pushback.

El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, commonly referred to as CECOT, is the country’s largest and newest prison, with a maximum capacity of 40,000 inmates.

“The fee would be relatively low for the U.S. but significant for us, making our entire prison system sustainable,” he added.

Additionally, the State Department’s travel advisory for El Salvador also warns that those imprisoned in the country face “harsh” prison conditions and zero access to due process. 

“Overcrowding constitutes a serious threat to prisoners’ health and lives,” the advisory said. “In many facilities, provisions for sanitation, potable water, ventilation, temperature control, and lighting are inadequate or nonexistent.”

Meanwhile, Trump signed an executive order in January specifically naming MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, citing their “campaigns of violence and terror in the United States and internationally” as threats to “the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere.”

The order also included a recommendation that the State Department start the process of designating Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization. 

Last Friday, the U.S. special envoy for Latin America Mauricio Claver-Carone alluded to an agreement between the U.S. and El Salvador, saying Tren de Aragua members “will want to go back to Venezuela rather than having to share a prison with Salvadorean gangs like MS-13. That’s part of what we want to discuss and how President Bukele can help us.”

This comes after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said they would push ahead with a massive round of border security measures after crisis talks with President Donald Trump on Monday. 

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Manhattan DA Bragg Agrees To Postpone Trump’s Sentencing, But ‘Not Dropping’ Case

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 13: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump arrives at a House Republicans Conference meeting at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. As is tradition with incoming presidents, Trump is traveling to Washington, DC to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House as well as meet with Republican congressmen on Capitol Hill. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump arrives at a House Republicans Conference meeting at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Abril Elfi
11:34 AM – Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg has agreed to postpone President-elect Donald Trump’s sentencing in his so-called “hush money” case. However, he has not dropped the case and maintains that he doesn’t plan to.

On Tuesday, Bragg stated in a letter to Judge Juan Merchan that Trump is not likely to be sentenced “until after the end of [the] Defendant’s upcoming presidential term.” However, he did assert that the felony conviction should stand, in his opinion.

“No current law establishes that a president’s temporary immunity from prosecution requires dismissal of a post-trial criminal proceeding that was initiated at a time when the defendant was not immune from criminal prosecution and that is based on official conduct for which the defendant is also not immune,” the district attorney’s office wrote.

A New York court found Trump guilty of 34 felonies related to allegedly manipulating business records pertaining to a $130,000 payment made by his former attorney, Michael Cohen, to porn star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 election. Trump has pleaded not guilty in the case and maintains that he never had sexual relations with Daniels.

Trump had been scheduled to be sentenced on November 26th, but last week, Merchan put all proceedings in the case on pause at the request of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office.

“Merchan can move to either delay Trump’s sentencing until after he leaves the White House, could dismiss the conviction outright, or could grant a sentence of unconditional discharge, which would leave the conviction intact but free Trump from any prison time, fines, or probation,” Fox News reported.

Prosecutors had asked for more time to consider the next steps in the case, citing the need to balance the “competing interests” between having the criminal case go forward and protecting the office of the incoming president-elect.

Meanwhile, Trump’s defense lawyers have urged the judge to dismiss the case due to the “unconstitutional impediments” to his ability to govern. 

He also argued that the conviction should be vacated and the charges dismissed because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in July that presidents cannot be prosecuted over their official acts, and that evidence of their official acts cannot be used in trials over personal behavior.

In a statement responding to Bragg’s decision, Trump spokesman Steven Cheung called the filing “a total and definitive victory for President Trump.”

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Strike Suspended, Dockworkers Agree To Delay Walkout

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 03: An aerial view of the Dundalk Marine Terminal October 03, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. Dockworkers with the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) at 36 major ports on the East Coast and Gulf region walked off the job earlier this week, kicking off the first nationwide strike by the ILA since 1977, after the union failed to reach a contract agreement with port ownership. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
An aerial view of the Dundalk Marine Terminal October 03, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. Dockworkers with the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) at 36 major ports on the East Coast and Gulf region walked off the job earlier this week, kicking off the first nationwide strike by the ILA since 1977, after the union failed to reach a contract agreement with port ownership. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Sophia Flores
4:15 PM – Thursday, October 3, 2024

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/strike-suspended-dockworkers-agree-to-delay-walkout/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

Striking members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) have agreed to return to work for the time being.

On Thursday, sources announced that the two sides had reached a tentative agreement on wages and that they had agreed to extend the master contract until January 15th.

Thousands of dockworkers abruptly walked off the job early on Tuesday morning.

ILA has around 50,000 members working at a number of ports. The ports stretch all the way from Maine to Texas.

The two-day walkout disrupted sales of American businesses overseas, as well as the majority flow of containerized imports and exports into the United States.

The last time East Coast and Gulf Coast workers went on strike was back in 1977. The strike lasted seven weeks.  

This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.

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BREAKING: Port strike suspended, ILA agrees to 62% wage hike

A union representing 45,000 striking U.S. dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports has reached a deal to suspend their strike until Jan. 15 to provide time to negotiate a new contract, a person briefed on the matter said. The union, the International Longshoremen's Association, is to resume working immediately, at least until January, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement has yet to be signed. The agreement will allow the union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents shippers and ports, time to negotiate a new six-year contract. The person also said both sides reached agreement on wage increases, but details weren't available. The union went on strike early Tuesday after its contract expired in a dispute over pay and the automation of tasks at ports from Maine to Texas. The strike came at the peak of the holiday shopping season at 36 ports that handle about half the cargo from ships coming in and out of the United States. The walkout raised the risk of shortages of goods on store shelves if it lasted more than a few weeks. But most retailers have stocked up or shipped items early in anticipation of a work stoppage. A joint statement released Thursday said both sides "reached a tentative agreement on wages and have agreed to extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues." Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume."

Alleged 9/11 mastermind agrees to plead guilty | LiveNOW from FOX~U.S. Defense Austin Secretary Withdraws From Plea Deal

The Department of Defense said Wednesday that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of al-Qaida’s Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, agreed to plead guilty to avoid the death penalty. Mohammed and two accomplices, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, are expected to enter pleas at the military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as soon as next week. Authorities captured Mohammed in 2003.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis: Biden administration is 'not serious about national security'

"Saturday Report" host Rita Cosby spoke with Rep. Nicole Malliotakis about the 9/11 plea deal that was originally pursued and expressed her support for it being revoked.

U.S. Defense Austin Secretary Withdraws From Plea Deal With 9/11 Mastermind

Wikipedia • The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. That morning, 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners scheduled to travel from the East Coast to California.

The US has scrapped the plea deal with 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his two accomplices Walid bin Attash & Mustafa al-Hawsawi. According to reports, the trio had agreed to plead guilty in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin withdrew from the plea deal in a memorandum to Susan Escallier, who is the convening authority for military commissions. The decision comes after outrage over the plea deal, criticised by victims' families and Congress members. The case against the 9/11 terror attack accused has been dragging on for years. The terror attack on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, killed nearly 3,000.

9/11 Attack Survivor on ESCAPING the WORLD TRADE CENTER | Giovanni Renteria

Sep 12, 2023

On the morning of September 11, 2001 Morgan Stanley employee Giovanni Renteria was attending a training seminar on the 64th floor in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. During a short break, Renteria headed to the ground floor and as he was exiting the building noticed a large amount of debris falling from the North Tower. The remnants of American Airlines Flight 11. Rushing back inside the building, Renteria and his fellow co-workers stood in the lobby of the South Tower trying to game plan what to do next. It was then that the South Tower was hit by United Airlines Flight 175 and September 11, 2001 turned into a harrowing day of survival for Giovanni Renteria.