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Iran’s war against the US and Israel is being fueled by North Korean weapons, expert warns

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The Islamic Republic of Iran’s vast missile system is the brainchild of the U.S.-designated state-sponsor of terrorism, the communist North Korea regime, which works hand in glove with Iran, according to one of the world’s leading experts on the Iran-North Korea strategic alliance.

“The missile launched at Diego Garcia was a Musudan. The Iranians bought 19 of these from the North Koreans and took delivery in 2005. They have had this capability since 2005 — and this is no ‘secret weapon,”’ Bruce Bechtol, who co-authored with Anthony Celso the groundbreaking book “Rogue Allies: The Strategic Partnership Between Iran and North Korea,” told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital reported last week that Iran significantly escalated its war effort against the U.S. with its launch of two intermediate-range ballistic missiles toward Diego Garcia—roughly 2,500 miles from Iran.

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Bechtol said, “The most important threat from Iran as the war with the United States and Israel has evolved has been the ballistic missiles, launched not only at U.S. facilities and Israeli cities, but also at neighboring Islamic countries. Thus, it is important to consider this capability and where Iran got it.”

He said, “The short-range ballistic missiles that Iran has launched at key U.S. facilities and at neighboring Arab states include a key system – the “QIAM.”  The QIAM was developed and improved with North Korean assistance… North Korea has proliferated a lot to Iran that we are seeing right now in the war.”

The joint U.S.-Israeli war against Iran’s regime, the world’s worst state-sponsor of terrorism, according to the U.S. State Department, has entered its fifth week of combat.

Bechtol, who is a professor of political science in the Department of Security Studies at Angelo State University in Texas, noted that, according to the Wisconsin Project, North Korea had constructed a large missile test facility at Emamshahr, a city in the Fars Province in Iran, and a tracking facility at Tabas in South Khorasan province.

He said that North Korea aided Iran with crucial technology “for targets farther away from Iran.”

“The North Koreans proliferated around 150 No Dong systems to Iran in the late 1990s. The Iranians were apparently very happy with the missiles the North Koreans provided them, and, following the earlier precedent of the Scud C factory, contracted with Pyongyang to build a No Dong facility in Iran.”

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Bechtol continued, “The Iranians called this “new” missile the Shahab-3. The Shahab-3 is almost an exact copy of the No Dong. Once the Shahab-3 was up and running, the North Koreans moved forward with the Iranians in improving its range and lethality.”

He said, “With assistance from the North Koreans, the Iranians were then able to produce (at the No Dong facility) the Emad and the Ghadr. The Emad has a range of 1,750 kilometers (approx 1,087 miles) and the Ghadr has a range of 1,950 kilometers (approximately 1,212 miles.) The Iranians have used these two systems to target not only Israel, but their Arab neighbors (including U.S. bases located in these countries) throughout the ongoing first stages of this conflict.”

Bechtol said that the North Koreans spawned an Iranian missile warhead that weighs a ton and a half to two tons on the powerful Khorramshahr-4. “There is another system capable of hitting Israel that has been even more lethal than any of the systems described thus far. This system is called the ‘Khorramshahr,’ and the fourth version of this system, appropriately called the ‘Khorramshahr-4,’ has been proven to carry a warhead larger than any other in Iran’s missile inventory, armed with what appears to be cluster munitions,” he said.

He described the strategic partnership, noting: “North Korea is the seller and Iran is the buyer. North Korea proliferates weapons systems, technology, parts and components, technicians, engineers and specialists and military capabilities (such as the building of underground facilities) to Iran. Iran pays North Korea with cash and oil. Simple as that.”

Bechtol said the only way to stop this is through sanctions enforcement against North Korea. “The sanctions that are needed are already on the books. But the USA and our key allies need to robustly enforce them. We need to go after banks, front companies and cyber entities in order to squeeze the money and contain or destroy the supply chain.”

He said, “More emphasis needs to be placed, and more action needs to be taken using the Proliferation Security Initiative — an underused aspect of preventing North Korea’s arms from flowing to rogue nations and terrorist groups.  If you cut off the supply chain, you cut off the proliferation.”

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‘Project Hail Mary’ author Andy Weir slams modern ‘Star Trek’ shows as ‘s—‘

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Project Hail Mary” author Andy Weir slammed modern “Star Trek” shows as “s—” while revealing that he had pitched an idea for a “Star Trek” series in the past, during a podcast released Wednesday.

“Yeah, I saw, I forgot who it was — I wish I could remember who it was who said it, some analyst — he said something like: ‘All modern science fiction TV shows and movies have been heavily influenced by the original ‘Star Trek’ — except for the current batch of ‘Star Trek’ shows,’” Weir joked on the “Critical Drinker After Hours” podcast. 

Weir, whose science-fiction novel “Project Hail Mary” was recently adapted into a successful blockbuster, told podcast host Will Jordan that he is a fan of the original “Star Trek” show, as well as “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and cheered the cancellation of the recent “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” series.

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“It’s gone, baby. It’s all gone,” Weir joked.

While Weir admitted that he was entertained by or “didn’t hate” some new “Star Trek” shows like “Strange New Worlds,” “Lower Decks” and “Enterprise,” he agreed with Jordan that the rest of the franchise shows “can go.”

Weir revealed that he once spoke to “Star Trek” producer Alex Kurtzman and other Paramount showrunners about a potential series but was ultimately turned down.

“I pitched a ‘Star Trek’ show to Paramount. I was in Zoom with the showrunners with all the shows, and I’m just pitching them my show. I spent a lot of time talking to Alex Kurtzman. I don’t like a lot of the new ‘Trek’ but I have to say he, as a person, is a really nice guy. It’s kind of interesting. I feel kind of bad for him, but at the same time, those shows are s—,” Weir said.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Paramount for comment.

“Project Hail Mary,” based on Weir’s 2021 book of the same name, opened to critical and audience acclaim on March 20 and grossed over $140 million worldwide in its opening weekend, the highest opening of the year so far.

Conservative critics have also praised the film as a return to “old school wholesome entertainment” through an uplifting story without political messaging.

Weir gave some credit for the film’s success to Amazon MGM Studios, which distributed “Project Hail Mary,” for allowing “artistic people do their job.”

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“I can’t even think of any studio — I mean, they gave notes on the cuts and stuff like that, but they weren’t up in our faces pushing us around,” Weir said. “And you know that that’s happening in the ‘Star Wars’ films and stuff like that. So I think part of the reason why [Project Hail Mary] ended up being such a good movie — I’m incredibly biased but whatever — is because the studio just let the artistic people do their job.”

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Chicago’s Brandon Johnson blasts ‘assaults against immigrants’ as slain Sheridan Gorman is laid to rest

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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the “assaults against immigrants” have to end as Sheridan Gorman was laid to rest on Saturday.

Jose Medina-Medina, 25, was arrested after he allegedly killed 18-year-old Loyola University Chicago student Sheridan Gorman on March 19 in the early morning hours. Medina-Medina is an illegal immigrant from Venezuela who first entered the U.S. in 2023, when he was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol and released into the U.S. under the Biden administration, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Johnson made the comments on MSNBC during the “No Kings” protest in Chicago on Saturday.

“We have [to] end the assaults against immigrants,” Johnson said. “We have to get active. First of all, we have to make sure that we’re participating in our democratic process. We’ve already seen election shift around this country, so things are happening. We have signed multiple executive orders to force ICE out of the city of Chicago.”

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On Tuesday at a news conference, Johnson was asked if he would apologize to the Gorman family for the city’s immigration policies.

“Will you take this opportunity to apologize to Sheridan’s parents for the policies that you have promoted, that have directly caused her death? That suspect would not be in the city, would not be in the country, but for your policies. Will you take this opportunity to apologize?” a reporter asked.

“Once again, I believe that we’re all grieving the loss of Sheridan and other folks who have lost their lives because of senseless violence,” Johnson responded. “And let’s just be very clear, between the SAFE-T Act and the welcoming city ordinance, the welcoming city ordinance was passed 40 years ago by the first Black mayor in the history of Chicago, and the SAFE-T Act was passed under the governor at that time, who was a Republican.”

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“There’s no words that one could express that could properly console a family that lost their baby. And my condolences to the Gorman family,” Johnson said during a news conference on Tuesday.

As Johnson made the comments at the “No Kings” protest, Gorman’s family laid her to rest and held a memorial service in Yorktown Heights, New York.

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Gorman’s family vowed to fight for justice on Saturday during a memorial service and vigil.

“I want to say this gently, but honestly, as a mom. I’m angry,” Jessica Gorman said. “I’m like completely heartbroken, and we are going to fight for justice for our sweet Sheridan, and we’re going to fight for change.”

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“At the heart of all of this, we all want the same thing — for your children and for ours to be safe, to be protected, and to come home,” Gorman’s mother added. “Because, at the end of the day, that’s what this is all about. All of our kids, every single one of them, protecting them, loving them, showing up for them. And that is how we honor her.”

Thomas Tripodianos, an attorney for the Gorman family, said during a vigil that young people should feel safe.

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“If we accept this, even silently, then we are accepting a reality where young people are not as safe as they should be. And that is not acceptable,” Tripodianos said. “And there must be justice. Real justice.”

Gorman’s family previously criticized Johnson’s remarks on their daughter’s death, saying her death can’t be “reduced to a ‘senseless tragedy.'”

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“What happened to Sheridan cannot be reduced to a ‘senseless tragedy,’ nor can it be explained in general terms about public safety. Sheridan was our daughter. She was 18 years old. She was doing something entirely normal—walking near her campus with friends. She should be here,” the Gorman family said regarding recent comments by Johnson. “We will not allow Sheridan’s life to be reduced to a talking point or a generalization. We expect leadership that is willing to confront hard truths and ensure that what happened to her does not happen again.”

Medina-Medina was ordered by a judge to remain in jail on Friday after prosecutors alleged he was hiding behind a Rogers Park lighthouse before the shooting. Gorman, who was with her friends at the time on the pier, looked behind the lighthouse and saw Medina-Medina there. Gorman then walked back towards her friends and mouthed “there’s a man behind the lighthouse,” at which point Medina-Medina allegedly began chasing them.

While the group of people were running away, prosecutors said Gorman was shot in the upper back. Her friends kept running until they found a place to hide, then went back to check on Gorman, who was unresponsive.

While Medina-Medina was in Colombia, he was shot in the head, which resulted in the loss of a portion of his brain and skull, leaving him to relearn basic functions, his attorney said. Medina-Medina’s attorney said that he has the brain development of a child and cannot read or write.

Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson’s office for comment.

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Karoline Leavitt blasts NYT ballroom coverage, calls out critics who ‘never built anything’

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted The New York Times over a piece about the new White House ballroom that describes the plans as “unnecessarily big” and “very tall” in an interactive image of the ballroom plans.

The New York Times had three random people who have ‘studied fine arts,’ ‘long written about urban planning,’ and never built anything to write an article criticizing the new White House ballroom. President Trump and his lead architect have built world-class buildings around the world, and they are ensuring the People’s House finally has a beautiful ballroom that’s been needed for decades — at no expense to the taxpayer,” she wrote on X.

The piece was written by a trained architect, a person who “studied fine arts,” as well as someone who has “long written about urban planning,” according to The Times.

The article showcased an interactive image of the ballroom that included red arrows and circles critiquing the structure. One circle on the roof of the ballroom design image said it was “unnecessarily big,” as another arrow highlighting the height of the design read, “very tall.”

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Another arrow pointed to “faux windows on the north side.”

Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokesperson for The New York Times, issued a statement on X in response to Leavitt.

“Our article is based on interviews with architects, current and former government officials, and historical preservationists. It relies on public documentation of the building plans, and it quotes White House officials involved in the planning of the new ballroom. Compared with other major projects in Washington, this one has had little time for public review, and experts warn the design has many issues. We’re confident in the accuracy of our story,” the statement read.

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The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for additional comment. The New York Times pointed Fox News Digital to the statement they posted on X.

Marc Thiessen, a columnist for The Washington Post, called it “embarrassing” for The New York Times.

The Washington Examiner’s Tim Carney posted a photo of the New York Times building and used comments from the outlet’s article on the ballroom to describe the New York City building.

The Washington Free Beacon’s Jon Levine argued that there was no way The New York Times would publish something positive about the ballroom.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that the military is constructing a “massive complex” beneath a planned White House ballroom, which he said will feature bulletproof glass and drone-proof protections while being funded entirely by private donors.

The project, which Trump said is designed to accommodate large events and guests, would expand capacity at the White House, where he said existing rooms are too small for major gatherings.

“The military is building a massive complex under the ballroom, and that’s under construction, and we’re doing very well,” Trump said.

The president responded to the critique of the windows from The New York Times report, and said during his remarks on Sunday, “We have no fake windows.”

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