The United States fought a War of Independence beginning in 1775 to become an independent nation, a full year before the Declaration of Independence was even drafted. Today, we are a federal republic in which citizens vote directly for their legislators and, through the Electoral College, for the president. No unelected authority in Europe should ever have sovereignty over the United States. Neither Brussels, Geneva, nor The Hague should be able to dictate the actions of U.S. citizens within U.S. borders or direct American foreign policy.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on July 13 that the United States would dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to US sovereignty. The announcement came in a State Department release, a video statement, and a Wall Street Journal op-ed in which Rubio wrote that the US would “dismantle the ICC”, “brick by brick, if necessary,” using “all the tools at our government’s disposal.”

The State Department said the campaign will feature a “whole-of-government response” to systematically disable the ICC’s ability to operate, target American service members or officials, or otherwise threaten American sovereignty. The statement said the ICC “poses an intolerable threat to US sovereignty” because it claims authority to prosecute American servicemen and officials, and noted that all American presidents since the court’s founding have maintained that the ICC lacks jurisdiction over Americans.

Concrete steps outlined by the State Department include travel bans and visa revocations for ICC personnel, increased sanctions on the court and affiliated organizations, and pressure on allied nations to withdraw from the Rome Statute or cut off support for the court. The Wall Street Journal op-ed also said Washington would watch closely which nations join it against the court, and that countries relying on the US security umbrella are being called on to reject the ICC’s authority.

The US has never ratified the Rome Statute, the 2002 treaty that created the ICC. The American Servicemembers’ Protection Act of 2002, passed under the Bush administration, already authorizes the use of US military force to free American or allied personnel detained by the ICC, a provision sometimes called the “Hague Invasion Act.”

The first Trump administration sanctioned the ICC prosecutor in 2020 over the court’s investigation into alleged crimes in Afghanistan involving US personnel, according to Just Security.

The current campaign follows the ICC’s issuance of arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza, which prompted Trump to sign an executive order sanctioning the ICC and its officials, including chief prosecutor Karim Khan, according to Novara Media. The same report noted that the administration has welcomed the ICC’s investigation into Russian conduct in Ukraine while opposing its investigations into Israeli conduct in Gaza and US conduct in Afghanistan.

Human rights organizations have pushed back on the campaign. Former Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth said the effort was an attempt to “dress up” what he called a quest for impunity for American war crimes. A joint statement signed by national human rights organizations on July 17 called the campaign an attack on international rule of law and urged other states to defend the court, an independent judicial body created to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.

The ICC has not opened any investigation on US soil. Rubio’s op-ed specifically named Democracy for the Arab World Now, an organization that has called for legal examination of US deportations to El Salvador and US military strikes, on Iran.

The ICC campaign reflects a longstanding US position: rejecting the binding authority of transnational and supranational bodies over US citizens and foreign policy, a stance held across administrations. Being a signatory is the exception rather than the rule. The United States has joined a small number of major multilateral agreements, such as the UN Charter, NATO, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but it has never ratified the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, or the Convention on the Rights of the Child, among others.

It is also important to note that the United States is not opposed to the goals of many of these organizations or treaties, but rather to the loss of sovereignty that ratification could entail. However, the United States is the world’s leading enforcer of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and has assisted in the apprehension of individuals wanted by the ICC.

On January 7, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Withdrawing the United States from International Organizations, Conventions, and Treaties that Are Contrary to the Interests of the United States.” The order directed the United States to withdraw from 66 international organizations, according to NPR. These included the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.

Earlier in 2025, the administration withdrew from the Paris Agreement, the World Health Organization, and the UN Human Rights Council, ended funding for UNRWA, and announced the United States’ withdrawal from UNESCO, which will take effect at the end of 2026.

Even multilateral agreements led by the United States represent a loss of sovereignty that the Trump administration opposes. The USMCA, a trade pact Trump signed during his first term, replaced NAFTA in 2020. On July 1, 2026, during the agreement’s mandatory six-year review, the Trump administration declined to renew it in its current form. That decision triggered a 10-year countdown of mandatory annual reviews leading to its scheduled expiration in 2036.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has said Trump is weighing full withdrawal from the agreement. Any formal exit, however, would require six months’ notice and, according to a 2020 Senate Finance Committee report, arguably congressional consent because USMCA is a congressionally approved trade agreement.

The United States has never ratified the Rome Statute or subjected itself to the ICC. Viewed in this context, the Trump administration’s actions against the ICC are consistent with the past 80 years of U.S. foreign policy.

The post Rubio Targets ICC as U.S. Law Rejects Court’s Jurisdiction Over Americans appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

78-year-old former Tory minister and Brexit Party MEP Ann Widdecombe was found dead at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor on July 9th. According to authorities at the time the popular conservative suffered ‘serious injuries’ causing her brutal death. She was murdered on July 8th.

Reform UK party, on their part, insisted that the attack may have been motivated by Widdecombe’s politics – a claim that was later vindicated.

Officials later announced that the death was being treated as terrorism.

The UK’s Counter-terrorism police took control of the investigation into her death after ‘new information and evidence’ came to light.

On Monday, authorities arrested Joshua Kerry. The 28-year-old alleged assassin will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court Tuesday morning.

Previously:

British Reform UK Politician Ann Widdecombe’s Killing Is Now Being Treated as Terrorism – Suspect Is Rearrested (VIDEOS)

The post 28-Year-Old Radical Arrested for Bloody Assassination of 78-Year-Old British Conservative Ann Widdecombe appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Air defense is the name of the game.

It’s an unfortunate fact that we live in an increasingly dangerous world full of conflict.

Everywhere you turn, countries are hearing the martial drums in the air, and are rearming like there’s no tomorrow.

And in this brave new world of cheap swarming drones, the biggest bottleneck in the defense procurement of these countries is the air defense systems and intercepting missiles.

It also doesn’t help that the most sought-after systems and missiles, the Patriot, are exceedingly expensive and slow to manufacture.

In this scenario, Lockheed Martin announced today (20) a lower-cost Patriot interceptor, as the established defense contractors ‘face competition from startups making low-cost weapons that can ​be produced at scale’.

Introducing PAC‑3 ACE

A low‑cost, high‑performance interceptor built on the trusted PAC‑3® family. One missile, one mission: neutralize aircraft, cruise missiles and short‑range ballistic threats. Ready to hit the battlefield—defense fast and affordable. pic.twitter.com/eUZorfV0rG

— Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) July 20, 2026

Reuters reported:

“Lockheed said its new PAC-3 Adapted Capability Effector, or ​ACE, missile would cost less than half as much as its ⁠PAC-3 MSE interceptors, which cost roughly $4 million per missile, according to U.S. ​Army budget documents.

Initial production could start within 36 months, the company said, adding that ​it plans to develop and manufacture the weapon with U.S. and European industry partners.

‘American and allied warfighters need a solution that is battle-tested and budget-smart’, Tim Cahill, president of Lockheed Martin ​Missiles and Fire Control, said in a statement at Britain’s Farnborough Airshow.”

Lockheed Martin is in talks with the US government about building a new, lower-cost model of the Patriot missile overseas and would look to tap into a European supply chain as part of any move, @sylviapfeifer reports.https://t.co/rIOjg7Km7N via @FT

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) July 20, 2026

US defense companies want to maximize profit out of the ‘European rearmament boom’.

Defense News reported:

“The announcement […] comes as the U.S. looks to reduce its dependence on expensive interceptors to combat mass-produced munitions, a juxtaposition that has come under increased scrutiny as American forces have blown through the country’s finite interceptor stockpile to combat Iran’s relatively inexpensive drones during Operation Epic Fury.

The PAC-3 interceptors cost an estimated $4 million, far more than the $35,000 typical price tag of an Iranian Shahed drone. Experts warn that the U.S.’ increased interceptor use has raised concerns about whether stockpiles can be replenished quickly enough to sustain a prolonged campaign.

[…] Lockheed Martin said the new interceptor will still be compatible with the Patriot weapon system and Integrated Battle Command System, which enables the company to speed up development, an effort it says will be coordinated jointly with American and European partners.”

Read more:

Germany Strikes Deal To Buy US-Made Long-Range Tomahawk Missiles

The post Lockheed Martin To Produce Cheaper Patriot Interceptor Missiles To Address Skyrocketing Demand for Air Defense appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

A group of nearly 50 House Republicans is pushing legislation that would grant de facto amnesty to illegal alien farm workers who were unlawfully present in the United States as of May 31, 2026.

A de facto amnesty means people who broke the law are effectively allowed to stay or avoid punishment, even though the government has not officially declared an amnesty.

s(R-PA), chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, introduced H.R. 9535, the “Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026,” on June 30.

There are 53 total cosponsors: 49 Republicans and 4 Democrats, and it is currently sitting in the House Judiciary Committee.

Democrat Cosponsors (4)

• Donald G. Davis (NC-1)
• Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34)
• Maggie Goodlander (NH-2)
• Josh Riley (NY-19)

Republican Cosponsors (49)

• Rick W. Allen (GA-12)
• Don Bacon (NE-2)
• James R. Baird (IN-4)
• Cliff Bentz (OR-2)
• Mike Bost (IL-12)
• Monica De La Cruz (TX-15)
• Troy Downing (MT-2)
• Chuck Edwards (NC-11)
• Gabe Evans (CO-8)
• Julie Fedorchak (ND-At Large)
• Randy Feenstra (IA-4)
• Brad Finstad (MN-1)
• Michelle Fischbach (MN-7)
• Charles J. “Chuck” Fleischmann (TN-3)
• Mike Flood (NE-1)
• Brett Guthrie (KY-2)
• Bill Huizenga (MI-4)
• Brian Jack (GA-3)
• Mike Kelly (PA-16)
• Trent Kelly (MS-1)
• David Kustoff (TN-8)
• Darin LaHood (IL-16)
• Nicholas A. Langworthy (NY-23)
• Laurel M. Lee (FL-15)
• Celeste Maloy (UT-2)
• Michael T. McCaul (TX-10)
• Mark B. Messmer (IN-8)
• Daniel Meuser (PA-9)
• Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-1)
• John R. Moolenaar (MI-2)
• Tim Moore (NC-14)
• Dan Newhouse (WA-4)
• Mike D. Rogers (AL-3)
• David Rouzer (NC-7)
• Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27)
• Austin Scott (GA-8)
• Pete Sessions (TX-17)
• Michael K. Simpson (ID-2)
• Lloyd Smucker (PA-11)
• David J. Taylor (OH-2)
• Claudia Tenney (NY-24)
• David G. Valadao (CA-22)
• Jefferson Van Drew (NJ-2)
• Derrick Van Orden (WI-3)
• Joe Wilson (SC-2)
• Robert J. Wittman (VA-1)
• Ryan K. Zinke (MT-1)

The most controversial section would allow illegal aliens already living in the United States to obtain H-2A agricultural worker status by waiving multiple grounds of inadmissibility and deportability.

Specifically, the bill provides waivers for certain immigration violations committed before an alien receives H-2A status, provided they otherwise qualify.

To qualify, an applicant must have either voluntarily departed the United States or have been unlawfully present in the country on May 31, 2026, while having performed agricultural labor for at least 5.75 hours per day during at least 180 days over the previous two years.

This amounts to a legalization program for illegal alien farm workers already inside the country.

The legislation also protects employers from certain civil and criminal liability related to previously employing unauthorized workers if those workers apply for H-2A status under the bill.

Employment records submitted to establish eligibility generally could not be used against employers in enforcement actions for prior unlawful employment, except in cases involving fraudulent records.

Beyond the legalization provisions, the legislation would significantly overhaul the H-2A agricultural guest worker program.

Among its provisions, the bill would:

• Allow labor certifications lasting up to three consecutive years.
• Permit staggered entry and exit dates for H-2A workers.
• Allow H-2A workers to transfer to another qualifying agricultural employer before final approval of a new petition.
• Create a streamlined online platform for processing H-2A applications across multiple federal agencies.

All amendments made by the bill would take effect one year after the date of enactment. The legislation also authorizes federal agencies to issue interim final rules during that one-year implementation period to prepare for the changes.

The proposal is expected to divide Republicans, particularly as President Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to carry out the largest deportation operation in American history and reject any form of amnesty for illegal aliens.

The post Nearly 50 House Republicans Push Bill That Grants “DE FACTO AMNESTY” to Illegal Alien Farm Workers Present in the U.S. as of May 31, 2026 appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Border Czar Tom Homan tore into reporters during a Monday press gaggle at the White House, blasting them and their Democrat friends in Congress for attacking ICE agents while coddling and prioritizing illegal aliens.

Homan fielded 13 minutes of questions about ICE protocols and training in the wake of deadly shootings this month in Texas and Maine, in which suspects attempted to ram ICE agents with vehicles while evading arrest.

Reporters pressed Homan on ICE training procedures, body cameras, and investigations into agent-involved self-defense shootings, with one suggesting that the Trump Administration cares more about “the quantity” of agents than the “quality” of agents.

Another reporter then tried to grill Homan on changes to ICE procedures, and he went off.

“Let’s be clear, you know, you can attack the men and women of ICE all you want. It comes down to one simple fact: these people fail to comply with law enforcement,” Homan said before eviscerating the Democrats and left-wing media for several minutes.

“All they had to do is simply comply with law enforcement. If you don’t like what law enforcement did to you, then go to the court, sue, call the ACLU, do whatever you want to do. But you should always comply with law enforcement. If they did, they’d be alive today,” he continued.

“I said this a year ago: If the hateful rhetoric doesn’t stop, there will be bloodshed. And unfortunately, I was right. And I’ll tell you something else: It’s not over yet,” he added, calling for an end to the attacks and smears from the Democratic Party.

As if we needed any more proof that the Democrats are to blame, a left-wing anti-ICE terrorist attempted to bomb the New York City federal building this morning, the Gateway Pundit reported.

Homan continued, “I’m afraid that we’re going to bury an ICE agent. I’m afraid I’m going to hand another folded flag to a spouse or a child of an ICE agent for simply doing his job, and for any member of Congress to keep attacking ICE and calling them fascists and Nazis, I said it 1000 times: If they’re a Nazi for enforcing the law, what’s that make them? They wrote the law!”

“ICE agents are mom and dads too. They don’t hang their heart on a hook every day to do this job, and it’s just not attacking the ICE agents, attacking their spouses and children, and no one knows that better than me,” he added.

WATCH:

Homan: Let’s be clear, you know, you can attack the men and women of ICE all you want. It comes down to one simple fact: these people fail to comply with law enforcement. Even some of the major chiefs in this country, who don’t necessarily agree with this administration, say you always comply with law enforcement. But the hateful rhetoric that ICE isn’t a real law enforcement agency. I see these signs: ‘Resist.’ ICE are the— you know, let’s abolish them, they’re fascists. When you keep that hateful rhetoric up for a year and a half, there’s going to be that percentage of that part, that population that’s going to be emboldened to take action because ‘they’re not a real law enforcement agency. I should resist them.’

All they had to do is simply comply with law enforcement. If you don’t like what law enforcement did to you, then go to the court, sue, call the ACLU, do whatever you want to do. But you should always comply with law enforcement. If they did, they’d be alive today. Now I’m not going to comment on the investigation itself and wait for it to play out. This is about complying with law enforcement, and a lot of the negative hateful— and I said this a year ago: If the hateful rhetoric doesn’t stop, there will be bloodshed. And unfortunately, I was right. And I’ll tell you something else: It’s not over yet, unless they keep attacking and and miscommunicating what ICE does every day, calling them Nazis, and comparing ICE to the Nazi regime. Are you kidding me?

And I’m not saying the the whole country is convinced but there’s going to be that population that it’s just going to embolden to do something stupid, and I’m afraid that we’re going to bury an ICE agent. I’m afraid I’m going to hand another folded flag to a spouse or a child of an ICE agent for simply doing his job, and for any member of Congress to keep attacking ICE and calling them fascists and Nazis, I said it 1000 times: If they’re a Nazi for enforcing the law, what what’s that make them? They wrote the law!

We’re not making this up. We’re enforcing the laws they wrote and that they appropriate us money to enforce. Now, I’ll say it once again: If all these agents act inappropriately or illegal, they’ll be held accountable, just like they were held accountable in Minnesota. Everybody, you know, guys, ICE agents are mom and dads too. They don’t hang their heart on a hook every day to do this job, and it’s just not attacking the ICE agents, attacking their spouses and children, and no one knows that better than me. I can’t even go get a quart of milk at a grocery store without a security detail. Why? Because I’m enforcing the laws of this country. It’s pathetic and it’s disgusting.

As The Gateway Pundit reported, Homan faced similar questions from nasty leftist CBS host Margaret Brennan during an appearance on Face the Nation yesterday.

Brennan repeatedly accused ICE agents of shooting and killing innocent people, and Homan shut her down. At one point, she claimed without evidence that the illegal alien, who was killed by ICE after attempting to run agents over in Houston, Texas, “thought he was being robbed because it was an unmarked vehicle, not that it was law enforcement at all.”

WATCH: Tom Homan Shuts Down Margaret Brennan as She Attacks ICE Over Recent Shootings, Defends Criminals Attempting to Run Over ICE Agents

The post WATCH: Border Czar Tom Homan GOES OFF on Reporters Smearing ICE Agents Over Deadly Shootings Then Storms Off – “I’m Afraid That We’re Going to Bury an ICE Agent” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.