DoJ Opens Criminal Probe Into Meatpacking Cartel As Food Stocks Slide

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/doj-opens-criminal-probe-meatpacking-cartel-food-stocks-slide

BY TYLER DURDEN

MONDAY, APR 20, 2026 - 08:30 AM

Shares of Tyson Foods and Smithfield Foods fell in late-morning trading in New York after The Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department's antitrust division has opened a criminal probe into major meatpackers.

The report follows President Trump's push for an investigation into meatpackers as supermarket beef prices remain near record highs.

Criminal antitrust cases are typically brought for alleged price-fixing, collusion, or bid-rigging. While the DoJ previously disclosed an investigation into beef companies after Trump called for action, it had not provided details on whether it was criminal.

In early November, Trump publicly stated, "I have asked the DOJ to immediately begin an investigation into the Meat Packing Companies who are driving up the price of Beef through illicit collusion, price fixing, and price manipulation."

"We will always protect our American ranchers, and they are being blamed for what is being done by majority foreign-owned meat packers, who artificially inflate prices and jeopardize the security of our nation's food supply," Trump continued.

Beef prices at supermarkets have soared to record highs after years of drought, and elevated input prices led to the smallest U.S. herd in a generation. Trump's tariffs on Brazil, a major beef exporter, have also curbed imports.

Also, last year, Trump suggested the U.S. would buy Argentine beef to increase domestic supplies and curb higher prices for Americans. This, in turn, angered U.S. cattle ranchers.

Shares of top publicly traded meatpackers, including Tyson Foods and Smithfield Foods, fell after the WSJ report hit.

Tyson Foods

Smithfield Foods

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has pointed out that "Four meat packers control 85 percent of the meat processed in the U.S."

Meanwhile, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and 12 other senators have proposed legislation that would force the nation's largest meatpackers to break up their operations across beef, pork, and poultry.

Related:

• The Problem Of The Meatpackers

• Drought Engulfs 60% Of U.S. As Farmers Begin Spring Planting

The DOJ's criminal investigation into beef companies comes as the Trump administration attempts to push forward with affordability policies as the K-shaped economy continues hammering the working poor.

Chicago Man Sentenced To 25 Years For Conspiring With ISIS

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/chicago-man-sentenced-25-years-conspiring-isis

BY TYLER DURDEN

MONDAY, APR 20, 2026 - 09:25 AM

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,

Ashraf Al Safoo from Chicago has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for conspiring to provide material support to ISIS, which involved recruiting members into the terror group and encouraging attacks on its enemies.

Al Safoo, 41, was a leader of online organization Khattab Media Foundation, which pledged allegiance to ISIS, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in an April 17 press release. The foundation created and spread threats and ISIS propaganda online, with Al Safoo and other members posting pro-ISIS articles, videos, infographics, and essays in coordination with the terrorist outfit.

Most of the propaganda spread by Khattab promoted violent jihad on behalf of ISIS. 

The organization’s posts celebrated mass shootings and terror attacks in the United States and encouraged people to engage in “lone wolf” attacks in Western nations.

In one post, Al Safoo asked Khattab members to “cause confusion and spread terror within the hearts of those who disbelieved,” according to the DOJ press release.

In another post, Al Safoo wrote, “Work hard, brothers, edit the issue into short clips, take the pictures out of it and publish the efforts of your brothers in the pages of the apostates. Participate in the war, and spread terror, the [Islamic] State does not want you to watch it only, rather, it incites you, and if you are unable to, use it to incite others.”

Al Safoo immigrated to the United States in 2008 and was naturalized in 2013. In 2018, he was arrested and has since been in federal custody.

A bench trial was conducted last year, after which U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey found Al Safoo guilty of various charges.

On April 16, Blakey imposed a 25-year prison term for Al Safoo, followed by 10 years of court-supervised release.

The State Department designated ISIS’s predecessor group, al-Qaeda in Iraq, as a foreign terrorist organization in December 2004 under the George W. Bush administration. When ISIS was formed in 2013, the designation carried over.

Over the past several months, multiple individuals have been detained for their support of ISIS.

In December 2025, a Texas man alleged to be an ISIS sympathizer was charged with an international terrorism offense. The man allegedly provided funding and bomb making equipment to people he believed were acting on behalf of ISIS.

Earlier in November, a dual American Albanian national was arrested and charged in New York for allegedly providing support to ISIS and distributing instructions for homemade bombs.

During a testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security on Dec. 11, Michael Glasheen, operations director at the FBI, highlighted how ISIS continues to pose a threat to American interests, both domestically and abroad.

The terror outfit is able to “direct, enable, and inspire attacks through their successful use of social media and messaging applications to attract individuals. ISIS seeks direct confrontation with the United States, and almost certainly would exploit any opportunity to attack the U.S. or Western interests,” Glasheen said.

Like other foreign terrorist organizations, he said, “ISIS advocates for lone-offender attacks in the U.S. and Western countries via videos and other English-language propaganda that have specifically advocated for attacks against civilians, the military, law enforcement, and intelligence community personnel.”

The 2025 Worldwide Threat Assessment report from the Defense Intelligence Agency said that ISIS and al-Qaeda have implemented a decentralized plotting approach toward Western nations.

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Both groups are referencing Israel’s operations in Gaza to generate revenue, hire new members, and inspire attacks against U.S., Jewish, Israeli, and European interests internationally.

“The groups are also seeking to improve their weapons capabilities, including with commercial technologies such as UAVs and artificial intelligence,” the report said, referring to unmanned aerial vehicles.

In December, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had initiated Operation Hawkeye Strike in Syria following an attack that killed two Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter.

CENTCOM said in a Feb. 14 update that since the launch of Operation Hawkeye Strike, “more than 50 ISIS terrorists have been killed or captured and over 100 ISIS infrastructure targets have been struck with hundreds of precision munitions during two months of targeted operations.”

The horrors of African tribal warfare

Sudan war enters fourth year as child hunger crisis deepens

https://www.dw.com/en/sudan-war-enters-fourth-year-as-child-hunger-crisis-deepens/a-76837481

Michael Oti

4 ho

Sudan’s war has displaced millions, leaving parts of the country facing famine. Aid agencies warn children are bearing the brunt as food shortages worsen and humanitarian funding declines.

Ugandan military reports rescue of 200 ADF hostages in DRC....Islamists!

Ugandan military reports rescue of 200 ADF hostages in DRC

Mark Hallam with Reuters, open source material

https://www.dw.com/en/ugandan-military-reports-rescue-of-some-200-hostages-from-adf-militants-in-eastern-drc/a-76863450

1 hour ago

Uganda's military has said that it and forces from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo freed some 200 hostages in eastern DRC in a joint operation against Islamist militants known as the ADF.

Ugandan and Congolese soldiers rescued at least 200 civilians in a raid on an Islamist camp in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last week, Uganda's military said in a statement. 

The Ugandan People's Defense Forces (UPDF) said the raid targeted a Ugandan group operating in eastern Congo, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which pledged allegiance to the self-styled "Islamic State" some decade ago. 

What did the UPDF military say about the operation? 

The military said that the raid targeted a camp along the River Epulu in the east of the DRC. 

It was part of the joint "Operation Shujaa," between the UPDF and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) that had "intensified" since January of this year, the military said, "leading to significant gains." 

The camp was under the control of what the UPDF termed a "notorious ADF commander, Ssebagala, also known as Mzee Mayor." 

It said that several ADF fighters were killed and a cache of weapons were recovered during the raid. 

More than 200 civilians were released from captivity, with a 14-year-old girl the youngest of the captives. 

The Overall Joint Commander of Operation Shujaa, Major General Stephen Mugerwa, was quoted as telling the rescued civilians that they were not in detention and urging them to cooperate. 

"You are not under detention. You are the victims of abduction, and we shall ensure you are handed over to the relevant authorities so you can reunite with your families," Mugerwa said. 

According to the military, many of the captives recounted harsh conditions, a lack of food, forced labor and punishment for disobedience during their captivity. 

"Several appeared frail, suffering from untreated illnesses such as malaria, respiratory infections and physical exhaustion," the UPDF said. 

Forces from Uganda and the DRC have been operating in concert against the ADF since 2021Image: Ugandan military press

Uganda reports improved conditions in DRC areas once held by ADF

Last week's offense also targeted other ADF positions, including areas along the River Ituri, the UPDF said. 

Uganda and DRC forces have stepped up operations against the ADF in recent months, partly amid somewhat reduced tensions on another eastern DRC frontier not far to the south — with the M23 rebels allegedly supported by neighboring Rwanda. A fragile peace accord for that conflict came into force this year. 

The UPDF said that amid the recent military gains against the ADF, more former captives had been escaping from the group, with "dozens ... reporting to joint force locations such as Lolwa, Kyndala Kundala and Babungwe." 

"The sustained offensive has improved security in parts of eastern DRC, enabling displaced communities to return home, schools to reopen, and cross-border trade between Uganda and the DRC to resume," the UPDF said. 

Operation Shujaa was first launched in November 2021, in response to attacks by the ADF committed on either side of the countries' border.

Recognized as a terrorist group by both governments and the US, and subject to UN sanctions, the ADF started more openly allying itself to the Islamic State as of 2016, shortly after its leadership changed. The so-called Islamic State did not start formally claiming its attacks within its central media until 2019.

Edited by: Rana Taha

Illegal alien allegedly sets fire and then watches as people die in agony — but NYC officials don't want ICE to have him

Among the victims was a 3-year-old girl.

An illegal alien has been accused of intentionally starting a fire in New York City that left four people dead and seven others injured. Though an alleged mass murderer, he may yet dodge federal immigration authorities, thanks to NYC officials.

Around 11:43 a.m. on March 16, Roman Amatitla, a 38-year-old Mexican in the U.S. illegally, allegedly set fire to a three-story building in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens and then, according to the office of Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, stood by and "watched as the building burned."

'An act of mass murder.'

Firefighters discovered three deceased victims in the building: 49-year-old male Chengri Cui, 61-year-old female Shin Chie Ming, and Sihan Yang, a 3-year-old little girl. All three died from smoke inhalation, Katz's office said.

A fourth victim, 64-year-old male Hong Zhao, escaped the fire by jumping out of a window but sustained catastrophic injuries in the fall, including broken bones and head trauma. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to Katz's office.

Seven others — including two firefighters, who endured a terrifying sudden fall to the basement when a stairway collapsed beneath them — were also injured on account of the fire.

The steps that the suspect allegedly took just before setting the fire are bone-chilling. According to the report from Katz, Amatitla:

• entered and exited the targeted building multiple times that morning,
• urinated on the outside of it,
• crossed the street to the gas station and purchased one beer and stole another,
• asked the gas station clerk for a lighter, but since lighters were available only for purchase, settled for a book of matches, and then
• returned to the building, lit a piece of paper on fire, and placed the burning paper atop garbage near the stairwell.

As smoke began to billow out onto the street, Amatitla allegedly "stayed in the immediate area and watched the fire consume the building," Katz's office said. The DA characterized the deadly fire as "an act of mass murder."

Authorities believe that the suspect selected the building entirely at random, as he "had no known connection to the building or any of its occupants."

RELATED: 'Monster' suspected of brutally murdering DHS employee walking her dog is an immigrant naturalized under Biden, DHS says

Theodore Parisienne/New York Daily News/Getty Images

Amatitla has been charged with eight counts of murder in the second degree, arson in the first degree, two counts of assault in the second degree, and petit larceny.

Despite the severity of his alleged crimes, the Department of Homeland security claims that the NYC Department of Corrections has refused to honor a request to turn him over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.

"ICE ARREST DETAINER DENIED. On April 14, ICE requested the NYCDOC not release this monster from jail back into American communities. However, because of New York’s sanctuary politicians, the NYCDOC told ICE that they will REFUSE to cooperate," the DHS tweeted Friday afternoon along with an image of what appears to be the detainer request.

"This monster set fire to a building and watched as innocent people, including a three-year-old, burned to death. New York City sanctuary politicians REFUSE to cooperate with ICE and are choosing to RELEASE this MURDERER onto New York streets," DHS acting assistant secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

In a response to Blaze News, the DA's office sidestepped questions about the city's cooperation with federal authorities and said only that "the defendant is remanded and is due back in court on May 12."

An NYCDOC spokesperson told Blaze News: "The DOC processes ICE detainers consistent with local law, which defines the extent of our cooperation with federal immigration authorities."

A source familiar with the matter indicated that the NYCDOC notifies ICE about a defendant's possible release only if certain ICE warrants have been issued or the defendant has been convicted of a serious and/or violent crime within the last five years.

The DHS and the respective offices of Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) did not respond to a request for comment.

As of Monday morning, Amatitla remains in custody, NYCDOC records confirm. The jail records also note that an immigration detainer has been lodged against him.

RELATED: Mamdani nailed with backlash over comments about shooting death of 7-month-old baby girl

Theodore Parisienne/New York Daily News/Getty Images

CORTNEY WEIL

APRIL 20, 2026


https://www.theblaze.com/news/illegal-alien-allegedly-sets-fire-and-then-watches-as-people-die-in-agony-but-nyc-officials-don-t-want-ice-to-have-him?utm_source=theblaze-breaking&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20Trending&utm_term=ACTIVE%20LIST%20-%20TheBlaze%20Breaking%20News&tpcc=email-breaking

This is for all those Hamas loving American girls/women!

Sick Hamas terrorists bribe slain colleagues’ desperate widows, young moms for sex: residents

Twisted Hamas terrorists are sexually exploiting women in Gaza, bribing slain members’ desperate widows and young moms with food in exchange for sex, according to residents in the Palestinian enclave.

Harrowing interviews from the Gaza Strip reveal the scope of the rampant sexual abuse by the Iran-backed terrorists as they target vulnerable women trying to feed their families.

5

Women in the Gaza Strip have accused Hamas of targeting vulnerable widows and young moms to sexually assault and exploit. Jusoor News

“It’s being done by all their employees and members, as though it’s an organization set up for sexual harassment, psychological abuse and harassing young women,” a woman told Jusoor News.

Women said the Hamas members are specifically targeting people who reached out to them in desperation, such as widows, recent divorcees and young or single mothers, promising them even simple things such as rice and sugar in exchange for sex.

“A guy will say, ‘Come, we have a relief package for you.’ He represents an Islamic organization, a movement whose name I won’t mention, but it is a political organization,” a woman told the outlet.

” ‘If you come with me and do so and so, I’ll give you so and so,’ ” Hamas members allegedly tell their victims. 

5

A Hamas member said he was told to stay silent after finding colleagues taking advantage of the wives of slain terrorists. Jusoor News

“And the women, who have no life experience, end up getting exploited.”

A man who claimed to be with Hamas recalled how the wife of a friend reached out directly to his commander for help before she was taken advantaged of.

“His behavior is disgraceful,” the government employee told Jusoor. “We investigated the matter and found her in a tent in the Gharabli area where a bunch of Qassam members were taking advantage of her.

“We informed the leadership, but they told us we had to keep silent about it,” he said.

5

Hamas has served as the de facto ruler of the Gaza Strip for nearly 20 years. Anadolu via Getty Images

Another member of the terror group echoed the experience, saying he also was told to keep quiet after finding Hamas military members taking advantage of the wives of dead fighters in the Gharabli refugee camp.

“We told them it was an insult to honor and dignity,” the government staffer said. “We then tore down the tent, but all they wanted from us was to beat and shoot anyone who insults Hamas.” 

The testimonies from Jusoor highlight similar incidents reported during the height of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza last year, where hundreds of thousands of people were at risk of hunger because of the war and aid blockade by Israel.

5

The terror group has been accused of human-rights violations against the people of Gaza, in addition to other heinous crimes. Storyful

A 38-year-old mother of six had told The Associated Press how she was coerced into having sex with a man linked to an aid group in exchange for $30, a box of medicine and food and a promise for work that never materialized.

Humanitarian groups have warned of this outcome, which is all too common in conflict zones where there is little aid coming in. 

May Golan, Israeli Minister For Social Equality & Women’s Advancement, called for scrutiny of the aid groups operating in Gaza whose members are accused of targeting women.

5

Israeli woman Naama Levy seen being abducted on Oct. 7, 2023 after the Hamas attack at the Nova music festival in Israel.

“One expects little from vile murderers whose only contribution to humanity is a perverse ingenuity in committing violent sexual crimes,” she told The Post of Hamas before turning to the aid groups. 

“Expectations do, however, exist for aid organizations that adorn themselves with the language of human rights while in practice doing more than anyone else to sustain the forces of darkness. 

“They will not awaken on their own. Their naive donors should make clear to them the standard expected of human beings,” shesaid.

The situation in Gaza underscores the sexual-assault allegations against Hamas by Israeli victims who were kidnapped during the war.

https://nypost.com/2026/04/19/world-news/hamas-terrorists-bribe-slain-colleagues-desperate-widows-young-moms-for-sex-residents/

By 

Reuven Fenton and 

 

Ronny Reyes

Published April 19, 2026, 11:30 a.m. PT