Son of dual American-Saudi held in Saudi Arabia feels ‘dismissal’ of his dad’s case
A recent image of Saad Almadi. Courtesy Ibrahim Almadi
(WASHINGTON) — The son of Saad Almadi who is held in Saudi Arabia on an exit ban for allegations of “cyber crimes” by the kingdom, said that President Donald Trump has failed to make his father’s release a priority as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman comes to Washington for a state visit Tuesday.
Ibrahim Almadi, whose 75-year old father was detained in Saudi Arabia on a family visit in 2021, says his father has been “harassed” by authorities there and seeks a return to the United States, which has been his home for decades. Almadi is a dual American-Saudi citizen who emigrated to the U.S. in 1976.
When he was arrested in 2021, Saudi authorities accused Saad Almadi of terrorism for 14 tweets he wrote that were critical of the royal family. Two years later, the charges were reduced to so-called “cyber crimes,” and he was sentenced to an exit ban that bars him from leaving the kingdom until 2054.
One of the tweets, which were published while Saad Almadi was in the U.S., advocated for the renaming of a Washington, D.C., street for Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist who was killed at a Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Trump, asked about the Almadi case, told reporters in May he would “take a look” at it.
In an interview with ABC News, Ibrahim Almadi said U.S. diplomacy achieved his father’s release from detention and even “saved his life” in 2023. But he argued that bin Salman, the de-facto Saudi leader who will be greeted by Trump at the White House before a state dinner, is still “getting away with jailing Americans” by banning his father’s travel.
That Saudi Arabia, an American ally, has not released the elder Almadi is “insulting,” Ibrahim Almadi told ABC. He contended that Trump, who has enjoyed warm relations with Saudi Arabia, could make “one call” to free Almadi.
Trump has made the release of Americans detained abroad a priority, often dealing with adversaries to bring U.S. citizens home — like in the case of Venezuela, with which Washington has no formal diplomatic ties.
Asked for comment about Saad Almadi, an official at the National Security Council declined to discuss details. The official emphasized that “bringing our citizens home is a Number One top priority for President Trump,” pointing to “more than 75 Americans he has liberated in the last 10 months.”
ABC News has reached out to the Saudi embassy in Washington for comment on the Almadi case.
Ibrahim Almadi said U.S. officials have repeatedly told him in the four years since the arrest that they were in “final talks” and “advanced communication” to win his father’s release from the country.
“What my feeling is now — and my father[‘s] feeling — it’s a dismissal of the case,” he said. “They are dismissing the case.”
It leaves the Almadi son pessimistic ahead of the state visit, convinced that the crown prince “is using him as a card,” he said.
There are three Americans who are wrongfully held on exit bans in Saudi Arabia, according to the Foley Foundation, which advocates for American hostages and wrongful detainees held abroad.
(NEW YORK) — One year out from the 2026 midterms, major Democratic Party names have been taking the show on the road, saying that they’re helping the party lay the groundwork to battle for the U.S. House.
They also might be preparing to run for president.
ABC News has tracked at least 24 visits by Democratic presidential hopefuls to the campaign trail in the key 2025 elections that Democrats swept — New Jersey and Virginia’s gubernatorial races, New York City’s mayoral election, and California’s redistricting ballot proposition election.
Separately, ABC News has tracked at least 43 visits or planned visits so far in 2025 and 2026 by Democratic presidential hopefuls to key early or battleground presidential election states. Some of those states are also expected to be key House battlegrounds in 2026.
The early and battleground state count excludes if the state is their home state and does not count multiple visits by the same candidate.
“Anybody who’s looking at the 2028 cycle is starting to head out on the road … Putting an emphasis on states that could determine control of the House is your best bet, and probably should be your only focus between now and the midterms,” Sawyer Hackett, a veteran Democratic strategist who worked on presidential campaigns for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Julian Castro, told ABC News.
2025 election states: New Jersey, Virginia, California, New York City
In New Jersey, Democratic candidate and U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill received support on the trail from a crowd of presidential hopefuls, including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, California Rep. Ro Khanna, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
And in Virginia, Democratic candidate and former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger had the support of Beshear, Buttigieg, Emanuel, Gallego, Kelly, Khanna, Moore, Shapiro, and Whitmer.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and Klobuchar separately stumped for “Proposition 50” in California, while Khanna and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stumped for Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in New York City.
Key early states: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina
Some of the presidential hopefuls have flocked to states with early nominating contests. The Democratic Party is currently reevaluating its calendar for when those early contests will occur, but Hackett said Democrats hoping to run are still covering their bases.
Iowa, which usually boasts first-in-the-nation caucuses, will host a closely watched Senate race next year. The state also has some competitive House seats.
Iowa hosted former Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in March and Buttigieg for a town hall in May, while Gallego visited in August and Emanuel came by in September. Kelly is set to visit in November, while Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen spoke to Iowa Democrats in September.
New Hampshire, which holds the nation’s first presidential primaries and will hold a contested U.S. Senate race in 2026 for the seat being vacated by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, has hosted several lawmakers. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear visited earlier this month; Gallego and Khanna stopped by in August; Klobuchar was there in July and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker will visit in November.
When Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker visited in April, he painted a dire picture for his party.
“Fellow Democrats, for far too long, we’ve been guilty of listening to a bunch of do-nothing political types who would tell you that America’s house is not on fire, even as the flames were licking their faces,” Pritzker said.
South Carolina, meanwhile, also has an early presidential primary. This year, it saw visits from Beshear, Khanna and Newsom in July — who told rural residents “what we’re experiencing is America in reverse.”
Kelly visited in September, while Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Walz visited in late May for South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn’s “Fish Fry” event, which has often been fertile waters for would-be Pennsylvania Avenue hopefuls.
Both Walz and Moore have told ABC News previously they are not “running” for president or have no plans to run.
Battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin
Several 2028 presidential hopefuls have also made their way around the seven battleground states, which have been considered winnable by either party and have an outsized influence on where campaigns place their resources.
A few potential candidates have or plan to pay visits to Arizona, including Ocasio-Cortez, who visited in March as part of the Fighting Oligarchy tour run by independent Sen. Bernie Sanders. Whitmer visited in March, while Booker visited in April and Buttigieg visited in October. Harris, who recently said she’ll “possibly” run for president again, will be speaking there in April 2026.
Arizona has two congressional seats currently held by Republicans viewed as competitive, according to the Cook Political Report.
Georgia is often the site of both a close presidential race and critical down-ballot races. Khanna visited in August, while Harris made a stop there on her book tour in October.
Further north, Moore and Khanna have paid visits this year to the battleground state of Michigan, where both President Donald Trump and Democratic Senate candidate Elissa Slotkin won in 2024.
Wisconsin, which had the closest margin between Trump and Harris in 2024 of the battleground states, saw visits from Klobuchar in March, Khanna in May, Walz in March and September and Whitmer in October.
Nevada, which also often figures early in the presidential primary calendar, saw visits this year from Ocasio-Cortez in March, Pritzker and Khanna in August, and Gallego and Kelly in September.
North Carolina saw visits from Pritzker in July and Buttigieg in September. Harris visited for her book tour there in October, while fellow Californian Khanna will drop by in November.
Pennsylvania is also a key battleground state. Moore delivered a commencement address at Lincoln University in Gettysburg in May, the same month Gallego and Khanna paid their own visits. Notably, two Republicans in Pennsylvania, Reps. Scott Perry and Ryan Mackenzie, are expecting to face fierce fights to hold onto their seats.
Khanna recently said the party’s focus is to win back control of the House, which has a Republican majority.
“We have already a number of great candidates for 2028 that’ll emerge, but right now the focus has to be to take back the House in terms of political priority,” Khanna told public media organization WHYY.
Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk is seen onstage at the Fiserv Forum during preparations for the Republican National Convention (RNC) on July 14, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance will meet with Charlie Kirk’s family and a number of his close friends in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Thursday, a source confirmed to ABC News.
Kirk’s casket, along with his family and friends, will then be flown to Phoenix, Arizona, aboard Air Force Two, the source also confirmed.
Vance mourned Kirk, a prominent conservative activist, in a long social media post in which he described Kirk as a “true friend.”
“The kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him,” Vance wrote on X. “I am on more than a few group chats with Charlie and people he introduced me to over the years. We celebrate weddings and babies, bust each other’s chops, and mourn the loss of loved ones. We talk about politics and policy and sports and life. These group chats include people at the very highest level of our government. They trusted him, loved him, and knew he’d always have their backs.”
President Donald Trump earlier Thursday announced he will posthumously award Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people,” Trump said at the top of his remarks at a memorial event at the Pentagon to commemorate the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.
“We miss him greatly, yet I have no doubt that Charlie’s voice and courage put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on,” the president continued.
Kirk was shot during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. Trump later that day announced his death.
A manhunt for Kirk’s killer is underway. The FBI said on Thursday it has recovered what is believed to be the weapon used by the shooter, and officials said the suspect is believed to be a college-aged individual.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in the U.S. Trump said that the day of the ceremony would be announced soon, adding he thought it would surely draw a big crowd.
Trump also reporters with him at the Pentagon that he plans to speak with Kirk’s family on Thursday afternoon. Kirk is survived by his wife Erika and two young children.
The White House moved Thursday’s 9/11 ceremony at the Pentagon into the courtyard, away from the 9/11 memorial where the somber ceremony has been held for decades, in light of Kirk’s killing.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — In two courthouses in different parts of the country, President Donald Trump’s attempt to send troops into Democratic-led cities faced a critical legal test on Thursday, with a judge in Chicago temporarily blocking deployment.
District Judge April Perry entered a TRO enjoining the deployment of National Guard troops from any U.S. state into Illinois. This ruling will be in effect for 14 days.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a notice of appeal to Perry’s ruling late Thursday evening.
Meanwhile, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals helda heated, hour-long oral argument on whether to lift a lower court’s order blocking the deployment of troops into Portland.
The dueling hearings on Thursday set the stage for one of the most high-profile legal battles since Trump took office, as local governments turn to the courts to stop what some judges have described as a blurring of the line between military and civilian rule.
Chicago
In the decision, Perry determined that there is “no credible evidence that there is a danger of rebellion in Illinois” and no evidence that the president is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the U.S.
She said that the deployment of the national guard to Illinois “is likely to lead to civil unrest” requiring a response from local and state law enforcement.
Referencing what she called the “provocative nature of ICE enforcement activity” in Illinois, she said, “I find allowing the national guard to deploy will only add fuel to the fire that they started.”
Before Judge Perry’s decision, a lawyer for the Department of Justice, Eric Hamilton, countered that the Chicago area is experiencing “brazen hostility” to federal law enforcement officers, a “tragic lawlessness” in the city that is manifesting in hostile and violent acts against the Department of Homeland Security and ICE personnel.
Hamilton listed as examples “agitators” that had brought guns to federal facilities, and who have thrown rocks, bottles, tear gas and fireworks at federal agents, and who have blocked and impeded immigration enforcement, including by surrounding ICE agents and ramming their vehicles into law enforcement vehicles.
All of which has shown, Hamilton argued, that in Illinois there is an “unprecedented” and “blatant disregard for law and order.”
Judge Perry questioned Hamilton extensively over the scope of the Guard’s deployments and responsibilities and asked what the limits were to their authority, scope and mission. Hamilton described a limited mission to protect federal personnel and property but, under repeated questioning from Perry, Hamilton declined to rule out an expansion of the mission if events were to warrant it.
Describing a “dynamic situation” on the ground in and around Chicago, Hamilton said, “the response is going to be tailored to whatever the needs are” at the moment.
If the mission changes, Hamilton said, the plaintiffs would be able to return to court to issue a renewed challenge.
Wells, the attorney for Illinois, contended that the situation on the ground, particularly outside the ICE facility in Broadview, had calmed substantially since the local government and police force had instituted restrictions on protest hours and since the Illinois State Police began providing protection at the facility.
Portland
As the Chicago hearing took place, a three-judge panel on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments about whether to lift a lower court’s order blocking the deployment of 200 federalized members of the Oregon National Guard into Portland.
On Wednesday, the Ninth Circuit issued an administrative stay of that order to preserve the status quo as the lawsuit moves through the court.
Oregon argued that the deployment of troops is “part of a nationwide campaign to assimilate the military into civilian law enforcement” and is based on “inaccurate information” about the conditions in Portland.
“Defendants’ nearly limitless conception [of the law] would give the President discretion to repeat this experiment in response to other ordinary, nonviolent acts of civil disobedience across our Nation. The public interest is served by a judicial order preserving the rule of law in the face of unprecedented and unlawful Executive action that threatens grave and irreparable damage to our State and the Nation,” lawyers for the state said in a recent filing.
A federal judge on Sunday expanded her order to bar any state’s National Guard from entering Portland after concluding that the Trump administration was attempting to work around her temporary restraining order by using troops from other states.
That second order has not been formally appealed yet, although the broader issue may arise during the hearing as the Trump administration challenges judicial limits on the president’s authority to deploy the National Guard.
“Congress did not impose these limits on the President’s authority to federalize the Guard, nor did it authorize the federal courts to second-guess the President’s judgment about when and where to call up the Guard to reinforce the regular forces in response to sustained and widespread violent resistance to federal law enforcement,” lawyers for the Trump administration wrote in a filing earlier this week.
In an amicus brief filed on Thursday, a group of former secretaries of the Army and Navy, retired four-star admirals and generals, encouraged Judge Perry to express caution about the broader use of the National Guard in domestic operations.
“Domestic deployments that fail to adhere to [the Posse Comitatus Act] threaten the Guard’s core national security and disaster relief missions; place deployed personnel in fraught situations for which they lack specific training, thus posing safety concerns for servicemembers and the public alike; and risk inappropriately politicizing the military, creating additional risks to recruitment, retention, morale, and cohesion of the force,” lawyers for the former military leaders wrote.
