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Trump Says He Rejected Putin’s Offer to Help Negotiate Israel-Iran Conflict

Kremlin.ru, via Wikimedia Commons

Trump is not quite ready to get his hands dirty…

On Wednesday, President Trump said he had declined an offer from Russian leader Vladimir Putin to help with negotiations with Iran and Israel.

President Donald Trump spoke about the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict during an impromptu press conference on the White House lawn on Wednesday after he visited with some construction workers putting up new flag poles on the ground.

At one point in the exchange, Trump boasted about the U.S. achieving dominance over Iran’s skies before pivoting to discuss a recent phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I mean, they’re totally defenseless. They have no air defense whatsoever. They’re totally captured. You know, we’ve totally captured the air,” Trump said of Iran’s airspace.

Trump then called on a reporter for another question, who asked, “Mr. President, you’ve been fairly compassionate towards the Iranian people—”

“I know a lot of people from Iran, from New York, from Washington, mostly from New York. They are incredible people. They’re smart, they’re energetic, they can be difficult, but so can you. You know, they are great people, smart people. And those people are getting the hell beat out of them now. And it’s really a shame. It’s so stupid. It’s stupid. This is another one. You know, Russia-Ukraine is so stupid, would have never happened if I was president,” Trump replied.

“You guys agree with that, right?” added the president, turning to the construction workers for reassurance.

“Would have never happened if I were president. Putin wouldn’t have done it. And I spoke to him yesterday, and I said, you know, he actually offered to help mediate. I said, ‘Do me a favor. Mediate your own. Let’s mediate Russia first, OK?’ I said, ‘Vladimir. Let’s mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later.’ But I think that’s going to work out, too, but so many people have been killed. The big thing with that one is far more people are dead than have been reported in the Ukraine-Russia. Many, many more people. A building falls down, they say nobody was hurt, you know. So, it’s ridiculous,” Trump concluded.

A different reporter then asked, “What does ‘unconditional surrender’ mean?”

“Well, you know what it means, ‘unconditional surrender.’ Two very simple words. A very simple, ‘unconditional surrender.’ That means I’ve had it. Okay, I’ve had it, I give up, no more. Then we go blow up all the nuclear stuff that’s all over the place there. No, they had bad intentions. You know, for 40 years they’ve been saying, ‘Death to America, Death to Israel,’ death to anybody else that they didn’t like,” Trump replied

Watch:

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rejected President Donald Trump’s calls for unconditional surrender on Wednesday.

“It isn’t wise to tell the Iranian nation to surrender,” he posted to X. “What should the Iranian nation surrender to? We will never surrender in response to the attacks of anyone. This is the logic of the Iranian nation. This is the spirit of the Iranian nation.”

In another tweet, he criticized Trump for his “absurd rhetoric” and “demands that the Iranian people surrender to him,” adding that he should “make threats against those who are afraid of being threatened. The Iranian nation isn’t frightened by such threats.”

So far, Israel has killed at least 20 of Iran’s top military leaders, damaged key nuclear facilities, destroyed more than a third of Iran’s missile launchers, and hit over 1,100 targets around Iran.

US Lifts Military Aid Freeze On Ukraine After High-Stakes Saudi Talks

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By President Of Ukraine - https://www.flickr.com/photos/165930373@N06/54169325552/, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=156221279

The United States has lifted its suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine following productive talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This decision comes after Ukraine agreed to a 30-day interim ceasefire, contingent upon Russia‘s compliance, marking a significant step toward de-escalation.

The suspension had been imposed to encourage Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to engage in peace negotiations amid ongoing hostilities. Tuesday’s discussions, involving U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukrainian officials, focused on establishing a just and lasting peace, ensuring future security guarantees and exploring economic cooperation, including the development of Ukraine’s critical mineral resources.

The Hill reports:

“Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the U.S. proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation,” said a joint statement after the talks.

“The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace,” it added.  

“The United States will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine.”

The talks came less than two weeks after a contentious Oval Office meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky late last month.

The resumption of U.S. support is expected to bolster Ukraine’s defense capabilities and strengthen its position in ongoing peace efforts.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Trump Revokes Elise Stefanik Nomination For UN Ambassador

She’s out…

President Donald Trump announced that he asked Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to bow out of contention to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

He cited the House GOP’s slim majority, writing on Truth Social:

“I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress to help me deliver Historic Tax Cuts, GREAT Jobs, Record Economic Growth, a Secure Border, Energy Dominance, Peace Through Strength, and much more, so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”

“With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat. The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations,” he said.

Stefanik had been under pressure to take herself out of contention for the role despite appearing poised to sail through Senate confirmation with bipartisan support, CBS News first reported. 

This is a breaking news story. Please chec

Iranian Hackers Threaten to Leak 100GB of Stolen Trump Team Emails

A stunning escalation…

An Iran-linked hacker group is claiming to be in possession of a trove of stolen emails from President Donald Trump’s inner circle is threatening to publish the material in what U.S. officials describe as a politically motivated “smear campaign.”

The group, operating under the alias “Robert,” said it has over 100 gigabytes of emails from key Trump allies, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, longtime confidant Roger Stone, Trump attorney Lindsey Halligan, and even adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Reuters broke the story Tuesday after direct communication with the hackers, who hinted at potentially selling the material, though the group offered no specifics.

The threat comes just days after Trump abruptly reversed a tentative effort to ease sanctions on Iran, following Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s downplaying of U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. A top Iranian cleric has issued a fatwa against Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling the pair “enemies of God.” (RELATED: Iranian Grand Ayatollah Issues Fatwa Targeting Trump)

Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, a leading Shiite cleric in Iran with authority to issue legal rulings under Islamic law, has issued a fatwa — an Islamic legal decree — escalating regional tensions and offering religious justification for violence against Western and Israeli leaders.

As Newsweek rightly notes, the development highlights the Islamic Republic’s ongoing use of religious decrees as political tools — a strategy Iran has long used to project power beyond its borders.

While a fatwa is not legally enforceable, it can influence judicial decisions in countries with Sharia-based legal systems.

Khosro K. Isfahani, senior research analyst at the National Union for Democracy in Iran wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the fatwa issued by Shirazi against Trump was similar to the murder fatwa issued against the author Salman Rushdie for his novel The Satanic Verses which led to a number of assassination attempts.

“This so-called cyber ‘attack’ is nothing more than digital propaganda,” said Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) spokesperson Marci McCarthy. She described the effort as a “calculated smear campaign” designed to “damage President Trump and discredit honorable public servants.”

According to Mediaite, the hackers claim the breach was triggered by recent U.S. involvement in the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran, a war Trump claimed credit for ending via a negotiated ceasefire. Despite claiming to have halted new attacks, the group says it resumed operations in response to that military intervention.

Federal prosecutors have already linked the hacker group to Iran.

Report: Melania Trump Statue In Slovenia Sawed Off, Stolen

By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54426560683/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=163105965

Police in Slovenia are investigating the disappearance of a bronze statue of U.S. first lady Melania Trump.

The life-size sculpture was unveiled in 2020 during President Donald Trump’s first term in office near Sevnica in central Slovenia, where Melania Knavs was born in 1970. It replaced a wooden statue that had been set on fire earlier that year.

According to Slovenian media reports, the bronze replica was sawed off at the ankles and removed.

The original wooden statue was torched in July 2020. The rustic figure was cut from the trunk of a linden tree, showing her in a pale blue dress like the one she wore at Trump’s presidential inauguration in 2017.

The replica bronze statue has no obvious resemblance to the first lady.

Musk Fantasizes About Jailing Zelenskyy After Trump Pauses Aid To Ukraine

By President Of Ukraine from Україна - Joint Statement of the fourth Ukraine - Nordic Summit in Reykjavik., CC0, curid=156221560

The rift between President Trump and Ukraine leader Volodormyr Zelenskyy is growing wider…

On Monday, the Trump administration paused all aid to Ukraine, including weapons in transit or in Poland, until Ukrainian leaders show more appreciation for U.S. support and a commitment to peace.

“President Trump has been clear that he is focused on peace,” a White House official told Fox News. “We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.”

A senior Trump administration official also told Fox News that military aid will remain on hold until Ukrainian leaders show a commitment to good faith peace negotiations.

“This is not permanent termination of aid, it’s a pause,” the official emphasized. “The orders are going out right now.”

Zelenskyy’s meeting with Trump and Vice President JD Vance last week erupted into a shouting match that was seen worldwide. The Ukrainian president traveled to the United States to meet with Trump after the commander-in-chief said a peace negotiation to end the war between Ukraine and Russia is in its final stages. 

Zelenskyy was apparently presented with a minerals for security agreement by the Trump administration prior to the press event, but the deal included no security guarantees to protect Ukraine from another Russian invasion. 

Minutes after reporters in the Oval Office asked their first questions, an aggressive spat unfolded between the heads of state.

The Biden administration gave billions in military aid to Ukraine to fend off Russian forces amid its three-year war following Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor. 

When asked Monday about the status of the rare-earth minerals deal, Trump told reporters that he would disclose where the deal stands when he addresses a joint session of Congress Tuesday in a speech akin to the annual State of the Union. He added that he would like to see the Ukrainian leader express more gratitude for U.S. support during the war in order to rekindle peace negotiations. 

“I just think he should be more appreciative because this country has stuck with him through thick and thin,” Trump said. “We’ve given them much more than Europe, and Europe should have given more than us because, as you know, that’s right there, that’s the border.” 

Later on Monday, President Trump spurred extreme reactions from senior advisers such as Elon Musk after responding to Zelenskyy’s comments signaling the end to Ukraine’s conflict with Russia is still “very, very far away.”

“This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!” wrote Trump on Truth Social. “It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the U.S. – Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?”

On X, Musk shared Trump’s post and argued that “Zelensky wants a forever war, a never-ending graft meat grinder. This is evil.”

Right-wing social media personality Rogan O’Handley then shared Musk’s post along with a theory:

Zelensky knows if the war ends, his power ends

Elections will resume and he’ll lose

Then his adversary will investigate his money laundering and he’ll be sent to prison

Zelensky is sending innocent Ukrainians to die in his meat grinder so he can stay in power

Dictator

“True,” replied Musk. “As distasteful as it is, Zelensky should be offered some kind of amnesty in a neutral country in exchange for a peaceful transition back to democracy in Ukraine.”

Former NATO Commander Goes On CNN To Mock Trump’s Plea To Putin

CNN Headquarters via Wikimedia Commons

Retired U.S. Gen. Wesley Clark, a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, took a swipe at President Donald Trump’s Truth Social message to Vladimir Putin, calling the public plea unlikely to influence Russian military behavior.

Clark’s comments came during a Thursday appearance on CNN’s “Situation Room,” shortly after Trump had posted:

“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”

“Do you think a post from President Trump on social media will actually wind up stopping Putin from launching more attacks on civilians, like in Kyiv, for example, where civilian men, women and children were just killed in big numbers?” asked CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

Clark replied bluntly: “Well, I think it would be very surprising if President Trump’s tweet would have any real impact on President Putin.”

The retired Army officer argued that Putin sees a strategic opening, particularly as the U.S. appears to be retreating from some of its longstanding commitments in Europe.

Mediaite further reports:

“So this is a moment for Putin, really. It’s what he’s been waiting for,” he continued. “This gives him a clear field to bring pressure to bear against Ukrainian population like this missile strike, and also to go to his allies, China, North Korea, and Iran, and say, ‘Give me more, give me more. This is the moment we can go.”

“We know there are exercises being prepared for this summer in Belarus. Rumors of brigades being ready to attack from Belarus into Kaliningrad to open that gate. This is a really perilous time for Europe. And it’s the opposite time to be pulling back,” he said.

“What President Trump should be saying is, ‘Since you did this, I’m reinforcing U.S. Military assistance to Kyiv, and you can forget about it. We’re going to stay with it until you realize you’re not going to win militarily,’” Clark advised Trump. That’s what it’s going to take to bring peace to Ukraine.”

Trump had pledged to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine within 24 hours of being elected, but he and his diplomatic team have thus far found it difficult to broker a peace agreement with Russia and Ukraine, going so far as to suggest they will give up any efforts recently.

READ NEXT: Trump Pushes To Revive Sweeping Ban – Supreme Court Now Involved

Iranian Grand Ayatollah Issues Fatwa Targeting Trump

The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A senior Iranian cleric has called for the assassination of U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and other Israeli officials, calling them “Enemies of God.”

Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, a leading Shiite cleric in Iran with authority to issue legal rulings under Islamic law, has issued a fatwa — an Islamic legal decree — escalating regional tensions and offering religious justification for violence against Western and Israeli leaders.

As Newsweek rightly notes, the development highlights the Islamic Republic’s ongoing use of religious decrees as political tools — a strategy Iran has long used to project power beyond its borders.

While a fatwa is not legally enforceable, it can influence judicial decisions in countries with Sharia-based legal systems.

Khosro K. Isfahani, senior research analyst at the National Union for Democracy in Iran wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the fatwa issued by Shirazi against Trump was similar to the murder fatwa issued against the author Salman Rushdie for his novel The Satanic Verses which led to a number of assassination attempts.

Fatwa Targets U.S. and Israeli Leadership

Shirazi’s ruling singles out Trump, Netanyahu, and senior Israeli officials for death, framing the call as a divine imperative. While fatwas lack direct enforcement mechanisms outside of Islamic law, they carry significant weight among hardline elements and militias aligned with Tehran.

The fatwa comes on the heels of a fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire that followed a 12-day conflict involving Israel, Iran, and the United States.

At the height of the fighting, President Trump declared that the U.S. knew the whereabouts of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, calling him an “easy target” — though he added Khamenei was safe “for now.” Around the same time, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued his own threat, saying that Khamenei should be assassinated.

As Newsweek reporters Brendan Cole and Shane Croucher add, “Shirazi said anyone who threatens the Leader or Marja is considered ‘an enemy of God’ and reminded Muslims and Islamic states that it would be ‘haram’ (forbidden) to stand in support of the enemy.”

They continue:

“It is necessary for all Muslims around the world to make these enemies regret their words and mistakes,” the fatwa said.

Isfahani said on X that the fatwa had been signed and sealed responding to an Estefta (formal query) and was significant because it directly named Trump and that “unlike the nonexistent Fatwa against nukes, this one is real.”

Not Shirazi’s First Outrageous Decree

Shirazi, known for issuing rulings against smoking and even banning women from attending soccer matches, has a long record of using his clerical position to shape Iranian social and political norms.

Critics say the fatwa resembles Iran’s infamous 1989 ruling against author Salman Rushdie, which led to a decades-long threat on Rushdie’s life and culminated in a violent stabbing in 2022 that left the writer blind in one eye.

Elena Ternovaja, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Comes Amid Pattern of Threats Against U.S. Officials

This latest fatwa doesn’t come in a vacuum. It follows reported Iranian-backed plots targeting Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — both of whom played key roles in the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and the targeted killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Qasem Soleimani in 2020.

While the White House has not yet responded to Shirazi’s declaration, U.S. officials have previously acknowledged ongoing threats from Iranian actors against Trump-era leaders.

What This Means Going Forward

Even if symbolic, Shirazi’s call could inspire real-world violence — and it’s likely to complicate diplomatic efforts in the region, particularly as Tehran faces renewed scrutiny over its nuclear ambitions and destabilizing activity across the Middle East.

Retired General Predicts Putin Will ‘Wait Out’ Trump Term Before Final Ukraine Strike

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By President Of Ukraine from Україна - Joint Statement of the fourth Ukraine - Nordic Summit in Reykjavik., CC0, curid=156221560

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Jack Keane said he suspects Russian President Vladimir Putin will wait for President Trump to leave office before he launches an attack to unseat the Ukrainian government.

In an interview on Fox News, Keane said he does not think Putin will ever give up his long-term goal of taking over Ukraine, even if he accepts a peace agreement during Trump’s time in office.

Keane said he thinks Putin is “willing to, at some point, if the deal is OK with him, to accept a peace agreement and a ceasefire.”

Kremlin.ru, via Wikimedia Commons

“But he’s not given up on his strategic goal to topple the government in Ukraine and take over the country,” Keane continued, adding, “So, where is he coming from? He’ll wait out President Trump, I suspect, and attack.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and national security adviser Mike Waltz met with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss an end to the war.

Asked whether he thinks it will be difficult for Trump “to get the kind of peace” agreement he wants, Keane said in the interview, “No.”

“I think he can get a peace agreement,” Keane said. “But what I think will happen is … it [is] likely he [Putin] will not take on his goal of toppling the government in Ukraine until after Trump is out of the presidency.”

Keane nodded to intelligence that suggested Putin anticipated his invasion of Ukraine would happen swiftly and with little resistance. Instead, he encountered a resolute Ukrainian military, backed by a strengthened NATO alliance.

“Listen, everything is on the line for him. He has strategic failure here. He thought this was going to take place in two to three weeks, that people would capitulate. It did not happen,” Keane said about Putin.

“And here we are going into a third year,” he continued. “The reality is, his presidency is at stake. And I think also his personal life is at stake if all of this blows up on him.”

Trump told reporters Sunday that he thinks Putin “wants to stop fighting” and that he is not still aiming to take all of Ukrainian territory.

Asked about Putin’s territorial ambitions — and whether he thinks Putin wants the whole of Ukraine’s land — Trump said he asked Putin the same question.

“I think he wants to stop. That was my question to him. Because if he’s going to go on, that would have been a big problem for us, and that would have caused me a big problem, because you just can’t let that happen,” Trump said.

“I think he wants to end it. And they want to end it fast. Both of them,” Trump continued, noting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “wants to end it too.”

Fox News Host Mark Levin Skewers Trump Middle East Visit

Fox News host Mark Levin had a lot to say about President Trump’s current visit to the Middle East…

Without mentioning President Trump by name, Levin was remarkably critical of the commander-in-chief, taking to social media to blast Saudi Arabia for playing a “significant role on the 9/11 slaughter of our people.” He also condemned Qatar for having “protected the leader of the 9/11 attack from the FBI, before he was able to launch his war on America that killed our people.”

Levin posted on X:

Saudi Arabia played a significant role on the 9/11 slaughter of our people. I didn’t hear their Crown Prince even apologize once yesterday for what they did to us. And I know the 9/11 families are reeling from this.

And Qatar protected the leader of the 9/11 attack from the FBI, before he was able to launch his war on America that killed our people. The debate about whether the plane is a legal gift is beside the point. Qatar is a terrorist regime that has murdered Americans.

I cannot let bygones be bygones and those Americans who suffered the consequences of what these monarchies did cannot either. I can’t stop thinking about all the innocent people who went to work that day, and were on those planes, and all the firefighters and police officers who died horrible deaths.

As for Iran, if they get a nuclear weapon that’s on our generation. And our country will suffer the horrible consequences. These are terrorists. They don’t think like us and they don’t love life like us. We must have the guts and wisdom to protect ourselves.

In a separate post, Levin praised Trump, but not without dinging him for using “lines used by the Soros-Koch isolationist crowd about neocons and interventionists” in his speech to the Saudis. Levin linked to a Jewish Insider article about the speech and noted via X:

Isolationism or globalism? Or both?

Actually, POTUS’s speech included some of the lines used by the Soros-Koch isolationist crowd about neocons and interventionists, but the irony is that it was given in the context of a globalist outreach effort to make economic and military deals with and between Middle East monarchies/dictatorships and the biggest of America’s globalists/internationalists/corporatists. We don’t know the details but if they’re great deals for we, the people, that’s wonderful. I truly believe the President is THE best at making GREAT deals. Nonetheless, this looks like globalism wrapped in isolationist language.

Levin’s comments come as President Trump faces scrutiny over his decision to accept Qatar’s gift of a luxurious $400 million “flying palace” to serve as Air Force One. (RELATED: Trump Announces Plan To Drop Sanctions On Syria)

The prospect has drawn bipartisan pushback, which Trump has met with indifference. 

“[The Qataris] said to me, ‘we would like to, in effect, we would like to make a gift. You’ve done so many things. and we’d like to make you a gift to the Defense Department,’ which is where it’s going. and I said, ‘Well, that’s nice.’ Now, some people say, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t accept gifts for the country.’ My attitude is, why wouldn’t I accept the gift? We’re giving to everybody else, why wouldn’t I accept a gift?” Trump explained to Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Tuesdsay. 

U.S. relations with Doha have come a long way since 2017, when Trump accused Qatar of harboring terrorism: “The nation of Qatar, unfortunately, has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level,” Trump said at the time. 

From there, Qatar became a major non-NATO ally to the U.S. in 2022 under President Biden and is home to Al Udeid Air Base, one of the U.S.’ largest Middle East bases and a key hub for U.S. Central Command operations. 

“Qatar is not, in my opinion, a great ally. I mean, they support Hamas. So what I’m worried about is the safety of the president,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) told reporters on Tuesday.

The Constitution states that accepting a gift from an overseas power requires congressional approval. However, Trump has not requested permission to receive the plane, an offering made months after his family business agreed to develop a multi-billion dollar golf course in the Middle Eastern country.