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Clinton Praises Trump’s Hardline Shift on Russia, Says Putin ‘Only Responds to Strength’

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Kremlin.ru, via Wikimedia Commons

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, one of Donald Trump’s fiercest critics, surprised many on Wednesday when she applauded the former president for his new, tougher posture toward Russia.

Speaking on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Clinton acknowledged Trump’s remarks at the UN General Assembly and on Truth Social, where he suggested Ukraine could reclaim “all of Ukraine back in its original form” with support from NATO and European allies. The comments mark a stark departure from Trump’s earlier suggestions that a peace settlement might involve Ukraine ceding territory.

Clinton told host Joe Scarborough, “I welcomed what the president said yesterday. I thought that given all the back-and-forth that we have seen and heard at Anchorage and elsewhere, his coming to grips with the fact that Vladimir Putin does not respond to any kind of rhetoric, he only responds to strength.”

She continued: “You have to show strength. You have to back strength. You have to be strong in order to deal with him.”

Trump’s Shift in Tone

Trump’s comments this week are notable because they reflect mounting frustration with Russia’s faltering military campaign and its weakened economy under international sanctions. Once seen as willing to explore negotiations, Trump is now openly questioning the competence of Moscow’s armed forces.

On Truth Social, he wrote that Kyiv could regain “the original borders from where this war started” with allied support, pointing to Russia’s battlefield struggles and growing financial pressure at home. He also remarked, “What kind of military does Russia have exactly? They couldn’t even take over Ukraine.”

This sharper tone comes after Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in New York. His remarks highlight a recalibration of strategy—one that views backing Ukraine as not only about defending Europe but also about exposing Russia’s vulnerabilities.

Clinton Warns About Russia, Backs Trump’s Message

Clinton, who has long argued that Putin poses a grave threat to Western security, warned that Russia’s aggression is a “clear and present danger to all of Europe and therefore to the United States.”

But she noted that Trump’s message sends the right signal: “And I think if what President Trump said yesterday is if we help Ukraine, Ukraine can hold the line and may even be able to push Russia back.”

For Republicans, Trump’s harder line could signal a growing recognition that strength and leverage—not concessions—are the path to containing Russia. As Clinton put it, Moscow has been badly overestimated: “We overestimated Russia’s military strength and now we’re seeing that they can be pushed back.”

Former Trump Campaign Manager Registers As Foreign Agent For Israel

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President Trump’s former campaign manager Brad Parscale has registered as a foreign agent for Israel.

Parscale was hired to create digital campaigns combating antisemitism and targeting young Americans in a contract worth $6 million.

Parscale signed a Foreign Agents Registration Act form this month, informing the Department of Justice that he and his business Clock Tower X LLC were now representing Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs “to develop and execute a nationwide campaign in the United States to combat antisemitism.”

In another registration form, Parscale also disclosed his partnership with Germany’s HAVAS Media Network as part of the arrangement.

Asked whether the agency was “supervised by a foreign government, foreign political party, or other foreign principal,” Parscale ticked the box “Yes,” explaining that the agency was being “supervised” by the “State of Israel.”

According to Parscale’s contract, his company is hired to create content where at least 80 percent “is tailored to Gen Z audiences across platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, podcasts, and other relevant digital and broadcast outlets.” 

The contract also states that “Agency shall provide strategic communications, planning, and media services in support of Client’s engagement by the State of Israel to develop and execute a nationwide campaign in the United States to combat antisemitism.”

Parscale will also reportedly work to influence AI models such as ChatGPT.

Parscale served as the Trump campaign’s digital media director in 2016, before going on to become Trump’s campaign manager in 2020.

Antisemitism has risen dramatically in the U.S. amid two years of Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, triggered by the U.S.-designated terrorist group’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The Anti-Defamation League recorded 9,354 antisemitic incidents across the U.S. in 2024, the highest number on record since the ADL began tracking incidents 46 years ago. 

The ADL said that for the first time in the history of the audit, a majority (58 percent) of all incidents contained elements related to Israel or Zionism.

Trump Revokes Board Of Peace Invitation For Longtime Ally

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This will have far-reaching implications…

President Trump on Friday revoked Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s invitation to join his new Board of Peace, following Carney’s public criticism of Trump’s tariff proposals and his broader push to secure U.S. influence in Greenland.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced the decision directly.

“Dear Prime Minister Carney,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time.”

Carney had received the invitation last week. However, he raised concerns about the board’s reported $1 billion membership fee, telling reporters Sunday that Canada “wants money to have maximum impact.”

“We still do not have unimpeded aid flows, humanitarian aid flows at scale to the people in Gaza,” he said. “That is a precondition for moving forward on this.”

Trump’s Board of Peace, which he would chair, is intended to oversee Gaza and assist with rehabilitation efforts as part of his broader 20-point peace plan, developed amid the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The invitation list reportedly included multiple high-profile world leaders, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Argentinian President Javier Milei.

Carney’s comments came as tensions continued to build over Trump’s warnings of new trade penalties against Denmark and other European countries, tied to his administration’s position on Greenland. Carney criticized Trump’s tariff threats—including the proposed 10 percent tariffs—after Trump signaled the United States is pursuing control over the strategically important Arctic territory.

Trump later lifted the proposed tariffs after discussions with NATO leaders and a “framework” agreement at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, giving the U.S. access to the territory for military and mineral rights purposes.

At Davos, Carney framed Canada’s position as firm support for Denmark and Greenland.

“On Arctic sovereignty, we stand firmly with Greenland in Denmark and fully support their unique right to determine Greenland’s future,” Carney said in Davos on Tuesday. “Our commitment to NATO’s Article 5 is unwavering, so we’re working with our NATO allies, including the Nordic-Baltic Eight to further secure the alliance’s northern and western flanks, including through Canada’s unprecedented investments in over-the-horizon radar, in submarines and aircraft and boots on the ground — boots on the ice.”

Trump addressed the issue the following day during a speech, criticizing Carney’s tone and arguing that Canada benefits heavily from U.S. defense and economic support.

“We’re building a Golden Dome that’s going to, just by its very nature, going to be defending Canada,” Trump said. “Canada gets a lot of freebies from us, by the way. They should be grateful also, but they’re not. I watched your prime minister yesterday, he wasn’t so grateful.”

“But they should be grateful to us, Canada,” the president added. “Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, before you make your statements.”

Trump Gives Blunt Answer What Happens To Iran If He’s Assassinated

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President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd after delivering remarks at the House GOP Member Retreat, Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at the Donald J. Trump- John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

In an interview broadcast Tuesday night, President Donald Trump delivered a blunt warning to Iran’s ruling regime: any attempt on his life would be met with overwhelming retaliation.

Speaking with NewsNation host Katie Pavlich on “Katie Pavlich Tonight,” Trump said he has already ordered a devastating response if Iran follows through on threats made against him.

“They shouldn’t be doing it, but I’ve left notification. Anything ever happens, the whole country is going to get blown up,” Trump told Pavlich. “Originally, Biden should have said something, when they made a statement. We always said, ‘Why isn’t Biden saying anything?’ Because he didn’t.”

Trump also criticized what he described as weakness from the Biden administration, arguing that failing to respond forcefully to foreign threats only emboldens America’s enemies.

“But a president has to defend a president. If I were here, and they were making that threat to somebody, even, not even a president, but somebody, like they did with me, I would absolutely hit them so hard,” Trump said. “But I have very firm instructions — anything happens, they’re going to wipe them off the face of this earth.”

Iranian threats escalate against Trump

Trump’s comments came as Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has posted multiple threatening messages about Trump on social media—including imagery depicting the president in a coffin. Trump said those threats cannot be ignored, especially given Iran’s long history of supporting terrorism and political violence across the Middle East.

To many conservatives, the threats underscore a larger pattern: Iran’s theocratic leaders grow more aggressive when the United States appears unwilling to enforce red lines. Republicans have repeatedly argued that deterrence only works when America backs it with strength, resolve, and consequences.

Biden administration acknowledged IRGC assassination plot

Even under the Biden administration, the threat from Iran has been formally documented.

Biden’s Justice Department announced the indictment of a senior member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on charges of conspiring to kill former National Security Advisor John Bolton in 2022. Prosecutors alleged that a confidential source was offered $300,000 to carry out the assassination.

For Republicans, the plot was more proof that Iran is not simply a hostile state—but a regime willing to target Americans directly, including former senior officials.

Trump’s stance: defend dissidents, punish brutality

Trump has previously warned Iran not to harm protesters who oppose the regime, threatening consequences if demonstrators were executed. While Iran did not hang those specific protesters, the regime’s security forces killed hundreds during the crackdown.

Conservatives have long viewed Iran’s government as an oppressive theocracy that violently suppresses its own people while funding terrorist proxies abroad. Many Republicans argue the U.S. should side firmly with dissidents and freedom-minded citizens, not appease the clerics in Tehran.

Soleimani strike remains a defining moment

One of the most significant actions of Trump’s first term against Iran was the January 2020 strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, an IRGC commander widely viewed by U.S. officials as responsible for planning attacks on Americans and allied forces.

The strike was praised by many Republicans as a clear demonstration of deterrence: when Iran targets Americans, the United States responds decisively.

A major 2025 strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure

The article also notes that in June 2025, the United States Air Force bombed multiple facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan connected to Iran’s nuclear program, reportedly dropping as many as 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators.

The operation involved a 37-hour flight by seven B-2A Spirit bombers and inflicted significant damage to Iran’s nuclear capabilities with no American losses.

Special Envoy Reveals Ukraine Leader Apologized In Letter To Trump

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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

President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky apologized to Trump in a letter.

“Zelensky sent a letter to the president. He apologized for that whole incident that happened in the Oval Office,” Witkoff said Monday on Fox News. “I think that it was an important step and there’s been a lot of discussion between our teams and the Ukrainians and the Europeans who are relevant to this discussion as well.”

U.S. and Ukrainian officials are set to meet in Saudi Arabia this week to pick back up on peace negotiations to end the war with Russia.

Witkoff said he thought Zelensky sending Trump a letter to apologize for the fiery meeting was “progress.”

Witkoff said it’s important for the officials to discuss security protocols for Ukrainians, territorial issues and a utility plan.

“These are not complicated things, they just … need to be put on the table and everybody needs to be transparent about what their expectations are, then we can begin to have a discussion about how we compromise,” he said.

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

Cruz Rages At Reports Iran Is ‘Explicitly Threatening To Murder Trump’

Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America,

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and other close allies of President Donald Trump were left fuming after reporters leaked that Iranian state TV broadcast an image threatening to assassinate the president.

Iran issued the sickening threat against President Trump on Wednesday, broadcasting a picture of the commander in chief during the 2024 Butler rally assassination attempt — with the words “This time it will not miss the target.” The ominous warning was aired on Iranian state-run TV, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported.

This marks Tehran’s most direct threat yet against Trump, following repeated threats that the US will strike the country if it continues its brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump urged the people of Iran to “take over” the country’s institutions on saying he has canceled all planned meetings with the Iranian regime until its crackdown on unrest ends.

“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

“I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!!” he continued, referencing “Make Iran Great Again.”

The death toll from nationwide protests grew to 2,000, The Associated Press reported, citing activists.

Trump’s message to Iranians has become increasingly intense in recent days. In addition to encouraging anti-government protests, Trump threatened earlier this week to impose a 25 percent tariff on any country conducting business with Iran if they also do business with the U.S.

Cruz shared the image and wrote on X, “Iran explicitly threatening to murder Trump. Tucker—whose podcast the Ayatollah is currently playing in Persian all across Iran—insists that Iran has never done this.”

Mediaite reported that Cruz referenced Tucker Carlson in his post as the two have long feuded over Trump’s previous strikes against Iran, which Carlson vehemently opposed and warned would lead to World War III.

Fox host Mark Levin also shared the image and wrote, “Iranian regime threatening to assassinate our President and making clear they’ve tried before! It’s time to deal with this. I’m sure we will.”

Report: Ukraine Agrees To US-Brokered Peace Deal

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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

Ukraine has agreed to a peace deal with Russia that was brokered by the United States, but a cautious Volodymyr Zelensky warned “much work” remains to be done.

“Following the meetings in Geneva, we see many prospects that can make the path to peace real,” Zelensky wrote in an X post on Tuesday. “There are solid results, and much work still lies ahead.”

A U.S. military official in Abu Dhabi told CBS News Driscoll spent hours negotiating Tuesday with Russian representatives, going in and out of meetings all day. 

“We remain very optimistic,” the official said. “Secretary Driscoll is optimistic. Hopefully, we’ll get feedback from the Russians soon. This is moving quick.”

It is not clear who else is in the U.S. delegation in Abu Dhabi. A U.S. official told CBS News on Tuesday that a Ukrainian delegation was also there and has been in contact with Driscoll and his team.

A source with knowledge told CBS News that Driscoll was working in Abu Dhabi off of a revised version of the White House’s 28-point proposal, following productive negotiations in Geneva.

USA Strikes ‘Big Facility’ In Campaign Against Venezuela

President Donald Trump holds a Cabinet meeting, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in the Cabinet Room. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

President Donald Trump suggested this week that U.S. forces may have carried out a direct strike on a major drug-related facility inside Venezuela, a development that—if confirmed—would represent a significant escalation in his administration’s campaign against narco-trafficking and the Maduro regime.

In an interview Friday with radio host John Catsimatidis on The Cats & Cosby Show, the president discussed ongoing U.S. military operations targeting suspected drug-smuggling vessels operating off the Venezuelan coast. During that conversation, Trump appeared to reference a successful strike on a fixed facility connected to those operations.

“They have a big plant or a big facility where the ships come from,” the president said. “Two nights ago, we knocked that out.”

While Trump did not publicly identify the location of the facility, U.S. officials later told The New York Times that the president was referring to a drug facility located inside Venezuela that had been destroyed. At this time, the president’s comments remain the only public indication such a strike occurred. Neither the Venezuelan government nor other Latin American governments have acknowledged or confirmed an attack of this kind.

If U.S. forces did strike a facility on Venezuelan soil, it would mark the first known land-based military action in Trump’s broader effort to disrupt drug trafficking networks tied to the regime of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. That effort has intensified since September, when the administration began authorizing military strikes on vessels believed to be transporting narcotics in international waters near Venezuela.

According to public reporting, more than 100 people have been killed since those maritime strikes began. The administration has defended the operations as necessary to combat transnational criminal organizations that U.S. officials say operate with the protection—or direct involvement—of the Maduro government. The Trump administration has repeatedly labeled Venezuela a “narco-state,” accusing senior regime figures of facilitating cocaine trafficking into the United States.

In October, The New York Times reported that the president had “secretly authorized the C.I.A. to conduct covert action in Venezuela,” a claim Trump later confirmed publicly. The authorization reportedly expanded U.S. intelligence and operational capabilities aimed at undermining drug cartels and weakening Maduro’s grip on power.

Beyond military operations, the administration has steadily increased pressure on Caracas through economic and strategic measures. Trump ordered the shutdown of Venezuelan airspace, citing security concerns, and earlier this month the U.S. began seizing oil tankers near Venezuelan shores as part of what officials describe as an enforcement action against illicit oil shipments funding the regime. Supporters of the policy argue these moves are designed to cut off revenue streams used to prop up corruption and criminal networks.

The president has previously made clear that land-based options were under consideration.

“What’s the next step in this war on cartels, and are you considering options? Are you considering strikes on land?” an off-camera reporter asked Trump in the Oval Office in October.

“Well, I don’t want to tell you exactly, but we are certainly looking at land now because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” Trump replied.

That comment, combined with Trump’s remarks during Friday’s radio interview, has fueled speculation that the administration may already be acting on those plans.

Despite the president’s statements, military officials told The New York Times they had no information to share regarding the reported destruction of a “big facility.” Both the CIA and the White House declined to comment, a response consistent with the administration’s approach to sensitive national security operations.

Supporters of the president argue that Trump’s aggressive posture reflects a long-overdue willingness to confront drug cartels and hostile regimes head-on, rather than relying solely on diplomatic pressure. Critics, meanwhile, warn that direct military action inside Venezuela could escalate tensions in the region.

For now, the administration has offered no further details—but Trump’s remarks make clear that his campaign against drug trafficking and the Maduro regime is far from over.

Mexico Agrees To Extradite 26 Cartel Leaders To US

The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Mexico reached a deal with the United States to hand over 26 top cartel leaders.

The cartel figures were scheduled to fly to the U.S. on Tuesday.

“Today is the latest example of the Trump administration’s historic efforts to dismantle cartels and foreign terrorist organizations,” Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News. “These 26 men have all played a role in bringing violence and drugs to American shores — under this Department of Justice, they will face severe consequences for their crimes against this country. We are grateful to President Sheinbaum and the Mexican government for their collaboration in this matter.”

Abigael González Valencia, a leader of the “Los Cuinis,” cartel, which is aligned with the notorious Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG) and Roberto Salazar, who is accused of participating in the 2008 killing of a Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy, are among those being handed over to the U.S. 

Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office and Security Ministry confirmed the men were being handed over, saying the deal was made after the U.S. Justice Department said it wouldn’t seek the death penalty.

President Donald Trump has also reportedly secretly authorized U.S. military force against cartels in Latin America designated by the U.S. as terrorist organizations, which would allow U.S. forces to engage with them.

The move, reported by the New York Times, would give U.S. forces permission to engage the cartels, which traffic drugs like fentanyl across the US-Mexico border,

“The president is determined to not just dismantle – but completely destroy – [Venezuelan dictator Nicolas] Maduro’s Cartel de Los Soles and obliterate their operations in the Western Hemisphere,” a source close to the White House said, the New York Post reported. 

The anti-cartel effort is being coordinated among several departments, including the Department of Defense, Justice Department, Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Treasury, the source added.

“President Trump’s top priority is protecting the homeland, which is why he took the bold step to designate several cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organizations,” deputy White House press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement to Fox News.

It also comes ahead of 25% tariffs on Mexican goods coming into the U.S. imposed by Trump. 

Mexico also extradited 29 cartel leaders in February, including Rafael Caro Quintero, who prosecutors say was behind the torture and murder of a DEA agent in 1985. 

“The previous Administration allowed these criminals to run free and commit crimes all over the world. The Trump Administration is declaring these thugs as terrorists, because that is what they are, and demanding justice for the American people,” the White House said at the time. 

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.”