European leaders question whether Russia wants peace before Trump-Putin talks on Ukraine – Europe live | Ukraine– www.theguardian.com Source Link Excerpt:
US President Donald Trump said he plans to talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin about next steps in the peace process on Ukraine on Tuesday, after “a lot has been done over the weekend.”
His comments – particularly on “dividing up certain assets” – will make Europeans wonder what exactly he is planning to propose when he talks to Putin, and how this aligns with their views on what should happen in Ukraine.
On Saturday, “the coalition of the willing” discussed what they can do, as UK prime minister Keir Starmer talked the arrangement up as moving to “operational phase.”
But the very existence of the coalition appeared to be firmly opposed by Russia, as deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko said that any long-lasting peace treaty on Ukraine must meet Moscow’s demands.
Russia seeks ‘ironclad’ vow that Ukraine kept out of NATO, foreign troops stay out– www.foxnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko reportedly said that the Kremlin wants an “ironclad” guarantee that Ukraine will be prohibited from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as the Trump administration works to broker a deal to end the fighting.
“We will demand that ironclad security guarantees become part of this agreement,” Grushko was quoted by the Russian newspaper Izvestia as saying, according to Reuters. “Part of these guarantees should be the neutral status of Ukraine, the refusal of NATO countries to accept it into the alliance.”
Grushko reportedly made no mention of the 30-day cease-fire proposal, which was accepted by Ukraine with U.S. negotiators in Saudi Arabia last week. Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that any agreement must first meet crucial conditions.
Trump axes Secret Service protection for Hunter and Ashley Biden– www.independent.co.uk Source Link Excerpt:
The former president had extended the protection to July shortly before leaving office in January.
In a social media post, Trump expressed his disapproval of what he said were 18 agents assigned to Hunter Biden‘s security detail during his visit to South Africa this week. Hunter’s wife Melissa Cohen Biden is originally from South Africa.
“Hunter Biden has had Secret Service protection for an extended period of time, all paid for by the United States Taxpayer,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“There are as many as 18 people on this Detail, which is ridiculous! He is currently vacationing in, of all places, South Africa, where the Human Rights of people has been strenuously questioned.
Trump declares pardons issued by Biden ‘void’ and issues new threat to Jan 6 investigators: Live– www.independent.co.uk Source Link Excerpt:
Elsewhere on the president’s social media platform, he has been expressing sympathy over those impacted by terrible storms over the weekend and blaming Democrats for allowing “monsters” from Central America to enter the U.S. and engage in violent crime.
Trump rages ‘every shot fired by Houthis will be treated as fired by IRAN’ in furious threat after US warship attacked– www.thesun.co.uk Source Link Excerpt:
DONALD Trump has threatened to hold Iran accountable for “every shot” the Houthis fire from now – just hours after a US warship was attacked in the Red Sea.
Trump threatens to put 200% tariff on French Champagne and other EU spirits– www.cnbc.com Source Link Excerpt:
U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he plans to put a 200% tariff on alcohol from France and other European nations in the latest escalation of global trade tensions.
The U.S. tariff comes after the European Union moved to reinstate an import tax on American whiskey.
“The European Union, one of the most hostile and abusive taxing and tariffing authorities in the World, which was formed for the sole purpose of taking advantage of the United States, has just put a nasty 50% Tariff on Whisky. If this Tariff is not removed immediately, the U.S. will shortly place a 200% Tariff on all WINES, CHAMPAGNES, & ALCOHOLIC PRODUCTS COMING OUT OF FRANCE AND OTHER E.U. REPRESENTED COUNTRIES. This will be great for the Wine and Champagne businesses in the U.S.,” Trump said on Truth Social.
ICE arrests Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia student protests, attorney says – CNN Source Link Excerpt:
A federal judge in New York has blocked any efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist at Columbia University who was arrested Saturday night, until a conference Wednesday, according to court documents.
It’s unclear whether he will appear in court on Wednesday.
“To preserve the Court’s jurisdiction pending a ruling on the petition, Petitioner shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the Court orders otherwise,” the Monday filing said.
Khalil, who helped lead Columbia’s student protest movement demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, was arrested Saturday night by federal immigration authorities who said they were acting on a State Department order to revoke his green card, according to his attorney.
His arrest is the latest escalation by Trump – in what he calls “the first arrest of many to come”–to crack down on pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses, and comes days after he vowed to deport foreign students and imprison “agitators” involved in “illegal protests.”
Pro-Palestinian activist’s arrest will be ‘first of many,’ vows Trump– www.euronews.com Source Link Excerpt:
US President Donald Trump has said the detention of a pro-Palestinian activist in New York last week will be the “first arrest of many”, as his administration cracks down on those who participated in university campus protests against Israel and the war in Gaza.
Mahmoud Khalil was arrested on Saturday over his role in the protest movement at Columbia University. The former graduate student is currently being held at an immigration facility in Louisiana.
Although he has not been accused of a crime related to his activism, the US government has indicated that it wants to deport Khalil, who is a legal US resident.
A federal judge in New York said the 30-year-old could not be deported while the court considers a legal challenge brought by his lawyers.
Democrats Defend Columbia Hamas Terrorist Mahmoud Khalil Who Was Probed as National Security Threat -as Leftwing Judge Holds Up Deportation– gellerreport.com Source Link Excerpt:
He’s Syrian and he’s a violent Hamas supporter. Legitimate protest involves peaceful assembly for the purpose of voicing the opinion(s) of the involved individuals not terrorism.
The Democrats have spoken out more for Syrian national Mahmoud Khalil than for Laken Riley. More than American hostages held in captivity under brutal condition by Hamas.
Mahmoud Khalil was the leader of a student group that openly put out a statement declaring that they were “fighting for the total eradication of Western civilization.”
Name one good reason he should be in this country. (X)
Bur a far left federal judge in Manhattan has halted the deportation of a male alumnus of Columbia University who was a leading Hamas agitator on campus and an architect of the Hamilton Hall building takeover,.
ICE Arrested Legal U.S. Resident for Protesting the Genocide of Palestinians at Columbia – Jezebel Source Link Excerpt:
On Saturday evening, following reports of ICE agents in Columbia University student housing, recent graduate Mahmoud Khalil was arrested and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in front of his wife, who is eight months pregnant. During Khalil’s time as a student at Columbia, he was a vocal pro-Palestine student activist and leading figure in organizing student encampments to protest Israel’s genocide in Gaza and Columbia’s ties to Israel. Khalil served as a key negotiator with the university during the encampment protests last spring, which drew horrific police violence sanctioned by the university.
ICE officers approached Khalil and his wife, who is an American citizen, at the entrance of their student housing building around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. The agents reportedly told Khalil, who is Palestinian and graduated in December, that the State Department had revoked his student visa, even though Khalil has a green card and is a legal resident. His wife went to their apartment to retrieve his green card, while Khalil put his lawyer, Amy Greer, on the phone and tried to have the agents speak to her. The agents claimed Khalil’s green card had been revoked, too. When Greer tried to ask why Khalil was being detained, if the agents had a warrant, and also repeated that he has a green card, the agents hung up.
JD Vance rips protesters for ‘chasing’ him, 3-year-old daughter– www.theblaze.com Source Link Excerpt:
Vice President JD Vance was confronted near his Ohio home by a group of protesters over the weekend who questioned him about the war between Russia and Ukraine.
In a Saturday post on X, Vance slammed the demonstrators for “chasing” him while he was with his 3-year-old daughter.
‘Selling them out!’
“Today while walking my 3 year old daughter a group of ‘Slava Ukraini’ protesters followed us around and shouted as my daughter grew increasingly anxious and scared,” Vance wrote. “I decided to speak with the protesters in the hopes that I could trade a few minutes of conversation for them leaving my toddler alone. (Nearly all of them agreed.)”
He added, “It was a mostly respectful conversation, but if you’re chasing a 3-year-old as part of a political protest, you’re a s*** person.”
Video: JD Vance Speaks With Ukraine Supporting Protesters Who Harassed Him and His Young Daughter Near His Cincinnati Home | The Gateway Pundit– www.thegatewaypundit.com Source Link Excerpt:
Video has surfaced of Vice President J.D. Vance speaking with protesters supporting Ukraine who Vance said harassed him and his three-year-old daughter while they were out for a walk on Saturday near his Cincinnati home.
The video shows Vance and the protesters having a civil, but contentious discussion about the Trump administration’s push for a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.
Vance’s little three-year-old daughter Mirabel stood next to Vance during the debate while he kept a protective arm around her, but was obstructed from the camera’s view by a Secret Service agent.
Vice President J.D. Vance speaks with protesters supporting Ukraine while on a walk near his Cincinnati home with his three-year-old daughter, screen image via WCPO-TV, March 8, 2025
The video was posted by WCPO-TV with this caption, “WCPO has obtained a video showing protesters speaking with Vice President JD Vance near his Cincinnati residence. Vance claimed on X that the protesters were following him and his daughter before he decided to confront them. The protester who shared this video with us says that’s a fabrication. (Video courtesy of Ann Henry)”
House Rules Committee advances GOP’s stopgap ahead of shutdown deadline– thehill.com Source Link Excerpt:
The House Rules Committee voted Monday night to advance the GOP’s bill to avert a government shutdown, dispatching the measure to the full chamber for consideration ahead of Friday’s deadline.
The panel voted 9-3 to adopt the rule, which governs debate on the legislation. The successful vote sends the measure to the House floor for debate and a final vote.
“This legislation helps avoid the government shutting down and allows us to continue our work in service to the American people,” House Rules Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) said in her opening remarks of the hearing. “The House must act to avoid a needless shutdown that serves no purpose — by doing so, this body can put its focus and attention on the next appropriations process.”
The continuing resolution, unveiled by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) over the weekend, would keep the government funded through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year, while boosting defense funding and imposing cuts for some nondefense programs.
The House is expected to vote on the legislation on Monday. It remains unclear, however, if it has the votes to pass since Democrats are expected to oppose it in droves — their leadership is voting “no” — and a handful of Republicans are withholding support from the measure.
USDA Rolls Out $1 Billion Plan To Combat Bird Flu After Egg Prices Rise – Aberdeen Insider Source Link Excerpt:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday it plans to spend up to $1 billion in Commodity Credit Corporation funds to try to reduce the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry.
The virus, also known as bird flu or H5N1, has disrupted the work of poultry farmers for years and began infecting dairy herds last year. But a recent spike in egg prices has led to renewed public attention to the disease.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the new five-point plan would implement increased biosecurity measures for poultry farms to help reduce interactions between domestic flocks and wild birds, provide funding for farmers to quickly repopulate after having to cull infected flocks, remove some regulations, import eggs from other countries and research a vaccine.
“As we look to streamline and make more efficient the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will we have the resources needed to address the plan I just laid out?” she said. “We are convinced that we will, as we realign and evaluate where USDA has been spending money, where our employees are spending their time.”
Pope Francis shows remarkable recovery, may leave hospital soon: Vatican – The News International Source Link Excerpt:
Pope Francis has shown a remarkable recovery from pneumonia, the Vatican announced on Monday, saying that his health has significantly improved and he could be discharged in the coming days as his condition continues to stabilise.
The 88-year-old leader of the world’s Catholics was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on 14 February with bronchitis, which became pneumonia in both lungs.
The Argentine suffered a series of breathing crises that sparked worldwide concern for his life, most recently on 3 March.
But after a week of steady improvements, the Holy See said on Monday evening that his prognosis was no longer considered “reserved”, or uncertain.
“The clinical conditions of the Holy Father continue to be stable,” it said in a statement.
FCC Chairman Sends Letter To Google CEO Over Network’s Complaint That YouTube TV “Discriminates” Against Faith-Based Programming – DEADLINE Source Link Excerpt:
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr sent a letter to the CEOs of Alphabet and Google, calling out the refusal of YouTube TV to carry a network, Great American Family, as a potential case of discrimination against faith-based programming.
In his letter to Sundar Pichai and Neal Mohan, which he posted on X, Carr wrote that he has received a complaint from Great American Media in which they claim that YouTube TV “deliberately marginalizes faith-based and family-friendly content.” He noted that the network is carried on cable and streaming services including Comcast, Cox, Hulu, FuboTV and DirecTV stream.
Greenlanders head to polls as opposition party encourages ‘collaboration’ with US– www.foxnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
Independence from Denmark is not on the ballot itself, but who is elected to Greenland’s parliament will signal how the country could move forward in not only divorcing itself from Copenhagen, but in handling what some critics have perceived as threats issued by President Donald Trump.
Parliamentary elections on the world’s largest island, a nation of less than 60,000 people, have previously picked up scant coverage due to their relatively low impact on world affairs.
But all that changed in January when, ahead of his inauguration, Trump refused to rule out the possibility of “acquiring” Greenland through economic or military means and has since repeated his interest in the strategically important island.
While the majority of Greenlanders support independence from Denmark, they also align in their opposition to Trump’s ambitions for the island nation.
There is not a single lawmaker in Greenland that ran for election in this cycle on becoming a part of the U.S., but the leading opposition party known as Naleraq, which currently holds just five of the 31 seats in Greenland’s parliament, may have a solution to achieve independence while also appealing to Trump’s interests.
Trump open to extending TikTok sale deadline · TechNode– technode.com Source Link Excerpt:
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he is open to extending the April 5 deadline for TikTok’s sale in the country if necessary. Speaking at the White House, Trump noted “a lot of interest” in the deal but stated that an extension is not currently required. “We have a lot of interest in TikTok. And China is going to play a role, so hopefully China will approve of the deal, but they are going to play a role,” he said, without specifying potential buyers. A bipartisan law had initially set a Jan. 19 deadline for ByteDance to divest TikTok’s US operations, but Trump granted a 75-day extension, running until April 5. He has also expressed support for brokering a sale and suggested the US government should receive a 50% stake in the video-sharing platform. It remains unclear if further extensions are legally possible. [Bloomberg]
Trump Reveals There Are Four Groups That Could Buy TikTok – Forbes Source Link Excerpt:
As TikTok’s future in the United States continues to hang in the balance, President Donald Trump has revealed that the U.S. government is actively engaging with potential buyers about the platform’s future.
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday, as reported by Reuters, Trump stated that his administration was in touch with four groups regarding the sale of the Chinese-owned social media platform, with all options being regarded in a positive light. “A lot of people want it,” Trump told reporters, hinting at multiple potential paths forward, and “all four are good.”
Among the potential players, Frank McCourt — the former Los Angeles Dodgers owner — has emerged as one of the interested parties. Other prospective buyers in the past have also included the likes of Oracle and Microsoft, though the specific details of their current interest remain unclear.
Scientists discover simpler way to achieve Einstein’s ‘spooky action at a distance’ thanks to AI breakthrough — bringing quantum internet closer to reality– www.space.com Source Link Excerpt:
Scientists have used AI to discover an easier method to form quantum entanglement between subatomic particles, paving the way for simpler quantum technologies.
When particles such as photons become entangled, they can share quantum properties — including information — regardless of the distance between them. This phenomenon is important inquantum physics and is one of the features that makesquantum computers so powerful.
But the bonds of quantum entanglement have typically proven challenging for scientists to form. This is because it requires the preparation of two separate entangled pairs, then measuring the strength of entanglement — called a Bell-state measurement — on a photon from each of the pairs.
These measurements cause the quantum system to collapse and leave the two unmeasured photons entangled, despite them never having directly interacted with one another. This process of “entanglement swapping” could be used for quantum teleportation.
Abortion Activists Celebrate People Who Kill Babies With “Abortion Provider Appreciation Day”– www.lifenews.com Source Link Excerpt:
Today is the day leftists celebrate baby killers.
Today is “Abortion Provider Appreciation Day,” a day the Abortion Care Network claims Americans should celebrate “all of the courageous, compassionate people who provide abortion care.”
The pro-abortion network specifically recommends that supporters celebrate abortionists “through love notes, art, acts of kindness and support, messages of affirmation, a giant love-fest Tweetstorm, and more.”
Established in 1996 this day is framed by its supporters as a celebration of courage and compassion. They laud abortion providers as heroes who ensure “reproductive freedom” and access to what they call healthcare. But from a pro-life perspective, this commemoration is a tragic mischaracterization, one that glosses over the fundamental reality of what abortion entails: the deliberate ending of innocent human lives.
New York fires 2k prison guards for not returning to work after illegal strike– www.foxnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
New York officials fired more than 2,000 prison guards on Monday for not returning to work after a weekslong strike.
Enough correctional officers had returned to work for the state to declare an end to the wildcat strike, a labor action that violated a state law prohibiting strikes by most public employees.
“After 22 days of an illegal strike, the governor and I are happy to report it is now ended,” Corrections Commissioner Daniel Martuscello said during a virtual press briefing.
The state and the guards’ union, the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association, reached a new deal to end the strike over the weekend, but it was contingent on at least 85% of staff returning to work by Monday morning. While the 85% goal was not met, Martuscello said the state would honor some of the agreement’s provisions, including on overtime work.
U.S. orders non-emergency personnel to leave South Sudan amid escalating violence– www.cbsnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
The United States ordered the immediate departure of non-emergency personnel from the capital of South Sudan, citing an increase in crime, kidnapping and armed conflict, the Department of State said Sunday.
The travel advisory level for South Sudan remains at Level 4, which means Americans should not travel to the African country.
“Violent crime, such as carjackings, shootings, ambushes, assaults, robberies, and kidnappings are common throughout South Sudan, including Juba,” the advisory said. “Foreign nationals have been the victims of rape, sexual assault, armed robberies, and other violent crimes.”
It also said that the U.S. government has “limited ability to provide emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in South Sudan.”
Elon Musk’s SpaceX gears up for mission to bring Sunita Williams back to Earth: Check launch date and mission details |– timesofindia.indiatimes.com Source Link Excerpt:
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is set to launch the highly anticipated Crew-10 mission, a critical step in ensuring the return of NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and her colleague Barry “Butch” Wilmore after an unexpectedly extended stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Originally, Williams and Wilmore were expected to stay for just eight days following their launch aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in 2024. However, technical failures with the Starliner delayed their return for over eight months.
Now, with the Crew-10 mission scheduled for March 12, 2025, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, SpaceX aims to send a new team of astronauts to the ISS, allowing Williams and Wilmore to finally return home. Their prolonged stay has garnered political attention, with claims and counterclaims about the reasons behind their delay. However, NASA officials have assured that safety, rather than politics, dictated their extended mission.
China ordered to pay Missouri $24B in COVID-19 dispute– www.stltoday.com Source Link Excerpt:
JEFFERSON CITY — A federal judge in Cape Girardeau has ordered Chinese defendants to pay Missouri over $24 billion after finding they hoarded personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senior U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr. said in a 32-page order Friday that Missouri showed defendants, including the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party, hoarded PPE, violating federal law against monopolization or attempted monopolization of trade.
Limbaugh said the state’s evidence showed that defendants “engaged in monopolistic actions to hoard PPE through both the nationalization of U.S. factories and the direct hoarding of PPE manufactured or for sale in the United States.”
At the same time, the judgment said, China misled the world about the dangers and scope of the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate and extend the hoarding campaign.
British PM faces criticism over blocking legislation banning first-cousin marriage– www.foxnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
A former British Conservative minister and current MP renewed his push in Parliament last week for legislation that bans first-cousin marriage, prompting opposition from the ruling Labour party, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and a British-Muslim MP.
The Conservative MP Richard Holden said during a parliamentary debate, “A marriage between first cousins carries significant health issues, many of which aren’t even knowable until post-birth.” He added, “When practiced generation after generation, there is a significant multiplier effect.”
Adverse health effects on the children of first cousin marriages have been established in medical research. Holden added that “the real impacts on the openness of our society and women’s rights in our country are significant. After all, there are significant dynamics in sharing the same set of grandparents.”
Holden urged Starmer to “think again” about blocking his legislation from moving forward. Starmer responded to Holden, stating “We’ve taken our position on that Bill, thank you.”
North Sea collision sparks fears of ‘devastating spill’ after cargo ship laden with toxic chemical smashes into oil tanker – GB News Source Link Excerpt:
This morning’s devastating collision between a cargo ship and an oil tanker in the North Sea could lead to a disaster on the British coast, officials have warned.
“Multiple explosions” were heard as the Stena Immaculate tanker was struck by the Solong container ship – which was carrying toxic compound sodium cyanide…
The tanker was operating as part of the US Government’s Tanker Security Programme – a fleet of commercial vessels which can be contracted to carry fuel for the military when needed.
And though its sodium cyanide payload can produce harmful gas when combined with water, it remains unclear whether there had been any leak.
Arrested Philippine ex-President Duterte to face legacy of thousands killed in drug crackdown– abcnews.go.com Source Link Excerpt:
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, who left a savage legacy over his deadly anti-drugs crackdown, was arrested on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity for the thousands killed in a war he waged against drugs in a political career spanning decades. His detention capped an international investigation into killings, which unfolded for more than a dozen years..
Duterte again came under the spotlight during a weekend trip to Hong Kong when the trip sparked speculation that he may have gone into exile while on a trip to Hong Kong to evade a looming international arrest warrant. He had appeared as the main speaker on Sunday at a gathering of thousands of cheering and flag-waving Filipino expatriates, who jammed Southorn Stadium in downtown Wan Chai district.
Now 79 and in poor health, Duterte campaigned for his political party’s senatorial candidates ahead of the May 12 mid-term elections in the Philippines. He said he was aware the International Criminal Court had issued a warrant for his arrest over his campaign against illegal drugs that left thousands of suspects dead.
He again tried to justify the brutal crackdown and the crowd cheered him on. Police arrested him as he got off the plane at Manilla International Airport based on an ICC warrant.
Here’s more about Duterte, his ICC case and what lies ahead for one of Asia’s most unorthodox leaders in his time:
Duterte, a former prosecutor, congressman and longtime mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao, built a political name with his expletive-laced outbursts against the elites, the dominant Roman Catholic church and the West. He was also seen as pro-poor and a populist, but he is perhaps best remembered for his brutal approach to criminality, particularly illegal drugs.