Tag Archives: Trump

Trump Pulls Back From The Brink As US And Iran Agree 2-Week Ceasefire

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Less than two hours before the deadline he imposed, Donald Trump announced he is holding off on his threat to destroy Iran’s “whole civilisation” for two weeks.

His statement, which came with the caveat that Iran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz, also said Iran presented a “10-point proposal” that is “workable.”

The Strait of Hormuz, a waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that serves as a channel for transporting oil and gas, is controlled by Iran and is integral to the global economy.

“This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE! The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

“Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel also backed the ceasefire, but noted that the deal doesn’t apply to its conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to The Associated Press and Reuters.

“Israel supports President Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks subject to Iran immediately opening the straits and stopping all attacks on the US, Israel and countries in the region,” the Israeli prime minister’s account shared on X.

“The two-weeks ceasefire does not include Lebanon,” the account also noted.

Shortly after Trump’s announcement, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council confirmed it had agreed to the two-week ceasefire.

“It is emphasized that this does not signify the termination of the war,” Iran’s statement said. “Our hands remain upon the trigger, and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, it shall be met with full force.”

Iran Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said in a statement that “safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations” for two weeks.

Yet soon thereafter, missiles were detected by Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council also detailed alleged provisions of a 10-point plan in a statement, NBC News and The Associated Press reported.

Its characterisation included the “withdrawal of US combat forces from all bases and positions in the region” and “controlled passage through the Strait of Hormuz coordinated with Iran’s armed forces”.

However, Iran apparently released two different versions of the plan, The Associated Press reported.

“In the version released in Farsi, Iran included the phrase ‘acceptance of enrichment’ for its nuclear programme. But for reasons that remain unclear, that phrase was missing in English versions shared by Iranian diplomats to journalists,” AP noted.

The news of the two-week ceasefire was announced after Trump made a jarring threat against Iran earlier in the day.

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump posted Tuesday on Truth Social, essentially threatening genocide if the Strait of Hormuz wasn’t open.

On February 28, the US and Israel began Operation Epic Fury, relentlessly bombarding Iran. Though contradictory or nonsensical statements from Trump are nothing new, the president has made numerous conflicting remarks about the war and the US’s objectives in Iran.

He has also backtracked on the deadlines he has imposed and the threats he has made multiple times. Experts have said that destroying Iran’s civilian infrastructure, as Trump has threatened to do, would be a war crime.

“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah,” Trump wrote on social media on Sunday.

Trump made a similar threat on March 21, demanding that the Strait be “FULLY OPEN” in 48 hours, or the U.S. would “obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”

But on March 23, Trump shelved those plans, saying the US had “had productive” discussions with Iran. He announced another 10-day postponement, “pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction” beginning on March 26, after the stock market dropped.

On April 1, Trump said the strait needed to be “open, free and clear” for a ceasefire to be implemented. “Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!

The US Congress, which is on Easter recess, has largely remained quiet on the war and Trump’s recent genocidal threat.

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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Trump Reportedly Wants Name Of New Ballroom To Honour His Favourite Person In The World

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Donald Trump has reportedly picked a name for the new ballroom that will replace the East Wing of the White House, and it’s a true measure of his humility.

Katherine Faulders, ABC’s managing editor in Washington, posted on social media Friday that “Trump will likely name the new $300 million ballroom after himself,” and cited senior administration officials as her source.

“Already, officials are referring to it as “The President Donald J. Trump Ballroom” and that name will likely stick,” she added.

When reached for comment, White House Spokesman Davis Ingle told HuffPost: “Any announcement made on the name of the ballroom will come directly from President Trump himself, and not through anonymous and unnamed sources.”

Some people thought another person near and dear to Trump would be a better name on the ballroom.

Others speculated on what might happen to the ballroom after Trump leaves office.

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Rock Star Calls Trump ‘A Danger’ To ‘The Entire World’ In Fiery Instagram Post

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Rock star Jack White continued his social media campaign against President Donald Trump on Wednesday with a fiery Instagram post.

The White Stripes guitarist made a post featuring various photos and videos of sketchy things Trump has done while president, including selling Bibles and gold shoes. It also included a scorched-earth critique of Trump as a leader.

“I was raised to believe that we defeated fascism in World War II and that we would never allow it again in the world,” White began the post, while admitting that he doesn’t always state his political opinions publicly or “know all of the facts.”

However, he said when it comes to “this man and this administration I’m not going to be like one of the silent minority of 1930′s Germany.”

White then declared Trump to be “a danger to not just America but the entire world and that’s not an exaggeration.”

White also pointed out that Trump is “dismantling democracy and endangering the planet on a daily basis, and we. all. know. it,” before ending the post with this quote from President Theodore Roosevelt:

“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”

You can see the post as it appeared on social media below:

White’s latest post came a few hours after White House Communications Director Steven Cheung lashed out at the musician for a previous Instagram post where he criticised the president for turning the White House into “a vulgar, gold leafed and gaudy, professional wrestler’s dressing room.”

Cheung was so angered about White’s post that he referred to the 12-time Grammy winner and soon-to-be member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as “a washed-up, has-been loser posting drivel on social media because he clearly has ample time on his hands due to his stalled career.”

White didn’t refer to Cheung in the post, but considering how testily the White House aide reacted to a basic style critique, it’s likely he will be even more miffed to see the post’s accusation that Trump is “dismantling democracy and endangering the planet on a daily basis.”

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US Justice Department Lawyer Refuses To Rule Out 3rd Trump Term

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Emil Bove, an embattled senior Justice Department official who represented President Donald Trump at his New York hush money trial, has refused to rule out a third presidential term for any president, including his boss, according to his written responses to a Senate committee questionnaire.

Bove, currently associate deputy US attorney general, is under consideration for a lifetime judgeship on the US Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote Thursday on whether to advance the nomination to the full chamber for approval. To aid the committee members in their decision, Bove recently provided his responses to written questions from the group totalling 165 pages, which were obtained by HuffPost.

Trump’s former attorney was asked at multiple points for his stance on whether it would be permissible for a president to run for a third term, even though the 22nd Amendment of the US Constitution explicitly prohibits it. He offered the same answer each time.

“As a nominee to the Third Circuit, it would not be appropriate for me to address how this Amendment would apply in an abstract hypothetical scenario,” Bove responded. He quoted the text of the amendment: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”

Bove went on: “To the extent this question seeks to elicit an answer that could be taken as opining on the broader political or policy debate regarding term limits, or on statements by any political figure, my response, consistent with the positions of prior judicial nominees, is that it would be improper to offer any such comment as a judicial nominee.”

CBS News first reported on the questionnaire Friday.

Bove has been under scrutiny in recent weeks ever since a Justice Department whistleblower said he has been leading an effort to mislead federal judges and undermine their direct orders.

The whistleblower, former DOJ attorney Erez Reuveni, alleged that Bove told lawyers like himself to say “fuck you” to federal judges who ruled against the Trump administration. Reuveni was fired in April after admitting in court that the administration deported Maryland immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia in error.

Bove formerly served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York until late 2021. Last summer, he was part of a team that represented Trump in a personal capacity as he was tried and ultimately found guilty on 34 New York state felony counts.

In his responses to the senators, Bove did not recall which cases relating to the Jan. 6, 2021, attempted insurrection he had worked on as a prosecutor for the Southern District of New York.

Asked whether he wished to denounce the violent events of Jan. 6, Bove declined, saying the incident “is a matter of significant political debate.”

HuffPost reached out to the Justice Department for comment from Bove.

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Putin In Full Dictator Mode During Terrifying Rally In Moscow

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The Russian president Vladimir Putin celebrated the eight years since his troops seized the Ukrainian region of Crimea with a bizarre rally on Friday.

He spoke in front of a huge crowd in Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium and praised the war effort in Ukraine which has seen hundreds on both sides die.

Despite being accused of of committing war crimes through his attacks on civilians, the widespread Ukrainian resistance and the repeated suppression of any forms of free speech in Russia, the president told the audience: “We have not had unity like this for a long time.”

Putin also honoured those in Crimea who stood up to “neo-Nazis and radical nationals” and joined Russia, even though world leaders have rejected any claim that there is Nazism in Ukraine’s government.

In an ominous nod to the future, Putin also promised the crowd: “We know what we have to do next…we’ll definitely carry out all the plans we have made.”

The stadium speech is comparable to the kind of rallies former US president Donald Trump became famous for. The two leaders were said to have a certain kind of rapport, and the former US president has even called Putin’s Ukraine strategy a work of “genius”.

The rally speaks to the West’s concerns about Putin’s increasingly unhinged behaviour, and comes a day after current US president Joe Biden labelled him a “murderous dictator” and a “pure thug”.

What is the annexation of Crimea?

March 18, 2014, does mark Russia’s complete annexation of Crimea, although the peninsula is still not legally recognised as part of the country by the international community.

It followed an internationally discredited public vote held two days before where the people living in the peninsula were asked whether they wanted to be part of Russia or part of Ukraine.

While 97% of votes backed joining Russia, Ukraine said the referendum was illegal as it had taken place while Russian forces were in Crimea.

The 2014 annexation of Crimea is now perceived as the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Did people really want to be at the rally?

Russian representatives claimed more than 200,000 people attended Friday’s celebrations. The official capacity of the stadium is 81,000, although there were crowds outside the stadium too.

But many attendees told the BBC they had been pressured by their employers in the public sector to attend.

Some students were allowed not to attend lectures as long as they went to the “concert”, while others told the BBC they had not been aware that the event was aimed at consolidating support for the Ukrainian war.

There is thought to be some support for the Russian attack on its European neighbour, but the full extent of the general public’s backing is hard to calculate.

The Kremlin has quashed any efforts to speak out against the invasion, including attempts to call it a war – Russia prefers to call it a “special military operation” – shutting down any protests or independent media outlets.

Children in their last six years of school have to now attend “My Country” lessons where they watch a video of Putin sharing his take on Ukraine’s history.

Putin is known to consider Ukraine and Russia as “brother nations” and wants them both to be under his influence in a throwback to the pre-Soviet era.

Children have been seen lining up to create the letter Z – the pro-invasion symbol which was first seen on the side of Russian tanks – and will have lessons dedicated to March 18 which aim to “form an understanding” of patriotism.

Teachers also shared a video showing people in the military are more likely to become heroes, all in honour of the “Crimean spring”.

Is the war really going well?

The Russian offensive is thought to have slowed significantly since it first began more than three weeks ago.

Russian forces are becoming increasingly violent and attacks on the west Ukraine city of Lviv shows the offensive is now spreading out.

Officials in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv say almost 90% of buildings in the city of Mariupol have now been damaged or destroyed by Russian forces, including a bomb shelter within a theatre where hundreds were sheltering.

The word “children” had been writing by Ukrainians in Russian outside for those dropping the bombs, although Kremlin representatives claim the attack was nothing to do with them.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia is actually not doing as well as it expected to in its invasion because Putin expected the country to be the same as it was in 2014, during the Crimea annexation.

He said Russia “didn’t know what we had for defence or how we prepared to meet the blow”.

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