There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
The Russian foreign minister and US secretary of state have discussed Kiev’s strikes on civilian and military facilities
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the phone on Sunday. The two sides discussed the upcoming Moscow-Kiev talks in Istanbul and recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.
Just a day before the talks scheduled in Türkiye, two bridges collapsed in Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk border regions, leading to at least seven deaths and dozens of injuries. The incidents were caused by sabotage, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee.
Later that same day, drones targeted military airfields in Murmansk Region in the country’s north, Ivanovo and Ryazan regions in western Russia, Irkutsk Region in Siberia, and Amur Region in the Far East.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Rubio “expressed sincere condolences on the civilian casualties resulting from the bombings of railway infrastructure in the Bryansk and Kursk regions on June 1.”
Lavrov said the attacks would be thoroughly investigated and “the results will be published in the very near future.”
“The guilty parties will be identified and will inevitably face deserved punishment.”
Lavrov and Rubio also “exchanged views on various initiatives concerning the political resolution of the Ukrainian crisis,” including the upcoming Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Istanbul scheduled for June 2.
US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said that Rubio “reiterated President Trump’s call for continued direct talks between Russia and Ukraine to achieve a lasting peace.”
In response to the Ukrainian raids, Russia launched several retaliatory strikes targeting Ukraine’s defense industry facilities, as well as military assembly points and warehouses. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, most of the strikes were successfully repelled, with some resulting in material damage.
Ukrainian media claims that the strikes were part of what they called a “historic” operation codenamed Spiderweb. According to the reports, the strikes were prepared for more a year and a half and targeted Russia’s “strategic aviation.”
With dwindling weapons, collapsing morale, and no strategic gains, Ukraine turns to spectacle as a last resort
On Monday, a fresh round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine kicks off in Istanbul. Both sides are expected to present ceasefire terms, though few anticipate surprises. Russia is bringing a detailed proposal rooted in its long-standing demands – essentially a “Istanbul-22 plus territory” formula. That means Ukraine must abandon its military ties with the West, reject what Moscow calls an “anti-Russian ideology,” and recognize the current frontlines as de facto borders.
Skeptics will argue: as long as the war grinds on, talks are meaningless. But this is the first time in three years that Russia’s position is being codified on paper – a shift that makes it harder to dismiss. Putin has been repeating these demands for years, mostly to little effect. Now, even an unsigned document gives the Kremlin a firmer diplomatic foothold.
Ukraine, for its part, is arriving with a proposal of its own. According to Reuters, it closely mirrors the draft Kiev took to London in April – a proposal that met firm resistance from Washington and ultimately derailed that summit. Central to Ukraine’s demands is a call for binding international security guarantees. In plain terms, Kiev is asking the West to commit to defending Ukraine – not just in theory, but militarily. It’s a request Western capitals have been reluctant to honor since 2022, when then UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson walked away from the table. That hesitation is unlikely to change now.
Drones, disruption, and the battle for leverage
Perhaps aware of the limited traction its peace terms are likely to get, Ukraine appears to be trying to bolster its negotiating posture through force. On Sunday, just a day before the talks, drones struck five long-range Russian airbases across Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions. Russia’s Defense Ministry says three attacks were fully repelled, while two partially succeeded.
The drones, reportedly launched from cargo trucks and remotely guided via mobile networks, bear echoes of earlier operations – like the 2022 strike on the Crimean Bridge. In that case, truck drivers were allegedly used as unwitting participants. Whether that’s true this time remains unclear.
What does this mean? For the last three years, Ukraine has launched a bold, high-risk move to break the stalemate and force a strategic shift. In 2022, it was the Kharkov and Kherson offensives – their only successful campaigns to date – followed by Russia’s incorporation of four additional regions. In 2023, it was the ill-fated counteroffensive, which failed to gain ground and marked a turning point in the conflict. In 2024, Ukraine tried to establish a foothold in Russia’s Kursk region, only to be pushed back into its own Sumy oblast.
Whether Sunday’s airbase attacks mark another such pivot remains to be seen. But the pattern is familiar: a dramatic gesture aimed at reshuffling a strategic deck that’s increasingly stacked against Ukraine.
Media blitz vs. military reality
The challenge for Russian leadership is that, while Russia fights for concrete territorial and strategic goals, it does so with little public fanfare. Battlefield updates have faded into background noise. But in a country as vast and largely peaceful as Russia, Ukraine is betting that symbolic strikes – even rare ones – can pierce the political surface. The hope is that such provocations either force Moscow into risky overreach or draw the US deeper into the war.
Over time, Ukraine’s objectives have shifted – from military breakthroughs to media impact. Like last year’s failed push into Kursk, these efforts aren’t meant to win the war outright, but to disrupt Russia’s slow, methodical advance. That advance, however, is accelerating. According to data from Lostarmour, Russian forces gained nearly 580 square kilometers in May alone – the second-highest monthly figure since 2022.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian defenses are crumbling. Drone strikes on Moscow have disrupted civilian air traffic but have done little to halt Russia’s daily barrage – attacks Ukraine’s depleted air defenses increasingly struggle to repel. In October 2024, Russia launched around 2,000 ‘Geran’-type drones in one month. Today, it’s sending hundreds per day.
The Ukrainian army is in steep decline. Troops are retreating slowly, but desertions are surging. In 2024 alone, nearly 90,000 criminal cases were opened for desertion or unauthorized leave. In the first three months of 2025, that number is already over 45,000 – around 15,000 a month.
Weapons are also in short supply. US aid is winding down, and Europe lacks the capacity to make up the gap. But the bigger crisis is manpower: many Ukrainian units are operating at just 40–50% strength – some even less.
These structural issues, more than any drone strike or headline-grabbing attack, are what shape the real context for the Istanbul talks. Tactical stunts may buy media attention, but they don’t reverse battlefield trends. Sunday’s attack was likely a one-off – not just because Russia will tighten base security and jam mobile signals, but because such operations require years to plan and a deep human network that’s unlikely to survive exposure.
A final note
Near the end of World War II, Germany pinned its hopes on the V-2 rocket – a weapon launched by the hundreds, against which no defense was possible. It was powerful, terrifying, and militarily useless. The term “wonder weapon” it inspired now carries only irony.
Something similar may be said of Ukraine’s recent raids. Their leadership has become adept at orchestrating dramatic military theater. But bold visuals aside, these attacks are unlikely to change the war’s trajectory – or Kiev’s negotiating hand.
Keith Kellogg has echoed Moscow’s characterization of the hostilities
Russian President Vladimir Putin is right in considering the Ukraine conflict a proxy war against Russia, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg told Fox News in an interview on Sunday.
He said that while he believes the peace process will ultimately succeed, “escalatory issues” remain. Kellogg referred to comments by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who last month indicated that Berlin would be open to supplying Kiev with Taurus cruise missiles.
Kellogg addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s perspective, saying “he considers this a proxy war by NATO. And frankly… in a way it is.”
“The escalatory issues are still there,” Kellogg said. “Chancellor Merz has said: well, I’m going to give the Ukrainians the Taurus missile system.”
The German cruise missiles have a range of roughly 300 miles (482 km), which can allow Ukrainian strikes to reach deep into Russian territory, Kellog said. He added that Putin has made it clear: if such weapons are supplied to Ukraine, Russia will regard the suppliers as a party to the conflict.
“He considers this a proxy war by NATO. And frankly… in a way it is.”
Russia can clearly see the other Western military support Ukraine is receiving, Kellogg added.
“Everybody has got to be willing to step back a bit,” and compromise, to get the peace process “to an end state,” the envoy said.
Last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Merz’s “provocative” statements “hinder peaceful efforts.” Moscow has stressed that any Ukrainian use of German Taurus missiles against Russian territory will be viewed as Berlin’s direct involvement in the Ukraine conflict, as the armaments’ use is impossible without the participation of Bundeswehr service members.
Last year, after Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden allowed the use of US ATACMS ballistic missiles in long-range strikes on Russian territory, Moscow retaliated by revamping its strategic doctrine and lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. Russia now considers any strike by a non-nuclear state backed up by a nuclear one as a joint attack.
Both Kellogg and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have previously characterized the conflict as a proxy war.
“Frankly, it’s a proxy war between nuclear powers – the United States, helping Ukraine, and Russia,” Rubio said in March, noting that the current White House administration is eager to see it end.
Moscow has long designated the Ukraine conflict as a Western proxy war against Russia and repeatedly condemned arms supplies to Kiev as counterproductive to the peace process.
Military airfields in five Russian regions have come under coordinated drone attacks
Military airfields in five Russian regions, including in Siberia and the Far East, have been targeted in coordinated drone attacks orchestrated by Kiev, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday. Ukrainian media has called it a major operation targeting Russian strategic aviation. According to Moscow, most of the strikes were repelled, with some resulting in material damage but no casualties.
Targets
The airfields are located in Murmansk Region in the north, Ivanovo and Ryazan regions in central Russia, Irkutsk Region in Siberia, and Amur Region in the Far East, the Russian Defense Ministry stated.
According to Ukrainian media, the airfields housed Russian Tu-95 and Tu-22M strategic bombers, as well as an A-50 early warning and control plane, among other aircraft. The Russian Defense Ministry has not confirmed this, and has not revealed the aircraft types stationed at the airfields.
It was the first time in over three years since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict that Kiev has targeted Russian facilities located in Siberia and the Far East.
Strikes
All the attacks employed first-person view (PFV) kamikaze drones, the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that at least some of them were launched from areas located in close proximity to the airfields. It also accused the “Kiev regime” of conducting “terrorist attacks.”
According to Ukrainian and Russian media, the drones took off from trucks parked near the airfields and loaded with containers. Shot Telegram channel published a video purporting to show several unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) flying out of one of the containers in Irkutsk Region. Plumes of smoke are seen at a distance behind the truck in the video.
Gunfire is also heard in the video, with a witness claiming that police attempted to shoot down a drone.
Another video posted by Shot shows a crowd of people trying to hit the drones with stones. The video was also recorded in Irkutsk Region, according to the channel.
Operation Spiderweb
The strikes were part of a major Ukrainian operation targeting “strategic aviation” and codenamed Spiderweb, several Ukrainian media outlets, including Channel 24 and RBK Ukraine, reported, citing sources in the nation’s domestic security service (SBU).
The SBU confirmed that it was behind the operation as it published a photo of its head, Vasily Malyuk, looking at maps of what appear to be five Russian airfields. The security service also claimed that around a third of Russian cruise missile carriers were hit in the attacks.
According to Ukrainian media, the nation’s security service prepared the operation for more than a year and a half as it gradually transported the drones and moveable containers to Russia. The operation was also said to have been personally overseen by Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, who reportedly claimed that a total of 117 UAVs were used in the strikes, according to reports.
Aftermath
In Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions, the attacks were repelled and resulted in no damage or casualties, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. In Murmansk and Irkutsk regions, the strikes led to some aircraft catching fire, it added.
The fires were promptly extinguished, according to the Russian military. No casualties were reported in any of the incidents, and the Defense Ministry did not report the loss of any aircraft as a result of the attacks.
Ukrainian media claimed that around 40 aircraft were damaged in the operation, including several strategic bombers. The Russian authorities have not commented on the claims.
Some suspects behind the attacks have been detained, the Russian Defense Ministry said, without revealing the number of those arrested or their identities.
According to Shot, the Russian investigative authorities identified the trucks involved in the attacks and are now working with the drivers. Several Telegram channels, including Shot and Baza, also reported that Russian OSINT investigators traced the drones back to a warehouse located in Chelyabinsk Region, Russia in the southern Urals.
Russian security service officers have reportedly raided the warehouse in question and are now investigating the owner. Some trucks involved in the attacks were also said to have been registered in Chelyabinsk Region, according to the Telegram channels.
Botched attack
One truck loaded with drones reportedly failed to reach its destination, the Russian Telegram channels reported. The vehicle caught fire while on the road in Amur Region and eventually exploded, the channels reported as they published a video purporting to show the moment of the explosion.
The incident took place a day before the attack, according to Baza. A container caught fire, triggering the explosion, the channel said. The driver of the truck died in the incident, Baza said. He stopped the vehicle when he realized it was on fire and went to check for the source, when it exploded, the channel reported, identifying him as Vasily P., 62.
Timing
The attacks came just a day before scheduled talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul. The two nations were scheduled to hold the second round of the recently resumed direct negotiations, which were stalled for three years after Kiev unilaterally walked away from the talks in spring 2022.
The two sides agreed to hold a major prisoner swap involving 1,000 POWs from each side during the first round of talks last month. On Monday, they are expected to exchange peace proposals as part of an agreement reached in May.
Ukraine has significantly escalated drone strikes into Russia in recent weeks, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier described the attacks as an attempt to derail the peace process.
The strikes occurred less than a day after two bridges in Russia were destroyed in what the authorities described as sabotage. In Bryansk Region, an overpass fell onto a rail line, killing seven and injuring at least 69, according to the governor. Hours later, on Sunday, a railway bridge in Kursk Region gave way under a moving freight train, injuring the driver and two assistants.
The Russian Investigative Committee said both bridges were blown up, but did not name any suspects behind the attacks. Russian Senator Andrey Klishas blamed Kiev for both incidents.
Moscow has successfully hit a Ukrainian long-range drone launch site in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkov Region, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It also published a video of the strike.
The strike destroyed all of the launch pads, along with more than 30 long-range kamikaze drones and eight military vehicles, it added.
A short video shows a powerful blast rocking an area near the airfield where some installations were located. According to the ministry, a Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile system was used in the strike.
The news came amid reports of drone strikes across Russia. Several military airfields located in five Russian regions were targeted in attacks on Sunday, according to the Defense Ministry. Ukrainian media claimed that the strikes were part of a major operation called Spiderweb, which had been prepared for more than a year and a half.
According to the Russian military, three out of five attacks were successfully repelled and resulted in no damage, while two resulted in aircraft being set on fire – although the fires were promptly extinguished. No one was injured in the attacks.
Earlier in the day, the first drone attack was reported in Irkutsk Region in Siberia, where unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) targeted a military base. The strike resulted in no casualties or major material damage, according to the authorities.
This comes less than a day after two bridges collapsed in Russian regions bordering Ukraine in what the authorities described as deliberate acts of sabotage. One of the collapses derailed a passenger train, killing seven and injuring 71 others. The Investigative Committee said in a statement on Sunday that the bridges were blown up in both cases. Russian Senator Andrey Klishas blamed Kiev for both incidents.
The hawkish Washington DC-based think tank, The Institute for Study or War (ISW), had just prior to Ukraine’s Sunday shock drone operation which reportedly took out some 40 military aircraft deep inside Russian territory issued a report saying President Vladimir Putin is prepared for war with NATO if things escalate to that point.
A May 30 decree issued by Putin concerning the Russian defense industry base (DIB) would enable the government to legally take over military contractor firms if they do not abide by wartime martial law orders.
“Putin is likely setting legal conditions to allow the Russian government to commandeer elements of Russia’s economy and DIB should the Kremlin introduce full martial law in order to transition the country to a full wartime footing,” ISW wrote on UnderstandingWar.Org.
“ISW continues to assess that the Kremlin is preparing Russian society and economy for a protracted war in Ukraine, indicating that Russia is not interested in engaging in good faith negotiations to reach a diplomatic settlement to its war in Ukraine.”
Certainly Sunday just brought the world a big step closer to witnessing potential all-out war in Eastern Europe, given the Zelensky-ordered drone swarm attacks are already being called‘Russia’s Pearl Harbor’.
“The Kremlin is continuing efforts to prepare Russian society and the Russian defense industry base (DIB) for a protracted war with Ukraine and potential future war with NATO,” ISW concluded. “Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on May 30 allowing the Russian government to revoke the rights of shareholders of defense industrial enterprises in the event that the enterprise fails to fulfill state defense orders during martial law.”
“The decree enables the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade to appoint a management company to act as the sole executive body of the enterprise in order to fulfill contractual obligations to the Russian government,” the study says.
And it applies to “civilian aviation and shipbuilding companies, military development and production companies, and government subcontractors.”
Sunday’s major attack on Russian airbases may only serve to accelerate a possible Kremlin move toward martial law and formal declaration of all-out war in Ukraine.
Despite Kiev and Ukraine supporters praising the effectiveness of Sunday’s operation, the reality is that instead of translating into strategic battlefield gains, this only pokes the bear in a major way. Unverified reports say that ballistic missiles at silos across Russia are being readied.
We are likely to see Kiev soon get pummeled once again along with places like Odessa which have been for the most part sparred utter destruction thus far in the war.
Ukraine just mounted an attack that marks a turning point in the history of warfare
Hundreds of drones were pre-deployed and then struck 40+ aircraft 1000+ km inside of Russia
Russia will likely ramp up attacks on ‘command centers’ throughout Ukraine, including those believed staffed by foreign advisers and officials. A big question for the Kremlin will be whether Western intelligence helped in Sunday’s attacks, which saw several Russian long-range bombers destroyed. Another question that remains is: will Monday’s peace talks in Istanbul still proceed at this point? There’s little doubt that Putin is readying a massive, painful retaliatory attack on Ukraine.
Ukrainian drones took out numerous Russian bombers on Sunday over a thousand miles from the border with Ukraine. This comes one day before peace talks resume in Turkey.
Ukrainian drones on Sunday took out an estimated 36% of all Russian strategic aviation! $2 billion worth of damage!
Volodymyr Zelensky announced that 117 drones were used in the strike inside Russia that wiped wiped out dozens of nuclear “doomsday” bombers and other aircraft.
President Trump WAS NOT NOTIFIED of the attack before it took place – because Trump wants peace and the globalists want World War and the destruction of Russia.
Senator Lindsey Graham, who was in Ukraine two days ago, cheered the news of the attack on Sunday.
Lindsey Graham lives an hour and half away from me.
He has YET to visit us in Western North Carolina a single time after Hurricane Helene.
The ever-resourceful Ukraine used creative drone warfare tactics to successfully attack Russian bombers and military assets used to kill Ukrainian citizens and destroy their country.
Russia indiscriminately kills men, women and children. It’s time for the world to act… https://t.co/F7BleLFody
This report on the strike was posted by pro-Russian Telegram account Slavyangrad.
The Kiev bastards have turned the International Children’s Day into a day of triumph of terrorism. In the afternoon, drone raids on military airfields in Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan and Amur regions began. And all with a new tactic for us: quadrocopters were launched from a truck parked near the object and flew towards their targets. Bold, I can’t say anything. The attacks were organized by Ukraine, it is stated officially.
Ukro media reported that the operation “Web” to attack our airfields was prepared for 1.5 years, it was carried out by the SBU. Allegedly, they first smuggled FPV drones to Russia, then mobile wooden containers. Then on our territory the drones were hidden under the lids of containers, which were placed on trucks. And at X hour they were remotely opened – and the drones flew to the target. Now all Ukrainian media and social networks are posting a video where the head of the SBU Malyuk is commenting on the moment of the attack, and a picture where he is standing over a map of the airbase with the look of Kutuzov. So that there was no doubt that this dubolomoy, who beat his subordinate on camera, is actually a genius of special operations.
First, the idea of launching drones from a truck is not new: this tactic was used by terrorists in Syria and sponsored by the West. Second, I wonder how the drones reached their destination. They did not attack blindly, they did not ask passers-by for directions to airfields. They were directed precisely to the specified targets…
…I think Ukraine is not able to organize such an action. The exact coordinates of the targets can only be obtained with the help of space reconnaissance, and it is provided to Kiev by the West. I remember 2018: the attack of Islamists on our airbase Hmeimim from a distance of 50 kilometers by 13 drones. At that time, experts claimed that the CIA and MOSSAD worked on the creation of the drones. The fact is that they had the communication and satellite systems of these intelligence services, and the system of routing was too complicated for terrorists. I am sure that today’s attack was carried out according to the same scheme: Western intelligence agencies gave information to Kiev, provided drones and the necessary stuffing. I think that the rest of the details of the operation were also worked out by Western specialists. But how did the SBU smuggle so many drones to us? My gut feeling is that there’s no way. They could have been simply printed on our territory in a garage on a 3D printer – this method was also used by terrorists in Syria. And then saboteurs could stuff the printed drones with explosives and smart stuffing. The containers were built by us, too. Everything else: searching for stuffing and explosives, delivery and loading of drones, renting and mining of vans – is a matter of technique. But, I repeat, this is only an assumption, as it was in fact – the investigation will show.
Now – to the damage that the enemy has inflicted on us. If you look at the Ukro media, your hair stands on end: 36% of all strataviation has been destroyed! $2 billion worth of damage! I suggest not to panic. The Russian Ministry of Defense reports that there was a “fire of several units” of aircraft. I believe that. We saw a lot of smoke, a few burning vehicles – and that’s it.
Everyone knows it was not Ukraine who pulled this off, right?
“War, like most other things, is a science to be acquired and perfected by diligence, by perserverance, by time, and by practice.” —Alexander Hamilton (1787)
SCOTUS passes on free speech case: Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, the two longest-serving associate justices, were the only justices to stand up for a free speech case that the Supreme Court chose not to review. L.M. vs. Town of Middleborough is the case of a young man who wore a shirt to school that read, “There Are Only Two Genders.” That is a fact, but leftists contest it anyway. The school sent the boy home after he refused to change his shirt. Later, he was sent home again after altering the shirt to read, “There Are CENSORED Genders.” Schools have a right to enforce a dress code, but this is a case of viewpoint discrimination. Students at the school are encouraged to wear “Pride gear to celebrate Pride Month,” so clearly the issue is not the subject but the opinion.
Embargo on student visas: On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued an order directing U.S. embassies to “not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued … which we anticipate in the coming days.” The ordered pause on all foreign student visa applications is the latest blow from the Trump administration against Ivy League schools like Harvard and Yale, whose student bodies are composed of nearly 30% foreign students. Harvard, in particular, has resisted the Trump administration’s efforts to address anti-Semitism on its campus. The State Department explained that the pause was necessary to prepare for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ expanded foreign student vetting process, which will include screening their social media for anti-Semitism.
FBI to reinvestigate WH cocaine, pipe bombs, and SCOTUS leak: Unsolved mysteries within Washington, DC, which dominated the headlines during the Biden administration, will get a fresh look by the FBI. These mysteries include the still-unidentified January 6 DC pipe bomber, the May 2022 leak of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, and the bag of cocaine found inside the White House in July 2023. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino explained the decision via a post on X: “Shortly after swearing in, [FBI Director Kash Patel] and I evaluated a number of cases of potential public corruption that understandably have garnered public interest. We made the decision to either re-open or push additional resources and investigative attention to these cases.” He also asked the public to provide any information they may have.
NPR sues Trump for “violating” its First Amendment rights: If you listen to CEO Katherine Maher, you’d believe that NPR is “a nonpartisan news organization” being suppressed by the Trump administration for nonpartisan reporting. Nothing could be further from the truth. NPR, as every conservative knows, is leftist propaganda and has been for a long time. “Seeking the truth … might not be the right place to start,” said Maher in a 2022 Ted Talk about NPR that she probably now regrets. Under Maher, NPR is now suing the Trump administration, insisting that his defunding executive order violates the outlet’s right to “private speech.” For the record, National PUBLIC Radio is publicly funded and has no claim to its speech being private.
DOJ sues North Carolina to clean up voter rolls: The Department of Justice announced a lawsuit on Tuesday over North Carolina’s failure to ask for a partial Social Security Number or driver’s license number on its voter registration form. The state will be required to remove the names of voters who did not provide that information from their voter rolls. A “significant number” of people are alleged to be on the voter rolls without that information. Sam Hayes, the executive director of North Carolina’s State Board of Elections, says he is committed to “bringing North Carolina into compliance with federal law.”
Israeli embassy staffers’ murderer was not just anti-Israel but anti-America: More is being learned of the perpetrator who murdered two young Israeli embassy staffers last week in Washington, DC. What has become increasingly clear is that his actions were ideologically motivated. The 31-year-old has a well-developed history, reflected in both his social media postings and his social engagements, of holding strong anti-Israel and anti-American views. In a manifesto he left following the murders, he says that he would have done this 11 years ago, but people would have thought him insane. Due to the conflict in Gaza, he now believes they won’t. The record shows an individual who is a Marxist with anti-West, pro-terrorist views. He celebrated Hamas’s October 7 terror attack with one post: “Love checking back in with the news every few hours like, ‘Hm I wonder if Israel still exists?’”
Sen. Tuberville to run for AL governor: The rumors have now been confirmed — Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville has announced that he is forgoing a run for reelection in the Senate to run for governor. Current Governor Kay Ivey is term-limited and will exit office in 2026. Tuberville, who has been a supporter of Donald Trump as well as a staunch pro-life advocate, expressed his commitment to “conservative Alabama values” in his announcement. In 2024, Tuberville was one of 16 Republican senators to receive the CPAC “Conservative Excellence Award” for his voting record. Tuberville, the former head football coach at Auburn University, is the first high-profile candidate to enter Alabama’s Republican gubernatorial primary.
Young men are quitting alcohol faster than young women: Young women, not young men, are now the leaders in binge drinking, according to a finding from the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study looked at two periods, 2017-19 and 2021-23, during which binge drinking declined across the board in young people. The decline was sharper among young men than women, 21% vs. 13%, meaning that young women now binge drink more often than young men. Some attribute the decrease to a lower social cost of not drinking; once it’s not the norm, it’s easier to quit the habit. The remaining question is: Why is there a disparate decline between the sexes? Perhaps young women are more emotionally dysregulated. Perhaps men are becoming more solitary, avoiding gatherings with friends at the bar. Or maybe young people are making a responsible choice to avoid an unhealthy coping mechanism.
Headlines
Elon Musk “disappointed” by spending bill, says it undermines what DOGE is doing (Fox News)
Judge hands DOGE major win over accessing sensitive Treasury data (Newsweek)
Democrats to spend $20 million to figure out why young men hate them (Not the Bee)
Trump admin no longer recommending COVID vaccine for healthy kids, healthy pregnant women (NY Post)
Los Angeles hotels revolt as city approves $38 minimum wage (Hot Air)
Netanyahu confirms death of Hamas Gaza chief Sinwar (Newsweek)
Humor: French president Macron claims he fell down the stairs again (Babylon Bee)
President Donald Trump has significantly shifted his rhetoric regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s horrific war against Ukraine. Whereas he has spent months talking tough against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, putting all the pressure on Ukraine, he has now turned on Putin. The big question is why.
“I’m not happy with what Putin is doing,” Trump explained this week. “He’s killing a lot of people, and I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin.” He added, “I’ve known him a long time, always gotten along with him, but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all.”
Later, he took to Truth Social to declare that Putin “has gone absolutely CRAZY!”
Yesterday, he continued his verbal assault: “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!”
Putin has been a bad guy for his entire career. He’s been deliberately killing Ukrainian civilians for more than three years. Neither of those things has changed in recent days or months. What has changed is that Trump isn’t gaining traction (yet) on his oft-repeated promise to end the war in “24 hours.” That was never a literal promise, of course, though the Leftmedia always prefers to take Trump literally so they can dismiss him seriously.
“I said that figuratively, and I said that as an exaggeration,” Trump told Time magazine in April. “It was said in jest.”
It’s one thing for the American Pravda media to dismiss Trump; it’s another thing for Putin to do so. Last week, Trump had a two-hour phone conversation with Putin to discuss a peace deal. The American president came away from that call saying “it went very well” and that Russia and Ukraine were set to “immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire.”
Reality intruded in the form of more Russian attacks and more dead Ukrainian civilians.
Of Trump’s big rhetorical shift, Fox News reports, “Trump’s comments came after Russian forces launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities [over the weekend]. The attack, which has been called the largest aerial attack of the war so far, targeted the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. … Though past strikes have proven more deadly, the attack is the largest-scale aerial assault of the war in terms of the number of weapons: 298 drones and 69 missiles were launched.”
That is the significant part, and many media commentators are missing it.
Putin has ramped up attacks because he has changed tactics to rely on drones. He’s flying hundreds of drones to attack civilians in Ukraine to help keep Russian soldiers out of harm’s way. His drone production capacity has increased drastically, greatly reducing the domestic political cost of his assaults.
What can Trump do about this? Should he do something?
Most of the MAGA movement has coalesced around the firm idea that Ukraine ain’t our problem. Trump himself often repeats — correctly — that “this is a War that would never have started if I were President.” True, but that’s a moot point, which he seems to realize. He is, after all, continuing to push for a peaceful resolution and to extricate the U.S. from any further involvement or support.
“I am only helping to put out the big and ugly fires,” he said.
Now, according to The Wall Street Journal, “President Trump is eyeing sanctions against Moscow.” Then again, “Trump might also decide not to impose new sanctions.” Several Republicans are pushing for sanctions.
However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week that they won’t work. “If you start threatening sanctions, the Russians will stop talking,” Rubio said. “And there is value in us being able to talk to them and to drive them to get to the table.”
Well, those talks don’t seem to be working, either. The Journal says, “Trump is also tiring of the peace negotiations and is considering abandoning them altogether if a final push doesn’t work.”
That threat has been hanging in the air for months. Rubio himself skipped ceasefire talks in April. Vice President JD Vance made what he called Trump’s “final offer” in April, as well.
This is all quintessential Trump rope-a-dope strategy, keeping Russia guessing for the moment to gain leverage. Russia effectively has one major export: oil. If the U.S. were to finally slap some major sanctions on that oil, including taking on China, which buys that oil specifically to keep funding the Russian war machine, it could persuade Putin that continuing the war is costlier than ending it — even with the Russian advantage of drones. Evidently, some dancing is necessary before getting to that point.
Whatever move Trump makes next, there are basic facts here: Putin is a Soviet, through and through, and he aims to restore Russian greatness. He keeps fighting because he wants to keep fighting. Until that calculus changes, things will continue as they are.
Emmy Griffin: Biden’s Student Loan Defaults Destroy Credit — Loan companies would like their money now that the pause on repayments is over, but the inevitable outcome should have been pretty clear to borrowers.
Michael Swartz: A Right Turn on Immigration — in the UK — Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a left-wing atheist, stares down the barrel of open borders, but will he be able to dodge the bullet and deliver critical changes to save Great Britain?
Thomas Gallatin: A Christian Resurgence in American Culture? — Popular podcast host Joe Rogan’s interest in Christianity appears to be indicative of a growing trend among young people to explore what it means to include faith influence in life.
Linda Moss Mines: Chester A. Arthur Assumes the Presidency — James Garfield’s assassination just 100 days after his inauguration plunged the nation into mourning a fallen president for the second time in less than 20 years.
Will Jake Tapper Apologize to Americans? — Piers Morgan asks Jake Tapper if he owes the American people an apology for not covering Joe Biden’s mental acuity better.
Humor: Hillary Clinton’s ‘Fixer’ — Matthew Hoyt, a Clinton insider, is caught on hidden camera at a DC restaurant casually revealing a series of shocking and suspicious deaths connected to Hillary Clinton.
SHORT CUTS
Leftist Hysteria
“Insidious fear is reaching through our schools, our businesses, our homes, and into our private thoughts. The fear to speak, in America.” —CBS News’s Scott Pelley
Non Compos Mentis
“This Africa Day, let us take a moment to celebrate the achievements of the people of Africa … and support them as they continue to overcome and face their challenges head-on.” —Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson celebrating Africa Day on Memorial Day
Braying Jennies
“[Republican are] clearly not worried about starving children.” —Molly Jong-Fast
“I do worry, frankly, about what’s happening in the world right now. It’s important that we remember the 1930s.” —Kamala Harris
Race Bait
“One of the two political parties is — let me put it nicely — white supremacist adjacent, at a minimum.” —disgraced former FBI Director James Comey
Doublespeak
“We take into account what the constitutional court also decided when it said that, you know, that slogan — ‘Kill the Boer, kill the farmer’ — is a liberation chant and slogan. And it’s not meant to be a message that elicits or calls upon anyone to go and be killed. And that is what our court decided.” —South African President Cyril Ramaphosa
Belly Laugh of the Day
“Trump should AUTO PEN an executive order locking up the people who ran the country under Biden.” —Jimmy Failla
Well-Meaning Foolishness
“You will learn as I have that when people say things like ‘Happy Memorial Day,’ you appreciate the sentiment behind it but know that it’s wrong because Memorial Day is not a happy day.” —Vice President and former Marine JD Vance
For the Record
“When America, and America’s campuses, have had more restrictive attitudes toward migration in the past, they have nonetheless competed, and won, at the highest levels — while developing countries, even when their most talented individuals have not been able to migrate, have not risen to America’s levels.” —Daniel McCarthy
“Until President Trump began depriving Harvard and other elite schools of federal grants, these institutions were getting away with effectively being accessories to murder.” —Cal Thomas
Re: The Gender Cult
“For years, corporations cloaked themselves in rainbow branding and forced consumers to accept policies and products pushing the boundaries of LGBTQ ideology. But it didn’t lead to a pot of gold.” —Tony Perkins
Rest in Peace
“I think Phil Robertson was the beginning of a new Jesus movement. He was the first guy that I heard that was brave enough to end every single show on national television with a prayer.” —Glenn Beck
ON THIS DAY in 1754, George Washington, then a lieutenant colonel, led Virginia militia to victory over French troops near Uniontown, Pennsylvania, in an opening skirmish of the French and Indian War.
Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray also for the protection of our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please lift up your Patriot team and our mission to support and defend our Republic’s Founding Principle of Liberty, that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.
It has often been said that “war is hell”, and that is so true. It has been estimated that somewhere between 70 and 85 million people died during World War II, and now World War III is looming. I just asked Google AI to tell me how many people will die during World War III, and I was told that “it’s likely that the death toll would be devastatingly high, potentially reaching into the billions”. We are literally closer to that sort of an apocalyptic conflict than we have ever been before, and yet most of the population is partying as if there will be “peace and safety” long into the future. So many of us have been lulled into a false sense of security, but the truth is that the very small window of opportunity that we have to avoid World War III is rapidly closing.
A few hours ago, President Trump posted a very alarming message about Russian President Vladimir Putin on his Truth Social account…
What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!
What “REALLY BAD” things is Trump talking about?
I really hope that he will clarify what he meant by that.
Trump’s latest broadside showed his frustration with stalled peace talks, and comes two days after he called the Kremlin leader “absolutely CRAZY” following a record Russian drone attack on Ukraine.
For a long time, I have been warning that Trump must not lose patience with the Russians.
Sadly, it appears that is precisely what is happening.
In fact, it is being reported that Trump is considering “lifting all restrictions on how Ukraine uses U.S. supplied weapons against Russia”…
Donald Trump is said to be ‘seriously considering’ lifting all restrictions on how Ukraine uses U.S. supplied weapons against Russia, according to Western officials.
The U.S. president could go further than his predecessor in removing all restrictions imposed by the Biden administration, sources told the Kyiv Post on Monday.
Joe Biden didn’t even go that far.
There would be absolutely no limits to what the Ukrainians could do with U.S. weapons, and the Ukrainians would definitely take advantage of that.
But it still wouldn’t be enough for Ukraine to win the war.
The Russians have been steadily taking more territory, and they have been massing tens of thousands of troops across from the city of Kharkiv in preparation for a summer offensive.
And it appears that summer offensive may already be starting. On Tuesday, it was confirmed that the Russians have just captured four settlements in the Sumy region…
British outlet Sky News had previously reported that up to 50,000 Russian troops were amassing on the Kharkiv border after Moscow successfully dislodged Ukrainian troops from the Russian border region of Kursk, where Kyiv gained a swathe of territory in the summer of 2024. Kursk borders Ukraine’s Sumy region, which neighbors Kharkiv.
The head of the Sumy region, Oleh Hryhorov, on Tuesday confirmed Russia had captured four settlements. Russia added on Tuesday it had struck Ukrainian positions in several Sumy settlements over the previous day.
However, former Russian president and key Putin ally Dmitry Medvedev took to X to mock any plans for allied buffer zones of control over Ukraine. Sharing a map of the vast country, Mr Medvedev showed almost the entire country covered with a Russian-controlled buffer zone and only a sliver of territory left to Ukraine next to the Polish border.
Mr Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chair of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, wrote on X: “If military aid to the Banderite (Ukrainian nationalist) regime continues, the buffer zone could look like this.”
If Dmitry Medvedev becomes the next president of Russia once Putin passes away, that is going to be very bad news, because he is far more hostile toward western nations than Putin ever was.
Unless something really dramatic happens, Ukraine is going to lose this war and Russia is going to win.
The Ukrainians are desperate for NATO to get directly involved in the war, because that is the only way that Ukraine can emerge victorious from this conflict.
Of course if NATO does get directly involved, that will put us just one step away from nuclear war.
So let us hope that President Trump never even considers this option.
At the crack of dawn, a dozen U.S. Marines recently took position in a field on this sleepy Swedish island about 200 miles from the Russian city of Kaliningrad and fired their mobile rocket system.
The dummy munitions splashed into the Baltic Sea, yet they sent a message to Russia: Even as President Trump has thrown NATO into a historic crisis by questioning its efficacy, in Northern Europe, the U.S. military is doubling down.
The Trump administration wants the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to get more “lethal.” A testing ground is Europe’s north, where NATO faces Russia on two sides.
I don’t like the sound of that at all.
Of course we could end up in a war with China in the not too distant future as well.
In fact, we are being warned that the Chinese “could seize Taiwan’s smaller outlying islands as a tactic to intimidate the government in Taipei”…
China could seize Taiwan’s smaller outlying islands as a tactic to intimidate the government in Taipei, a US intelligence report has warned.
Though the vast majority of its population lives on the main island of Taiwan, Taipei also controls a number of smaller island chains including the Kinmen and Matsu close to the Chinese mainland, the Pratas and Taiping in the South China Sea and the Penghu archipelago off Taiwan’s southeastern coast.
Seizing and attempting to annex these islands is among a number of military options available to Beijing as it continues to threaten Taiwan with a wholesale invasion, according to the latest Worldwide Threat Assessment report released earlier this month by the US Defence Intelligence Agency.
It would be wonderful if the “peace and safety” crowd ends up being correct.
Let’s hope that a miracle happens and global leaders find a way to pull us back from the brink of World War III.
But at this moment, things do not look promising at all.
Our last shot at peace with Russia appears to be evaporating, and the war in the Middle East could soon go to an entirely new level.
The clock is ticking, because once someone decides to use a nuclear weapon there will be no turning back.
The United States is preparing for potential conflict with Russia by reinforcing Europe’s northern front and integrating NATO allies
The AI news readers this morning said “The United States is preparing for potential conflict with Russia by reinforcing Europe’s northern front and integrating allies, especially new NATO members Finland and Sweden. This includes military exercises with U.S., U.K., Nordic, and Baltic troops, including live-fire drills and airborne jumps in Norway. The move aims to deter Russian aggression and strengthen alliances in a strategically important region.” That’s the memo.
“Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:” Ezekiel 39:1 (KJB)
Donald Trump has always been in over his head in dealing with Putin, he is just no match for the wily dictator and former KGB agent who desires to rebuild the old Soviet Empire. As a result, it has lead to a string of embarrassing episodes where we see Trump dealing in good faith as Putin breaks his promises as fast as he makes them. We have told you from the beginning, Putin does not want war with Ukraine, he is using Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to lure NATO into World War 3. Keep that in mind as you watch events unfold over the next few weeks and it will all make sense.
Russia declares ‘Trump’s peace deal is dead’ as Kremlin threatens to seize all of Ukraine
FROM THE EXPRESS UK: The Russian press had declared Donald Trump’s peace deal is “dying a slow death” as a key ally of Vladimir Putin mocked Western ceasefire plans by posting a map showing almost all of Ukraine occupied by Kremlin forces. The Moscow-based daily newspaper Moskovskij Komsomolets ran an editorial on current ceasefire negotiations, commenting that it believed the President’s “energy charge” had “gone flat” and that it would soon become “obvious” even to Mr Trump that any deal was in its “death throes”.
The bleak assessment was reported by the BBC’s Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg during his regular dispatch covering the nation’s headlines. He added that the piece in the Moskovskij Komsomolets said: “The Trump factor was significant and strong enough to get Moscow and Kyiv to the negotiating table, but judging by the current picture, it feels like Trump’s peace plan is dying a slow, but necessarily painful death.
Speaking to reporters in New Jersey over the weekend, President Trump said of Putin: “I’ve known him a long time, always gotten along with him, but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all.”
On Sunday, the president posted on the Truth Social platform that he believed his Russian counterpart had “gone absolutely crazy.”
He added: “I’ve always said that he wants all of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!” READ MORE
Russia escalates assault on Ukraine with massive drone attacks on cities
In the past week, 30 Ukrainians have died and more than 163 others injured as Russia escalated its bombing campaign amid U.S. efforts to end the war. It prompted President Trump to lash out at not only Russian President Putin, but also Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.
Do you remember when Joe Biden brought us to the brink of nuclear war by allowing the Ukrainians to fire long-range missiles provided by the United States deep into Russian territory? Unfortunately, western leaders have decided to do it again. I honestly have no idea what they are thinking. Every long-range missile that is fired deep into Russian territory brings us even closer to nuclear war. Just think about how we would respond if someone was firing long-range missiles at New York, Boston, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. We would nuke them. Let us hope that the Russians show restraint, because western leaders are now crossing a very dangerous line.
When I first learned what German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had said, I had a hard time believing it. According to Merz, all of the western nations that are providing Ukraine with long-range missiles have now given Ukraine permission to fire those missiles deep into Russian territory…
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Ukraine has been given permission to use weapons supplied by its allies to launch strikes deep inside Russia.
“There are absolutely no range limits anymore for weapons delivered to Ukraine, not from Britain, the French or from us — also not from the Americans,” Merz said at a conference in Berlin on Monday. “That means Ukraine can defend itself by attacking military positions also in Russia.”
I’ll say the same thing that I said when Joe Biden originally gave Ukraine permission to fire long-range missiles provided by the U.S. deep into Russian territory.
This is literally insane.
And guess who will be picking the targets and providing the targeting information?
It won’t be the Ukrainians.
NATO is now on the verge of a full-blown war with Russia, and a full-blown war between NATO and Russia would inevitably go nuclear.
President Trump is our last hope for peace with Russia, but now it appears that he has totally lost patience with Vladimir Putin.
In fact, just hours ago he posted a message warning about “the downfall of Russia” on his Truth Social account…
I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever. I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia! Likewise, President Zelenskyy is doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does. Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop. This is a War that would never have started if I were President. This is Zelenskyy’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s War, not “Trump’s,” I am only helping to put out the big and ugly fires, that have been started through Gross Incompetence and Hatred.
The Kremlin responded Monday to President Trump’s criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, citing “emotional overload” at this “very important moment.”
“We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organizing and launching this negotiation process,” said Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov when asked about Trump’s remarks, according to Reuters.
“Of course, at the same time, this is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overload of everyone absolutely and with emotional reactions.”
But if the Russians really wanted to calm things down, they would stop sending hundreds of attack drones deep into Ukraine…
Russia’s Sunday night attack included the launch of 355 drones, Yuriy Ihnat, head of the Ukrainian air force’s communications department, told The Associated Press. The previous night, Russia fired 298 drones and 69 missiles of various types in what Ukrainian authorities said was the largest combined aerial assault during the conflict. Overall, from Friday to Sunday, Russia launched around 900 drones at Ukraine, officials said.
Night after night, Russia has been terrorizing Ukrainian cities with these drones.
According to Newsweek, last night’s drone barrage resulted in NATO jets being scrambled “near Poland’s eastern border”…
NATO fighter jets were scrambled near Poland’s eastern border on Monday as Ukraine was struck by a Russian missile and drone attack.
Poland’s Armed Forces said that Polish and allied aircraft had taken off amid “renewed activity of the Russian Federation’s long-range aviation carrying out missile strikes on facilities located in the territory of Ukraine.”
Of course the Russians are simply responding to what the Ukrainians have been doing.
Last week, the Ukrainians sent hundreds of attack drones into Russian territory, and at one point there was even an attempt to kill Vladimir Putin…
The Kremlin as well as Russian state media are alleging a huge, potentially conflict-altering incident which will surely escalate the war in Ukraine – an attempted attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin himself.
A high-ranking Russian military commander on Sunday described that last week, as Putin traveled to the Kursk region for the first time since is liberation after 6+ months of Ukrainian occupation, Ukraine tried to attack Putin’s helicopter mid-flight, sending a wave of drones to swarm the flight path of the chopper.
The Ukrainians have been trying to push the Russians over the edge for a long time.
It looks like this attack on Putin may have finally achieved that goal.
Many were hoping that President Trump would be able to finally bring an end to the war in Ukraine, but now Russian media outlets are proclaiming that the peace process is almost dead…
The Russian press had declared Donald Trump’s peace deal is “dying a slow death” as a key ally of Vladimir Putin mocked Western ceasefire plans by posting a map showing almost all of Ukraine occupied by Kremlin forces. The Moscow-based daily newspaper Moskovskij Komsomolets ran an editorial on current ceasefire negotiations, commenting that it believed President’s “energy charge” had “gone flat” and that it would soon become “obvious” even to Mr Trump that any deal was in its “death throes”.
The bleak assessment was reported by the BBC’s Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg during his regular dispatch covering the nation’s headlines. He added that the piece in the Moskovskij Komsomolets said: “The Trump factor was significant and strong enough to get Moscow and Kyiv to the negotiating table, but judging by the current picture, it feels like Trump’s peace plan is dying a slow, but necessarily painful death.
Meanwhile, the Russians continue to get even closer to the Iranians…
Iran’s parliament ratified a 20-year strategic partnership with Russia on Wednesday, formalizing a broad alliance that expands military and economic cooperation between the two heavily sanctioned nations, according to state media.
The move comes as nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington are in doubt, raising fears of a renewed crisis in the Middle East with U.S. President Donald Trump threatening possible military action if no deal is reached.
Nobody can deny that 2025 has turned out to be a year of war.
Now western missiles will be raining down in Russian territory, and the Russians will certainly escalate matters even more in response.
Both sides are expecting the other side to back down, but that isn’t going to happen.
We are witnessing an extremely dangerous game of chicken, and the fate of the entire globe hangs in the balance.
The conflict stems from the Western-backed coup in Ukraine, the Russian president has said
Russia was left with no choice but to launch its military operation in Ukraine because of the continued persecution of the people of Donbass by Kiev following the 2014 Western-backed Euromaidan coup, President Vladimir Putin has said.
During a meeting with a group of businessmen in the Kremlin on Monday, Putin said Moscow could not ignore the plight of Russian-speakers in the neighboring country. He reiterated Russia’s position that the conflict stems from the turbulent events in Kiev in early 2014, when initially peaceful protests spiraled into riots and clashes with police, which led to the ouster of the democratically elected president, Viktor Yanukovich. The anti-Yanukovich forces included ultranationalist groups such as Right Sector and Svoboda.
“You need to understand that we weren’t the ones who orchestrated the coup in Ukraine,” Putin said. “[The West] has always told us that there should be democracy and elections… but they carried out a coup –a bloody one, in fact – as if it were normal. They later went on to suppress the Donbass, killing people with helicopters and jets.”
“They practically forced us into doing what we’re doing today, and now they’re trying to blame us for it,” he said.
The coup in Kiev sparked counterprotests and more riots, including a deadly clash in Odessa in May 2014, where 48 people were killed. The largely Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Lugansk rejected the Euromaidan coup and voted for independence from Ukraine. The new government in Kiev responded by sending troops in the spring of 2014 and repeatedly shelling and bombing Donetsk and other Donbass cities.
Ukraine later refused to implement the UN-backed 2014-15 Minsk accords, which would have granted autonomy to Donetsk and Lugansk. EU officials, including former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, acknowledged later that Kiev used the pause in the fighting to rebuild its army and economy. Ukraine also adopted several laws since 2014 aimed at restricting the use of Russian in the public sphere.
Putin cited Ukraine’s failure to respect the Minsk accords and the attacks on the rights of Russian-speakers as “the root causes” of the conflict, describing Kiev’s actions as “genocide.”
He has since demanded that Ukraine drop its plans to join NATO in favor of becoming a permanently neutral state, and recognize Crimea and four other former Ukrainian regions as part of Russia.
The decision runs counter to Moscow’s efforts to find a peaceful settlement with Kiev, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said
The reported decision by Ukraine’s Western backers to lift restrictions on Kiev’s use of long-range weapons runs counter to Russia’s efforts toward a peaceful settlement of the conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
Peskov made the remarks in response to comments by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said Ukraine is no longer subject to range limitations on Western-supplied weaponry.
“If such decisions have indeed been made, they are entirely at odds with our aspirations for a political resolution and with the efforts currently being made toward a settlement,” Peskov stated.
“Quite dangerous decisions, again – if they were indeed made,” he stressed.
At the EuropaForum on Monday, Merz said “there are no longer any range restrictions” on Western-supplied weapons used by Ukraine against Russian military targets. “There are no restrictions from the UK, France, Germany, or the US,” he added, as quoted by Euronews.
Moscow has repeatedly warned Western countries against enabling Ukraine to carry out long-range strikes, arguing that this could make the military bloc a direct participant in the conflict given that such attacks would require targeting data from NATO satellites – capabilities that Kiev does not possess.
Moscow updated its nuclear doctrine last November following deliberations by Ukraine’s backers on whether to allow Kiev to use Western-supplied long-range missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expanded the list of conditions that could trigger a nuclear response to include scenarios where aggression by a non-nuclear state or group of states supported by a nuclear state could be viewed as a “joint attack.”
Since then, Ukrainian forces have launched numerous long-range strikes inside Russia using Western-supplied weapons. Despite the changes, the doctrine still characterizes nuclear weapons as “an extreme and forced measure” and emphasizes Russia’s aim to avoid escalation.
Russia has consistently condemned Western arms shipments to Ukraine, arguing that they fuel more bloodshed and hinder efforts toward the peace process. Earlier this month, Russia and Ukraine held their first direct talks since 2022. The sides agreed to present detailed ceasefire proposals, carry out a record 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap, and continue negotiations.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow is at an “advanced stage” of preparing a memorandum outlining the principles and timeline for a peace settlement with Ukraine.
Is any hope of a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine about to slip away? President Trump just told reporters that he is “not happy with what Putin is doing”, and meanwhile approximately 50,000 Russian troops are positioned just across from Ukraine’s “fortress city” of Kharkiv. A major offensive in the direction of Ukraine’s second largest city would escalate the conflict to an entirely new level, and European leaders would go absolutely ballistic. So what would President Trump do in such a scenario?
Based on what he just told the press, it is clear that President Trump has lost patience with Vladimir Putin…
Speaking to reporters on the tarmac at Morristown, New Jersey before he boarded Air Force One and returned to Washington, D.C., Trump spoke about a range of topics as he fielded questions ranging from tariffs to manufacturing goals to Russia and Ukraine peace talks.
“I’m not happy with what Putin is doing,” Trump said. “He’s killing a lot of people, and I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin. I’ve known him a long time. Always gotten along with him, but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all.”
“We’re in the middle of talking, and he’s shooting rockets into Kiev and other cities. I don’t like it at all,” he said, adding, “I don’t like what Putin is doing, not even a little bit. He’s killing people. Something happened to this guy, and I don’t like it.“
I have never heard Trump talk this way about Putin.
But I can understand why Trump is so frustrated. We are supposed to be trying to find a way to end this war, but the Russians just sent a massive wave of missiles and drones at Kyiv…
A massive Russian drone-and-missile attack targeted the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and other regions in the country for a second consecutive night, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens, officials said early Sunday.
The scale of the onslaught was stunning — Russia hit Ukraine with 367 drones and missiles, making this the largest single attack of the more than three-years-long war, according to Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Air Force.
In all, Russia used 69 missiles of various types and 298 drones, including Iranian-designed Shahed drones, he told The Associated Press.
I really wish that the Russians had not done this.
But the Russians are steaming mad at the Ukrainians because it appears that they tried to blast Vladimir Putin’s helicopter out of the sky…
Ukraine made an audacious bid to blast Vladimir Putin’s presidential helicopter out of the sky over Russia’s Kursk region last week, according to reports. Air force Major-General Yuri Dashkin said repeated military drone attacks were launched at the moment when the Russian leader made a rare visit close to the war zone.
A Putin trip to Kursk region was previously reported as taking place on May 20. Dashkin said: “During the period when the President [Putin] was working in the Kursk region, the enemy launched an unprecedented attack with unmanned aerial vehicles. The air defence group in this area destroyed 46 aircraft-type [Ukrainian military drones].”
If another country tried to do a similar thing to President Trump, we would be extremely upset too.
Of course the corporate news outlets in the United States have barely said anything about this attempt on Putin’s life.
It comes as both sides of the conflict have claimed an increase in drone strikes, with Moscow’s Foreign Ministry claiming that Ukraine launched 764 drones into Russian territory between Tuesday and Friday.
On Saturday, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov blamed “some European nations led by the UK, France, Germany, and the EU leadership” for the increased level of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia.
Why can’t both sides just stop the drone attacks for a few weeks and give peace a chance?
Sadly, if the Russians send tens of thousands of troops toward Kharkiv, and chance for peace will probably be completely gone.
It is Ukraine’s second largest city, and Sky News is telling us that approximately 50,000 Russian troops have been “positioned just across the border from Kharkiv”…
Russian forces are reportedly gathering across the border from Ukraine’s “fortress city” – but why?
After pushing Ukrainian troops out of Kursk, the Russian region they had occupied parts of for many months, what’s left of the 50,000-strong Russian force is positioned just across the border from Kharkiv.
Why would the Russians launch such an operation?
Don’t they understand how the western world would react?
Alex Jones is suggesting that the Russians would use an offensive toward Kharkiv as leverage to get Ukraine to sign a peace deal…
Major Ukraine War Escalation: 50,000 Russian troops are amassing near Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, in preparation for a major Russian offensive.
Putin is clearly putting massive pressure on the Ukrainian dictator, Zelensky, to accept Russia’s demands and sign a peace deal.
I think that it is quite likely that this is what the Russians are thinking.
But in my opinion a major offensive toward Kharkiv would completely kill the peace talks. European leaders would go completely nuts and President Trump would become extremely angry with Vladimir Putin.
If President Trump ultimately concludes that there is no peaceful way to end this war, he will try to find a military way to win it.
Needless to say, that would bring us right to the brink of the unthinkable.
Unfortunately, Vladimir Putin has made it clear that Russian forces will soon be creating buffer zones in three Ukrainian border regions. The following is a direct quote from Putin…
I reiterate: this concerns the Kursk Region, the Bryansk Region, and the Belgorod Region, which have also suffered and continue to endure shelling. Moreover, the adversary typically targets objectives devoid of military significance: civilian infrastructure and people’s homes.
The most recent events only confirm what I just said: drone attacks as well as sabotage and reconnaissance actions target civilian transport, including ambulances and agricultural machinery. Most of the casualties are women and children.
As I said, a decision has been made to create a buffer security zone along the Russian border. Our Armed Forces are working on this now. They are also effectively suppressing enemy firing points.
So we know that Russian forces will be coming across the border.
But we don’t know if they will try to go all the way to Kharkiv.
If they do, that will fundamentally alter the trajectory of this conflict.
The Israeli military announced on Friday that it is preparing for a potential multi-front war with Iran and its regional terror proxies amid stalled nuclear negotiations for a hostage release-ceasefire deal.
A recent Israeli military drill, dubbed “Barak Tamir,” reportedly simulated preparedness for a multifront regional conflict. The exercise tested emergency coordination between civilian and military agencies, with a focus on protecting critical infrastructure and the home front, as the Iranian regime continues to openly call for Israel’s destruction.
“This exercise was designed to refine coordination and improve the speed and quality of response during escalating scenarios,” an IDF spokesperson stated.
The IDF wouldn’t be “preparing” for such a conflict unless Israeli leaders felt like it was a very real possibility.
I have a feeling that things will soon get very “interesting” in the Middle East.
We live at a time when armed conflicts have been breaking out all over the globe. In fact, it is being reported that the number of armed conflicts that we witnessed last year was the highest that we have seen since World War II…
Last year, varying levels of conflict were reported across at least 50 different countries, from the civil war in Myanmar to extreme violence between drug cartels in Mexico, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED).
Experts predict that the trend will probably continue throughout 2025 and beyond.
Across the 50 countries, there were at least 56 active conflicts – one of the largest quantities since 1946 – “with fewer conflicts being resolved, either militarily or through peace agreements”, the Global Peace Index estimated.
There are many that believe that World War III has already begun.
But there are also many that believe that negotiations will be successful and world peace is just around the corner.
Without a doubt, global leaders will be making some critical decisions in the days ahead.
In a world where superpowers are defined by economic and military stature, countries continue to invest hundreds of billions in military and defense every year.
In 2024, global military expenditure reached $2.7 trillion, hitting a record high – and just three countries made up more than half of the total.
This infographic, via Visual Capitalist’s Niccolo Conte, breaks down global military spending by country in 2024, highlighting the top military spenders using data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The World’s Biggest Military Spenders in 2024
America continues to dominate global military expenditure, spending nearly $1 trillion or 3.4% of its GDP on defense in 2024. U.S. military expenditure makes up over one-third of the global total, and it also has the world’s biggest defense budget.
Here’s a look at the top 20 countries by military spending in 2024:
China follows the U.S. with an estimated $314 billion in military expenditure, up 7% from 2023. Over the last decade (2015–2024), China’s military spending increased by 59%.
Meanwhile, Russia’s spending was up by 38% year over year at nearly $150 billion. Together, the United States, China, and Russia—often considered strategic competitors—made up 54% of global military expenditure in 2024.
Germany and India round out the top five, with both countries ramping up military spending in light of rising geopolitical tensions in recent years. India’s simmering tensions with Pakistan and China contribute to its defense budget.
Meanwhile, as a major NATO member, Germany’s spending is partly down to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Together, NATO countries made up 55% of global military expenditure in 2024.
In the eighth spot, Ukraine has seen the biggest jump in military spending in recent years—with its 2024 spending at nearly 10 times 2021 levels. It also has the highest military burden globally at 34.5% of its GDP in 2024. Although peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are ongoing, a complete ceasefire is yet to be achieved.
The Russian president has described his Monday phone call with Donald Trump as “substantive and quite candid”
Moscow is ready to work with Kiev on drafting a memorandum on a potential future peace agreement, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said following his phone call with American counterpart Donald Trump. He described the exchange as productive, “substantive and quite candid.”
The conversation on Monday lasted for over two hours and focused primarily on the Ukraine conflict. In a brief address to journalists after the call, Putin said the two leaders had agreed that Russia would propose a memorandum specifying principles and timing for a possible peace deal, as well as other matters, “including a potential temporary ceasefire, should the necessary agreements be reached.”
Putin stressed that “eliminating the root causes” of the Ukraine conflict “is what matters most to us.”
Below is the full text of his statement as published on the Kremlin website.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Our colleagues asked me to briefly comment on the outcome of my telephone conversation with the President of the United States.
This conversation has effectively taken place and lasted more than two hours. I would like to emphasise that it was both substantive and quite candid. Overall, I believe it was a very productive exchange.
First and foremost, I expressed my gratitude to the President of the United States for the support provided by the United States in facilitating the resumption of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine aimed at potentially reaching a peace agreement and resuming the talks which, as we know, were thwarted by the Ukrainian side in 2022.
The President of the United States shared his position on the cessation of hostilities and the prospects for a ceasefire. For my part, I noted that Russia also supports a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis as well. What we need now is to identify the most effective ways towards achieving peace.
We agreed with the President of the United States that Russia would propose and is ready to engage with the Ukrainian side on drafting a memorandum regarding a potential future peace agreement. This would include outlining a range of provisions, such as the principles for settlement, the timeframe for a possible peace deal, and other matters, including a potential temporary ceasefire, should the necessary agreements be reached.
Contacts among participants of the Istanbul meeting and talks have resumed, which gives reason to believe that we are on the right track overall.
I would like to reiterate that the conversation was highly constructive, and I assess it positively. The key issue, of course, is now for the Russian side and the Ukrainian side to show their firm commitment to peace and to forge a compromise that would be acceptable to all parties.
Notably, Russia’s position is clear. Eliminating the root causes of this crisis is what matters most to us.
Should any clarifications be necessary, Press Secretary [Dmitry] Peskov and my aide, Mr Ushakov, will provide further details on today’s telephone talks with President Trump.
US NATO Ambassador Matthew Whitaker via Free Malaysia Today
In a move signaling a long-overdue shift in American foreign policy, the United States, under President Donald J. Trump, is preparing to open discussions with European allies on reducing its military footprint across the continent.
US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker confirmed the Trump administration’s plans during a security forum in Estonia, stating that the conversations will formally begin after June’s NATO summit in The Hague, Reuters reported.
“Nothing has been determined,” Whitaker said, “but as soon as we do, we are going to have these conversations in the structure of NATO.” He made it clear this isn’t just another round of diplomatic foot-dragging. “It’s more than 30 years of the US desire to reduce troops in Europe. President Trump just said, enough—this is going to happen, and it’s going to happen now.”
The remarks starkly contrast with previous administrations’ foreign policy, which treated NATO like a sacred cow regardless of how little European members contributed in return. Trump-era officials have increasingly called out what they see as chronic European underfunding and dependency.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth minced no words earlier this year, declaring that “stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe.”
In private discussions over the allegedly encrypted messaging app Signal, Hegseth reportedly expressed his “loathing of European free-loading,” a sentiment echoed by Vice President J.D. Vance. The two have become key voices pushing to restore a foreign policy rooted in American interests, not global entanglements.
Despite the uproar in some NATO capitals, Whitaker reassured allies that the US isn’t abandoning the alliance altogether—just recalibrating its role. “We’re going to remain in this alliance,” he said. “But we’re not going to have any more patience for foot-dragging.”
The numbers behind the move are substantial. America currently maintains an estimated 128,000 troops across Europe, with Germany hosting the lion’s share. Poland, Italy, and the UK also house significant contingents.
But the political winds are shifting, and rightly so. Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently tried to tamp down fears after the US quietly redeployed forces away from a major Ukrainian support hub. Still, the writing’s on the wall.
For decades, Washington has carried the bulk of the military burden in Europe, funding and defending nations that often lecture Americans while failing to meet even basic NATO spending obligations. With ballooning domestic priorities and a border crisis back home, many Americans—especially those aligned with the nationalist, Trump-aligned right—are asking why their sons and daughters are still stationed abroad to defend countries that won’t defend themselves.
Critics of the withdrawal, unsurprisingly, warn of a “security gap” that Russia could exploit.
A recent report from the Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)— a prominent neoconservative think-tank aligned with the globalist foreign policy blob, which should be taken with a grain of salt—claims Moscow could be ready to strike a NATO ally within two years if the U.S. pulls out too quickly. But the same report admitted that Europe would need to cough up anywhere from $190 billion to $344 billion just to cover current American capabilities—something they’ve long resisted doing.
Whitaker also took a swipe at the European Union, warning against the bloc’s protectionist push to shut out non-EU firms from defense procurement. Such moves, he argued, would stifle innovation, raise costs, and damage NATO’s already fragile “interoperability.”
Are we about to see Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sitting across from each other at a negotiating table in Turkey? It looks like that could actually happen this week. If both leaders really do show up, there will be peace negotiations in Turkey starting on Thursday. But will these negotiations lead to peace, or will they lead to World War 3?
Western leaders were threatening to hit Russia with a new round of very harsh sanctions if the Russians did not agree to a 30 day ceasefire beginning on March 12th. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to start direct peace talks with Ukraine on May 15th…
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukraine on May 15 in Turkey that he said should be aimed at bringing a durable peace, an initiative welcomed by US President Donald Trump.
Some western leaders are suggesting that Putin is not serious about peace.
But to me, it definitely sounds like he is ready for substantial talks with the Ukrainians…
President Vladimir Putin said, according to a translation by the BBC: “We are determined to have serious negotiations with Ukraine. The purpose is to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and establish long-term, lasting peace with a historical perspective.
“We do not exclude that during these negotiations it will be possible to agree to some new truces, a new ceasefire. Moreover, a real ceasefire that would be observed not only by the Russian side, but also by the Ukrainian side.”
Surprisingly, it appears that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accepted the offer to meet in Turkey on May 15th.
In a post on Twitter, Zelenskyy clearly stated that he “will be in Türkiye this Thursday”…
Starting tomorrow, we await a ceasefire — this proposal is on the table. A full and unconditional ceasefire, one that lasts long enough to provide a necessary foundation for diplomacy, could significantly bring peace closer. Ukraine has long proposed this, our partners are proposing it, and the whole world is calling for it. We await a clear response from Russia.
Russia will have to end this war anyway. The killings must stop. Ukrainian forces will be ready to respond symmetrically— to ensure fairness. We have repeatedly heard from our partners that they are prepared to strengthen sanctions against Russia if Putin rejects a ceasefire. Time will tell.
Here in Ukraine, we have absolutely no problem engaging in negotiations, we are ready for any format. I will be in Türkiye this Thursday, May 15, and I expect Putin to come to Türkiye as well. Personally. And I hope that this time, Putin won’t be looking for excuses as to why he “can’t” make it.
We are ready to talk, to end this war. Thursday. Türkiye. President Trump has expressed support. All the leaders support this.
Just getting Putin and Zelenskyy into the same room would be a monumental achievement.
I think that Zelenskyy agreed to go to Turkey due to pressure from President Trump. After Putin proposed the meeting in Turkey, President Trump went on Truth Social and strongly urged the Ukrainians to accept…
President Putin of Russia doesn’t want to have a Cease Fire Agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the BLOODBATH. Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY. At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders, and the U.S., will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly! I’m starting to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal with Putin, who’s too busy celebrating the Victory of World War ll, which could not have been won (not even close!) without the United States of America. HAVE THE MEETING, NOW!!!
I never imagined that we would see a day when the fate of the world was being negotiated on social media.
But this is the world that we live in now.
President Trump recognized that getting the Russians and the Ukrainians to negotiate with one another was the right move, and I am so glad that it looks like it is actually going to happen.
But the truth is that reaching an agreement to end the war will be nearly impossible.
The Russians want Ukraine to agree to never join NATO, they want zero NATO troops in Ukraine once the war is over, they want to keep all the territory they have already taken, and they want the Ukrainians to hand over the remaining territory in the four regions that Russia has annexed that the Russians do not currently occupy.
The Ukrainians are not likely to agree to any of those conditions.
The Ukrainians are determined to join NATO, they want hundreds of thousands of NATO troops to “keep the peace” in Ukraine once the war is over, they will never recognize Russian sovereignty over the areas that Russia has conquered, and there is no way that they are going to simply give the Russians additional territory that the Russians do not currently possess.
Hopefully I am wrong, but I believe that these negotiations will ultimately fail.
As President Trump has stated, if negotiations fail his administration “will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly”.
This is our one chance at peace with Russia.
We must not blow it.
Sadly, it appears that our one chance at peace with Iran is already gone.
The Iranians insist that they must be allowed to continue to enrich uranium, and they will not budge from that position.
President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff says that this is not acceptable to the United States under any circumstances.
In an interview published on Friday, Witkoff stated that an enrichment program “can never exist in the state of Iran ever again.”
“That’s our red line. No enrichment. That means dismantlement, it means no weaponization, and it means that Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan, those are their three enrichment facilities, have to be dismantled,” he said.
Witkoff added he thinks Iranians “have no choice” but to accept the position of Trump against enrichment. “Obviously, they can say no, and they can test President Trump, but I think that would be an unwise thing to do.”
The Trump administration was really hoping that Iran would back down.
But that was never going to happen.
So it is just a matter of time before the bombing of Iran’s nuclear program begins.
As I have repeatedly warned, that will spark an apocalyptic conflict in the Middle East unlike anything we have ever seen before.
To a very large degree, 2025 will be defined by what is going to happen in the Middle East in the months ahead, and I am convinced that it won’t be too long before events start to spiral out of control in a major way.
The country remembers the lessons of World War II and rejects efforts to justify executioners and slander the true winners, the president has said
Russia has always been an “impenetrable barrier” to Nazism, Russophobia, and anti-Semitism, and will continue to fight against them, President Vladimir Putin has said, addressing the annual military parade in Moscow. This year’s event marks the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
“Russia has been and will remain an impenetrable barrier to Nazism, Russophobia, and anti-Semitism,” Putin stated. “We will continue to fight the atrocities committed by those who promote these destructive ideas. Truth and justice are on our side,” he added. He went on to say that the entire country supports the troops taking part in the military operation against the Kiev regime, which Moscow has long accused of adhering to Nazi ideology.
Putin noted that Russia remembers the lessons of World War II, and will not allow the atrocities committed during those years to be repeated.
“We are all united by feelings of joy and sorrow, pride and gratitude, admiration for the generation that defeated Nazism at the cost of millions of lives and won freedom and peace for all mankind,” he stated. “We faithfully preserve the memory of these triumphant events and, like our ancestors, celebrate the holiday as our own – the most important for the entire nation.”
We remember the lessons of World War II and will never accept the distortion of its events, nor attempts to justify the executioners and slander the true victors.
The Russian president said those who fought Nazism during World War II “saved the Fatherland and entrusted us to defend it,” which includes “remaining united and standing firmly for our national interests, our thousand-year history, culture, and values.” He vowed that the country will continue to uphold these principles.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, more than 11,500 troops from the ministry and other agencies – including the FSB, Emergency Situations Ministry, and National Guard – are taking part in the military parade in Moscow. Units from 13 countries, including China, Belarus, Egypt, Vietnam, and Kazakhstan, are also marching on Red Square.
Leaders from 29 countries are attending the event. World War II veterans from Armenia, Israel, Mongolia, the US, and other nations are also attending as guests of honor.
“There is nothing absurd or impracticable in the idea of a league or alliance between independent nations for certain defined purposes precisely stated in a treaty regulating all the details of time, place, circumstance, and quantity; leaving nothing to future discretion; and depending for its execution on the good faith of the parties.” —Alexander Hamilton (1787)
Trump moves NSA Waltz to UN: National Security Advisor Mike Waltz made headlines in March for his culpability in the Signal snafu. At the time, Trump threw cold water on any potential firings with a comment about not wanting to give the Leftmedia “a scalp.” On Thursday, he announced that Waltz and his deputy would be replaced, followed by a Truth Social post in which Trump said he would nominate Waltz as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as the interim national security advisor while the Trump team searches for a replacement. Steve Witkoff, currently the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, is rumored to be a possible replacement. Witkoff’s tenure as special envoy has not gone well, with blunders in handling Iran and Hamas.
Trump-nominated judge rules against Trump’s use of Alien Enemies Act: It’s yet another blow to Trump’s deportations from a judge, but this time it comes from someone he nominated. U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ruled Thursday in Texas that Trump’s use of the AEA “exceeds the scope of the statute and is contrary to the plain, ordinary meaning of the statute’s terms.” Trump has been using the Alien Enemies Act to detain and deport members of the hostile foreign gangs like Tren de Aragua (TDA) and MS-13 on the grounds that TDA, at least, is a wing of Nicolas Maduro’s regime in Venezuela. Rodriguez’s ruling certifies Venezuelan nationals 14 years old and older as a protected class from deportation under the AEA. Perhaps it’s worth considering that 21st-century warfare may look very different from earlier eras, and violent gangs could very well be a military wing in such wars.
Four Dems bail on Trump Impeachment 3.0: Demonstrating the buffoonery behind Rep. Shri Thanedar’s introduction of articles of impeachment against Donald Trump on Monday, four cosponsors of the resolution have now removed themselves from it. Reps. Robin Kelly (IL), Kweisi Mfume (MD), Jan Schakowsky (IL), and Jerry Nadler (NY) have all bailed on the charade. Their collective excuse for pulling their names was that party leadership had failed to green light this latest escapade. Nadler’s legislative director, Andrew Heineman, sent an email to fellow Democrat lawmakers’ legislative directors, calling on them to double-check before going along. “I don’t think any of us want to learn that their boss was added to a bill that’s been introduced from a Google Alert,” he wrote. Democrats know this amounted to little other than a virtue signal, and an embarrassing one at that.
April jobs report: Following this week’s report of the first-quarter GDP contraction, April’s jobs numbers came in surprisingly better than expected. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 177,000 jobs were added last month, besting a Dow Jones forecast of 133,000. The headline unemployment rate came in as anticipated at 4.2%, showing a rather stable labor market. The overall unemployment rate dropped slightly to 7.8% while labor force participation ticked up to 62.6%. The healthcare industry led the way in job creation, adding 51,000, followed by transportation and warehousing with 29,000. The federal government reported 9,000 jobs lost, continuing a DOGE-induced decline with 26,000 federal jobs lost since January. The total number of federal jobs lost is actually higher, but it’s not currently calculated in the unemployment numbers since furloughed employees are still receiving severance.
Maine bans lawmaker defending women’s sports: In Maine, if you refuse to go along with the lie that men can become women, then you will be punished. That’s what happened to State House Rep. Laurel Libby, who has been censured for refusing to apologize for expressing the truth that men should not be permitted to compete in women’s sports. Libby is not only banned from speaking in the legislature, she’s also banned from voting. While Libby has not been officially impeached or removed from office, Democrats have effectively done just that, blatantly infringing the First Amendment. But her appeal to the district court went nowhere, and now Libby’s emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court may also fall on deaf ears since it will be on Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who doesn’t know what a woman is, to decide if the case will go before the Supreme Court.
Domestic terrorist gender-bender freed: In the latest example of the inmates running the asylum, Owen McIntire was arrested in March for torching a Kansas City Tesla dealership but was released from jail by a Boston-area federal judge to receive “gender-affirming care.” U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica Hedges released the 19-year-old domestic terrorist, who was in jail awaiting trial, because the gender-bender needs “treatment.” According to McIntire’s attorney, “Medically, Owen faces serious and ongoing needs. He takes daily medications for depression and ADHD and has consistently demonstrated insight into his diagnoses and compliance with his treatment. He also receives gender-affirming medical care, which began in March of this year and is likely to be interrupted or terminated entirely if he remains in pretrial detention.” Thanks to news reports and lawyer-speak, it’s unclear what the correct pronouns are.
Trump threatens sanctions on buying Iranian oil: In what amounts to an indirect shot at China, Donald Trump on Thursday warned in a social media post: “All purchases of Iranian Oil, or Petrochemical products, must stop, NOW! Any Country or person who buys ANY AMOUNT of OIL or PETROCHEMICALS from Iran will be subject to, immediately, Secondary Sanctions. They will not be allowed to do business with the United States of America in any way, shape, or form.” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce clarified, “These sanctions are being imposed pursuant to President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign to drive Iran’s oil exports, including to China, to zero. China is by far the largest importer of Iranian oil. The Iranian regime uses the revenue it generates from these sales to finance attacks on U.S. allies, support terrorism around the world, and pursue other destabilizing actions.” This move also comes amidst the Trump administration’s ongoing nuclear talks with Iran.
Will the war in Ukraine soon come to a long-awaited end? Many hope so following the recent announcement that the U.S. and Ukraine had finally signed a minerals deal.
This is certainly the sentiment expressed by the Trump administration. “Thanks to President Trump’s tireless efforts to secure a lasting peace,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated, “I am glad to announce the signing of today’s historic economic partnership agreement between the United States and Ukraine establishing the United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund.”
This agreement commits the U.S. “to helping facilitate the end of this cruel and senseless war,” Bessent added. “This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump Administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term.”
Interestingly, a deal that was notoriously on-again, off-again — highlighted by the infamous Oval Office blowup between Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, and JD Vance — has finally been realized.
While many of the details have yet to be revealed, it effectively ties down a U.S. commitment to preserving Ukraine and securing its future. It “sends a strong message to Russia,” the White House said, that “the United States has skin in the game.”
The deal gives Ukraine the continued security of receiving military aid from the U.S., which will be funded via a significant economic interest in Ukraine. Specifically, the U.S. will enjoy 50% of the proceeds from developing Ukraine’s deposits of rare earth minerals with no tariffs or duties attached.
The timing of this deal comes just days after Trump and Zelensky’s face-to-face meeting at the Vatican at Pope Francis’s funeral. Furthermore, it follows Trump’s strongest rebuke of Vladimir Putin. “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last week. “Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”
On Wednesday, in an interview with ABC News, Trump was asked about another social media post in which he wrote, “It makes me think that maybe [Putin] doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’” Trump responded, “He could be tapping me along a little bit,” but added, “I would say that he would like to stop the war.”
Is that Trump calling Putin’s bluff? He’s certainly giving him plenty of room for an off-ramp. But it was just a week ago that the Trump administration was sounding exasperated and on the cusp of walking away from any more vain efforts to end the war. It’s hard not to imagine that Putin was rubbing his hands in glee at the prospect.
Suddenly, the tables have flipped. The weight of the conflict that Putin started has now slid back onto him. News that the U.S. might walk away may have buoyed Russian troops last week. The same goes for Putin’s announcement of a 72-hour ceasefire to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. But now?
Is this another example of Trump’s Art of the Deal at play? It certainly should end any notion Putin may have harbored that Trump would give up, allowing him free rein to continue his march to secure all of Ukraine.
Will this deal finally bring Putin to the negotiation table, offering a real prospect for ending this bloody war? Hopefully, it will.
Feminist Gets Dating Advice From Mr. Darcy — “Pride and Prejudice” just returned to theaters. One feminist turned to ChatGPT to ask what Mr. Darcy might say about her love life — only to get answers she didn’t quite expect.
“I have on six items of clothes: shoes, socks, jeans, skivvies, T-shirt, and sweatshirt. You know how many of these were made in America? None! None! And I don’t want to live in a country that makes T-shirts.” —Democrat strategist James Carville
CNN Fracas
“Last time I checked, I’m black. You’re not.” —Shermichael Singleton “That’s right. I’m Latino and my people are being racially profiled…” —Ana Navarro “And do I have to remind you the history of my people?!” —Shermichael Singleton
Non Compos Mentis
“First they came for the Latinos outside of the Home Depots trying to get work so that they could feed their families. And I didn’t say anything about it because I’m not a Latino at the Home Depot. Then they came for the Hispanic-looking folks wearing hats backward with tattoos, and they deported them to El Salvador. And I didn’t say anything about that because I don’t wear my hair backward and I don’t have any tattoos and I don’t look like a Latino. Then they came for the Latinas at home taking care of the children. Scooped up the Latinas and the children, some of whom were American citizens, one of whom was receiving treatment for cancer. … And I didn’t say anything about it because I’m not a Latina. I’m not a little child who’s an American citizen. Then they came back for the students studying on the college campuses who were here on student visas. … And I didn’t say anything about it because I’m not a student on a foreign visa. And then they came and arrested a white female judge. … And I didn’t say anything then because I’m not … a white female judge [in a] state court. But then they came for me. And I looked around and there was nobody left because I had remained silent.” —Rep. Hank Johnson
Re: The Leftmedia
“It is a sad reflection on the state of our media … that you obsessively try to shill for this MS-13 terrorist while no coverage occured in your papers about any of the Americans that were raped and tortured and murdered by the illegals that Biden was importing into our country.” —White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller
“No matter how many times the president says he is not cutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, Democrats say over and over, ‘Trump is cutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.’ And their media co-conspirators never fact-check them.” —Gary Bauer
“The media insisted for days that renewables weren’t to blame for the blackout in Spain, even though anyone with a basic understanding of the electrical grid knew they were.” —Michael Shellenberger
Never Interrupt Your Enemy While (S)he Is Making a Mistake
“I think I speak for everyone at the White House — we encourage Kamala Harris to continue going out and doing speaking engagements.” —White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt
“Who would be doing a better job as president? Guess who comes out on top? … Trump continues to score a higher percentage of the vote than Kamala Harris.” —CNN’s Harry Enten using poll results to confirm that the best thing Harris could do for Trump right now is make more speeches
Nanny State
“Too many Americans have an addiction to government. Politicians encourage dependency because it helps keep them in office with all the benefits they receive, even if their constituents don’t get as many benefits as they do.” —Cal Thomas
ON THIS DAY in 1863, Confederate General Stonewall Jackson was accidentally shot by his own men while on patrol at night near Chancellorsville, Virginia. His arm was amputated, but he died eight days later. Before his death, almost prophetically, Robert E. Lee remarked, “He has lost his left arm, but I have lost my right.” Jackson’s death arguably turned the tide of the war.
Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray also for the protection of our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please lift up your Patriot team and our mission to support and defend our Republic’s Founding Principle of Liberty, that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.
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