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Navy admiral tells lawmakers there was no ‘kill all’ order from Hegseth in boat attack

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Navy admiral commanding the U.S. military strikes on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean told lawmakers Thursday that there was no “kill them all” order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but a stark video of the attack left grave questions as Congress scrutinizes the campaign that killed two survivors.

Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley appeared for a series of closed-door classified briefings at the Capitol as lawmakers conduct an investigation after a report that he ordered the follow-on attack that killed the survivors to comply with Hegesth’s demands. Legal experts have said such a strike could be a violation of the laws of military warfare.

“Bradley was very clear that he was given no such order, to give no quarter or to kill them all,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, as he exited a classified briefing.

While Cotton, R-Ark., defended the attack, Democrats who were also briefed and saw video of the survivors being killed questioned the Trump administration’s rationale and said the incident was deeply concerning.

“The order was basically: Destroy the drugs, kill the 11 people on the boat,” said Washington Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.

Smith, who is demanding further investigation, said the survivors were “basically two shirtless people clinging to the bow of a capsized and inoperable boat, drifting in the water — until the missiles come and kill them.”

The classified sessions with Bradley, alongside the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, provided fresh information at a crucial moment as Hegseth’s leadership comes under scrutiny. But they did little to resolve growing questions about the legal basis for President Donald Trump’s extraordinary campaign to use war powers against suspected drug smugglers. So far more than 80 people have been killed in some 20 strikes.

Lawmakers have not yet specifically authorized the use of military force against the alleged drug boats, and the Republican-controlled Congress has turned back attempts to put a check on Trump’s power to engage in the missile campaign, which Hegseth has vowed will continue. Several Democrats have called for Hegseth to resign.

Congressional investigation gets underway

Lawmakers want a full accounting of the Sept. 2 strike, which was the first in what has become a monthslong series of U.S. military attacks on vessels near Venezuela believed to be ferrying drugs. The Washington Post had reported that Bradley ordered the follow-on attack on the survivors.

But lawmakers who lead the House and Senate’s national security committees in Congress came away with different descriptions of what the two survivors were doing when they were killed.

Cotton said he saw them “trying to flip a boat loaded with drugs bound for United States back over so they could stay in the fight.”

He said there were “several minutes” between the first and second attacks, which consisted of four missile strikes. He said it was “gratifying” that the U.S. military was taking “the battle” to cartels.

US carries out 22nd strike on alleged drug vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization

The US military sank another suspected drug vessel in the Pacific Ocean Thursday, marking the 22nd strike under the Trump administration’s Operation Southern Spear and the first since War Secretary Pete Hegseth was accused of ordering survivors of a boat bombing be killed. 

The latest lethal strike killed “four male narco-terrorists” traveling on a vessel operated by a “Designated Terrorist Organization” in international waters, according to US Southern Command.

“Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was carrying illicit narcotics and transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific,” US Southern Command said.

The strike is the first in more than two weeks and brings the total number of alleged drug runners killed at sea since September to 86.

Footage of the strike shared on social media by US Southern Command showed a boat racing across the ocean before it’s stopped dead in its tracks by a fiery explosion.

The strike came on the same day House and Senate lawmakers questioned the Navy admiral who directed strikes against a suspected drug-running boat in the Caribbean Sea on Sept. 2.

Controversy has surrounded the Sept. 2 mission since last week, when the Washington Post reported that Hegseth ordered no survivors be left in the strike – the first of Operation Southern Spear.

Adm. Frank Bradley, head of US Special Operations Command, told lawmakers that he gave the final order for both the initial missile hit and several additional strikes that killed 11 people following a directive by Pete Hegseth to destroy the boat and its narcotic cargo.

Bradley and a group of Pentagon officials briefed lawmakers and played footage of the controversial strike to provide context.

Hegseth maintains that he stopped monitoring the video feed after the initial hit and did not notice the survivors or give orders to kill them.

Coast Guard helicopter sniper takes out narco-boat engines, seizes more than 20,000 pounds of cocaine

The Coast Guard cutter Munro seized more than 20,000 pounds of cocaine in a single drug interdiction mission Tuesday, the largest seizure a national security cutter had completed involving a go-fast vessel.

New video footage shared with Fox News Digital depicts Coast Guard forces, including a sniper from the service’s Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) based in Jacksonville, Florida, utilizing disabling fire against a go-fast vessel as it completes a drug interdiction mission for Operation Pacific Viper.

The amount of cocaine seized in the mission, which occurred in the Eastern Pacific south of Mexico, amounts to more than 7.5 million potentially lethal doses, according to the service.

Operation Pacific Viper launched in August and is a combined initiative between the Coast Guard and Navy that seeks to counter the flow of illegal drugs to the US in alignment with President Donald Trump’s broader effort to crack down on drug cartels in Latin America.

As of October, the Coast Guard reported it had snatched 100,000 pounds of cocaine in the eastern Pacific Ocean under Operation Pacific Viper.

That translates to roughly 1,600 pounds of cocaine nabbed daily, according to the service.

The Coast Guard’s Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron snipers are used in missions to disable vessels carrying illicit drugs by targeting and shooting at their engines with rifles to cripple them.

Disabling potential drug vessels paves the way for other Coast Guard assets to board and capture drugs stowed away on the boats.

Go-fast vessels are common vessels employed to ferry drugs in the Caribbean.

The Coast Guard reported in November it had seized almost 510,000 pounds of cocaine in fiscal year 2025, the largest amount of the drug snatched in the service’s history.

Alaska Rocked by Magnitude 7 Earthquake: What to Know

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck near Yakutat, Alaska Saturday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

The quake came during a cluster of seismic activity that saw over a dozen other earthquakes reported over a 24-hour period in the region on the border of Alaska and Canada's Yukon Territory, the USGS map shows.

The earthquake hit at a depth of around 6 miles, or 10 km, which means it was felt closer to the surface. That was reflected in the number of people who self-reported the quake on the USGS website.

No immediate information was available on possible injuries or damage, and no tsunami warnings have been issued.

What To Know

The USGS reported that the quake’s epicenter was located about 56 miles from Yakutat, a community with a population of around 660 people, and roughly 230 miles northwest of Juneau.

The earthquake struck at a shallow depth of about six miles, around 10 km, which allowed the shaking to be more acutely felt at the surface. Residents across the region and into parts of Canada reported feeling the earthquake, though its remote location limited the human impact.

Initial data indicated no immediate casualties, property damage, or power outages, and no tsunami warning was issued following the event.

The USGS also reported aftershocks in the vicinity, which is typical after a seismic event of this magnitude.

Alaska routinely experiences more significant earthquakes than any other U.S. state due to its position along the seismically active Pacific "Ring of Fire."

According to NASA’s Earth Observatory, Alaska is struck by frequent seismic events because of interactions between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate.

Historically, the state has been the site of some of the world’s most powerful earthquakes, including the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake, which measured a magnitude 9.2—making it the second largest earthquake ever recorded globally.

The region also experienced a major 8.7 magnitude quake in the Rat Islands in 1965—a testament to the ongoing seismic threat. The largest earthquake ever recorded globally was the 1960 9.5-magnitude Valdivia Earthquake in Chile

Earthquake magnitudes are measured on a logarithmic scale called the Moment Magnitude Scale. Each whole number increase reflects a tenfold jump in measured amplitude, meaning a magnitude 7.0 event is ten times more powerful than a 6.0.

Michigan Technological University notes that magnitude 7.0–7.9 earthquakes are categorized as major, often resulting in serious damage where populations and infrastructure are present.

National Guard member Andrew Wolfe slowly healing after horrific shooting

The West Virginia National Guard member who survived last week’s shooting in Washington is slowly healing, West Virginia’s governor said Friday.

Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe’s head wound is slowly improving and “he’s beginning to ‘look more like himself,’” Gov. Patrick Morrisey said in a statement quoting Wolfe’s parents.

Wolfe and Spc. Sarah Beckstrom were ambushed as they patrolled a subway station three blocks from the White House on Nov. 26. Beckstrom died from her injuries the next day.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who was also shot during the confrontation, has been charged with murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

Wolfe’s family expects he will be in acute care for another two or three weeks, the governor said.
He asked that West Virginians and Americans continue to pray for Wolfe.

A vigil was scheduled to be held for him at his alma mater, Musselman High School, in Berkeley County on Friday night.

Wolfe, 24, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, about 75 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., was assigned to the Force Support Squadron, 167th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard.

He has worked as a lineman with Frontier Communications since early 2023, the company said.

Somali illegal migrant fraudster photographed with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Rep. Ilhan Omar

An illegal immigrant from Somalia with a long rap sheet for fraud and apparent ties to Democratic politicians in Minnesota — including Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar — was arrested Friday as part of President Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Abdul Dahir Ibrahim was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and is being held at the McCook ICE facility in Nebraska, dubbed the “Cornhusker Clink” by the Department of Homeland Security, records show.

Ibrahim has an extensive criminal history and has had removal orders against him since 2004, according to Fox News.
Prior to entering the US, Ibrahim was convicted of asylum and welfare fraud in Canada, the outlet reported.

The Somali national was also busted for providing false information to police and driving without a valid license in Dakota County, Minn., in 2002. 
Ibrahim was fined and sentenced to a year of probation in that case.

He accumulated 12 traffic or parking citations while in the US.

During this period, Ibrahim has been photographed with several high-profile politicians in Minnesota.

DHS shared images of Ibrahim posing with Walz, Omar and former Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh on social media.

“Criminal illegal alien, Abdul Dahir Ibrahim has been linked to Minnesota’s top sanctuary politicians,” read the DHS post.

“Ibrahim was convicted in Canada for Asylum and Welfare Fraud prior to his entry into the United States,” the post continued. “On April 3, 2004, an immigration judge ordered Ibrahim removed, citing the significant amount of fraud associated with him.

“Bye-bye, Abdul.”

DHS also included a photograph of Ibrahim in handcuffs and being loaded into an unmarked vehicle by federal agents.

Fox News reported that Fateh, a Somali-American socialist, wrote a letter of recommendation for Ibrahim during his immigration proceedings.

Ibrahim entered the US through New York in 1995, after being deported from Canada.

In one of his rejected petitions for asylum, Ibrahim claimed his sister and her five children to be his spouse and his own kids, documents show.

The judge cited Ibrahim’s “complete lack of credibility,” in rejecting his petition.

Ibrahim, however, was later granted temporary protective status (TPS), providing him with deportation protections for 10 years, according to Fox News.

An application seeking to extend his TPS status has not been adjudicated.

Trump announced that he was terminating TPS for Somali nationals last month.

This week, ICE launched large-scale deportation operations in Minnesota amid concerns over Somali nationals engaging in massive fraud in the state.

Dr. Oz warns Walz to address alleged Somali Medicaid fraud or lose federal funding: ‘We’ll stop paying’

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz on Friday warned Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz the state could lose federal Medicaid funding unless it restores “the integrity” of its program.

In a post on X, Dr. Oz claimed more than $1 billion had been stolen through a massive Medicaid fraud scheme carried out by “bad actors” within Minnesota’s Somali community, alleging some of the funds “may have even made its way to the Somalian terrorist group (al-Shabab).”

“Our staff at CMS told me they’ve never seen anything like this in Medicaid — and everyone from Gov. Tim Walz on down needs to be investigated, because they’ve been asleep at the wheel,” Oz said.

Oz demanded Walz take the following corrective measures within 60 days:

• Send weekly updates on anti-fraud efforts to CMS
  
• Freeze enrollment of high-risk providers for six months
  
• Verify all current providers as “legitimate” or remove them
  
• Send CMS a corrective action plan to prevent fraud in the future
  

“If we’re unsatisfied with the state’s plans or cooperation, we’ll stop paying the federal share of these programs,” Oz warned.
The CMS administrator pointed to two Minnesota Medicaid programs launched in recent years, noting dramatic spikes in costs.

The Housing Stabilization Services program, projected at $2.6 million annually, paid out over $100 million in 2024, according to Oz.

The Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention program grew from $3 million in 2018 to nearly $400 million in 2023, he said.

“These scammers used stolen taxpayer money to buy flashy cars, purchase overseas real estate and offer kickbacks to parents who enrolled their kids at fake autism treatment centers,” Oz said. “Some of it may have even made its way to the Somalian terrorist group al-Shabab. … So why didn’t Walz stop them? That’s simple: because he went all-in on identity politics.”

Minnesota officials previously reported the problem to CMS but failed to address it effectively, according to Oz.

“We stepped in and shut down the worst program: housing. We also froze provider enrollment in a few of the most abused programs,” Oz said.

“The message to Walz is clear: either fix this in 60 days or start looking under your couch for spare change, because we’re done footing the bill for your incompetence.”

Inside the fentanyl ‘zombie zone’ public park thriving under LA’s DSA regime — where people die daily

MacArthur Park has erupted into LA’s fentanyl ground zero — a collapsing, chaos-soaked war zone where overdoses hit by the hour, people die daily, crime crews corner the market — and what used to be a neighborhood park now teeters on the brink of total collapse.

The park, the largest green space in the district, now hosts an unknown number of unhoused people, though on most days it’s fair to estimate the population in the hundreds.

MacArthur’s unofficial “residents” are made comfortable by groups handing out food and even free crack pipes as part of “safe smoking” kits — with tens of millions of dollars coming from the city to support the park’s inhabitants.

Along a narrow chute residents call “Fentanyl Alley,” dead rats lie underfoot and people are passed out in the open, fentanyl-fueled and dangerous, a notorious stretch locals say is among the park’s most perilous.

The area surrounding MacArthur Park is a dense, working-class neighborhood where most residents are low-income Spanish-speaking tenants.

Few people have watched the collapse of the area more closely than John Alle, who owns the entire block adjacent to the park and multiple buildings stretching through Koreatown, Pico-Union and Westlake.

“For the last 10 years this area declined, but in the last three years it dropped off a cliff,” Alle told The Post. “This has become a drug den and the city’s de facto shelter.”

Across the street from his buildings, Alle pointed to warehouses and storefronts used to stash and sell stolen goods from big-box retailers.

On his own rooftop, he showed newly installed barbed wire to stop “roof jumping,” just one of several safety upgrades costing him tens of thousands of dollars.

“We had to put up serpentine wire. That’s like the stuff they can’t break.”

Alle points to a city-funded nonprofit that hands out syringes and “safer smoking kits,” including foil and crack or meth pipes. He says the operation has turned the park into a magnet.

At least 46 people rushed to hospital from NYC’s 2 overdose prevention centers, who says it doesn’t know what happened to them

New York City’s two government-funded shooting galleries purport to prevent fatal overdoses — but at least 46 junkies had to be rushed by ambulance to the nearest hospital in cardiac arrest or with life-threatening strokes or seizures, records show.

OnPoint, the nonprofit that operates the two so-called safe injection sites in Harlem and Washington Heights, doesn’t even keep track of what happened to these people – or if they died, The Post has learned, an oversight critics are slamming as negligent.

The city Health Department, which oversees the two safe injection sites, refused to answer whether it keeps track of the outcome of the 46 people rushed to hospital either.

Overdoses at the centers, meanwhile, went up 7%, from 636 to 683, between their first and second years, according to OnPoint’s newly released annual report.

It reveals that 3,156 junkies visited the centers 61,184 times in 2023, the most recent year for which data was made available.

That’s up 26% from year one, when drug users walked through the doors 48,533 times.

There was also an increase in repeat visitors, with 177 clients coming in to do drugs more once a day in 2023, up 108% from 77 in 2022.

“We increased the overall number of visits and frequency of visits to the Overdose Prevention Centers. These are significant successes,” OnPoint bragged in its annual report.

Crack was the drug of choice among OnPoint users, with it being smoked as many as 56,175 times over the two-year period, followed by heroin, which was injected 48,714 times. Cocaine was snorted 30,721 times, and speedballs – a dangerous mix of heroin and cocaine – were injected 19,651 times.

Donald Trump Blasts Backlash To Spiraling Ballroom Costs

President Donald Trump hit out at CNN’s Kaitlan Collins this weekend over questions on the increased cost of the under-construction White House ballroom in a social media post on Saturday.

Why It Matters

Trump’s planned $300 million White House ballroom has sparked debate from groups including politicians, preservationists, and the public over its scale and potential effects on the nation’s historic heritage.

What To Know

"Caitlin Collin’s of Fake News CNN, always Stupid and Nasty, asked me why the new Ballroom was costing more money than originally thought one year ago. I said because it is going to be double the size, and the quality of finishes and interiors has been brought to the highest level," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday.

"Also, the column SPAN has been substantially increased for purposes of viewing. It is actually under budget and ahead of schedule, as my jobs always are. It’s just much bigger and more beautiful than originally planned. Interestingly, and seldom reported, there are no taxpayer dollars involved. It is being fully paid for by private donations," Trump said.

The comments came after being asked about the cost of the White House ballroom, per Raw Story.

In October, Trump said that the cost of the renovation would total "about $300 million," Newsweek reported previously—a $100 million increase on the $200 million price tag attached to the project by The White House in July.

In a letter to the Committee for the Preservation of the White House this summer, The American Institute of Architects (AIA) stressed that the design and decision-making process behind 90,000-odd square foot space, which is receiving private funding, "must be transparent and open to public input," given the White House’s "symbolic importance."

Members of the Democratic Party have also criticized the renovations.

The administration has dismissed pushback against the expansion as "manufactured outrage" from "unhinged leftists and their Fake News allies," asserting that the event space would be a "bold" and "necessary" addition to keep the "executive residence as a beacon of American excellence." 

President Trump says soccer should be renamed to football in US — reigniting age-old debate around the ‘beautiful game’

That’s a ballsy idea!

President Donald Trump weighed in on the age-old debate about the proper name for soccer — insisting it should be called football in the United States.

Trump announced his controversial preference during the World Cup 2026 drawing at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on Friday afternoon, where he was honored as the “very first winner” of the FIFA Peace Prize.

“When you look at what has happened to football in the United States, [or] ‘soccer’ in the United States, we seem to never call it that because we have a little bit of a conflict with another thing that’s called ‘football’,” Trump said during an on-stage Q&A before the drawing.

“But when you think about it, shouldn’t it really be called, I mean, this is football, there’s no question about that. We have to come up with another name for the NFL stuff. It really doesn’t make sense, when you think about it, it isn’t really football,” he added.

Trump’s stance was met with raucous applause, encouraged by his longtime ally and FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
The soccer-football debate has persisted for generations, with many claiming the US is at fault for rebranding the sport with an Americanized name.

However, Stefan Szymanski, a professor in sports management at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology, determined that England is actually to blame.

In a paper-turned-book, “It’s Football, Not Soccer (And Vice Versa): On the History, Emotion, and Ideology Behind One of the Internet’s Most Ferocious Debates,” released in 2014, Szymanski breaks down soccer’s complex etymology to help clear the air.

In the early 1800s in England, football and rugby were variations of the same sport, Szymanski explained in his original essay, as cited by TIME Magazine.

It was a relatively lawless game, and groups tended to just adapt their own rules along the way, he said.

In 1863, the Football Association was founded and codified the first formal rules of football — so that aristocratic boys at different schools could compete against one another, according to the essay.

The Rugby Football Union did the same in 1871, and the sports officially split into their own realms.

Still, the establishment of the two English associations created confusion amongst the boys, who adapted the terms “rugger” and “soccer” to differentiate between them, according to the essay.

“It was a fad at Oxford and Cambridge to use ‘er’ at the end of many words, such as foot-er, sport-er, and as Association did not take an ‘er’ easily, it was, and is, sometimes spoken of as Soccer,” Szymanski writes, citing a 1905 letter published by The New York Times.

During wartime, when American troops were stationed around Europe, the term soccer became even more popular, Szymanski said.

The term’s acceptance, though, waxed and waned based on the status of the “Special Relationship,” or the ties between the US and UK governments.

The 1970s were regarded as a low point in the relationship, spurred by the US’ growing isolationism and Britain’s dwindling influence on global affairs, according to a 2015 paper published by Edinburgh University.

While things were righted during the 1980s, Szymanski said that the British had already turned against using the word soccer.

“The penetration of the game into American culture has led to backlash against the use of the word in Britain, where it was once considered an innocuous alternative to the word ‘football’,” Szymanski writes.

Dead People Got Inflation Refund Checks in New York

New York state sent out inflation refund checks to dead people, according to a new report from News10NBC.

Valerie Liles told the local station that she received a $200 check from New York this month for her father, Richard Dusing, who died in May

“I just never expected they would send a check to someone who’s been deceased for, what was it, 6-7 months?” Liles said.

Why It Matters

New York sent out inflation refund checks in an attempt to help residents navigate increasing prices, with payments of up to $400 mailed out to eligible New Yorkers.

However, some dead people were included in the list, causing widespread confusion.

What To Know

The inflation rebate checks New York issued are up to $200 in value for single state tax filers and $400 for joint filers, based on income reported in 2023.

Due to this, dead New Yorkers who filed a 2023 state tax return often still had inflation refund checks sent to their address.

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance has said that those who receive a check made out to their deceased family member or loved one should contact the department to clarify if they are the estate administrator or beneficiary.

If they are not, the check is not to be used.

It is so far unclear how many dead people inadvertently received the payments, but Liles said she dealt with repeated phone calls to state agencies to figure out what to do with the payment.

“I mean, it’s like they’re willy-nilly picking a year, sending checks out. They don’t even know if these people are dead or alive. It’s just bizarre,” Liles said.

Long term, repeated errors like this could undermine public confidence in relief efforts, said Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com. It also opens the door to abuse or fraud as checks intended for residents could end up wrongly cashed.

“On one hand, the refund initiative was well-intentioned. A fast way to deliver aid to households hurting from inflation,” Ryan told Newsweek.

“On the other hand, this kind of slip-up shows the danger of ‘mass mail-outs’ when data integrity (like updated life status) isn’t enforced.”

Trump Administration To Charge $5,000 ‘Apprehension Fee’ On Migrants

The Trump administration is slapping a $5,000 "apprehension fee" on migrants without legal status, a top Border Patrol official announced.

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks said the charge will apply to people apprehended after crossing the border between ports of entry, expanding the financial penalties tied to unauthorized entry.

The fee, he said, will be imposed on individuals age 14 and older who are taken into custody after entering the United States unlawfully. The fee stems from provisions contained in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which was passed by the GOP-controlled Congress earlier this year.

"This message applies to all illegal aliens—regardless of where they entered, how long they’ve been in the U.S., their current location, or any ongoing immigration proceedings," Banks wrote in a post on X.

Why It Matters

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has introduced a series of new charges and increases to existing immigration-related fees as part of a major policy overhaul.

The changes, enacted under recent legislation and now being implemented by authorities, mark one of the most significant shifts in the financial penalties tied to immigration enforcement in years and have prompted questions about how the policies will affect migrants, particularly minors and others with limited means to pay.

What To Know

The OBBBA sets the initial amount at a minimum of $5,000 for fiscal year 2025 and gives the Secretary of Homeland Security authority to adjust the fee over time in line with inflation.

The bill is a legislative package that includes new enforcement authorities and penalties related to immigration. Among its provisions, the law increases certain application and processing fees and provides additional funding for ICE and tools for border and interior enforcement.

The bill implements new fees for certain humanitarian protections, including a minimum $100 non-waivable fee for asylum applications, plus an additional $100 for each year the application remains pending. It also implements a minimum $250 fee for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, a form of humanitarian relief for children who have been abused or neglected by one or both parents.

Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation on Tuesday aimed at reversing certain provisions of the OBBBA that affect immigrant minors. Congressman Dan Goldman (D-NY), Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (D-IL) proposed legislation intended to roll back measures that advocates say could negatively impact the safety and legal rights of unaccompanied children seeking refuge in the United States.

The Upholding Protections for Unaccompanied Children Act would exempt minors from the new $5,000 border apprehension fee, as well as fees for asylum applications, annual maintenance, and immigration court proceedings. By October, teenagers in multiple states began receiving notices related to the fee, according to The Intercept.

Trump administration will expand travel ban to over 30 countries, DHS chief Kristi Noem says

The Trump administration announced it is expanding its travel ban to more than 30 countries in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC, by an Afghan national.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the expansion of the June travel ban, which barred 19 countries from partially or entirely sending their citizens to the US.

“If they don’t have a stable government there, if they don’t have a country that can sustain itself and tell us who those individuals are and help us vet them, why should we allow people from that country to come here to the United States?” Noem asked Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Thursday.

DHS did not announce which countries will be included in the expanded ban and did not state when it will go into effect.

The June ban fully restricted travel from Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

That ban also established partial restrictions on Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

The Trump administration’s US Citizenship and Immigration Services further directed a hold on green card and citizenship applications for people from those 19 countries.

The agency also announced a hold on “all pending asylum applications, regardless of the alien’s country of nationality.”

The ramped up restrictions come in the wake of the broad-daylight shooting of two West Virginia National Guard troops in Washington, DC, on Nov. 26. The attack was carried out by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who came to the US under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome.

Disgraced ex-Sen. Bob Menendez banned from holding any public office in New Jersey

Disgraced former Sen. Bob Menendez, D-NJ, has been permanently barred from holding public office in New Jersey after his conviction for taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in gold bars and cash, the New Jersey attorney general announced.

Menendez, sentenced to 11 years in prison in January, is also prohibited from holding any position of public trust in the state, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy ruled.

The former lawmaker was found guilty in July 2024 of 16 counts of bribery, extortion, conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

He is the first US senator in American history to be convicted of working as a foreign agent, and his sentence is the harshest ever handed down to a US senator.

“Critical to preserving the public’s faith and trust in government institutions is ensuring that elected officials who commit crimes involving their offices don’t find new opportunities to regain positions of power,” New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said in a statement.

“Too many people in New Jersey have a cynical viewpoint that corruption is a routine, widespread feature of our politics. We hope the court’s decision sends a message that it is not acceptable, and it will carry consequences.”

Menendez, the former chairman of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, will face a fourth-degree contempt-of-court charge if he ever applies for public office or public employment.

According to federal prosecutors, Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, accepted bribes between 2018 and 2022.

Along with gold bars and cash, they received a luxury convertible car, home furnishings and other items of value, the state attorney general’s office said.

Mrs. Menendez was also accused of receiving paychecks for a job that did not exist.

In exchange, the senator agreed to use his power and influence on Capitol Hill to protect the bribe payers’ interests and to benefit foreign countries, including by taking a series of official acts to benefit the government of Egypt.

The indictment against Menendez came after co-defendant Jose Uribe, who allegedly gifted Nadine a Mercedes convertible, accepted a plea deal and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.

Sacramento lobbyist pleads guilty in corruption probe of ex-Newsom, Becerra aides

Sacramento lobbyist Greg Campbell pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges in a federal probe that has spooked California’s Democratic political establishment.

Campbell, formerly a top aide in the California legislature, was reportedly stoic as he entered a guilty plea Thursday as part of an alleged corrupt scheme involving Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff and a longtime top aide to Xavier Becerra, the former Health and Human Services secretary who’s running to replace Newsom as governor.

“Mr. Campbell will remain focused on his family and making positive contributions to the community,” Todd Pickles, Campbell’s attorney, told reporters Thursday at the courthouse. “Mr. Campbell is deeply grateful for the support from his family and friends during this difficult time.”

Campbell copped to one charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one charge of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. Prosecutors will seek lighter sentencing as part of the plea deal, per the LA Times.

Campbell is one of three Democratic power brokers charged in a sweeping federal indictment that accused Dana Williamson, a powerful lobbyist and former Newsom staffer, of working with Campbell and Sean McCluskie, Becerra’s former chief of staff, to skim $225,000 from Becerra’s dormant campaign account to pay for a no-show job for McCluskie’s spouse.

McCluskie pleaded guilty to bank and wire fraud charges last month.

Williamson also falsely claimed more than $1.7 million in tax write-offs for a Chanel bag and earrings, a trip on a chartered jet and a birthday jaunt to Mexico costing nearly $170,000, according to prosecutors.

Campbell helped to gin up fake contracts at Williamson’s request, prosecutors said. Williamson had been subpoenaed questioning her company’s eligibility for PPP loans, and prosecutors alleged that the two conspired to create the retroactive contracts for her firm, Grace Public Affairs.

Williamson is facing 23 counts including bank fraud and wire fraud. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Steve Maviglio, a former aide to ex-Gov. Gray Davis and Karen Bass, launched a legal defense fund for Williamson that’s netted nearly $9,000 so far. Donors include Mark Krausse, a former PG&E lobbyist and Newsom appointee to the Public Employment Relations Board.

Both Newsom and Becerra, who was California attorney general before joining President Joe Biden’s administration, have denied knowledge of the scheme.

DHS fires back after Dem Rep. Adelita Grijalva claims she was ‘pushed aside and pepper sprayed’ during ICE raid

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Friday pushed back against accusations from Arizona Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva, who claimed she was pepper-sprayed during an immigration raid in Tucson.

In a post on X, Grijalva said she was “pushed aside and pepper sprayed” after identifying herself as a member of Congress while seeking information from officers during a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) operation near the Taco Giro restaurant.

“ICE just conducted a raid by Taco Giro in Tucson — a small mom-and-pop restaurant that has served our community for years,” Grijalva wrote. “When I presented myself as a Member of Congress asking for more information, I was pushed aside and pepper sprayed.”

In a separate post, Grijalva called ICE a “lawless agency” that is “operating with no transparency, no accountability, and open disregard for basic due process.”

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin swiftly fired back at Grijalva’s claims, saying she was never directly sprayed but merely in the “vicinity of someone who was.”

“If her claims were true, this would be a medical marvel,” McLaughlin said. “But they’re not true. She wasn’t pepper sprayed. She was in the vicinity of someone who was pepper sprayed as they were obstructing and assaulting law enforcement.”

McLaughlin also said two law enforcement officers were “seriously injured” during the incident.

“In fact, 2 law enforcement officers were seriously injured by this mob that [Grijalva] joined,” she added. “Presenting oneself as a ‘member of Congress’ doesn’t give you the right to obstruct law enforcement. More information forthcoming.”

The clash also prompted the Congressional Progressive Caucus — which includes nearly 100 Democratic lawmakers — to call for a congressional investigation.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., a deputy chair of the caucus, denounced the incident as a “disgusting display of violence” against Grijalva and warned that it reflects “a dangerous moment for American democracy.”

The dispute unfolded a day after DHS announced it had rounded up at least a dozen criminal illegal immigrants — including “child sex offenders, domestic abusers, and violent gang members” — during Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis.

“No matter when and where, ICE will find, arrest, and deport ALL criminal illegal aliens,” McLaughlin said.

UKRAINE WAR

NATO Warns Putin: ‘We’re Not Going Anywhere’—Ukraine War

NATO chief Mark Rutte warned Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that "we are not going anywhere" after talks between the Russian president and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff failed to reach any agreement.

Rutte, speaking at a NATO meeting in Brussels, warned against Russia's "increasingly reckless behavior" as he urged allies to invest at least five percent of their GDP in defense spending. "Putin believes he can outlast us," he said, before pointing to the treaty members' support for Ukraine as proof the Russian leader is "wrong." Rutte also praised President Donald Trump's efforts, calling him "the only one person in the whole world who is able to break the deadlock."

Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with Putin for nearly five hours on Tuesday. Yuri Ushakov, a top Kremlin aide, called the meeting "very useful, constructive, and highly substantive," but said a "compromise option has not yet been found," according to the state news agency Ushakov said that the Russian side had expressed a "critical and even negative attitude" towards several proposals in the plan, and added that the "territorial issue is the most important" for both Russia and the U.S.

What To Know

• Witkoff and Putin met in Moscow to discuss the revised version of Trump's peace plan following U.S.-Ukraine negotiations on an earlier draft proposal that Kyiv viewed as too heavily weighted toward Russia.
  
• Ukraine's media reported that a planned Wednesday briefing between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump envoys about the meeting had been cancelled as Ukraine's president said preparations were underway for talks in the U.S. 
  
• Ushakov said that Moscow had sent four more documents, in addition to Trump's original 27-point peace plan. He did not outline their contents.
  
• Ushakov said that the meeting explored "huge prospects for economic cooperation" between Russia and the United States. He added that greetings were conveyed between Trump and Putin.
  
• He said that no further meetings between Trump and Putin had currently been planned. "The possibility of a meeting between Putin and Trump will depend on the progress achieved towards a settlement," he said.
  
• The meeting came as Putin claimed a significant victory in Ukraine, saying his forces had taken complete control of Pokrovsk in the east, a logistics center for supplying the Ukrainian troops.
  

Russia Could Be Getting First Naval Base in Africa

Russia has been offered a deal in which it gets a naval base in Sudan in return for weapons and military equipment, it has been reported.

In February, Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ali Youssef had said that his country would allow Russia to build a naval base, without specifying the terms of the deal. 

But Sudan’s military government offered Russian officials the right to station troops and warships on the Red Sea, in return for military assistance to the country where a war that has displaced millions continues to rage, The Wall Street Journal reported citing Sudanese officials.

Newsweek has contacted the Russian and Sudanese foreign ministries for comment.

Why It Matters

After the fall of Bashar al Assad in Syria, Russia lost its base in the Mediterranean and its ability to project naval might in the region. 

The prospect of a port in Sudan in return for military help could hand Moscow a strategic boon in the Red Sea, which is located near the Arabian Sea where U.S. military assets are based. The move could also help Moscow's bid to increase its influence in Africa.

What To Know

Sudan’s military government approved Russia’s first African naval base near Port Sudan in February.  The port is a link between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which handles around 12 percent of global trade.

The Wall Street Journal reported further details of the proposal this week. It said unnamed Sudanese officials had said that the country’s military government offered Moscow in October to base Russian troops and warships at Port Sudan, or another Red Sea facility.

Russia could station 300 troops and up to four vessels, included nuclear powered ones there, according to the report. 

Moscow has been pursuing such a facility for five years. Under the terms of the deal, it could also get first dibs on lucrative mining concessions in Sudan, which is the third-largest gold producer in Africa, the paper said.

In return, Sudan's military regime would get advanced Russian antiaircraft systems and other cut-price weaponry that would be tricky to obtain from the U.S or the EU but is considered critical as a civil war with the rebel Rapid Support Forces continues to rage.

NATO Nations To Hunt Russian Submarines in ‘Historic’ Defense Deal

The U.K. and Norway will send more than a dozen warships out to hunt Russian submarines and shield critical infrastructure in the northern Atlantic Ocean in new patrols over the coming years.

Why It Matters

London says it has detected a 30 percent increase in Russian vessels posing a threat to U.K. waters in the past two years. Oslo shares around 120 miles of land border with Moscow, Norwegian soil stopping not far west of Russia's major military bases clustered around the Arctic cities of Murmansk and Severomorsk.

NATO countries are beefing up defenses around critical undersea infrastructure like the extensive pipelines and cables snaking along the seabed, which are vulnerable to sabotage and hard to protect. Undersea cables carry roughly 98 percent of the world's data, essentially propping up many of the activities vital to daily life.

What To Know

At least 13 Type 26 anti-submarine warfare ships will be backed up by drones in the North Atlantic, including the waters between Greenland, Iceland and the U.K.—commonly referred to as the GIUK Gap, the British defense ministry said on Wednesday. Russia uses these waters to send submarines armed with conventional, long-range cruise missiles out toward the U.S. or the Atlantic.

Norway will contribute a minimum of five ships and the U.K. eight for the patrols. The first Type 26 frigates are still being built, meaning the joint fleet will not start patrols until the late 2020s or early 2030s.

Norway inked a deal to buy a number of the British frigates worth more than $13 billion in August. The U.K. and Norway, like other NATO nations, have pledged to increase defense spending and speed up equipment procurement in the face of Russia's military build-up.

Both countries operate P-8 maritime patrol aircraft designed to detect Russian ships. Russia's submarine fleet is considered formidable, much more capable than its surface vessels.

Russia's navy, with the exception of its Black Sea fleet, has been relatively untouched by nearly four years of full-scale war in Ukraine.

The British defense ministry hailed the patrols deal as a "first-of-its-kind" arrangement, known as the Lunna House agreement.

It will be signed in London on Thursday. Lunna House was the Norwegian resistance headquarters in Scotland during World War II.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Støre is visiting the U.K. this week and will travel to the British military base at Lossiemouth in northern Scotland with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday.

British Defense Secretary John Healey said last month the Yantar, a Russian intelligence-gathering ship, had pointed lasers at British pilots watching the vessel near U.K. waters. Healey said the government was taking the "deeply dangerous" move seriously.

The Yantar was also spotted off the British coast in January and intercepted close to France.

The British government said separately in late November it had intercepted a Russian warship, the Stoikiy, and one of Moscow's tanker vessels off its southern coast.

British warship, the HMS Duncan tracked the Russian destroyer the Vice Admiral Kulakov through the English Channel in October, days after a British frigate shadowed Russia's Novorossiysk submarine and a tug boat through the waterway.

It is currently extremely difficult to police the vast networks of pipelines and cables, despite new NATO initiatives and the trialing of uncrewed technology to keep track of threats to seabed infrastructure. 

A slew of incidents in late 2024, when multiple pipelines and cables were damaged in the Baltic Sea, have been linked to Russia's "shadow fleet" of sanctions-dodging vessels.

Under the deal, British marines will train in Norway to become accustomed to subzero temperatures, the British defense ministry said. Russia is generally considered the dominant power in the Arctic, more comfortable operating in austere conditions than many NATO militaries.

Norway and the U.K. will carry out joint drills and London will start using Norwegian-made cruise missiles on its surface ships, the British MoD said.

India’s Modi Secures Arms Deals With Putin and Trump

India moved to lock in major defense deals with both the United States and Russia as Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Thursday for official talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first visit to India since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Newsweek reached out to the U.S. State Department, as well as the Russian and Indian foreign ministries, for comment.

Why It Matters

India continues to deepen defense ties with Russia, even amid U.S. pressure, straining relations between Modi and President Donald Trump in recent months.

Trump hit India with tariffs of up to 50 percent on August 27, after imposing an additional 25 percent tariff on the country related to its purchases of Russian oil, which helps Moscow pay for its war in Ukraine. Russia is India’s top oil supplier.

What To Know

India's government said Thursday that the delayed delivery of a Russian nuclear-powered submarine is scheduled for 2028, based on a 2019 deal, the Press Information Bureau said on X. India had signed a $3 billion contract to lease an Akula-1-class nuclear-powered attack submarine from Russia.

Putin is visiting India on Thursday and Friday to attend the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit. Modi, who visited Moscow last year and met Putin briefly at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in September, has refrained from condemning Russia over Ukraine, emphasizing a peaceful resolution, according to The Associated Press.

On Wednesday, India and the U.S. signed a $946 million deal to acquire sustainment services for its 24 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, according to the State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs.

In mid-November, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of Excalibur projectiles in a $47.1 million deal and the Javelin missile system, including 25 launch units, for about $45.7 million, marking India’s first U.S. defense purchase since the tariffs increase.

This followed India and the United States signing a landmark 10-year defense framework in October, aimed at significantly deepening military cooperation, and a meeting in Kuala Lumpur between U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.

India is navigating a delicate path, seeking to maintain strong ties with both Moscow and Western powers while preserving strategic autonomy, analysts say. But India’s relations with Moscow, which are coming under closer scrutiny in Washington, make it harder for New Delhi to maintain full independence, Chietigj Bajpaee, a senior research fellow for South Asia in the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House, noted in a recent analysis.

Trump Admin Fines New York Firm $7.1M for Managing Putin Ally’s Properties

The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday fined a New York property management firm $7.1 million, alleging it violated federal sanctions by overseeing luxury real estate tied to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said Gracetown Inc. handled 24 payments totaling $31,250 between 2018 and 2020 for a company owned by Deripaska, despite being warned that any dealings with the sanctioned billionaire were prohibited.

Why It Matters

Deripaska, a metals magnate with longstanding ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been subject to U.S. sanctions since 2018, when Treasury accused him of acting on behalf of a senior Russian official and participating in Russia’s energy sector. The sanctions froze all property he controls within U.S. jurisdiction and barred American individuals and companies from conducting business with him. OFAC said Gracetown continued managing his properties even after receiving explicit notice of the restrictions.

What To Know

Court filings and earlier Justice Department actions have connected Gracetown to U.K. businessman Graham Bonham-Carter, who was arrested in 2022 on charges that he conspired to help Deripaska evade U.S. sanctions. Prosecutors accused Bonham-Carter of helping fund maintenance of Deripaska’s U.S. properties and arranging to move his artwork to New York in violation of sanctions.

Deripaska has repeatedly challenged U.S. allegations in court. He sued The Associated Press in 2017 over a report describing his business ties with Paul Manafort, former campaign chairman to President Donald Trump, claiming it defamed him. A federal judge dismissed the case later that year. In 2022, Deripaska and three associates were criminally charged in New York with conspiring to violate sanctions and attempting to secure U.S. citizenship for his unborn child.

Gracetown, founded in 2006, managed three high-end properties in New York and Washington, D.C., that Deripaska purchased through a web of corporate entities. Treasury said its findings show that firms handling assets for sanctioned individuals have a responsibility to follow federal guidance—or face steep penalties.

Treasury officials said Thursday’s enforcement action underscores the consequences for companies that disregard sanctions rules.

What People Are Saying

John K. Hurley, Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement: “Treasury will act firmly against those who ignore our sanctions and aid our adversaries. Under Secretary [Scott] Bessent’s leadership, we will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who enable sanctioned actors."

Mapped: US Sends ‘Nuke Sniffer’ Plane to Russia’s Pacific Coast

A United States specialized military aircraft designed to detect nuclear activities was tracked flying near Russia's Pacific coast on Thursday during its deployment in Japan.

The WC-135R Constant Phoenix atmospheric collection aircraft, commonly known as the "Nuke Sniffer," is capable of collecting particulate and gaseous effluents and debris in support of the 1963 Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the U.S. Air Force said.

Newsweek has contacted the U.S. Pacific Air Forces for comment by email. Russia's defense and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Why It Matters

The deployment of the "Nuke Sniffer" from its home base in Nebraska follows Russian President Vladimir Putin's order last month to assess preparations for full-scale nuclear tests, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's directive to restart nuclear testing.

Both the U.S. and Russia are signatories of the Limited Test Ban Treaty, which bans nuclear testing in the atmosphere, in space, or underwater. They later signed the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which prohibits all types of nuclear explosions.

What To Know

Flight tracking data from online service Flightradar24 shows that a WC-135R aircraft with registration 64-14829 departed Kadena Air Base on Japan's Okinawa Island on Thursday local time, flying northeast toward Japan's four main islands near Russia.

The U.S. aircraft was untrackable after flying over Hokkaido, the northernmost Japan's main island, until it "reappeared" on tracking about eight hours later, flying from the northeast over the Sea of Okhotsk toward Hokkaido, according to a Flightradar24 map.

@MeNMyRC1, an open-source intelligence analyst on the social media platform X who tracks American spy planes, said this was the WC-135R aircraft's second flight since its deployment to Japan in late November, with the first occurring on Monday.

"These [Constant Phoenix] aircraft gather samples periodically to compare past results with current conditions. I expect that this flight is for that purpose," the analyst noted, adding that the Thursday flight was supported by an aerial tanker to extend its duration.

A total of three WC-135R aircraft are in service, with 64-14829 the last to join the fleet in December 2023, replacing the legacy WC-135W fleet of two aircraft. The fleet is tasked with what the U.S. Air Force calls "mobile nuclear airborne sampling" missions.

Such missions are routinely conducted over the Far East, the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal, the Mediterranean Sea, polar regions and off the coasts of South America and Africa to support the Limited Test Ban Treaty, according to a U.S. Air Force fact sheet.

NATO Nation Scrambles Fighter Jets After Large-Scale Russian Strikes

NATO member Poland has scrambled fighter jets in response to large-scale Russian strikes, according to the Polish Armed Forces.

Newsweek contacted the Polish Armed Forces via the Ministry of National Defense via email for comment.

Why It Matters

The incident highlights continued concerns that Russia’s attacks on Ukraine could spill over into NATO territory, especially among eastern alliance members that border Ukraine.

These developments underscore persistent regional instability and the potential risk of escalation involving NATO countries tasked with protecting their airspace and citizens.

What To Know

The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said on Saturday morning: "Due to the activity of the Russian Federation's long-range aviation, which is carrying out strikes on the territory of Ukraine, military aviation operations have commenced in Polish airspace.

“Fighter jets have been scrambled, and ground-based air defense systems as well as radar reconnaissance systems have reached a state of readiness.”

It added in a statement posted on X that the actions were of a "preventive nature," and were aimed at "securing the airspace and its protection, especially in areas adjacent to the threatened regions."

The Polish military said it was monitoring the current situation, adding: "The subordinate forces and resources remain ready for immediate response."

It comes after Russia unleashed a fresh barrage of overnight missile and drone attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

The attack targeted substations, power generation facilities, and severed one of the power lines supplying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the Kyiv Independent reported.

Russia deployed 653 Shahed-type attack drones, 36 cruise missiles, and 17 ballistic missiles against targets nationwide. In total, 60 strikes hit 29 locations, according to Ukraine's Air Force.

Explosions were reported in Poltava, Lutsk, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, and Bila Tserkva during the barrage.

The State Emergency Services reported that in Chernihiv Oblast, Russian drones struck a residential area and critical infrastructure.

The attacks caused "quite severe" damage to Ukraine’s energy grid, with one of two power lines to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant disconnected, Vitaliy Zaichenko, head of Ukraine’s state grid operator Ukrenergo, told the Kyiv Independent.

Several thermal power facilities owned by DTEK—Ukraine’s largest private energy company—were also seriously damaged, according to the company and Ukraine’s grid operator.

Is Europe ‘Just a Museum’ Asks Trump’s NATO Envoy

With European leaders in shock over comments in President Donald Trump’s new National Security Strategy, the U.S. ambassador to NATO raised the question as to whether Europe is “just a museum”.

The Trump strategy pointed to European economic decline and warned even more strongly of “civilizational erasure” and what it called the undermining of political liberty, questioning whether longstanding NATO partners would remain reliable allies.

“Is Europe a dynamic economy that can grow, or is it just a museum that is a relic of the past and we just go to see the people's lovely wines and cheeses and beers and waffles in the case of Brussels?” U.S. ambassador to NATO Matthew G. Whitaker said at an event at the Doha Forum in Qatar’s capital.

Newsweek contacted European Commission spokespeople for comment outside of normal business hours.

Why it Matters

The comments underline the U.S. position set out in the security strategy, which added to European fears over the fate of NATO and a defense that has for decades relied on U.S. power.

The widening rift between European leaders and the Trump administration comes at a time of frustration on the continent over the apparent U.S. readiness to make territorial and other concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin to try and end the war in Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion – and to sideline them in negotiations.

U.S. criticism of the European Union increased on Friday over a $140 million fine against Elon Musk's social media platform X.

What to Know

Speaking in Doha, Whitaker was asked about the reaction to the security strategy.

“It talks about that our allies that are rich European countries need to do more and that they haven't. They have underspent over the last several decades, and they need to spend a lot more on their own defense, and therefore the collective defense,” Whitaker said, while adding that NATO countries were now stepping up on defense spending.

After the announcement of the new security strategy, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X: “Dear American friends, Europe is your closest ally, not your problem. And we have common enemies. At least that’s how it has been in the last 80 years. We need to stick to this, this is the only reasonable strategy of our common security. Unless something has changed.”

European politicians also bridled at the mentions in the U.S. security strategy of the curtailing of free speech in Europe and the expression in the section titled “Promoting European Greatness” of optimism at the rising influence of “patriotic European parties” at a time mainstream parties fear the rise of the anti-immigrant right.

“Its language that one otherwise only finds coming out of some bizarre minds of the Kremlin,” Co-Chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations and former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt posted on X.

But European foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had a less hostile response to the strategy overall.

“Of course there’s a lot of criticism, but I think some of it is also true,” she told the Doha Forum. “Europe has been underestimating its own power towards Russia for example. We should be more self-confident, that’s for sure, and the U.S. is still our biggest ally.”

Trump May Walk Away from Ukraine, Says Donald Trump Jr.

U.S. President Donald Trump may walk away from Ukraine, his son Donald Trump Jr. said on Sunday as the latest attempt to broker an end to the war since Russia’s invasion in 2022 showed little sign of progress.

Trump Jr. was scathing about corruption in Ukraine under President Volodymyr Zelensky and said the war there was not a big issue for Americans – ranking far below U.S. drug deaths at a time the president is waging war on alleged narcotic traffickers in Latin America.

Newsweek submitted a request for comment to the Ukrainian presidency outside business hours.

Why It Matters

The comments from Trump’s oldest son are a sign of the growing frustration in his administration with attempts to broker peace in Ukraine, where Russia has continued to stage heavy attacks despite the peace efforts and Ukraine and its European allies have been critical of the apparent U.S. readiness to make territorial concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin as the price of a deal.

What To Know

Trump Jr. was asked at the Doha Forum in Qatar whether it was his hunch that President Trump was going to walk away from Ukraine.

“I think he may,” Trump Jr. responded.

“What's good about my father, and what's unique about my father is you don't know what he's going to do: the fact that he's not predictable. He's not following the playbook of every clown who's, again, been a bureaucrat for decades.”

Trump Jr. criticized European countries complaining about his father’s attempts to secure a peace deal they say would reward Russian aggression when they are not willing or able to do more themselves.

“If we default to the old ways of America, it's just going to be the big idiot with the checkbook. That's not going to work, that's not going to happen,” Trump Jr. said.

Strains between Trump and the Europeans have deepened since the release of a new National Security Strategy late last week that described Europe in terms of decline and questioned how long its countries could remain allies. It made clear they would have to strengthen their own defense capabilities.

Melania Trump says 7 more abducted Ukraine kids reunited with families after back-channel talks

First lady Melania Trump announced Thursday morning that seven Ukrainian children abducted during Russia’s invasion of their country have been reunited with their families following quiet diplomacy with Moscow.

“My dedication to guaranteeing the safe return of children to their families in this region is unwavering,” the Slovenia-born first lady said in a statement. “I commend the leadership and persistent diplomacy of Russia and Ukraine in the pursuit of the reunification of children and families. Their bridge-building has created a tangible collaborative environment—an anchor for optimism. This cooperation will continue to drive the process forward through the next phase.”

Melania Trump, 55, announced Oct. 10 that an initial eight kids had been returned to their relatives following the establishment of an “open channel” with the Kremlin.

Thousands of Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported to Russian territory since Moscow’s invasion began in February 2022.

Kyiv officials say at least 19,500 children remain unaccounted for, but non-official humanitarian groups believe the number is likely far higher.

“The children who come back are subdued mentally — they’re broken,” Ukraine first lady Olena Zelenska told The Post this past August. “Only after they return do they start coming back out of their shells.”

More Americans than ever want US to send weapons to Ukraine, key defense survey finds

Nearly two-thirds of Americans want the US to continue sending weapons to Ukraine — even as the Trump administration tries yet again to negotiate an end to the almost four-year-old war, a new poll of national security priorities has found.

The Reagan National Defense Survey, released Thursday, found that 64% of Americans favor sending lethal aid to support Kyiv’s government, up nine percentage points from last year and the highest proportion since the Russian invasion began in February 2022.

Slightly more (65%) support giving Ukraine long-range cruise missiles, such as Tomahawks, to allow strikes deep inside Russian territory — while 68% support selling American-made weapons to European allies, who would then provide them to Ukraine.

Unlike in 2024, a majority of Republicans (59%) support sending weapons to Ukraine to fight off Russia’s invasion, up from 44% last year. Three-quarters of Democrats support aiding Ukraine, up from 68% one year ago.

In other issues related to Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II, a plurality of Americans (45%) support Ukraine’s “full territorial liberation” from Russia, while 23% say Kyiv should cede territory in exchange for “peace and security guarantees” and 22% favor a cease-fire along the current battle lines.

Meanwhile, nearly seven in 10 Americans (69%) favor the US and Europe providing Ukraine with a collective defense commitment similar to NATO’s Article V and almost three-quarters (74%) favor establishing a demilitarized zone controlled by European forces with the support of US airpower.

“These findings show that Americans’ bipartisan commitment to Ukraine has strengthened over the past year,” said the Ronald Reagan Foundation & Institute, which conducted the survey. “The public favors a strategy which combines sustained US support, European burden-sharing, and credible deterrence over territorial concessions or premature disengagement.”

The survey results were released two days after Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.

The pair were set to update a Ukrainian delegation in Miami Thursday evening, but there was no immediate word on how those talks progressed.

Chernobyl protective shield can no longer contain nuclear material after drone strike: UN Watchdog

The protective shield at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant can no longer contain radioactive material from the sites’ 1986 disaster after being crippled in a drone strike, the UN nuclear watchdog said Friday.

The shield, called the New Safe Confinement (NSC) at Chernobyl, was “severely damaged” by a Feb. 14 drone strike, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement.

Ukraine accused Russia of carrying out the strike, which the Kremlin denied.

“The NSC had lost its primary safety functions, including the confinement capability,” the IAEA said.

The massive $2.3 billion arch-shaped structure was built in 2019 to seal in radioactive material and seal out wind, snow and rain over Chernobyl’s Number 4 reactor.

It weighs 36,000 tons and is 345 feet tall 540 feet long and spans 840 feet. It was named one of the 50 most influential projects of the past 50 years by the Project Management Institute. The NSC was built to last 100 years, it was financed by Chernobyl Shelter Fund.

The drone strike also caused a major fire which damaged the outer coating of the steel structure constructed to contain the radioactive remains of the reactor.

The IAEA’s inspection found that the shield’s load-bearing structures and monitoring systems were not damaged. It was not clear how much of a threat to the surrounding environment or the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, which sits 80 miles away, the damage to the shield posed — but a major issue did not appear imminent.

The Chernobyl nuclear plant was the site of the worst nuclear accident in history.

A reactor meltdown occured on April 26, 1986 in what was then the Soviet Union. It was caused by a flawed design and inadequately trained personnel led to a steam explosion and resulting fires that released at least 5 percent of the radioactive core into the surrounding environment.

Two Chernobyl plant workers were killed in the immediate impact of the explosion and 28 more died in the coming weeks — over 350,000 people were displaced.

MIDDLE EAST

Hamas official says the group ready to discuss ‘freezing or storing’ its weapons

A Hamas official says the group is ready to discuss “freezing or storing” its arsenal of weapons as part of its ceasefire with Israel

Hamas official says the group ready to discuss ‘freezing or storing’ its weaponsBy JOSEF FEDERMAN and SAMY MAGDYAssociated PressThe Associated PressDOHA, Qatar

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Hamas is ready to discuss “freezing or storing” its arsenal of weapons as part of its ceasefire with Israel, a senior official said Sunday, offering a possible formula to resolve one of the thorniest issues in the U.S.-brokered agreement.

Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’ decision-making political bureau, spoke as the sides prepare to move into the second and more complicated phase of the agreement.

“We are open to have a comprehensive approach in order to avoid further escalations or in order to avoid any further clashes or explosions,” Naim told The Associated Press in Qatar’s capital, Doha, where much of the group’s leadership is located.

The deal halted a two-year Israeli offensive in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Asked whether the attack was a mistake, Naim defended it as an “act of defense.”

More difficult phase

Since the truce took effect in October, Hamas and Israel have carried out a series of exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners. With only the remains of one hostage still held in Gaza — an Israeli policeman killed in the Oct. 7 attack — the sides are preparing to enter the second phase.

The new phase aims to lay out a future for war-battered Gaza and promises to be even more difficult –- addressing such issues as the deployment of an international security force, formation of a technocratic Palestinian committee in Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the territory and the disarmament of Hamas. An international board, led by President Donald Trump, is to oversee implementation of the deal and reconstruction of Gaza.

The Israeli demand for Hamas to lay down its weapons promises to be especially tricky -– with Israeli officials saying this is a key demand that could hold up progress in other areas. Hamas’ ideology is deeply rooted in what it calls armed resistance against Israel, and its leaders have rejected calls to surrender despite over two years of war that left large parts of Gaza destroyed and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

Naim said Hamas retains its “right to resist,” but said the group is ready to lay down its arms as part of a process aimed at leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state. He gave few details on how this might work but suggested a long-term truce of five or 10 years for discussions to take place.

“This time has to be used seriously and in a comprehensive way,” he said, adding that Hamas is “very open minded” about what to do with its weapons.

“We can talk about freezing or storing or laying down, with the Palestinian guarantees, not to use it at all during this ceasefire time or truce,” he said.

It is not clear whether the offer would meet Israel’s demands for full disarmament.

Many questions remain

The ceasefire is based on a 20-point plan presented by Trump, with international “guarantor” nations, in October.

The plan, adopted by the U.N. Security Council, offered a general way forward. But it was vague on details or timelines and will require painstaking negotiations involving the U.S. and the guarantors, which include Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.

“The plan is in need of a lot of clarifications,” Naim said.

One of the most immediate concerns is deployment of the international stabilization force.

Several countries, including Indonesia, have expressed a willingness to contribute troops to the force, but its exact makeup, command structure and responsibilities have not been defined. U.S. officials say they expect “boots on the ground” early next year.

One key question is whether the force will take on the issue of disarmament.

Naim said this would be unacceptable to Hamas, and the group expects the force to monitor the agreement.

“We are welcoming a U.N. force to be near the borders, supervising the ceasefire agreement, reporting about violations, preventing any kind of escalations,” he said. “But we don’t accept that these forces have any kind of mandates authorizing them to do or to be implemented inside the Palestinian territories.”

In one sign of progress, Naim said Hamas and the rival Palestinian Authority have made progress on the formation of the new technocratic committee set to run Gaza’s daily affairs. He said they have agreed upon a Palestinian Cabinet minister who lives in the West Bank, but is originally from Gaza, to head the committee. He did not give the name, but Hamas officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations, have identified him as Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan.