News of the World
Yesterday, 06:03 AM
USA
Quote:President Trump touted his efforts to lower prescription drug costs during his State of the Union address Tuesday, and recognized the very first customer of his TrumpRx website.
“Other presidents tried to do it, but they never could,” Trump said of lowering drug costs.
“But I got it done,” he boasted.
The president held up his most favored nation policy — which is intended to equalize drug costs between the US and other major Western countries — and TrumpRx, which drug companies like Pfizer have pledged to provide discounted medicines for, as evidence of his success.
“Americans who for decades paid by far the highest prices of any nation, anywhere in the world, for prescription drugs, will now pay the lowest price anywhere in the world,” Trump asserted.
“That’s a big achievement,” he continued, adding that his TrumpRx platform has drugs discounted by as much as “600% and more, all available right now.”
Trump invited Catherine Rayner, a military spouse and the first TrumpRx customer, to the State of the Union and shared her story.
“She and her husband have struggled with infertility, and they turned to IVF,” the president explained. “One drug has been costing Catherine $4,000 to purchase, but a few weeks ago, she logged on to the TrumpRx website and got that same drug that cost $4,000, got it for under $500.”
“Katherine, we are all praying for you and you’re going to be a great mom.”
The president also called on Congress to codify his most favored nation policy into law.
Quote:President Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday broke an all-time record, becoming the longest one in US history.
Clinton’s record spanned just over 1 hour, 28 minutes, according to the American Presidency Project, which has been tracking the length of the State of the Union for decades.
The shortest such speech was delivered by Richard Nixon in 1972, which was only 28 minutes.
Technically, Trump’s speech last year was longer than Clinton’s record, clocking in at 1 hour, 39 minutes, but that was an address to a joint session of Congress, not a State of the Union.
Before Trump’s marquee speech to Congress, rumors had swirled that he would get close to or surpass the two-hour mark, with the president hyping it up as a long speech.
“I’m going to be making a speech tomorrow night, and it’s going to be a long one because we have so much to talk about,” Trump teased Monday.
The State of the Union address is widely seen as one of the largest platforms Trump will have with the American public before the 2026 midterms.
Seeking to take full advantage of that, Trump used his speech to tout a slew of accomplishments from his first year in office, including tax cuts, the Trump accounts, border security, the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro, and more.
Trump also laid out his vision for the future, urging Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, requiring proof of citizenship to vote, legislation to restrict congressional stock trading, and a larger military budget.
The marquee address featured Trump’s typical combative style, with the president taking repeated swings at Democrats and even a swipe at the Supreme Court for knocking down his International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs last Friday.
Quote:President Trump awarded a Medal of Honor during Tuesday night’s State of the Union address to a 100-year-old Korean War veteran — who received a standing ovation that lasted for several minutes.
Trump bestowed veteran fighter pilot E. Royce Williams, a retired Navy captain who shot down four Soviet MiG-15 jets in a classified 1952 operation that remained hidden from the American public for decades, with the nation’s highest military decoration near the end of his speech to Congress.
“Royce was in the dogfight of a lifetime,” the president said of Williams’ heroics.
“His squadron was ambushed by seven Soviet fighter planes,” Trump continued. “It was his first aerial combat of the war, and despite being massively outnumbered and outgunned, Royce led the take down of four enemy jets and almost destroyed the others – vanquishing his adversaries while taking 263 bullets to his own plane and being seriously hurt.”
“His story was secret for over 50 years … but the legend grew and grew.”
The fighter pilot’s exploits were kept under wraps for decades – even his wife was unaware – to avoid escalating tensions with the Soviet Union.
Williams’ mission required him to hit targets on the ground in North Korea – close to the country’s border with North Korea and in blizzard conditions — from his F9F-5 Panther fighter aircraft, according to a Pentagon account.
Within minutes of Williams arriving at his destination, the Soviets scrambled seven MiG-15 fighters tasked with shooting down his plane.
“They dropped back in and started shooting,” said Williams. “Since they started the fight, I shot back.”
“I could see the bullets coming over me, and under me.”
Trump reportedly called Williams earlier this month to inform him of the honor, according to CBS News.
“Tonight, at 100 years old, this brave Navy captain is finally getting the recognition he deserves,” Trump said.
First lady Melania Trump, who was seated next to the veteran in the gallery, presented Williams with the medal.
Williams received an extended standing ovation.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) celebrated a report that Trump would be honoring the veteran ahead of the address, noting that he and Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) had “passed a law to waive the time limits so that Captain Williams could receive the Medal of Honor he deserves.”
Quote:President Trump awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor to one of the pilots in the Venezuela raid, praising his courage under fire during his State of the Union address Tuesday.
Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover and his wife, Amy, were in the House chamber for the speech, garnering a standing ovation and shouts of “USA, USA, USA” from the crowd.
Trump described in detail how Slover, a US Army helicopter pilot, was wounded during the Nicolas Maduro raid.
Slover was “hit very badly in the leg and hip” while preparing to land, the president said.
“The success of the entire mission and the lives of his fellow warriors hinged on Eric’s ability to take searing pain,” Trump said.
Slover piloted a twin-rotor MH-47 Chinook, the lead aircraft, tasked with inserting the assault team in the heavily fortified compound where Maduro was believed to be holed up.
As the helicopters approached, Venezuelan defense systems opened fire.
Slover was struck three times in the leg, the New York Times reported in its account of the raid.
Trump noted Slover is still recovering. About a half-dozen American soldiers were injured in the January raid.
The president also said other members of the military involved in the mission would be honored at the White House at a later date.
Quote:President Trump paid tribute to Charlie Kirk during his State of the Union address, crediting him with renewing religion in America.
“I’m very proud to say that during my time in office, both the first four years, and in particular this last year, there has been a tremendous renewal in religion, faith, Christianity and belief in God,” he said.
“This is especially true among young people, and a big part of that had to do with my great friend Charlie Kirk, great guy.”
He described Kirk as a “martyr” for his faith.
“Charlie was violently murdered by an assassin, and a martyr, really, for his beliefs. His wonderful wife, Erika, is with us tonight,” Trump said.
Lawmakers in the chamber shouted “Charlie, Charlie” as Erika Kirk stood, wiping tears from her eyes.
Trump had invited her to watch his remarks in the House Chamber.
Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on September 10th when speaking to an event at Utah Valley University.
Trump invoked Kirk’s name as he called for an end to political violence.
“In Charlie’s memory, we must all come together to reaffirm that America is one nation under god, and we must totally reject political violence of any kind,” Trump said in his speech.
Quote:The mother of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was murdered by a repeat offender out on no-cash bail in North Carolina, broke down in tears as President Trump recounted the attack during his State of the Union address.
“[Iryna’s killer] stood up and viciously slashed a knife through her neck and body. No one will ever forget, the people on that train. No one will ever forget the expression of terror on Iryna’s face as she looked up at her attacker in the last seconds of her life. She died instantly,” Trump said.
Iryna’s mother, Anna Zarutska, teared up while leaning into comfort provided by a man at her side.
“She had escaped a brutal war only to be slain by a hardened criminal, set free to kill in America,” Trump continued.
“Mrs. Zarutska, tonight I promise you that we will ensure justice for your magnificent daughter, Iryna,” the president assured, to raucous applause.
Erika Kirk, widow of slain Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, was sitting beside Anna and appeared to offer words of condolence while the man offered her a handkerchief.
During the emotional moment, Trump called out Democrats, who didn’t appear to rise for the standing ovation with Republicans.
“How do you not stand?” Trump said, gesturing toward Democrats.
Iryna, 22, was fatally stabbed by alleged schizophrenic career criminal Decarlos Brown while riding a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, in August.
Iryna’s father couldn’t attend her funeral, held in Charlotte, because he was stuck in Ukraine due to Russia’s invasion.
Brown, 34, was arrested at least 14 times in North Carolina for crimes ranging from assault and firearms possession to felony robbery and larceny dating back to 2007.
After he was captured stabbing Iryna three times on surveillance video, at least once in the neck, the young woman collapsed in her seat while blood spilled onto the train floor.
She was pronounced dead on the train.
Quote:Annie Farmer, who was one of roughly a dozen Epstein survivors to attend the State of the Union address Tuesday, has a message: “We’re not going away.”
Farmer and her sister Maria were both abused by Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell in the 1990s.
“We were there as a reminder that transparency hasn’t happened and we’re still demanding it,” Farmer told the California Post.
Maria, who was hired by Epstein to help purchase art, urged the FBI to investigate him for child pornography back in 1996 — but the feds allegedly did nothing.
She also said she was sexually assaulted by Epstein and Maxwell.
Maria filed a lawsuit in May accusing the justice department, US Attorney’s Offices and the FBI for negligence and emotional distress.
Annie publicly testified at Maxwell’s trial in 2021 that she visited Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico at the age of 16, where Maxwell gave her a nude massage and groped her. Epstein later went into bed with her to “cuddle,” according to Farmer.
She told the Post that all the remaining files pertaining to Epstein should be released.
“I would hope that people would follow up on these investigative leads so that we could get true accountability and also just a sense of connecting the dots and understanding for ourselves, what happened here, what went wrong, why was this allowed to go on for so long,” Annie said.
A sentiment echoed by Lauren Hersh, the co-founder of World Without Exploitation, the largest anti-trafficking coalition in the country that worked with victims to push lawmakers for the release of the Epstein Files.
Quote:President Trump used his State of the Union address as the backdrop of an emotional, surprise reunion between a Venezuelan woman and her uncle, who was held as a political prisoner by the country’s ousted Maduro regime.
Trump reunited Alejandra Gonzales with her uncle, Enrique Márquez, who was kidnapped by Maduro’s security forces and held in a “vile” prison in Caracas after he ran for office in opposition to the dictator.
“Alejandra, I’m pleased to inform you that not only has your uncle been released, but he’s here tonight, we brought him over to celebrate his freedom with you in person,” Trump said.
The uncle and niece tightly embraced and shed tears as the audience erupted with applause.
Márquez was one of “hundreds of political prisoners” released after the US toppled ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s regime in January.
The president added that Alejandra “feared she would never see her uncle again” and “feared for her own life also” before US military intervention.
“But since the raid, we have worked with new leadership, and we have ordered the closure of that vile prison and released hundreds of political prisoners already,” Trump said.
Quote:Sen. John Fetterman joined FOX News Channel's "America's Newsroom" on Wednesday to react to Democrats either skipping the State of the Union address, heckling President Trump, or refusing to stand on key issues.
Quote:BILL HEMMER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Well, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman is one Democrat who was in the chamber for the speech last night and he joins us this morning. And thank you for your time senator. Always good to see you.
Thank you for sharing your insights with us. You had about half your colleagues who chose not to go. That was their choice. You chose otherwise. What do you think of the decision they made?
SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): Well, I mean, I think it's just disappointing. Honestly, I mean I think that's sad that I think half of my colleagues didn't show up. I mean, that's not a judgment, so for me, I think show up.
You don't have to clap for everything. You don't have to agree with anything. I think we're in a different place right now where it's now people are not even gonna show up or doing other kinds of alternative things, so for me, that's what I think.
HEMMER: Yeah, that's interesting. Do you think the State of the Union Address has changed for good now?
FETTERMAN: Oh Yeah, absolutely, I mean now it's you know, the constant kinds of yelling and screaming. And now holding up signs and for doing all these things, I don't think -- I don't care if it's a Republican or Democrat as a president. Just don't do that. Don't do that. Respect the office, regardless of who's in it, and now for me, it's like now when half the people in my party haven't showed up. And then some of them have chosen to just yell and say and scream during all of it. I just don't think that's what we want, and I don't believe as a Democrat. I think like dancing frogs really moves the ball for us as a party either on that first point here.
HEMMER: Here's some of the moments you had Ilhan Omar out of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib out of Michigan, just watch here for our audience.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: That is why I'm also asking you to end deadly sanctuary cities that protect the criminals and enact serious penalties for public officials who block the removal of criminal aliens. In many cases, drug lords, murders all over our country. They're blocking the removal of these people out of our country. And you should be ashamed of yourself.
HEMMER: That exchange obviously went to immigration and enforcement and DHS funding. I saw an email thread last night where you shook the president's hand, I believe it was on the way in and it suggested that you were the only Democrat who did. Is that true?
FETTERMAN: I do believe that that's true. And now for me, I'm not going to yell or do that. Again, regardless of who the president is, I think that's been lost out here for our nation to do that. So, for me, yes, I shook his hand, of course. He walked in and I'm always going to do that, for sure.
HEMMER: So the New York Times wrote up the following moment as a ploy that was the way they described it, and this was probably the moment that people will remember. When asked to stand for Americans or illegal immigrants, the president phrased it last evening. This is how that went
TRUMP: So tonight, I'm inviting every legislature to join with my administration in reaffirming a fundamental principle. If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support. The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens not illegal aliens... Isn't it a shame? You should be ashamed of yourself not standing up.
HEMMER: So, Senator, to you, do you consider that a ploy as you look back on that 12 hours later? And if I may did you sit or did you stand for that moment?
FETTERMAN: Well for me, you know, I never checked to see what what the rest of people in my party It would stand up and clap. I clapped with a lot of those things that it seemed like others.
Like I stood up and I clapped to recognize the family that lost their daughter the Ukrainian girl that was stabbed to death, you know in North Carolina. And I stood up and I clapped. That political prisoner from Venezuela, I mean, how can you not celebrate those kinds of things? And now I also celebrated all the veterans that were in the audience as well, too.
And even more the political things like like Erika Kirk. I stood up and I clapped for her as well, too though. You know, can't we just be more kind to a widow? I mean, I we just shouldn't be -- it wasn't that long ago that a widow, you know with young children has her husband murdered. You know, how we can't just acknowledge that is as well too, whether why people would attack her. You know whether the left or the right either. So I'm always going to stand up and clap for things that I agreed with like striking in the Iranian sites now. For me, I see I never worry about who's standing up or clapping. If I see it I'm going to. If I don't agree with it or whatever, I'm certainly not going to yell and scream and disrupt the whole thing.
Quote:CNN political analyst and Associated Press White House reporter Seung Min Kim appeared to trivialize President Donald Trump’s event offering tribute to the families of Americans killed by illegal immigrants on Monday.
Trump’s Angel Families Remembrance Ceremony became a point of controversy after the White House called out CNN for failing to provide live coverage of it.
During the ceremony in the East Room of the White House, President Donald Trump honored families who have lost loved ones to crimes committed by illegal immigrants.
“Throughout this hall, I am joined by heartbroken Americans who have lost parents, siblings, children, grandchildren, and treasured loved ones to the scourge of illegal immigration, let in by the past administration,” Trump said.
CNN host Audie Cornish spoke to a panel of experts earlier that morning about Trump’s upcoming “State of the Union” speech, asking them for their thoughts on Trump’s struggling poll numbers and how he will likely address the country in his speech.
“I think what we’re actually getting a little preview of kind of the theme of his address later today at The White House, when he hosts the so-called ‘Angel Moms,’” Kim said. “So really focusing on immigration as he kicks off his big State of the Union week.”
“But as we see in the poll, the number one concern for voters continues to be affordability,” Kim continued, referring to a CNN poll.
While she said that immigration is indeed a “base issue,” the wider public is looking at the economy.
Quote:On Tuesday’s broadcast of “The Late Show,” host Stephen Colbert tore into House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., over his guidance for a “silent” protest of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address as a “bold rebrand of doing jack squat.”
“For Democrats who did attend [the State of the Union], Hakeem Jeffries urged members not to make a scene, an approach he dubbed ‘silent defiance,’ which I believe is a bold rebrand of doing jack squat,” Colbert said.
“As Martin Luther King once said, ‘Shhhh,’” he added, displaying a mock quote from Dr. Martin Luther King.
Fox News Digital reached out to Jeffries for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Prior to Tuesday’s State of the Union, Jeffries asked members of his caucus to approach the State of the Union in one of two ways.
“The two options that are in front of us [are] to either attend with silent defiance or not to attend and send a message to Donald Trump in that fashion,” Jeffries said at a press conference last week.
Several Democrats decided to attend the “People’s State of the Union” event near the Lincoln Memorial instead of Trump’s address held at the U.S. Capitol.
The event, described as a rally, was organized by MeidasTouch and MoveOn Civic Action, a pair of left-leaning media and activist groups, and focused on criticisms of Trump’s first year back in office.
The event drew senators like Ed Markey, D-Mass.; Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.; Chris Murphy, D-Conn.; Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.; and Tina Smith, D-Minn.
On the House side, Democrats who said they’d be in attendance included Reps. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz.; Becca Balint, D-Vt.; Greg Casar, D-Texas; Veronica Escobar; D-Texas, Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; John Larson, D-Conn.; Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif.; Delia Ramirez, D-Ill.; Sara Jacobs, D-Calif.; Emily Randall, D-Wash.; and Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J.
Earlier in the show, Colbert touted those members of the Democratic Party who opted out of attending the president’s address.
“One of the big stories tonight was who wasn’t there. Roughly 50 Democratic members of the House and Senate plan to forgo the speech,” he noted, citing The Wall Street Journal. “I wish we were one.”
“The folks who skipped included Sens. Chris Murphy, Ed Markey and Jeff Merkley, as well as ‘Merk Manly-Manly Merken.’ Mork and Mindy, Marky Mark and Megan Markle,” Colbert joked.
A smaller group of Democrats previously announced they would be skipping the State of the Union but would not be attending the counter event, including Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., and Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine.
Quote:President Donald Trump called out former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during his State of the Union address Tuesday, urging lawmakers to pass a ban on congressional stock trading — an issue that has long been a source of criticism for the California lawmaker.
“Let’s also ensure that members of congress cannot corruptly profit from using insider information,” Trump said, before adding, “Did Nancy Pelosi stand up? … Doubt it.”
While Pelosi said she doesn’t trade or personally own stocks, her venture capitalist husband Paul Pelosi does, and has grown the power couple’s wealth exponentially during her congressional career.
When she first entered office, Pelosi and her husband reported between $610,000 and $785,000 in stock holdings according to her 1987 financial disclosure form — nearly 40 year later, her trade volume has exploded to more than $99 million, according to Capitol Trades, which monitors stock market activity for lawmakers.
The 85-year-old, who critics argue benefitted from insider information as one of the most influential politicians, pushed back on the president’s jab, telling Trump to “look at your own self.”
“I say back to him, as that’s what members said, look at your own self,” Pelosi told CNN. “The inference he wants to draw is there was something wrong with that, which there wasn’t, and if there was, people get prosecuted for it. For a long time now we’ve been trying to pass this law. It doesn’t have — now it has more support than it had before.”
Pelosi told the outlet that she did in fact stand up when Trump pressed congress to pass the Stop Insider Trading Act, which would prevent members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from purchasing or trading individual stocks, bonds, and other securities.
“He said, ‘Did Nancy stand up?’ Yeah, I did, too. A lot of people stood up, a lot of Democrats stood up,” Pelosi said on CNN.
But Pelosi hasn’t always been keen on the idea.
Quote:Progressive “Squad” Rep. Rashida Tlaib sparked outrage for repeatedly chanting “KKK” as Republicans cheered “USA” during President Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night.
The Michigan Democrat was caught in a new clip mockingly jeering the far-right hate group’s moniker to controversial ally Rep. Ilhan Omar as her Republican colleagues erupted in thunderous applause and support for Trump inside the House chamber.
“Everything you need to know about today’s Democrats,” the National Republican Congressional Committee said in a fiery post on X, along with a video of the explosive outburst.
“They cannot stand this country, they cannot stand its comeback, & they cannot hide their contempt anymore.”
Outraged critics blasted Tlaib – already under fire for sporting a “F–k ICE” pin on her lapel and frequently heckling Trump throughout his primetime speech – and Omar, while urging they be expelled from Congress for their “offensive” and “treasonous” behavior.
“As a Black American, watching Tlaib, a non-Black person chant ‘KKK’ is beyond offensive,” one X user raged, adding, “That word carries generations of terror and pain; it’s not a prop for political theater. This is conduct unbecoming of a Member of Congress. Censure her.”
Another chimed in: “They absolutely embarrassed themselves last night.”
“Tlaib and Omar need to be removed from Congress,” one online naysayer fumed.
“It’s unbelievable the hatred they have for the USA. Why is this being allowed without consequences?”
A rep for Tlaib did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Quote:One of Representative Ilhan Omar's guests to President Donald Trump's State of the Union was arrested during the address on Tuesday.
The U.S. Capitol Police told Newsweek that Aliya Rahman, a disabled U.S. citizen who made headlines last month after she was filmed being dragged out of her car and detained by immigration officers while on her way to a medical appointment in Minneapolis, was arrested after disrupting the proceeding. The police said Rahman was arrested after she "started demonstrating" during the address and refused to obey orders to sit down.
Alexa Van Brunt, Rahman's attorney and the director of the MacArthur Justice Center, said in a statement to Newsweek that Rahman was targeted after "simply standing in silence" during Trump's address. Van Brunt called her arrest a "blatant abuse of power."
On Monday, Omar's office identified Rahman as one of four Minnesotans who would be her guests to the State of the Union address. In a news release, the Democrat's office said Rahman was calling for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to "face legal accountability for their aggression against civilians."
Newsweek has contacted Omar's office and the White House for comment via emails sent outside regular business hours.
...
Rahman, a Bangladeshi American software engineer, said she had been on her way to an appointment at the Traumatic Brain Injury Center when she encountered federal immigration agents at an intersection. She told Newsweek that she was dragged from her vehicle even after telling agents she was disabled. She said she was denied medical care while in ICE custody and only taken to the hospital after she lost consciousness.
The Department of Homeland Security described Rahman as an agitator who "ignored multiple commands by an officer to move her vehicle away from the scene."
What To Know
Rahman "started demonstrating" during the State of the Union address around 10:07 p.m., the Capitol Police said.
She was "told to sit down, but refused to obey our lawful orders." The police added, "She was given a citation release, which is routine."
In an MS Now interview alongside Omar, Rahman said of her decision to attend the State of the Union address, "I almost don't feel like it was a choice."
She said: "I'm just so painfully aware that what happened to me is a very common experience in this country, except for the part where I got out and I got to come back to my community.
"Honestly, the emotional toll of it is the reason that I think it's still important to come be in front of people who are happy this happened to me or think I deserve worse."
Rahman testified about her experience before lawmakers at a congressional forum examining ICE's actions earlier in February.
In the MS NOW interview, Omar said she invited Rahman and other guests who continued to live with the consequences of the Trump administration's actions in Minnesota.
She said: "One of the things that we know is that the occupation that we experienced in Minnesota was a very harmful, terrorizing occupation. It harmed so many people. It obviously took the lives of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, but there are so many people who are alive who have to live with the damages that this administration has caused in Minnesota.
"So it's really important to the Minnesota Democratic delegation to keep these stories alive, to bring guests that speak to what the ICE occupation has meant for our constituents and the real harm that this administration has caused."
Quote:President Trump lambasted “Squad” Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib for their rowdy behavior during his State of the Union address Tuesday evening, calling for them to “be institutionalized.”
“When you watch Low IQ Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, as they screamed uncontrollably last night at the very elegant State of the Union, such an important and beautiful event,” Trump began on Truth Social.
“They had the bulging, bloodshot eyes of crazy people, LUNATICS, mentally deranged and sick who, frankly, look like they should be institutionalized,” he added.
“When people can behave like that, and knowing that they are Crooked and Corrupt Politicians, so bad for our Country, we should send them back from where they came — as fast as possible.”
Tlaib (D-Mich.) sat in the House chamber wearing a “F— ICE” pin on her lapel and frequently heckled Trump throughout the speech alongside Omar (D-Minn.) before the two left early.
Speaker Johnson admits he ‘probably could have ejected’ more ‘shameful’ Dems from State of the Union
Quote:WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson has claimed that he could have booted more Democrats from the House chamber Tuesday night for their “shameful” behavior during President Trump’s record-long State of the Union address.
Throughout Trump’s remarks, multiple Democrats, including “Squad” Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) — the latter of whom sported a “F— ICE” pin on her lapel — repeatedly jeered the president.
Tlaib, in particular, was visibly sneering and audibly grumbling before the duo departed prior to Trump wrapping up the speech.
“It was a very shameful display. There was a couple of times, there’s a couple of House members that I probably could have ejected from the chamber because of their behavior,” Johnson (R-La.) told Newsmax following the address.
“But the president handled it so well, and I decided not to do that because, you know, I thought it would be better for the American people to see that, to see the shame that they were bringing upon themselves, and they just continued to do it.”
Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) was ejected by the House sergeant-at-arms after parading around with a “Black people aren’t apes” sign and refusing to sit throughout the address.
The sign was motivated by a since-deleted Truth Social post Trump made eaerlier this month that included a video depicting former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle as apes.
The clip appeared following an apparent screen recording of a video raising doubts about the 2020 election and Trump has claimed he wasn’t aware of the ape meme’s existence when he posted it.
Green was also kicked out of the House chamber during Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress last year for shouting at the president and waving his cane.
“They stood at the wrong times and they refused to stand when they should have,” Johnson summed up Democrats’ behavior Tuesday night. “They stood and applauded themselves for voting against the working families’ tax cuts.”
“I mean, that video is going to be very valuable to us in the future, and on the contrary, they refused to stand when the president said answer this simple question – the first job of the government in the country is to defend Americans and not illegal aliens,” the speaker added. “They sat on their hands for that.”
At times, Trump himself called out the opposition over a range of issues, including the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown and resistance to his prized One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Quote:WASHINGTON – Democrats’ counterprogramming event to President Trump’s State of the Union address was hijacked by MAGA supporters and liberals dressed up like frogs — chirping “ribbit.”
Activists and lawmakers held dueling events on Tuesday night to present their counterargument to the president. Some speakers were there to entertain, some to rally the troops ahead of the November midterm election and some charged that Trump was lying to the American people.
“I’m not at the State of the Union speech tonight, because you’re not going to hear about the State of the Union. You are going to hear lie after lie,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told the “People’s State of the Union” rally on the National Mall.
But, across Washington D.C., at the National Press Club, adults dressed as frogs dominated the room. Members of the audience embraced the theme, with many donning frog hats to get into the spirit.
And they yelled “ribbit, ribbit, ribbit” to praise the speakers, who included actor Robert De Niro.
The “Godfather” star closed out the “State of the Swamp” event and used his speaking time to blast President Trump, comparing him to an abusive spouse and a dictator.
“Our country isn’t so lovable right now,” De Niro told the crowd. “In the current climate, declaring love for our country is like an abused spouse professing love for their abuser.”
He went on to say: “We’re now in a country by and for a handful of dishonest, greedy and cruel authoritarians.”
“I feel betrayed by my country,” De Niro added as the crowd cheered him on.
The four-hour event was mostly entertainment and part rallying cry.
How childish.Quote:President Donald Trump claimed that the Supreme Court's ruling striking down his imposition of tariffs under emergency laws has actually extended his powers.
"The supreme court (will be using lower case letters for a while based on a complete lack of respect!) of the United States accidentally and unwittingly gave me, as President of the United States, far more powers and strength than I had prior to their ridiculous, dumb, and very internationally divisive ruling," Trump said in a Monday morning post on Truth Social.
"For one thing, I can use Licenses to do absolutely “terrible” things to foreign countries, especially those countries that have been RIPPING US OFF for many decades," he added."
Trump appeared to be referring to federal trade or sanctions licenses, which govern whether certain foreign transactions are allowed. Newsweek reached out to the White House by email to comment on this story.
The Context
Trump's social media post comes after, in a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court voted Friday to strike down the sweeping tariffs imposed by the president under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) on "Liberation Day" in 2025.
The court had grappled over whether Trump had the authority to impose the tariffs under the IEEPA, a 1977 law that grants commanders-in-chief special powers in emergencies, but ultimately decided tariffs must be approved by Congress.
What To Know
“The President asserts the extraordinary power to unilaterally impose tariffs of unlimited amount, duration, and scope. In light of the breadth, history, and constitutional context of that asserted authority, he must identify clear congressional authorization to exercise it,” the court ruled.
The ruling continued: “IEEPA’s grant of authority to ‘regulate . . . importation’ falls short. IEEPA contains no reference to tariffs or duties. The Government points to no statute in which Congress used the word ‘regulate’ to authorize taxation. And until now no President has read IEEPA to confer such power.”
Trump implied Monday that while the court had ruled against charging country's a license fee, "ALL LICENSES CHARGE FEES" and so the U.S. may do the same. He did not go into further detail about how he might impose license fees.
The court's decision has not affected other tariffs that were not imposed under IEEPA. These include industry-specific tariffs imposed on steel, aluminum, autos and parts and other industries. Trump also said they could "all be used in a much more powerful and obnoxious way."
He did not go into further details about how he might extend these tariffs but after the court ruling on Friday, Trump announced a new 10 percent blanket tariff on all countries—“many of which have been ripping the U.S. off for decades” he said—later raising it to 15 percent on Saturday pending a review of what he described as “new and legally permissible tariffs.” These will come into effect on Tuesday, the White House said.
Quote:A federal judge on Monday handed President Donald Trump a legal victory by permanently blocking the release of a special counsel report examining his handling of classified documents, shutting down a disclosure tied to a criminal case that once posed significant legal peril.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, whom Trump nominated to the bench in 2020, granted the president’s request to keep the Jack Smith report under wraps, ruling that its release would be unfair after the classified documents case was dismissed.
Cannon last year threw out the prosecution after finding Smith was unlawfully appointed, and said publishing the report would undermine the presumption of innocence because the charges were never adjudicated and were abandoned following Trump’s 2024 election victory.
Quote:A group of volunteers helping in the search for missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie reportedly recovered a backpack on Sunday.
The volunteers searched along Orange Grove Road not far from Nancy Guthrie’s home in the Catalina Foothills near Tucson, AZCentral reported. They recovered a backpack that was handed over to sheriff’s deputies.
True crime reporter Jonathan Lee Riches, who goes by JLR Investigates on social media, shared photos on X of the backpack as it was removed from where it was found and bagged by a sheriff’s deputy.
The Context
The discovery comes as the search for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, has entered a fourth week.
She was reported missing from her home on February 1 after spending the previous night with family, authorities said. Authorities believe she was taken against her will, and said her blood was found on her porch. Authorities have expressed concerns about her health because she needs daily medication.
On February 10, authorities released surveillance footage showing a masked man wearing a backpack outside Guthrie’s front door on the night she disappeared. The FBI later released a description of the person, who they called a suspect, and said he was carrying a 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack” backpack.”
What To Know
The discovery comes after the Pima County Sheriff's Department addressed unsanctioned volunteer search parties on Saturday, asking them to refrain from operating independently in the search area.
The department said multiple groups had inquired about searching in the area, but they were asked to give investigators space to conduct their work without interference.
The sheriff's department also said on Saturday that detectives and agents have collected multiple gloves from the search area, and those items are being analyzed. "Specific details about these pieces of evidence will not be shared publicly, as this remains an active investigation," the department said.
Last week, authorities said DNA from gloves found a few miles from Nancy Guthrie’s home did not match any entries in CODIS, the FBI’s national database. The FBI has said the gloves appear to match the gloves worn by a masked person seen in the surveillance footage outside Nancy Guthrie’s house on the night she disappeared.
Investigators also collected DNA from Nancy Guthrie’s property that doesn’t belong to her or those in close contact with her, the sheriff’s department said.
The sheriff's department has also said investigators were turning to investigative genetic genealogy in a bid to track down the suspect.
The sheriff’s department said on Friday that although investigators are seeking information “related to the person seen on video, investigators are not ruling out the possibility that more than one person may be involved.”
The surveillance videos from Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell camera showed an individual wearing a ski mask, long pants, jacket, gloves and handgun holster. The FBI described him as a man about 5 feet, 9 or 10 inches tall with an average build.
Quote:Bill Gates has admitted to having affairs and apologized for his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a town hall meeting with employees of the Gates Foundation, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The Microsoft co-founder acknowledged he had two affairs with Russian women that Epstein later discovered, but he said they didn't involve Epstein's victims, the Journal reported, citing a recording of the meeting it had reviewed.
Gates said it was a "huge mistake" to spend time with Epstein and bring executives from the foundation into meetings with Epstein. According to the Journal, he also said: "I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit."
"I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made," he continued.
A spokesperson for the Gates Foundation told Newsweek in a statement on Wednesday that Gates "spoke candidly" as he answered several questions submitted by staff on issues, including the release of the Epstein files, during the meeting and "took responsibility for his actions" over his ties to Epstein.
Why It Matters
The Department of Justice has released millions of pages of documents in the latest disclosure of records from its investigative files on Epstein, which provided more details about his alleged interactions with high-profile figures, including Gates. The inclusion of someone's name or image in the files related to Epstein does not imply wrongdoing.
The files included claims that Gates had contracted a sexually transmitted disease, which he denied as "absolutely absurd and completely false." Gates and his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage. After their split, he acknowledged an affair with an employee.
What To Know
According to the Journal, Gates said in the town hall that he had an affair with a Russian bridge player and another with a Russian nuclear physicist who worked at one of his companies.
He said his former science adviser Boris Nikolic was aware of the affairs and told Epstein about them. The Journal reported in 2023 that Epstein appeared to use the knowledge of Gates' affair with the Russian bridge player to threaten him.
During the town hall, Gates also said photos in the Epstein files that showed him with women whose faces were redacted were photos that Epstein requested he take with Epstein's assistants after their meetings. Gates said, "To be clear I never spent any time with victims."
Gates said he began meeting with Epstein, who was convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a minor, in 2011.
He said he continued meeting with Epstein even after French Gates had raised concerns about it in 2013, saying she was "always kind of skeptical" about Epstein.
Gates said his meetings with Epstein continued through 2014; that he spent time with Epstein in Germany, France and the United States; and that they also flew on a private jet together. He said he never stayed overnight or visited Epstein's private island.
Epstein, Gates said, had portrayed himself as someone with intimate ties with numerous billionaires and as someone who could help raise money for causes including global health.
He also acknowledged that his association with Epstein helped burnish Epstein's reputation and had harmed the reputation of the Gates Foundation.
"It definitely is the opposite of the values of the Foundation and the goals of the Foundation," he said. "And our work is very reputational sensitive."
Quote:The White House warned Mexican drug cartels "not to lay a finger" on any American citizens as deadly violence sweeps through the country following the operation that killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as "El Mencho," leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG in Spanish initials).
U.S. authorities had urged American citizens and government staff in parts of Mexico to shelter in place as the sudden eruption of violence over El Mencho's killing posed a threat to their safety. Many Americans live and travel in Mexico, the southern U.S. neighbor, and it is a popular destination for tourists.
"We encourage all Americans in Mexico to of course adhere to the guidance provided by the State Department. Right now, we are unaware of any reports of any Americans being hurt, kidnapped, or killed," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox & Friends on Tuesday morning.
"And the Mexican drug cartels know not to lay a finger on a single American or they will pay severe consequences under this president. And they already are.
"This operation, which was carried out successfully by Mexican authorities, was of course supported by the United States, would not have happened without the leadership of President Trump."
Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno, a Republican, had warned that “narco-terrorists” in Mexico were “hunting down American citizens” following the killing of El Mencho. But Moreno's claims were the only reports of Americans being targeted in the chaos that ensued. There were no corroborating reports.
Who Was 'El Mencho'?
El Mencho was the boss of one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico—known to traffic fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine to the U.S.—and the most wanted man in the country.
The 59-year-old former police officer was killed by the Mexican army during a shoot-out in the town of Tapalpa in Jalisco, his home state, on Sunday.
Mexico's Defense Ministry said in a statement that the operation was "planned and executed" by the country's special forces. The U.S. provided intelligence support to the Mexican authorities for the operation to capture El Mencho.
The killing sparked chaos in Mexico, with reports of roadblocks, arson, and flight disruptions caused by suspected cartel members across multiple states.
Retaliatory violence saw the deaths of at least 25 National Guard members and led to dozens of arrests, officials said.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged calm and praised federal security forces after the Mexican army killed El Mencho. She said that in the "vast majority of the national territory, activities are proceeding with complete normality."
Quote:Three people were killed in the latest U.S. attack on an alleged drug smuggling boat in Caribbean waters on Monday, according to the U.S. military.
It was the latest strike in a U.S. government crackdown on narcotrafficking into the country that has attracted increased international criticism and congressional scrutiny.
More than 150 people have been killed in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific by U.S. attacks since early September, according to figures provided by the Trump administration.
The U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) described the three people killed on Monday as "male narco-terrorists" traveling along a known trafficking route and said no U.S. military personnel were harmed in the "lethal kinetic strike."
The military shared footage bearing an "unclassified label" showing a boat floating in an unspecified area before flames and smoke engulf the vessel. The 20-second clip then shows what remains of the boat.
This is the third U.S. attack on suspected drug vessels within a week. SOUTHCOM said it had killed three people in the eastern Pacific on Friday, four days after strikes on three separate boats killed 11 people. It was one of the deadliest attacks by the U.S. on alleged drug vessels in the last six months.
The U.S. government has said it is in a legal "armed conflict" with drug cartels, insisting the campaign against alleged small drug vessels is necessary to clamp down on drug flows into the country and save American lives.
International experts and some former officials have criticized the strikes as illegal under international law. Lawmakers have looked more closely at the attacks since it emerged U.S. forces killed survivors of the first attack in September with a follow-up strike.
There was a lull in the number of strikes in January after elite U.S. forces swept into the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, and captured then-leader Nicolás Maduro. Along with his wife, Maduro was brought to New York to face narco-terrorism charges.
Earlier this month, a U.S. Marine on the USS Iwo Jima amphibious assault ship in the Caribbean became the first known U.S. casualty in the region since the start of the strikes on suspected drug vessels.
Lance Corporal Chukwuemeka Oforah was declared dead on February 10 after falling overboard three days earlier and being "lost at sea," the Marines said in a statement.
Five U.S. Navy ships and 10 aircraft from different branches of the military were involved in a 72-hour search for Oforah.
Quote:Bullet holes were found on the wing of an American Airlines Boeing jet after landing in Miami from Colombia, according to a report.
Flight AA923 landed at the Miami International Airport on Monday when a routine post-flight inspection found the puncture marks on the 737 MAX 8’s right aileron, which is responsible for lateral balance, AirLive reported.
Despite the puncture marks, the aircraft flew and landed safely.
There were no flight-related issues or injuries on board related to the incident, American Airlines told The Post.
“The aircraft was immediately removed from service for further inspection and repair. We will work closely with all relevant authorities to investigate this incident,” the company said in a statement.
The plane had been in Colombia’s Jose Maria Cordova International Airport on Sunday and was completing a round trip when the bullet holes were discovered, according to AirLive.
It remains unclear how many passengers were aboard the plane, which can seat more than 160 people.
There appeared to be no delays or major changes during the trip, according to FlightAware’s online tracker.
After landing at the Miami International Airport, American Airline technicians reportedly performed temporary patching to stabilize the surface of the wing.
By Monday night, the plane was sent over to Americans’ primary maintenance hub at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, according to AirLive.
The plane is currently grounded as engineers are conducting a full assessment of the wings where the bullet holes were discovered, the outlet added.
Quote:WASHINGTON — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz mused that the collapse of the brutal regimes in Cuba, Iran, and Venezuela during the next six months is “entirely” within the realm of possibility.
The Republican, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, contended to Sean Hannity on Fox News Wednesday that the US is living through a period of tremendous geopolitical opportunities, but cautioned that there’s no guarantee those regimes will fall.
“We are at an extraordinary moment in history. It is entirely possible, Sean, that in the next six months, we will see the regimes fall in Iran, in Venezuela, and in Cuba, and we could also see governments replace them that want to be friends with the United States of America,” Cruz said on “Hannity.”
President Trump has dramatically ramped up pressure on all three US adversaries over recent weeks.
Since last year, the US has maintained an oil quarantine around Venezuela. Trump also authorized the Jan. 3 Operation Absolute Resolve raid to capture strongman Nicolas Maduro.
Those efforts enabled the US to cut off Cuba’s key source of oil, putting a big squeeze on Havana.
More recently, Trump has massed US military assets, including two aircraft carriers, near Iran as a show of force while allowing negotiations with the regime to continue playing out.
The pressure campaign comes on the heels of the theocratic regime massacring thousands of people in what has been described as one of the largest protest activities since the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
“Now, let me be clear, I’m not being Pollyannish about this; there are a thousand things that can go wrong,” Cruz added.
“But if that happens, this would be the most consequential geopolitical shift since the fall of the Berlin Wall, since America won the Cold War without firing a shot.”
Trump claimed on Thursday that a decision about whether to strike Iran will come “over the next, probably 10 days.”
“We may have to take it a step further, or we may not. Maybe we’re going to make a deal,” Trump said during his Gaza-centered Board of Peace summit in DC.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicly taunted Trump repeatedly this week and threatened to sink US warships in the region.
“The Americans constantly say that they’ve sent a warship toward Iran,” Khamenei’s team wrote on his English X account. “Of course, a warship is a dangerous piece of military hardware.”
UKRAINE WAR
Quote:Russia has said it will direct its nuclear arsenal toward NATO member Estonia if nuclear weapons are stationed in the Baltic country.
"We do not threaten Estonia, as well as all other European countries, but if there are nuclear weapons aimed at us on the territory of Estonia, then our nuclear weapons will be aimed at the territory of Estonia, and Estonia must clearly understand this," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in remarks reported by Russian state media on Sunday.
Estonia's defense ministry said it does not comment on Kremlin statements. Tallinn's foreign ministry said in a statement it treats nuclear weapons "with full responsibility," adding: "It is Russia that has repeatedly used nuclear threats and rhetoric against others as a tool of pressure."
But it also downplayed the role of nuclear weapons in the country's defense, saying it was not a "current issue."
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, said on Wednesday Tallinn would be willing to host nuclear weapons on its territory in the future.
There are currently no public plans to move nuclear weapons to Estonian soil and several other European members of NATO have floated changes to where such hardware is stationed on the continent as confidence in the U.S. coming to the alliance's aid with its vast nuclear cache wavers.
Poland, another NATO state on the alliance's eastern border with Russia, could look at developing nuclear defenses of some kind, the country's president said earlier this week.
Former Polish President Andrzej Duda had suggested in 2024 that the country was ready and willing to host American tactical nuclear weapons.
These weapons, sometimes called substrategic or nonstrategic, are designed for use on the battlefield. They have a smaller yield, and would be used against different types of target than strategic nuclear weapons like intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), typically thought of as much more destructive and would target cities if nuclear war broke out.
U.S. tactical nuclear weapons are already based in several European nations, including Germany and Italy. Russia confirmed in 2023 that it had moved tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, its key ally in Europe.
NATO countries near Russia are generally more worried about the prospect of a Moscow attack than alliance members further away from the Kremlin's territory.
Quote:Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun World War III, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said ahead of the fourth anniversary of Moscow's full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
The Kremlin leader has "already started it," Zelensky told the BBC in an interview published late Sunday, referring to a third global conflict.
"Russia wants to impose on the world a different way of life and change the lives people have chosen for themselves," Zelensky said.
Tuesday will mark the start of the fifth year of all-out war in Ukraine, Europe's largest conflict since World War II ended in 1945.
The frontlines snaking through eastern and southern Ukraine have long been relatively static, with Russia controlling roughly a fifth of Ukrainian territory. The grinding, bloody warfare in eastern Ukraine has reminded many observers of the trenches of World War I.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said that if Kyiv loses the war, Russia will attack other countries in Europe and the conflict will spread across the continent. Putin has branded this "complete nonsense," while European states bordering Russia have quickly built up new defenses and surged defense spending.
"I believe, and have long believed, that Putin has already begun this war and we are preventing it from becoming a broad full-scale Third World War," Zelensky said.
Peace talks, pushed by the U.S. since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year, have made only sluggish progress. After renewed trilateral talks in Switzerland last week, Ukraine and the European Union accused Russia of tripping up a peace settlement, while Moscow has not budged from its demand to control all four regions of southern and eastern Ukraine it says it has annexed.
"The question is how much territory he will be able to seize and how to stop him," Zelensky said.
Russia has not stepped down from its demands to keep control of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, collectively known as the Donbas, plus the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Crucially, Russia has said it wants a chunk of Donetsk still held by Ukraine that is key for Kyiv's defenses in the east.
Kyiv says it would be illegal to cede territory and territorial concessions would also be deeply unpopular among Ukrainians.
"I don't look at it simply as land. I see it as abandonment —weakening our positions, abandoning hundreds of thousands of our people who live there," Zelensky said.
Quote:Ukraine has retaken eight settlements in the southeast of the country in the past few weeks, Kyiv's top soldier has said, one day before the country marks the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Elite Ukrainian troops have recaptured more than 400 square kilometers of territory along a chunk of the southern front lines since late January, Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's military, said in a post to messaging app Telegram on Monday.
Significant gains for Ukraine have been hard to come by since its initial counteroffensive against Russian forces in 2022, although Russia's grinding advances have also been slow and at a high cost to Moscow.
Russia has seized a total of 572 square kilometers of Ukraine—including 19 settlements—since the start of 2026, the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Friday.
Soldiers with Ukraine's airborne forces had said on Sunday they had kicked off an offensive operation to disrupt Russia's advance in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Ukrainian troops described the situation as "very dynamic" and said Russian soldiers were "clinging to every meter of the captured territory, using all available resources."
The airborne forces did not specify when the operation began but said they had recaptured more than 300 square kilometers of territory, covering eight settlements.
"Our soldiers are not only holding the defense but also successfully operating in the offensive operation," Syrskyi said.
Russia first said it had pushed from the eastern Donetsk region—the site of much of the heaviest fighting of the war—into neighboring Dnipropetrovsk in late June last year. Ukraine acknowledged Russia had established a presence in Dnipropetrovsk in August 2025.
Ukraine's military said in an update at 4 p.m. local time on Monday that Russia had launched three attacks around the Dnipropetrovsk village of Ternove, and just west, near Vyshneve. The settlements sit close to the Dnipropetrovsk border with both Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia.
Russia's defense ministry separately said on Monday its forces had attacked Ukrainian brigades, including assault forces, deployed in Dnipropetrovsk.
Ukraine's former commander-in-chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said on Monday that as the war enters its fifth year, the rapid development of drone technology and artificial intelligence was reshaping how modern wars are fought.
Quote:Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made a direct appeal to President Donald Trump to visit Ukraine as he marked the fourth anniversary of Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion.
"I really want to come here with the President of the United States one day," Zelensky said in a video posted on X on Tuesday. "I know for certain: only by coming to Ukraine, and seeing with one's own eyes our life and our struggle, feeling our people and the enormity of this pain—only then can one understand what this war is really about."
He added that Putin now understands he is "not capable of defeating Ukraine on the battlefield," and had "not achieved his goals."
"He has not broken Ukrainians. He has not won this war. We have preserved Ukraine, and we will do everything to secure peace and justice," he said.
...
What To Know
Zelensky delivered his 18-minute anniversary address from an underground bunker beneath Kyiv's Bankova Street, where the president and his advisers worked during the first hours of Russia's invasion in 2022.
He recalled receiving a warning from President Joe Biden to "leave Ukraine urgently," to which he replied: "I need ammunition, not a ride."
Zelensky said that a visit from Trump would make it clear "who the aggressor is here and who must be pressured."
He added: "This is not a street fight—it is an attack by a sick state on a sovereign one, and that Putin is this war. He is the cause of its beginning and the obstacle to its end. And it is Russia that must be put in its place. So that there can be real peace."
Zelensky also urged Trump this week to "stay on our side," and said that the U.S. was not putting enough pressure on Putin.
"They have to stay with… a democratic country which is fighting against one person. Because this person is a war. Putin is a war. It's all about himself. It's all about one person. And the country, all his country is in the prison," he said in an interview with CNN on Monday.
Trump has on numerous occasions appeared to side with Russia during the peace negotiations, and pressured Zelensky to sign on to a peace proposal including major territorial concessions, or risk losing U.S. support.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance also attacked Zelensky during a fractious meeting in the Oval Office in February last year, during which Trump threatened to withdraw U.S. support if Ukraine did not make a deal.
Quote:KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainians would overwhelmingly reject any referendum that cedes territory in exchange for “peace” with Russia, Kyiv lawmakers warned Wednesday, arguing that no one believes Russian President Vladimir Putin would keep his word and end his invasion.
Kira Rudik, a member of Ukraine’s parliament for the opposition center-right Holos party, said the core issue is trust— which she added is non-existent in her country after 12 years of war and other atrocities.
“The question that we are constantly asking is, who or what will make sure that Putin will keep his part of the deal?” Rudik told The Post. “We know for a fact that since 2014, when Russia first attacked us, Putin has never held up his end of the bargain.”
Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, representing another opposition party, European Solidarity, agreed that Russia’s goal is to “ensure that we are non-existent, and that will only feed their appetite to attack again.”
“We are seeing in the sociological data right now that the majority of the Ukrainian population is not ready to give in on any part of Ukrainian territory,” she said. “And why is that? Because we know that it won’t stop the Russian Federation. It won’t bring the end of the war.”
As the Trump administration has tried to hammer out a cease-fire and several frameworks for peace deals, pressure has grown on Kyiv to consider territorial compromises after four years of full-scale conflict.
In the Verkhovna Rada, as Ukraine’s parliament is known, Rudik said lawmakers understand that any deal that looks like capitulation would face fierce public resistance.
“The end of the war,” she said, “is when Russia is weakened to the point where they cannot continue.”
To bring that about, Rudik argued, the West should step up its support for Ukraine, building on sanctions, humanitarian aid and munitions.
“We were very good — we exceeded expectations in defending ourselves,” she said. “Give us one more game-changer, and we will change the game.”
Ukraine has been through “dozens of so-called cease-fires that Russia always broke,” Rudik added. “There was no way to complain to everyone and defend ourselves the proper way.”
Another factor in Ukrainian skepticism is the US and UK’s failure to live up to its obligations in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which they promised to protect Ukraine from Russian invasion in exchange for Kyiv giving up its nuclear arsenal.
Quote:The United States and Canada scrambled multiple aircraft to intercept and track five Russian military planes flying near Alaska on Thursday.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said it detected two Russian Tu-95s, two Su-35s and one A-50 early warning spy aircraft operating in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
NORAD, a joint U.S.-Canadian command, said it launched two F-16s, two F-35s, one E-3, and four KC-135 aircraft to "intercept, positively identify, and escort the aircraft until they departed the Alaskan ADIZ."
...
What To Know
NORAD said it detected, tracked, and identified Russian aircraft inside the Alaskan ADIZ and launched U.S. fighter jets to respond, adding that the foreign planes remained in international airspace and did not enter sovereign U.S. or Canadian airspace.
The Russian formation included two Tu-95 bombers, two Su-35 fighter jets, and an A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft. NORAD scrambled two F-16s, two F-35s, and four KC-135 refueling tankers to monitor and escort the group until it departed the ADIZ.
The Alaskan ADIZ is a defined area of international airspace that begins where sovereign airspace ends and requires positive identification of aircraft in the interest of national security, a characterization also noted in recent coverage of operations there.
NATO leadership has warned about expanding Russian and Chinese patrols across the Arctic, including areas north of Alaska and near Canada.
Supreme Allied Commander of Europe General Alexus Grynkewich recently warned at Sweden’s National Security Conference that Russia and China are escalating joint patrols in the Arctic, extending their presence from the Russian northern coast to north of Alaska and near Canada.
While Thursday’s interception has been described as “routine,” the Arctic is increasingly serving as a location for great power competition, possibly raising the stakes for national security and global stability.
EUROPE
Quote:Former U.K. ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson was arrested Monday in a misconduct probe over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein.
It follows allegations that the former Labour minister passed market‑sensitive government information to Epstein, the late U.S. financier and convicted sex offender.
Emails released by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) appear to show Lord Mandelson forwarded information to Epstein in 2009, when he was serving as business secretary under then‑Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He does not face any allegations of sexual misconduct.
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement, "Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, 23 February and has been taken to a London police station for interview. This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas."
It did not name Mandelson, in keeping with British police practice, but the suspect in the case has previously been identified as Mandelson.
...
Who is Lord Peter Mandelson?
Mandelson served in several senior roles under previous Labour governments and was widely regarded as a central figure in the party’s modern history. He also served as the United Kingdom’s ambassador to Washington before Prime Minister Starmer dismissed him in September over his ties to Epstein.
How is Mandelson Referenced in the Epstein Files?
Mandelson was dismissed from his diplomatic post in September after emails surfaced showing he maintained contact with Epstein after the financier’s 2008 conviction for sex offenses involving a minor. Police opened a criminal investigation last month after additional details emerged in documents released by the U.S. Justice Department.
The files suggested that the former ambassador passed on sensitive and potentially market-moving government information to Epstein in 2009. At the time, Mandelson was part of the U.K. government.
Law enforcement searched both of his houses, in London and western England.
Among the disclosures in the recently released files were bank documents suggesting that between 2003 and 2004, Epstein sent three payments totaling $75,000 to accounts linked to Mandelson or his partner, Reinaldo Avila da Silva.
Mandelson has said he does not recall receiving the money and is examining whether the documents are authentic.
The files also showed that in 2009, Epstein sent 10,000 pounds—about $13,650 at current exchange rates—to da Silva to pay for an osteopathy course. Mandelson told The Times of London that "in retrospect, it was clearly a lapse in our collective judgment for Reinaldo to accept this offer."
Emails from the same year suggested Mandelson, then serving as business secretary, discussed with Epstein the possibility of lobbying other government officials to reduce a tax on bankers’ bonuses.
Another message showed Mandelson forwarding Epstein an internal government report on potential measures to raise money following the 2008 financial crisis, including the sale of government assets. Mandelson wrote in the email: "Interesting note that’s gone to the PM."
Quote:Injured survivors and bereaved families from the New Year's bar fire in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana will receive a one-off payment from the Swiss government.
Switzerland's governing Federal Council said the solidarity payment would go to the families of each of the 41 people who died, as well as more than 100 survivors who suffered serious injuries.
Witnesses and prosecutors said the fire at Le Constellation in the early hours of New Year's Day appeared to have been caused by sparkling candles, which ignited foam soundproofing on the bar's basement ceiling.
Many of the victims were teenagers, with ages ranging from 14 to 39. It emerged that a service door had been locked, preventing many inside from escaping as the fire spread around 1.30 a.m. on New Year's Day, the BBC reported.
No fire inspection had taken place there since 2019, and the former security officer at Crans-Montana's town hall told a hearing that local authorities had not closed any establishment because of fire risks until January, it was reported.
Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans said the federal government would pay 7.8 million francs ($10 million) for 156 individuals most severely affected by the fire. Jans said the money would complement the 10 million francs ($12.9 million) provided by Crans-Montana's home canton, Valais.
Swiss authorities said 115 people were injured in the fire. Most of those who died were teenagers, and many were foreign, including several from France and Italy.
The Swiss government also said it would work to help victims, insurers, and authorities reach out-of-court settlements and aims to contribute up to 20 million francs ($25 million) for such settlements.
One survivor, Mélanie Van de Velde, wrote on Facebook that she had suffered 40 percent burns and that "every treatment revives the pain."
Swiss prosecutors have launched an investigation into the club's owners, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, who have been the focus of fury from grieving parents. Earlier this month, the couple faced relatives outside the prosecutor's office in Sion, where they had arrived for questioning. The pair, who have blamed a waitress who also died in the fire, are under judicial supervision.
The couple faces charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence. They could face 20 years in prison if convicted of manslaughter.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin said Wednesday: “We too want to know what happened, why, and how it could have been prevented," Reuters reported.
CHINA
Quote:German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Beijing on Wednesday, his first visit to China as his country's leader, as the latest Western leader seeking to strike a balance between Washington and Beijing as tensions deepen between the world’s two largest economies.
The visit comes nearly 10 months after he took office and at a moment when China has reclaimed its position as Germany’s top trading partner, edging out the United States last year after Washington briefly held the spot in 2024. The shift underscores the economic stakes behind the trip, even as political and trade frictions persist.
Newsweek has reached out to Merz’s office by email with a request for comment.
Chinese 'Oversupply'
Ahead of his visit, Merz cited trade as a key concern he would discuss with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Successive German governments, along with European Union leadership, have accused China of unfair trade practices, particularly the oversupply of subsidized products such as electric vehicles—a sector where Chinese manufacturers are increasingly outcompeting Germany’s flagship auto industry.
Germany’s trade deficit with China reached a record $102.5 billion last year, a nearly 30 percent increase year on year.
The EU imposed tariffs on electric vehicles from leading Chinese automakers in response to what it characterized as a supply glut. Even so, Chinese brands captured between 11 and 16 percent of the European EV market last year.
Beijing has denied engaging in unfair trade practices and has accused Europe of interfering with free trade.
Fair competition is one of the five key principles Merz outlined ahead of his departure. German businesses have long complained of unequal access to China’s vast domestic market and state-backed competition that distorts pricing and supply.
Yet the trip also unfolds against renewed trade uncertainty with the United States—which Merz has described as “poison for the economies of Europe.” German exports to the U.S. fell by more than 9 percent between January and November last year, driven in part by tariffs. The United States now lags not only China, but also Poland and Italy as a destination for German exports.
While Merz welcomed this week’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down several sweeping tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump through executive action, Section 232 tariffs on German vehicles and auto parts remain in place. Trump has also announced a new blanket 15 percent tariff on certain countries, a move that has delayed a planned European Union vote on a trade deal with Washington.
NORTH KOREA
Quote:North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has handed his teenage daughter a leadership role in the regime’s powerful "Missile Administration," the body that oversees Pyongyang’s nuclear forces, South Korean media reported Monday.
The girl, Ju Ae, who is believed to be 13 or 14 years old, was assessed by South Korean intelligence received on Sunday to be acting as a "missile general director" while authorities monitor developments at the ongoing Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers’ Party, the reports said.
The Chosun Daily, citing high-level government sources familiar with the matter, said intelligence agencies obtained reports that Kim’s daughter has been elevated to the position.
While Jang Chang-ha is officially listed as director of the administration, intelligence suggested Kim’s daughter is receiving briefings from generals and issuing directives.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service recently told lawmakers that her public profile signals she is also in the "stage of being designated as a successor," adding that circumstances have been seen where she provides opinions on policy, The Associated Press reported.
The teen has appeared alongside her father at high-profile military events, including intercontinental ballistic missile launches and weapons inspections.
North Korean state media first confirmed her existence in November 2022, and described her only as a "beloved child" when she accompanied Kim at the launch of the Hwasong-17 ICBM.
Her name has never been officially disclosed by Pyongyang.
Her reported role comes as Kim continues to showcase advances in the country’s weapons programs.
On Feb. 18, Kim was photographed taking the wheel of a nuclear-capable 600mm multiple rocket launcher in Pyongyang, touting it as among the most powerful of its kind.
State media showed rows of launch vehicles and said the rockets, which Kim claimed rival short-range ballistic missiles and use artificial intelligence in their guidance systems, have "completely changed" modern artillery warfare, Reuters reported.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, Kim was re-elected general secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea on Feb.22, a decision announced by state-run media following the party’s Ninth Congress.
Just notice that the Chosun Daily actually called the girl Kim Ju Hae.
MIDDLE EAST
Quote:The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry compared the U.S. administration to the top Nazi propagandist after President Donald Trump again warned Tehran against pursuing a nuclear weapon in his State of the Union address to Congress.
Trump has ordered a massive military build-up in the Middle East and threatened to strike Iran if it does not make a new nuclear deal with the U.S.
Tehran denies seeking to build a nuclear bomb—and says it will never do so—though it has stockpiles of uranium enriched to a purity beyond what is needed for civilian energy purposes.
"Professional liars are good at creating the 'illusion of truth,'" Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said in a post on X after Trump's address.
"''Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth', is a law of propaganda coined by Nazi Joseph Goebbels.
"This is now systematically used by the U.S. administration and the war profiteers encircling it, particularly the genocidal Israeli regime, to serve their sinister disinformation & misinformation campaign against the Nation of Iran.
"Whatever they're alleging in regards to Iran's nuclear program, Iran's ballistic missiles, and the number of casualties during January's unrest is simply the repetition of 'big lies'. No one should be fooled by these prominent untruths."
Trump: Iran Wants a Deal
A third set of U.S.-Iran diplomatic talks is slated for Thursday in Geneva. The nuclear issue is top of the agenda, but the U.S. also wants to discuss Iran's ballistic missile capabilities and its support for proxy militias in the Middle East.
"They want to make a deal, but we haven't heard those secret words: 'We will never have a nuclear weapon,'" Trump said during his speech on Tuesday.
"My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy, but one thing is certain, I will never allow the world's number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon," he added.
"And no one should ever doubt America's resolve. We have the most powerful military on Earth."
Before Trump spoke, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X that "Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon," but defended Tehran's "right to harness the dividends of peaceful nuclear technology for our people."
An anonymous official from the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah told AFP it would not intervene militarily if the U.S. conducted limited strikes on Iran, which Trump has said he is considering to increase pressure on the regime.
Dozen of world’s deadliest fighter jets arrive in Israel as Trump orders Iran to end nuclear program
Quote:A dozen American F-22 Raptor fighter jets, representing more than $4 billion of military spending, have arrived at an Israeli air force base amid a massive buildup of US military hardware in the Middle East.
The planes, widely considered the best in the world due to their speed and stealth, arrived in the Jewish state Tuesday evening as tensions with Iran soar, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Designed by Lockheed Martin, the F-22s cost around $350 million each, and are so vital to the US that the Pentagon has forbidden their sale or licensure to any foreign government.
The dozen jets were previously stationed at the RAF Lakenheath base in southern England and were seen taking off earlier on Tuesday, the Times of Israel reported.
One was reportedly forced to return to the base due to a technical issue before taking off again later in the day.
F-22 and F-35 fighter jets, along with B-2 bombers, were used in June 2025’s Operation Midnight Hammer, in which the US struck three Iranian nuclear sites.
More than 300 US military aircraft are deployed across the Middle East, according to open-source intelligence monitoring and publicly available flight data.
The jets arrived just days after the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, arrived off Israel’s coast ahead of Thursday’s scheduled nuclear talks between the US and Iran in Geneva, Switzerland.
President Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran if the talks fail, while the Islamic regime has vowed to strike Israeli and US targets in the Middle East in response.
In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Trump branded the Iranian regime “the world’s number one sponsor of terror,” and ordered Tehran to end its nuclear program.
“We are in negotiations with [Iran], they want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those sacred words, ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon,'” Trump said.
LATIN AMERICA
Quote:Mexican soldiers captured and killed a notorious cartel boss after tracking a romantic partner to his hideout, officials have revealed in new details on the operation.
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, was one of the Mexican and U.S. government's most wanted drug lords. He headed up the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the main groups responsible for trafficking fentanyl into the U.S.
On Sunday, the Mexican army tracked him to the town of Talpalpa, where they launched a dramatic raid on his hideout, killing at least eight other cartel members along with El Mencho in a bloody fight.
Here's how it unfolded.
From a Lover to a Firefight
On Friday, Mexican forces acted following a tip-off from a trusted associate of one of El Mencho's romantic partners. They've not been named by Mexican authorities for their own safety.
Police then followed El Mencho's lover to a wooded mountainous area on the outskirts of Tapalpa and the building where the drug kingpin was holed up, the Mexican government said on Monday.
Mexico's defense minister, General Ricardo Trevilla, said the woman, described as one of El Mencho's "romantic partners," was taken to the property in Tapalpa by another associate on Friday, but the woman had departed on Saturday.
The drug boss remained in the area with a security detail while special forces soldiers planned their assault.
The element of surprise was key, Trevilla said. Some of the forces hung back along the border of Jalisco state to avoid detection as ground troops approached the building.
El Mencho's bodyguards opened fire on the soldiers before the cartel leader and his inner circle fled toward cabins in a wooded area on the outskirts of Tapalpa, Trevilla said. They were found hiding among the undergrowth.
The firefight forced one helicopter to make an emergency landing at a nearby military base, but no personnel were injured, the defense chief said.
El Mencho and two others were gravely injured and evacuated from the scene, but died en route and were ultimately taken to Mexico City rather than Guadalajara, as originally intended.
The U.S. Role
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and her top officials have faced increasing U.S. pressure to crack down on drug trafficking operations across the border.
Much of the fentanyl smuggled into the U.S. comes via Mexico, and President Donald Trump and his administration have shown they are willing to use military force to tackle drug trafficking.
On Monday, U.S. forces killed another three people aboard an alleged drug boat as part of a nearly six-month-long controversial strike campaign in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean.
Shortly after U.S. forces captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and brought him to New York to face narco-terrorism charges in January, Trump had said cartels were "running Mexico" and suggested the U.S. would "start now hitting land with regard to the cartels."
The White House also designated the CJNG as a foreign terrorist organization last year, giving the U.S. more options for how it could target the cartel.
Sheinbaum quickly rejected U.S. military operations in Mexico without its approval, but increased cooperation on extradition to the U.S.
U.S. and Mexican officials said U.S. intelligence had supported the operation against El Mencho but did not offer up further information.
A joint U.S.-Mexico task force that frequently collaborates with the Mexican military was involved in the operation on Sunday, U.S. media reported, citing anonymous U.S. defense officials. American officials had handed over a dossier of information on El Mencho ahead of the Mexican military operation, an unnamed former U.S. official told Reuters.
Violence Continues
The drug baron's death after a shoot-out with Mexican forces ignited a massive wave of retaliatory violence and widespread disruption across 20 states.
Quote:FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said he is "not worried" about security at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico after days of violence following the killing of the cartel boss Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes.
Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, was one of the world's most wanted drug lords and leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). He was killed by Mexican special forces in an operation in Tapalpa on Sunday, which has sparked widespread unrest and cartel retaliation in multiple Mexican states.
The violence - which has seen American tourists told to shelter in place - has raised concerns over whether soccer fans will be safe during the World Cup tournament this year, when numerous games are scheduled to take place in Mexico.
Why It Matters
Violence has been reported just a few miles from Estadio Akron, in the Mexican city of Guadalajara, which is scheduled to host a World Cup qualifying playoff tournament in late March.
Mexico is also set to host four World Cup matches in June and July.
What To Know
Infantino told the Spanish media outlet AS: "We have full confidence that everything will go very well: the playoff and then the World Cup. It will be a celebration."
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also said there was "no risk" to soccer fans planning to travel to Mexico, saying on Tuesday that "all the guarantees" were in place for the tournament to go ahead safely.
Pablo Lemus, the governor of the Mexican state of Jalisco, said: "There is absolutely no intention on FIFA's part to remove any venues from Mexico. The three venues remain completely firm."
It comes after multiple people expressed concerns about the games set to be hosted in Mexico, with some calling for them to be moved.
Mexico's Ministry of Defense said on Sunday that Oseguera Cervantes was wounded during a Sunday's operation and died en route to Mexico City, while four other CJNG members were killed and three army personnel injured.
The U.S. State Department urged Americans to shelter in place in Jalisco—including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala and Guadalajara—as well as parts of Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon due to road blockages and criminal activity.
Sheinbaum said all state governments were in "absolute coordination" and that activities were proceeding "with complete normality" in most of the country.
Quote:The Cuban government on Wednesday night said that the 10 people onboard a U.S.-registered boat involved in a deadly shooting with the Cuban Coast Guard were armed Cuban nationals living in the United States, the Associated Press (AP) reports.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for additional comment.
Why It Matters
U.S. officials said earlier that they were aware of or briefed on the incident and gathering additional information, underscoring the significance of determining the passengers' identities, what they were doing in Cuban waters and whether any are U.S. nationals or lawful permanent residents.
What To Know
Cuba’s coast guard killed four people and wounded six during the exchange with the Florida-registered speedboat off the island’s coast, according to the country’s Ministry of the Interior, which identified the vessel's registration number as FL7726SH. The speedboat approached up to 1 nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel, in the Cayo Falcones, Corralillo municipality, Villa Clara province, per the ministry.
Cuban officials said when their Coast Guard approached the vessel, the speedboat's crew opened fire on them. According to the AP, Cuba’s government said that the majority onboard the U.S.-registered boat “have a known history of criminal and violent activity.”
Who was onboard the U.S.-registered boat?
The Cuban Embassy in the U.S. listed seven of the 10 onboard, identifying them as: Amijail Sánchez González; Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez; Conrado Galindo Sariol; José Manuel Rodríguez Castelló; Cristian Ernesto Acosta Guevara; and Roberto Azcorra Consuegra. In an X post, the embassy also identified Michel Ortega Casanova as among those killed.
The embassy adds that there are ongoing efforts to identify the remaining three passengers who were onboard the U.S. vessel.
González and Gómez are wanted by officials in Cuba “for their alleged involvement in the promotion, planning, organization, financing, support, or execution of terrorist acts in #Cuba or abroad," the Cuban Embassy says.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
![[Image: SP1-Scripter.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Scripter.png)
![[Image: SP1-Writer.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Writer.png)
![[Image: SP1-Poet.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Poet.png)
![[Image: SP1-PixelArtist.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-PixelArtist.png)
![[Image: SP1-Reporter.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/GmxWbHyL/SP1-Reporter.png)
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
