09-10-2025, 09:03 AM (This post was last modified: 09-10-2025, 02:58 PM by kyonides.
Edit Reason: Poland Wants to Invoke NATO's Article 4
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Poland Wants to Invoke NATO's Article 4
For more information on this topic and Russia's reaction, please open the Ukraine War Section and read the 2 last articles there.
Spoilers
Polish government spokesperson Adam Szlapka has confirmed that Article 4 has been activated and NATO's decision-making body will meet to assess the threat and Poland's evidence.
Quote:The reading and math scores of 12th graders has dropped to their lowest level in more than 20 years, according to results from an exam known as the nation's report card.
Why It Matters
The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP)—which is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics with the U.S. Department of Education—is considered one of the best gauges of the academic progress of U.S. schools.
The assessments were the first for 12th graders in reading and math and eighth graders in science since the COVID-19 pandemic upended education for children, and reflect learning declines that started well before the pandemic.
The results comes as children are increasingly spending time on smartphones and social media, which experts have warned are contributing to a decline in academic performance.
What To Know
The average score in reading for 12th graders was the lowest since the NAEP first administered the reading assessment in 1992. It was three points lower than in 2019 and 10 points lower than in 1992.
Thirty-two percent of 12th graders scored below the NAEP Basic level in 2024, meaning they could not locate and identify details in a text to help understand its meaning.
The average score for 12th graders in math in 2024 was the lowest since 2005, when the math assessment framework changed significantly. Almost half (45 percent) of 12th graders scored below the NAEP Basic level.
The average score for eighth-grade students in science fell for the first time since the current assessment began in 2009, according to the results. Thirty-eight percent of eighth-graders scored below the NAEP Basic level In 2024, which was five points higher than in 2019 but not significantly different from 2009.
What People Are Saying
Matthew Soldner, the acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, said in a statement: "These results are sobering. The drop in overall scores coincides with significant declines in achievement among out lowest-performing students, continuing a downward trend that began even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Among our nation's high school seniors, we're now seeing a larger percentage of students scoring below the NAEP Basic achievement level in mathematics and reading than in any previous assessment."
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement: "Today's NAEP results confirm a devastating trend: American students are testing at historic lows across all of K-12. At a critical juncture when students are about to graduate and enter the workforce, military, or higher education, nearly half of America's high school seniors are testing at below basic levels in math and reading. Despite spending billions annually on numerous K-12 programs, the achievement gap is widening, and more high school seniors are performing below the basic benchmark in math and reading than ever before.
She added: "The lesson is clear. Success isn't about how much money we spend, but who controls the money and where that money is invested. That's why President Trump and I are committed to returning control of education to the states so they can innovate and meet each school and students' unique needs. If America is going to remain globally competitive, students must be able to read proficiently, think critically, and graduate equipped to solve complex problems. We owe it to them to do better."
Quote:The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday paused a lower court order requiring the Trump administration to quickly move to spend billions of dollars in foreign aid that the president has sought to block.
The justices issued an administrative stay, a temporary measure that allows them more time to review the administration's request to withhold about $4 billion in aid authorized by Congress before the September 30 deadline.
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The Trump administration has sought to pull back foreign aid spending since day one of President Donald Trump's second term, when he signed an executive order pausing funds. This raised concerns from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in Congress, who had already approved the spending.
What To Know
The one-page order from Chief Justice John Roberts stayed a September 3 ruling from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, in which Judge Amir Ali had barred the administration from withholding funds.
In its emergency filing to the Supreme Court on Monday, the Trump administration said the ban "irreparably harms the Executive Branch," and that the funds should remain frozen while Congress considers Trump's proposals.
Trump had told House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, in a letter on August 28 that he would not spend $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid, inclusive of $900 million in contributions to the United Nations, effectively cutting the budget without going through the legislative branch.
He used what's known as a pocket rescission—a process allowing a president to submit a request to Congress toward the end of a current budget year to reallocate the approved funds. The late notice means Congress cannot act on the request in the required 45-day window, and the money goes unspent.
The order by Roberts marks the third Supreme Court win this week for Trump, including allowing ICE to stop people solely based on their race, language, job or location.
Roberts also issued an order that permitted the president remove a member of the Federal Trade Commission.
Quote:A federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's attempt to oust Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors, allowing her to continue serving as she contests her recent dismissal, according to the court ruling reviewed by Newsweek.
Trump announced on August 25 that he was firing Cook, "in light of your deceitful and potentially criminal conduct in a financial matter," adding that he no longer had "confidence in your integrity."
In response, Cook filed a lawsuit calling her termination "unprecedented and illegal," and stating the allegations of mortgage fraud that underpinned the president's action were "unsubstantiated." She sought an immediate injunction against her firing and for reinstatement to the Fed's Board of Governors.
"The Federal Reserve Act provides that the President may only remove a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System 'for cause,'" the court said in its ruling.
"The Court finds that Cook has made a strong showing that her purported removal was done in violation of the Federal Reserve Act's 'for cause' provision," the court added.
Trump's bid to fire Cook comes as he ramps up pressure on the Fed to lower interest rates. The president has repeatedly criticized Jerome Powell, chair of the central bank, for not cutting the Fed's short-term interest rate more aggressively and has even threatened to fire him.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new MAHA Commission report suggests the government support mothers — including with a more robust supply of donor breastmilk for those who can’t lactate themselves, and regulating infant formula more heavily.
The report, published Tuesday, states that the USDA and HHS will “work to increase breastfeeding rates,” either through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) — or other policies that greater assist breastfeeding moms.
The two agencies will also “work with other Federal partners to develop policies to promote and ensure a safe supply of donor human milk,” the report states.
Only about 30% of US women exclusively breastfed for the first six months of the baby’s life, while about 50% did for the first three months, according to the the most recently-released CDC findings from 2022.
For those opting out of breastfeeding, the MAHA commission noted it is taking actions to further regulate infant formula to ensure it has proper nutrients and no ingredients that can be dangerous to infants.
“FDA will modernize nutrient requirements for formula, increase testing for heavy metals and other contaminants to help ensure access to high-quality and healthy infant formula sold in the United States, and encourage companies to develop new infant formulas,” the report states.
Kennedy has been looking to make formula more nutritious — and less dangerous — for months as a part of his MAHA agenda.
The HHS head launched an investigation into how best to expand options for nutritious infant formula back in March, with Kennedy saying “The FDA will use all resources and authorities at its disposal to make sure infant formula products are safe and wholesome for the families and children who rely on them.”
“Helping each family and child get off to the right start from birth is critical to our pursuit to Make America Healthy Again.”
Quote:President Trump took the streets of Washington, DC Tuesday and dined out with members of his Cabinet as he touted the “spectacular” outcome of his crime crackdown in the nation’s capital.
Trump’s outing to Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab – an upscale establishment about a block away from the White House – marks the first time the president has gone out to dinner in the district since the start of his second term.
“We’re standing right in the middle of DC, which, as you know, over the last year was a very unsafe place, over the last 20 years it was very unsafe, and now it’s got virtually no crime,” Trump told reporters outside the restaurant.
“I wouldn’t have done this three months ago, four months ago, I certainly wouldn’t have done it a year ago,” the president continued. “This was one of the most unsafe cities in the country. Now, it’s as safe as there is in the country.”
Trump, accompanied by Vice President JD Vance, War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urged everybody in the district to “go out” and enjoy the city amid the drop in crime.
“The restaurants now are booming. People are going out to dinner where they didn’t go out for years,” the president claimed, thanking the National Guard and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser for working with his team on the safety initiative.
“The outcome is really spectacular,” Trump said. “We have a capital that’s very, very safe.”
The president was greeted outside the restaurant by loud cheers from across the street and a smattering of boos.
Several anti-Trump protesters heckled the president inside the restaurant as he walked to his table.
“Free DC! Free Palestine! Trump is the Hitler of our time!” several women chanted as they unfurled small Palestinian flags.
But the commander in chief appeared unbothered by the disturbance.
Quote:A 13-year-old Washington boy allegedly “obsessed” with past school shooters was arrested after police found a stockpile of guns, boxes of ammunition, and chilling writings suggesting he was plotting his own killing spree.
The teen suspect, who has not been identified, was taken into custody after police raided his Tacoma home at 1 a.m. upon receiving numerous tips that he had “school shooter ideations,” made lethal threats, and bragged about his access to firearms, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
Police seized 23 guns — some reportedly homemade with a 3D-printer — along with loaded magazines scrawled with “school shooter” writings and menacing clothing tied to a mass shooting incident.
“It appeared the suspect had everything ready to go to commit a mass shooting type of incident,” Deputy Carly Cappetto said in a video posted Monday on Facebook.
“It is unknown who or what the intended target was going to be but it is clear it was only a matter of time before a tragic incident occurred.”
Shocking footage released by the sheriff’s office showed long guns and black AR-15s laid out on tables, with about eight handguns scattered on the floor and six large tan boxes of ammo.
Most of the firearms were found mounted on the walls throughout the teen’s home, while handguns were left unsecured, Cappetto said.
Authorities also found a “go bag” in the alleged would-be-killer’s bedroom, packed with multiple boxes of ammo and AR-style magazines, some marked with scribbles referencing mass shootings, including the Columbine High School massacre, according to court documents obtained by multiple outlets.
Other evidence collected suggested the troubled boy — who hasn’t been enrolled in school since 2021 — idolized past school shooters, imitating their behaviors through photos and inscriptions scattered throughout his room.
Quote:President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced Princeton University student Elizabeth Tsurkov has been released by Hezbollah, an Islamist militant organization.
Tsurkov, a Russian-Israeli dual citizen who identifies as Jewish, was “just released” by Kata’ib Hezbollah, and is now safe inside the American Embassy in Iraq, the president wrote in a Truth Social post.
She was abducted at a café in Baghdad’s Karrada district in 2023 while conducting academic research for her dissertation, and was allegedly tortured over the span of months.
Her sister is an American citizen.
“I will always fight for JUSTICE, and never give up,” Trump wrote in the post. “HAMAS, RELEASE THE HOSTAGES, NOW!”
Quote:The sicko accused of brutally stabbing 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska to death on a train in North Carolina last month has been hit with a federal criminal charge, the Justice Department and FBI announced Tuesday.
Decarlos Brown Jr, 34, is now facing one federal count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system. That comes in addition to the first-degree murder in state court he is facing for allegedly killing Zarutska in the stabbing that was caught on camera.
“Iryna Zarutska was a young woman living the American dream — her horrific murder is a direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies that put criminals before innocent people,” US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Tuesday.
“I have directed my attorneys to federally prosecute DeCarlos Brown Jr., a repeat violent offender with a history of violent crime, for murder. We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable crime, and he will never again see the light of day as a free man.”
FBI Director Kash Patel ripped the savage stabbing as “a disgraceful act that should never happen in America."
“The FBI jumped to assist in this investigation immediately to ensure justice is served, and the perpetrator is never released from jail to kill again,” he added in a statement.
Disturbing surveillance footage showed Zarutska looking up in horror as she was stabbed from behind repeatedly with what prosecutors said was a pocket knife during her ride on the Lynx Blue Line train on Aug. 22.
Police later described the attack as “seemingly unprovoked.”
She had taken refuge in the US back in 2022 after Russian invaders unleashed a bloody war on her home country.
At the time of her death, Zarutska was employed at local pizzeria, Zepeddie’s Pizza, and can be seen wearing her work attire on the security camera footage during the horrific stabbing.
Brown, a 34-year-old homeless man, had been arrested at least 14 times in North Carolina since 2007 for various offenses ranging from assault to robbery to illegal firearms possession, records reviewed by The Post show.
Quote:A putrid, dismembered body has been found dumped in a Tesla reportedly registered to popular New York-born singer D4vd — several days after it was abandoned and taken to a Los Angeles tow yard.
Police made the grim discovery at the impound lot in Hollywood on Monday afternoon after workers reported a foul odor coming from the electric vehicle.
The 2023 Tesla is registered to David Anthony Burke, the 20-year-old Queens-born “Romantic Homicide” artist known as D4vd, ABC7 reported.
The artist’s representatives assured that Burke is “cooperating with authorities,” even though “he is still out on tour,” according to a statement obtained by NBC News Los Angeles.
The identity of the victim wasn’t immediately known.
Authorities told the outlet that it could take some time since the bagged remains weren’t intact on top of the body’s advanced decomposition from days locked in the Tesla’s front trunk, baking in the SoCal sun.
The car, which bears Texas license plates, had been towed to the lot after being reported abandoned in the Hollywood Hills roughly five days ago, according to investigators.
In that time, D4vd has been sharing routine posts with his 2 million followers on Instagram.
He is currently in the middle of a world tour and had a show in Minneapolis scheduled on Tuesday night, with a Los Angeles stop slated for later this month.
Quote:Passengers who weren’t buckled aboard a Delta Air Lines flight to Europe were violently thrown into the ceiling and back down to the floor in July when the plane encountered severe turbulence in a thunderstorm over Wyoming, according to a new report on the incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that passengers endured 2.5 minutes of turbulence that caught the pilots by surprise on July 30 even though they had already altered their route to try to avoid the storms.
The seat belt sign was off so passengers, flight attendants and drink carts were thrown around the plane.
The flight took off from Salt Lake City and was bound for Amsterdam, but it diverted to Minneapolis, where 24 people were evaluated by paramedics and 18 were taken to hospitals.
Two crew members sustained serious injuries and five sustained minor injuries.
The preliminary report said during the turbulence the passengers felt a gravitational force up to 1.75 times their body weight.
“That’s a lot of force. That’s like a muscle man grabbing you by the shoulders and with all of his strength trying to pull you up,” said aviation safety consultant Jeff Guzzetti, who used to investigate crashes for the NTSB and FAA.
“If you’re standing and you experience those types of forces, you’re going to be thrown upward into the ceiling and then back down again onto the floor with a lot of force.”
Guzzetti said that enduring turbulence that lasted that long would seem like “an eternity” for the passengers feeling those forces.
The NTSB also said the plane’s wing dipped down as much as 40 degrees at one point, and Guzzetti said that would have alarmed passengers.
That fits with what passengers described afterward.
“They hit the ceiling, and then they fell to the ground,” Leann Clement-Nash told ABC News.
“And the carts also hit the ceiling and fell to the ground and people were injured. It happened several times, so it was really scary.”
The report said that the pilot had turned off the seatbelt sign and flight attendants had begun drink service shortly before the plane encountered the turbulence.
The pilots likely believed they were in the clear after asking air traffic controllers to route them around the storms.
Quote:Russia brushed off U.S. President Donald Trump's latest comments about further sanctions over the war in Ukraine, saying they have "no effect whatsoever" and are "absolutely useless."
Trump told reporters on Sunday, September 7, that he was ready to move to the next phase of sanctions against Russia. He had threatened secondary tariffs on major Russian trading partners and other sanctions if Moscow did not make peace with Ukraine soon.
Since then, the war has continued, and over the weekend Moscow launched its largest aerial attack to date. A Ukrainian government building for cabinet ministers was hit for the first time during the attack.
Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Russian President Vladimir Putin, blamed Kyiv and its European allies for keeping more sanctions at the forefront of the agenda for Washington.
"Overall, one thing can probably be said: This unprecedented number of sanctions that have been imposed on our country over the past—well, it's already almost four years, now four years—have had no effect whatsoever," Peskov told Russian Alexander Yunashev.
"They have proven absolutely useless in terms of putting pressure on Russia," Peksov said, originally in Russian, in a video posted to the Yunashev LIVE channel on Telegram on Monday morning.
Quote:A group which is involved in investigating Moscow's war crimes in Ukraine has told Newsweek a plan by Russia to withdraw from a European treaty on torture was "profoundly disturbing."
Vladimir Putin submitted a draft bill to Russia's parliament (State Duma) denouncing the European Convention on the Prevention of Torture (CPT Convention), which obliges members to prevent torture in territories under their jurisdiction, U.S.-funded Radio Liberty reported.
Last month, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a resolution proposing the withdrawal, which had awaited Putin's submission to the Duma and raised concerns about what it would mean for the thousands of Ukrainian prisoners being held by Russia.
Jeremy Pizzi, legal adviser at Global Rights Compliance, which is helping Kyiv compile evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine, told Newsweek on Monday that the move was Moscow's latest effort to prevent all access to prisoners by independent observers.
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Pizzi said the move to exit the European treaty raised concerns that Moscow could be seeking to conceal further serious misconduct from the world.
According to Ukrainian outlet Ukrainska Pravda, Kyiv says Moscow holds at least 2,500 Ukrainian prisoners of war and those released have described appalling conditions in which they were held and the torture that they endured.
What To Know
Russia signed the CPT Convention in 1996, and it came into force in the country two years later. The treaty aims to prevent mistreatment and gave the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture the legal authority to inspect Russian detention facilities.
But Russia's prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin, signed a decree proposed by the Cabinet on August 25 to withdraw from the convention, and Putin has now submitted this to the Duma, which is likely to rubber stamp it.
Andrey Lugovoi, deputy chairman of the State Duma's security committee, said Moscow's withdrawal from the convention would be a formality, as Russia had already withdrawn from the Council of Europe.
An explanatory note to the bill said that Russia has had no representative in the European Committee of the Council of Europe since 2023, with the country blocked from the body following its aggression in Ukraine.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on August 26 that the withdrawal would be in line with Russian measures likely aimed at worsening abuses of Ukrainian prisoners in Russia and occupied Ukraine.
This included a decree by Putin on July 23 authorizing the creation of autonomous Federal Security Service (FSB) pre-trial detention facilities.
Pizzi said the withdrawal was Russia's latest effort to prevent all access to detainees by independent international observers, although despite this, the use of torture by Russian officials towards Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war is extremely well documented.
It was also another indicator of Russia's use of torture as state policy and was a "disgraceful attempt to normalize abhorrent behavior that is emphatically prohibited under international law," Pizzi added.
Quote:Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 20 people were killed in a "brutally savage" Russian airstrike on Yarova in Donetsk at a place where pensions were being handed out.
"Directly on people. Ordinary civilians. At the very moment when pensions were being disbursed," Zelensky said in a statement shared on social media along with a graphic video showing the aftermath of the strike, with bodies scattered around a charred vehicle.
"According to preliminary information, more than 20 people were killed. There are no words... My condolences to all the families and loved ones of the victims."
Newsweek has contacted the Russian foreign ministry's press service for comment via email.
The latest strike adds pressure on President Donald Trump to make good on his threats of tougher action against Russia if it fails to agree to a peace deal with Ukraine soon. Trump has for months sought to broker an end to the Russian invasion.
Zelensky Demands Global Response to Russia
Zelensky said that Russian strikes "must not be left without an appropriate response from the world.
"The Russians continue destroying lives while avoiding new strong sanctions and new strong blows."
He continued: "The world must not remain silent. The world must not remain idle. A response is needed from the United States. A response is needed from Europe. A response is needed from the G20. Strong actions are needed to make Russia stop bringing death."
Trump Moves on More Russia Sanctions
Trump indicated that he was moving towards additional sanctions targeting Russia and its major trading partners—including punitive secondary tariffs—because Moscow was intensifying its war in Ukraine instead of making peace.
He has already imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on Indian goods as a result of its buying Russian oil.
The U.S. leader has also urged Kyiv's European allies to take greater action against Russia and its key partners, including China. He told the European states still purchasing Russian oil to stop.
Quote:Poland's military said it shot down intruding Russian drones after the NATO member and allies scrambled aircraft early on Wednesday in response to what it called an "unprecedented" violation of its airspace as Russian forces attacked in nearby western Ukraine.
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What To Know
The operational command of the Polish armed forces said in a post on X that "defensive procedures were immediately initiated" after Polish airspace was repeatedly violated "by drone-type objects" as Russian forces attacked in western Ukraine.
"As a result of today's attack by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory, an unprecedented violation of Polish airspace by drones occurred. This is an act of aggression that poses a real threat to the safety of our citizens," the Polish command said.
"Polish and allied assets monitored several objects by radar, and considering those that might pose a threat, the Operational Commander of the Polish Armed Forces decided to neutralize them," it said, adding: "Some of the drones that intruded into our airspace were shot down. Searches and location of the possible crash sites of these objects are ongoing."
The Polish military was monitoring the situation and "Polish and allied forces and assets remain on full alert."
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he had informed the NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about the Polish action.
Warsaw's Chopin Airport warned passengers on its website that flight operations were on hold due to closure of the airspace over part of the country "due to government and military security measures."
"The airport remains open, but there are currently no flight operations," it said.
Most of Ukraine, including western regions of Volyn and Lviv that border Poland, were under air raid alerts for several hours early Wednesday—according to Ukraine's air force—which earlier reported that Russian drones had entered Poland's airspace, threatening the city of Zamosc, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian media also reported that several Russian drones had crossed into Poland's air space.
What People Are Saying
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on X: "Repeated violations of NATO airspace by Russian drones are fair warning that Vladimir Putin is testing our resolve to protect Poland and the Baltic nations. After the carnage Putin continues to visit on Ukraine, these incursions cannot be ignored."
Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, referring to Trump's calls for NATO countries to spend 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense, to Newsweek last week: "President Trump was right that Europeans had disarmed themselves for too long…If we do this, then by the end of this decade, Russia will be in no position to threaten us."
Quote:Ukraine is at risk of falling short of air defense weapons after US military aid slowed down in the summer — just as Moscow’s deadly attacks escalate with a record number of airstrikes, according to a new report.
Kyiv has been struggling to intercept the hundreds of drones and missiles fired by Moscow on a daily basis, with western analysts warning that if Russia maintains the rate of its latest attacks, then Kyiv’s defenses may crumble.
“It’s a question of time for when munitions run out,” one source familiar with the US deliveries to Ukraine told the Financial Times.
Irregular and small supplies have been reportedly sent to Ukraine since June following a directive from the Pentagon arguing that providing defense weapons for Kyiv could deplete America’s own stockpile.
The Pentagon first paused and then slowed the shipment of Pac-3 interceptors meant for the Patriot air defense systems active in Ukraine, senior US and Ukrainian officials told the FT.
The US also stalled on shipments of Stinger man-portable air defense systems, precision-guided artillery shells, more than 100 Hellfire and Aim missiles, and F-16 fighter jets — all weapons critical to Ukraine’s defenses.
The White House confirmed the halt in July, saying the decision was made to “put America’s interests first.”
The shortage led Kyiv’s forces to expend a significant amount of their ammunition to defend against Russia’s escalating barrages on energy and civilian infrastructure throughout the summer, Ukrainian officials told the FT.
A White House official slammed reports that it is depriving Ukraine of air defense munitions as false, telling The Post that the Department of War is working to support Ukraine’s needs.
The official added that European allies must not only step up to provide more aid to Ukraine, but they must also increase economic pressures on Russia to end the war.
Quote:Ukraine is ready to freeze the frontlines with Russia — if European and American allies can help provide tough security guarantees, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said Monday.
“Ukraine has proven and demonstrated that they’re willing to make a deal. They’re willing to freeze the front line if they get security guarantees,” Whitaker told Fox Business‘ Liz Claman.
“I think there’s a framework for a deal, and now we just need to make sure it happens.”
That could be a game-changer in President Trump’s peace efforts, proving Kyiv’s commitment to ending the brutal conflict that now sees more than 7,000 Ukrainian and Russian deaths per week.
Kyiv officials did not immediately comment on Whitaker’s assertions Tuesday, but Ukrainian and US sources have told The Post that Zelensky may be open to formally acknowledging Russian control — not ownership — of some occupied regions in eastern Ukraine as part of a negotiated settlement.
But it will take more than just Ukraine’s willingness to make peace, the Whitaker said.
Moscow remains the biggest impediment to ending the war, rebuking Trump’s calls for a cease-fire and a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“This death and destruction we’re seeing needs to end, and really continuing to increase the pressure on Vladimir Putin to end this war, because both sides are going to have to agree,” Whitaker said, calling for Europe to join in on Trump-proposed sanctions on Russian oil.
Whitaker explained that “the Russian economy is struggling” as its revenue “coming in every month [is] diminishing” — meaning sanctions targeting Moscow’s energy sales can exploit “some near-term cracks that are starting to appear in the Russian economy” and push Putin to the negotiation table.
“The money that’s paying for this war is coming from the sale of Russian oil to countries including India, China and Brazil,” he said.
“And I think applying those additional sanctions and those additional tariffs to continue to increase the cost of doing business for Vladimir Putin reduces revenue.”
Quote:President Trump on Tuesday asked the European Union to impose up to 100% tariffs on China and India for the rogue nations’ purchases of Russian oil to try to crank the economic pressure on the Kremlin, a well-placed source said.
Should Europe choose to levy the up-to-100% tariffs the president requested, Washington may be willing to issue the same on India and China, US officials told The Post.
Beijing and New Delhi are the two most prolific buyers of Russian oil — the main source of revenue that Moscow uses to fund its horrific war on Ukraine.
In July, China paid Moscow more than $7.2 billion for Russian fossil fuels, while India spent roughly $3.6 billion for its imports, according to a report by the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
Trump has been urging his European partners to sanction nations that purchase Russian oil — and stop buying Russian energy products themselves — in phone calls with officials over the past two weeks.
The US doesn’t directly purchase Russian oil.
It has placed 50% tariffs on India for its Russian oil purchases but so far has held off on slapping punishments on China.
The White House has also asked European nations to join in on potential secondary sanctions that would target all nations that buy oil from Russia.
The news came as Trump on Tuesday afternoon announced on Truth Social that he would be speaking with his “very good friend, [Indian] Prime Minister Modi, in the coming weeks.
Quote:Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said his country would formally request the invocation of NATO's Article 4 in response to the violation of his country's airspace by 19 Russian drones, some of which were shot down.
NATO's Article 4 states: "The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened."
Tusk's comments follow Poland's response to a Russian bombardment of Ukraine in which drones launched by Moscow breached the NATO member's airspace.
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Unlike Article 5's collective defense element, NATO's Article 4 does not trigger military action, but initiates a formal alliance discussion when one member considers its territorial integrity or security is threatened.
Poland's call for Article 4 shows Warsaw's concern at the breach of its airspace which has sparked alarm among Kyiv's allies over whether Moscow was deliberately testing NATO's resolve.
What To Know
Poland said it downed Russian drones in its airspace during a mass aerial attack on Ukraine early Wednesday and that aircraft were deployed in response, including from the Netherlands.
Col. Martin L. O'Donnell, spokesperson for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe said that this was the first time NATO aircraft had engaged potential threats in allied airspace.
He said that German Patriots in Poland were placed on alert and that an Italian airborne early warning aircraft and an aerial refueler from NATO's Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) fleet were also launched.
Tusk said Warsaw had requested the activation of Article 4 of NATO's treaty which allows member states to request consultations with allies over security threats without triggering a military response.
The article acts as an early warning system and does not mean there is direct pressure on members to act militarily but does allow a meeting in which security concerns and how to combat them are discussed.
Since NATO was founded in 1949, Article 4 has been invoked only a handful of times—most recently by Eastern European members Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, after Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
By contrast, Article 5 stipulates an attack on one ally is considered as an attack against all allies. It sets in motion the possibility of collective self-defense although it does not automatically result in military action, rather commits members to "assist the party or parties so attacked."
Lieutenant Commander Artur Bilski, a former NATO officer, told Polish outlet Radio ZET that Russia's breach of airspace Wednesday meant that "we absolutely should apply Article 4. of the North Atlantic Treaty."
"So far, we have had incidents, but here we have a large scale and deliberate action," he said, according to a translation.
During these consultations, a decision could be made to apply NATO's Article 5 for a collective response but that decision must be made unanimously and right now, it was far too early to talk about such a scenario, he added.
Quote:The Kremlin said it did not want to comment on Poland's accusation that Russian drones violated the NATO ally's airspace, leading to several of the devices being shot down.
Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, instead deferred questions about it to the Russian Ministry of Defense, state-run news agency TASS reported.
The defense ministry said in a statement there had been no planned strikes on Polish territory. Russia's envoy to Poland said that there was no evidence that the drones were Russian and that Warsaw's accusations were "groundless."
Why It Matters
Russia has conducted repeated drone and missile bombardments of Ukrainian infrastructure, including a major attack last night. But on this occasion, Poland says 19 drones flew over its territory of which four were shot down. NATO stated that it was the first time its aircraft had engaged potential threats in allied airspace.
This has raised fears of a confrontation between Russia and a NATO member, and an escalation of the war that Kyiv's allies had warned about.
The alliance activated Article 4 of NATO's treaty in which members will discuss the security concerns involved although it does not obligate any military action. Russia's statements appear to be trying to show that the incursion was not intentional amid speculation that Moscow was seeking to test the alliance's resolve.
What To Know
Poland confirmed on Wednesday its defenses had downed Russian drones in its airspace during a mass Russian aerial attack on Ukraine.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Warsaw formally requested the consultations under Article 4, in which members hold discussions if they believe their security is threatened, without triggering an automatic military response.
On the Mayak radio station on Wednesday, Peskov was asked about Tusk's accusation that Russian drones had breached Poland's air space and his invocation of NATO's Article 4, which calls for alliance members to convene.
Peskov replied that he did not want to comment because it was within the competence of the defense ministry.
The Russian defense ministry issued a statement on Telegram which said that Moscow conducted large-scale strikes on Ukraine's military sites in the Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, and Zhytomyr regions, as well as in the cities of Vinnytsia and Lviv and that all targets had been hit.
It said that no targets on Polish territory were planned and that the maximum range of the Russian drones which allegedly crossed the border with Poland did not exceed 700 kilometers (450 miles.)
Russia always claims its drone and missile strikes target military sites but Ukraine says these frequently hit civilian infrastructure.
Answering a follow-up question about European and NATO accusations that Moscow had staged a provocation, Peskov said that these blocs accuse Russia of provocations "every day, usually without even trying to present any arguments for them."
What People Are Saying
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said regarding Poland's accusations of drones entering the NATO country: "We don't want to comment, it is not within our competence, and is the prerogative of the defense ministry of the Russian Federation."
Russian Ministry of Defense in a statement: "No targets on the territory of Poland were planned...nevertheless, we are ready to hold consultations on this matter with Poland's Ministry of Defense."
Russia's charge d'affaires in Warsaw, Andrei Ordash, according to Russian media: Russia "is absolutely not interested in any escalation with Poland."
What Happens Next
Polish government spokesperson Adam Szlapka has confirmed that Article 4 has been activated and NATO's decision-making body will meet to assess the threat and Poland's evidence.
Quote:France’s government was toppled in a vote of no confidence on Monday, forcing President Emmanuel Macron to search for his fourth prime minister in 12 months — and throwing the EU’s second largest economy into chaos.
Premier François Bayrou was ousted overwhelmingly in a 364-194 vote against him, losing an apparent gamble that lawmakers would back his push for France to slash public spending to repay its debts.
The 74-year-old centrist was instead voted out, ending his short-lived minority government after being appointed by Macron in December.
France, which has the European Union’s most powerful military and only nuclear arsenal, has now been thrust into uncertainty and the risk of prolonged legislative deadlock amid internal budget difficulties and international woes in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Although Macron had two weeks to prepare for the collapse after Bayrou announced last month that he’d seek a confidence vote, a clear front-runner has yet to emerge.
Bayrou is the latest prime minister to leave office prematurely since September 2024, when former premier Gabriel Attal resigned after failing to win a majority.
Attal’s successor, Michel Barnier, was ousted by parliament just three months later.
Bayrou admitted Monday in his last speech as prime minister that his gamble to tackle France’s debt crisis by standing by his unpopular economic plan did not pay off.
At the end of the first quarter of 2025, France’s public debt stood at $3.93 trillion, or about 114% of gross domestic product. (The US debt to GDP ratio is about 119%.)
Quote:French President Emmanuel Macron named loyalist Sebastien Lecornu, a one-time conservative protege who rallied behind his 2017 presidential run, as prime minister on Tuesday, defying expectations he might tack towards the left.
The choice of Lecornu, 39, indicates Macron’s determination to press on with a minority government that stands firmly behind his pro-business economic reform agenda, under which taxes on business and the wealthy have been cut and the retirement age raised.
Macron was forced to appoint a fifth prime minister in less than two years after parliament ousted Francois Bayrou nine months into the role over his plans for taming the country’s ballooning debt.
In handing the job to Lecornu, Macron risks alienating the centre-left Socialist Party and leaves the president and his government depending on Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally for support in parliament.
Lecornu’s immediate priority will be to forge consensus on a budget for 2026, a task that proved the undoing of Bayrou who had pushed for aggressive spending cuts to rein in a deficit standing at nearly double the EU ceiling of 3% of GDP.
BUDGET IN FOCUS
The political upheaval this week lays bare deepening turmoil in France that is weakening the euro zone’s second-biggest economy as it sinks deeper into a debt quagmire.
Lecornu’s nomination is not without peril for Macron. He risks appearing tone-deaf at a time of simmering popular discontent and with polls showing voters want change. Nationwide “Block Everything” protests threaten widespread disruption on Wednesday.
Lecornu most recently served as Macron’s defence minister, overseeing an increase in defence spending and helping shape European thinking on security guarantees for Ukraine in the event a peace deal with Russia is brokered.
Lecornu entered politics canvassing for former President Nicolas Sarkozy when he was 16. He became mayor of a small town in Normandy when he turned 18 and then former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s youngest government adviser at the age of 22.
It's not a good sign to watch your health minister fall down like a log, right?
Quote:Shocking footage captured the moment Sweden’s newly appointed Health Minister suddenly collapsed on the ground in the middle of a press conference.
Elisabet Lann joined the nation’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and other officials at the media briefing on Tuesday, the same day she was appointed to her new role following the sudden resignation of her predecessor.
Footage, which has gone viral on social media, shows Lann standing alongside the officials before she suddenly tumbled over a transparent lectern and fell to he ground, hitting her head.
Sweden’s Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch rushed to her side, quickly rolling Lann over on the ground.
Other politicians and journalists quickly stepped in to help, surrounding Lann as she appeared unconscious on the floor.
Lann later left the room but returned shortly after, explaining her blood sugar had dropped.
“This was not exactly a normal Tuesday, and this is what can happen when you have a blood sugar drop,” she said.
It is not clear if she sustained any injuries in the fall.
A DN reporter said: “It looked really bad. She fell right in front of me.”
The press conference was cancelled following the incident.
Lann, who previously served as a city councilor in Gothenburg, had been appointed Health Minister following the resignation of Acko Ankarberg Johansson on Monday.
Quote:Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Sunday of an "enemy" effort to trap the country in a dangerous "no war, no peace" deadlock, just weeks after a 12-day war with Israel—backed by the United States—left more than 1,000 dead in Iran and fears of renewed conflict unresolved.
Khamenei delivered the remarks in Tehran during a meeting with President Masoud Pezeshkian and his cabinet, stressing that such a prolonged state of limbo carried dangers equal to direct confrontation. His comments reflected Tehran's ongoing anxiety about another outbreak of war despite a fragile ceasefire in place since late June.
...
Khamenei's remarks come as Iran grapples with multiple, overlapping crises on both military and diplomatic fronts. The June war with Israel not only killed several of Iran's top commanders, but also targeted its nuclear facilities, highlighting the country's vulnerability.
Beyond the battlefield, Iran faces mounting diplomatic and economic pressures. Nuclear negotiations with world powers remain stalled, leaving sanctions relief out of reach. The so-called E3—Britain, France, and Germany—continue to press Tehran through the U.N. Security Council, with disputes over enrichment and sanctions unresolved, keeping the country in a state of prolonged uncertainty.
What to Know
Khamenei used Sunday's address to sharpen his warnings about Israel, the U.S., and the risks of regional escalation. Framing the Gaza conflict as part of a broader assault on Muslims, he denounced Israeli "crimes" and accused Washington of enabling them.
"Although these crimes are carried out with the support of a power like the United States but the way to confront this situation is not closed," he declared.
He urged Islamic countries to intensify Israel's isolation by cutting all political and economic ties. According to Khamenei, the region must use its leverage to deepen Tel Aviv's vulnerability, portraying Israel as "the most hated government in the world."
Israel's June Offensive
On June 13, Israel, with U.S. support, launched a surprise military campaign targeting Iran's nuclear and military facilities. According to Tehran, the strikes killed 1,062 people, including 276 civilians, and eliminated much of Iran's top military command. Iran retaliated with missile strikes that killed 31 civilians and one off-duty soldier in Israel.
Ceasefire Under Pressure
A U.S.-brokered ceasefire on June 24 ended 12 days of intense conflict but did not resolve underlying tensions. Last month, Ali Larijani, Iran's newly appointed top security official, warned that Tehran must remain fully prepared for renewed fighting, reinforcing the sense that another clash is likely.
Quote:Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency signed an agreement Tuesday in Cairo to pave the way for renewed cooperation, including steps toward relaunching inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities months after relations collapsed during a war with Israel.
The announcement followed a meeting among Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.
...
Relations between Iran and the IAEA have been fraught since early July, when Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a law suspending all cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog. The legislation came in the wake of Israel's 12-day air war with Iran in June, during which Israeli and U.S. strikes targeted key nuclear sites. The IAEA board declared on June 12 — just before Israel's strikes — that Iran had breached its non-proliferation obligations.
Since then, the only facility inspected has been the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, operated with Russian technical assistance. Inspectors were permitted to observe a fuel replacement process there over two days beginning Aug. 27, but access to Iran's wider program remained blocked.
What To Know
The IAEA has repeatedly warned that inspectors have been unable to verify Iran's growing stockpile of highly enriched uranium, calling the situation "a matter of serious concern." A confidential report circulated to member states said Iran held 972 pounds of uranium enriched up to 60% as of June 13.
If that material were enriched further to 90%, the threshold for weapons-grade uranium, it could be enough to produce 10 nuclear bombs, according to IAEA calculations. However, building an actual weapon would require additional technology, such as a detonation device.
Araghchi said Tuesday's deal addresses both Iran's security concerns and its expectations of cooperation with the IAEA. Speaking after the signing, Grossi said the agreement was primarily technical in nature but underscored the urgent need for inspectors to regain access inside Iran.
Egypt played a central role in brokering the deal. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said the agreement was the result of "intensive" diplomatic efforts, while President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi emphasized that the IAEA has a critical role in supporting nuclear non-proliferation. He also highlighted the Non-Proliferation Treaty's guarantee of the right of member states to the peaceful use of atomic energy.
The timing of the deal is sensitive. On Aug. 28, France, Germany and the United Kingdom began the process of reimposing sanctions on Iran, arguing that Tehran has failed to comply with its obligations under the 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers. That agreement was designed to block Iran from developing nuclear weapons, though Iran insists its program is peaceful.
The so-called "snapback" process — written into the 2015 deal to be veto-proof at the U.N. — is set to take effect in about a month. Unless an agreement is reached, sanctions will automatically resume at the end of the 30-day period.
European governments have left the door open to an extension of the deadline if Iran resumes direct talks with the United States, restores full access for IAEA inspectors, and accounts for the more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium the agency says it has stockpiled.
Under its agreement with the IAEA, Iran is obliged to issue a "special report" on the location and condition of its nuclear materials following significant events such as armed attacks or natural disasters, a senior diplomat told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations.
Quote:A Houthi drone breached Israel’s air defenses on Sunday and slammed into an airport, blowing out a window and wounding two people, the Israeli military said.
The drone hit the Ramon Airport in southern Israel, sending shrapnel flying at a 63-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman and leaving them with minor injuries.
Footage of the aftermath showed black smoke billowing from the airport near the resort city of Eilat, causing major delays and diverting flights from the air hub.
“Takeoffs and landings at Ramon have been halted. The airport authority is working to restore operations as soon as possible,” the Israeli Airport Authority said in an initial statement.
The airport later resumed full operations of arrivals and departures “following the completion of all safety and security checks, compliance with international civil aviation standards, and receipt of final approval from the Air Force,” the agency said.
The attack stands as a major escalation in the Houthi-Israeli conflict after the Jewish state killed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi last month, with the Iran-backed terror group vowing to escalate its attacks.
Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the Yemen-based rebel group fired eight drones at Israel, with the bomb-laden drones specifically targeting the Jewish state’s airports.
Saree said that as long as the war in Gaza continues, Israel’s airports “are unsafe and will be continuously targeted.
Quote:Two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a bus stop in the outskirts of Jerusalem on Monday, killing six people in one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the city in years.
Footage from a dashboard camera shows the moment people flee in terror from the bus stop as shots rang out, with the aftermath revealing several bullet holes through the vehicle’s windscreen.
“Suddenly I hear the shots starting… I felt like I was running for an eternity,” Ester Lugasi, who was injured in the attack, told Israeli TV from a hospital. “I thought I was going to die.
The two gunmen, who have yet to be publicly named, arrived at Ramot Junction by car and opened fire at people waiting at the bus stop, Israeli police said.
The terrorists then went on to board the bus to continue the bloody rampage before they were killed by police at the scene.
The victims were described as a 50-year-old man, a woman in her fifties and three men in their thirties. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar later confirmed that a sixth person had died from the shooting.
Israeli ambulance services said 11 people were also injured in the onslaught, including six people who were listed in serious condition.
Saar said that the gunmen were Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank.
The shooting was met with praise from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad terrorist groups, who touted the gunmen as “resistance fighters.”
Quote:Israel ominously vowed to destroy Gaza City in a “mighty hurricane” of strikes Monday, calling it a “final warning to the murderers and rapists of Hamas.”
“A mighty hurricane will hit the skies of Gaza City today, and the roofs of the terror towers will shake,” Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X.
“This is a final warning to the murderers and rapists of Hamas in Gaza and in the luxury hotels abroad: Release the hostages and lay down your weapons — or Gaza will be destroyed, and you will be annihilated.”
“The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] is continuing with its plans — and we are preparing to expand the maneuver to defeat Gaza,” he added.
The threat came after President Trump fired off his own “last warning” to the militant group on Sunday — urging it to accept his terms for a cease-fire.
“The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well,” Trump said on Truth Social.
“I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one!”
He didn’t elaborate on what those terms were.
It comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered troops last month to capture Gaza City in a bid to wipe out the last remnants of the terror group if it doesn’t release all remaining hostages.
Quote:Palestinians living in the ruins of Gaza City were bombarded with Israeli leaflets on Tuesday ordering them out, after Israel said it was about to obliterate the area in an assault to wipe out Hamas.
Residents of the city, home to a million Palestinians before the war, have been expecting an onslaught for weeks, since the Israeli government devised a plan to deal Hamas a fatal blow in what it says are the militant group’s last strongholds.
“I say to the residents of Gaza, take this opportunity and listen to me carefully: you have been warned — get out of there!” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
The Israeli military airdropped leaflets with evacuation orders onto residents standing amid the rubble of Gaza City, where it has bombed residential towers to the ground in the past few days.
The evacuation orders caused panic and confusion among residents of the strip’s largest urban centre, who say there is no safe place to go to escape bombardment and a humanitarian crisis. Some said they would have no choice but to leave for the south, but many said they would stay and there were no immediate signs of a mass exodus.
“Despite the bombardment in the past week, I have resisted leaving, but now I will go to be with my daughter,” Um Mohammad, a 55-year-old mother of six, said by text message.
The health authorities in Gaza announced they would evacuate Gaza City’s two main operational hospitals, Al Shifa and Al Ahli, adding that doctors would not leave patients unattended.
Most Gazans have already been displaced several times since the war started in October 2023 when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Quote:Israel launched an attack aimed at assassinating Hamas leaders in Qatar Tuesday morning — just as they met for cease-fire talks in Doha — triggering a diplomatic headache for the Trump administration.
Several blasts were heard erupting in the capital, with plumes of black smoke seen billowing in the sky.
It was not immediately clear if any of the terror group’s leaders were killed in the strike. Hamas claimed that five people were dead, but that Israel failed “to assassinate our brothers in the negotiating delegation.”
“However, eliminating Hamas, who has profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal.”
Leavitt said the president “feels very badly” about the strike and spoke to both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani following the attack.
Trump also promised Al Thani he would make sure that such an attack would never happen again, Leavitt added.
One US official claimed that Trump had tried to reach Israeli officials once he learned about the plan, but the attack had already been launched before they could connect, Axios reported.
Qatar’s foreign ministry said Doha had not been made warned of the attack ahead of time.
Axios reported that Trump ordered his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, to tell Qatar about the Israeli warplanes — but the message didn’t reach the Gulf monarchy of 3.1 million people until after the explosions hit.
The attack was primarily targeted at killing Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’ top Gaza official and lead negotiator, a senior Israeli official told local media outlets.
Al-Hayya’s son, Himam, was among those who were killed in the strike, Hamas said in a statement.
A Qatari security officer who was guarding the offices where Hamas officials gathered was also killed in the blast, Doha said.
“Today’s action against the top terrorist chieftains of Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation,” Netanyahu said following the attack.
“Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility,” he added.
Netanyahu’s office said that the decision to conduct the strike was made after Hamas claimed responsibility for Monday’s terrorist attack in Jerusalem, where two Palestinians from the West Bank opened fire on a bus stop, killing six people.
Quote:The fire on Greta Thunberg’s Gaza-bound flotilla was likely started by one of the activists onboard, according to authorities in Tunisia — who said there was “no basis in truth” that it was struck by a drone.
Tunisia’s Interior Ministry said there were no drones detected when Thunberg’s Global Sumud Flotilla [GSF] claimed it was hit by one Monday, starting a fire as it was off the Tunisian port of Sidi Bou Said.
The ministry maintained that the group’s claim that a drone attack started the fire had “no basis in truth” — and that it was likely started onboard, possibly from an activist’s cigarette.
National Guard spokesman Houcem Eddine Jebabli slao told Agence France-Presse that “no drones have been detected” and that preliminary findings indicate “a fire broke out in the life jackets on board.”
Thunberg was on one of the 20 boats that departed for the Gaza Strip from Barcelona on Aug. 31 in a flotilla Israeli officials have previously described as a publicity-seeking “selfie yacht” cruise.
The GSF posted dramatic footage it laimed to show something falling on the ship from above. None of the six passengers and crew aboard the ship were injured, GSF confirmed.
Israel did not immediately comment.
I don't see why Israel would need to send anything to that location. There's no conflict between Israel and Tunisia at all, and Greta is just a crazy activist. She could hardly become a target in the near or far future.
"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.
Quote:Conservative activist Charlie Kirk has been shot while addressing students at an event at Utah Valley University, in an attack caught on camera.
Kirk, a fervent supporter of President Donald Trump, is the founder of Turning Point USA, a group that seeks to spread conservative ideas to students on US campuses.
Officials say he had just begun speaking when a single gunshot rang out. Videos verified by BBC show him jolting backwards in his chair as students scatter in panic.
Police quickly detained a suspect, but he was released later, authorities said. Trump has posted, "We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. God bless him."
A spokeswoman for Utah Valley University, Ellen Treanor, said the gunfire came from the Losee Center, a building about 200 yards away.
Another spokesman, Scott Trotter, told the BBC: "A single shot rang out in the quad near the food court on the Utah Valley University Orem Campus as Mr Charlie Kirk began speaking at his planned rally."
"We can confirm that Mr Kirk was shot, but we don't know his condition," he said.
BBC Verify has confirmed the authenticity of several videos of the shooting which have been posted online.
One video shows students crowded around a white tent emblasoned with the words, "THE AMERICAN COMEBACK" and "PROVE ME WRONG".
Charlie Kirk can be seen sitting alone under the tent with several others standing nearby.
In another video verified by the BBC, Mr Kirk is seen speaking at the rally for around four seconds, before a single gunshot is heard.
He then appears to jolt backwards in his chair, before the camera pans away and the crowd begins to run in panic.
According to CBS, the BBC's US partner, Mr Kirk was heard discussing gun violence in the US in the moments before he was shot.
"Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last ten years?" one audience member asks him.
"Counting or not counting gang violence," he responds, before the shot rings out.
Marina Minas, a spokeswoman for Turning Point USA, said: "He was shot in the neck. He's at the hospital. It doesn't look good."
Politicians from across the political spectrum, as well as right-wing influencers, have condemned the attack.
"FBI and ATF agents are on the way. PRAY FOR CHARLIE," wrote Attorney General Pam Bondi, the highest-ranking US law enforcement official.
Health Secretary Robert Kennedy wrote: "We love you Charlie Kirk. Praying for you."
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and one of Trump's top political rivals, called the attack "disgusting, vile, and reprehensible.
"In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form."
A former Utah congressman who witnessed the attack described to Fox News how "everyone hit the deck" and "scattered" after the gunshot was heard.
"The shot came straight at him," Jason Chaffetz said, adding he had talked to Kirk just before the event started.
As the news broke at the White House, several of Trump's press office staff reacted with visible shock.
One aide exclaimed, "Oh my god, Charlie Kirk has been shot!" - drawing gasps from colleagues.
Quote:Influential conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated Wednesday during a campus speaking event in Utah. He was 31.
Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA, was a close ally of President Trump and a powerful surrogate and adviser to his political movement.
Trump, 79, announced Kirk’s death in a post on Truth Social, writing: “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
Shortly before confirming Kirk’s death, Trump told The Post in a brief phone interview: “He was a very, very good friend of mine and he was a tremendous person.”
Kirk was shot by a sniper shortly after noon local time while taking questions from attendees during a well-attended outdoor event on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem.
No one was immediately in custody in connection with the murder.
Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 and rapidly built it into a national network of campus groups eclipsing traditional college Republican clubs.
Kirk is survived by his wife Erika Frantzve, whom he married in 2021, and two young children.
Quote:harlie Kirk, Turning Point USA co-founder and CEO, was fatally shot at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday.
According to FBI Director Kash Patel, the suspect is now "in custody."
The school initially told Newsweek: "This information is all preliminary but Charlie Kirk was invited to campus by a student group turning point USA he began his talking about 1 o'clock at about 120 there was a single shot fired from the top of a nearby building about 200 yards away to the best of our knowledge he has been hit and a suspect is in custody."
A person was then seen being detained after the shooting. According to Scott Trotter, university spokesman, police then said that the person taken into custody was not the shooter, The New York Times reported.
In an earlier email to Newsweek, the City of Orem said, in part: "There is still a suspect at large."
Why It Matters
The fatal attack targeted a high-profile conservative organizer speaking at a college campus, raising concerns of campus public-safety protocols, political violence and the security of public events.
What To Know
On X at 6:21 p.m. ET, Patel posted, "The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody. Thank you to the local and state authorities in Utah for your partnership with @fbi. We will provide updates when able."
Kirk, 31, was a staunch ally of President Donald Trump and a notable younger voice and advocate of MAGA, with a large following on social media.
Trump reacted to the shooting on Truth Social on Wednesday, saying: "We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!"
The president then confirmed Kirk's death in a subsequent post, saying: "The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!"
Kirk was shot near the neck while seated during a live question-and-answer session. Videos of the shooting's aftermath have since circulated on social media.
According to a post on X by the university, Kirk was "hit and taken from the location by his security." In a follow-up post around 3:30 p.m. ET, the school said it is closed and people should "Leave campus immediately."
The shooting has prompted a campus lockdown and investigation involving local and federal authorities and public statements from elected officials. Official details remain limited.
Quote:Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA co-founder and CEO, was fatally shot at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday.
According to FBI Director Kash Patel in an updated post on X Wednesday night, "The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency".
Patel previously posted that "the subject" is now "in custody."
The school initially told Newsweek: "This information is all preliminary but Charlie Kirk was invited to campus by a student group turning point USA he began his talking about 1 o'clock at about 120 there was a single shot fired from the top of a nearby building about 200 yards away to the best of our knowledge he has been hit and a suspect is in custody."
A person was then seen being detained after the shooting. According to Scott Trotter, university spokesman, police then said that the person taken into custody was not the shooter, The New York Times reported.
In an earlier email to Newsweek, the City of Orem said, in part: "There is still a suspect at large."
Why It Matters
The fatal attack targeted a high-profile conservative organizer speaking at a college campus, raising concerns of campus public-safety protocols, political violence and the security of public events.
What To Know
On X at 6:21 p.m. ET, Patel posted, "The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody. Thank you to the local and state authorities in Utah for your partnership with @fbi. We will provide updates when able."
Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, called Kirk's shooting a "political assassination."
The "person of interest" was captured on security camera footage dressed in all dark clothing, officials said in a news conference Wednesday evening. Cox added that there is not another person sought in Kirk's killing at this time.
Kirk, 31, was a staunch ally of President Donald Trump and a notable younger voice and advocate of MAGA, with a large following on social media.
Trump reacted to the shooting on Truth Social on Wednesday, saying: "We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!"
The president then confirmed Kirk's death in a subsequent post, saying: "The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!"
Kirk was shot near the neck while seated during a live question-and-answer session. Videos of the shooting's aftermath have since circulated on social media.
According to a post on X by the university, Kirk was "hit and taken from the location by his security." In a follow-up post around 3:30 p.m. ET, the school said it is closed, and people should "Leave campus immediately."
The shooting has prompted a campus lockdown and investigation involving local and federal authorities and public statements from elected officials. Official details remain limited.
Quote:The shooting of Charlie Kirk in Utah had the hallmarks of a professional assassination, according to several security experts.
The prominent conservative activist, who was 31, was struck in the neck by a single gunshot as he delivered a speech to a large crowd on campus at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday. He collapsed and was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Analysts point to the firing of a single shot and a preestablished escape route as evidence that the shooting had been carefully planned.
Why It Matters
Kirk was the founder of the right-leaning youth organization Turning Point USA and a longtime ally of President Donald Trump.
Trump released a video message late on Wednesday saying he was "filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination", calling it a "dark moment for America."
The murder comes against the backdrop of bitter political divisions within American society with Alex Goldenberg, a senior adviser to the anti-extremism Network Contagion Research Institute, telling Newsweek the U.S. has an "emerging assassination culture."
What To Know
Kirk was shot as he was addressing the crowd from an open tent on a stage in Orem at about 12:20 p.m. (2:20 p.m. ET) on Wednesday.
Former FBI Agent Stuart Kaplan said the shooter likely put a lot of preparation into the attack, telling Fox News' Jesse Watters: "This assassination, different to the attack [on Trump] back in Butler, Pennsylvania, was a very well planned, very well orchestrated plot that was put in motion days before.
"This individual had a plan of escape to elude detection of being out on a rooftop, and also being able to evade and elude law enforcement," added Kaplan. "This assassination of Charlie Kirk to me is indicative of a professional hit, and I'm not so sure we are quickly going to be able to apprehend this individual without some luck."
Kaplan pointed to the shooter's use of only one shot and immediate disappearance as a sign of careful preparation ahead of the attack.
"The shot that was taken, was taken to immediately incapacitate Charlie Kirk, and so this was not some amateur who just got up on a rooftop," said Kaplan. "This seems the earmark of a professional that got up onto this rooftop well in advance. He was clearly undetected, and there was no indication that anyone saw him. After that, one single shot was taken.
"This is someone who had some experience, some level of sophistication, to have mapped out exactly how this was going to go down."
Former Republican New York State Senator and Homeland Security adviser Michael Balboni made a similar point, telling Fox News: "It's an incredibly chaotic scene on a college campus. Hundreds and hundreds of people there, right immediately afterward.
He added: "That a rifle sound... was heard, and yet nobody was able to identify an individual, which most likely means that the individual was shooting from concealment and maybe had some way to suppress or to hide the flash of the gun, and again, indicating that this is a sophisticated individual.
"One shot hitting the target from 200 meters away and then escaping without anybody seeing them—those are the hallmarks of a professional."
Quote:U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has suggested a causal link between mass shootings and the playing of video games, though countless studies over the years have failed to definitively connect the two when it comes to a proliferation of violence.
Newsweek reached out to HHS via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The Make America Healthy Again [MAHA] Commission on Tuesday released its Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy, described as a sweeping plan with more than 120 initiatives to reverse the failed policies that fueled America's childhood chronic disease epidemic. Targeted executive actions include to advance gold-standard science, realign incentives, increase public awareness and strengthen private-sector collaboration, per the HHS.
Kennedy has received criticism for how he's led HHS, including firing over 600 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees and showing an ambivalence toward vaccines and vaccine mandates that last week even drew consternation from some Senate Republicans who challenged the former independent presidential candidate on not following through on his past assurances.
What To Know
Upon unveiling the new 20-page MAHA report on Tuesday, Kennedy was asked by PBS News whether the commission has had any discussion on the relation between children's mental health and firearms.
"The firearms question is a complex question, and it's not an easy question," Kennedy replied.
The health secretary pointed to a "sudden onset of violence" in the 1990s when "somebody walks into a school or a church or a theater and starts shooting strangers."
"We're having mass shootings every 23 hours," he said, mentioning possible reasons as dependence on psychiatric drugs, video games or social media. He said the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is examining such root causes.
He did not elaborate on why he brought up video games, or what the connection could mean in the grander scheme of the conversation surrounding health and safety.
"We are initiating studies now that look at the correlation and the potential connection between overmedicating our kids and this violence," he added.
What Studies Show
Kennedy's connection between violence and video games is an argument that has been around for decades, becoming more part of the zeitgeist as gun violence and mass shootings have remained consistent in the United States.
But any links he or other lawmakers and advocates make have not been directly borne out of the data. Numerous scientific studies have not found a link between violent video games and mass shootings, according to the American Psychological Association (APA).
APA research published in 2019 in the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture analyzed more than 200,000 news articles about 204 mass shootings over a 40-year period, finding that video games were eight times more likely to be mentioned when the shooting occurred at a school and the perpetrator was a white male than when the shooter was a Black male. Another experiment conducted with college students arrived at similar conclusions.
Another 2019 study published by JAMA involved a randomized clinical trial exploring whether children's exposure to a violent video game increases dangerous behavior around firearms.
The trial involved 220 children ages 8 to 12, assigned to play a video game in one of three conditions: with gun violence, with sword violence or with no violence. Compared with children who played a game that was nonviolent, children who played a video game that included violence with guns or swords were more likely to touch a real, disabled handgun, handle a handgun longer and pull the trigger more times—including at themselves or their partner.
Reported habitual exposure to violent media was also a risk factor for dangerous behavior around firearms, researchers noted.
A study from Oxford that same year found no correlation between aggression in teens and the time spent playing violent video games.
"Our findings suggest that researcher biases might have influenced previous studies on this topic, and have distorted our understanding of the effects of video games," study co-author Dr. Netta Weinstein said.
One year later, Ofir Turel, professor of information systems and decision sciences at Cal State Fullerton, theorized that video-gaming and bringing a gun to school have a U-shaped association rather than a linear one.
Even going back to 2004, results have varied and direct links between video games and violence were mixed. A study copublished that year by the U.S. Secret Service and Department of Education found that over half of attackers demonstrated some interest in violence through movies, video games, books and other media.
"However, there was no one common type of interest in violence indicated," the study said. "Instead, the attackers' interest in violent themes took various forms."
Lack of Data Proves 'Invalid' Claim
David Dupee, adjunct professor at Stanford University, has explored whether there's a link between violence and video games.
In a 2023 op-ed for Fortune, he spoke of how he and the Stanford Brainstorm lab reviewed 82 medical research articles pertaining to any sort of causal link between playing video games and violent behavior. They found none.
Dupee told Newsweek via phone on Wednesday that he's "not surprised" Kennedy brought up video games, saying that politicians have attempted to make the connection for the past two decades without much proof, if any.
"There's a lot of work that's done looking at correlations, but anyone with the basic grasp of statistics knows that the correlation and causation are two different things entirely," Dupee said. "I'm not surprised to see this be kind of raised back to the top of the bin, so to speak, once again. But there hasn't been any new data that suggests that Secretary Kennedy's take is valid."
The argument in itself is compelling, Dupee said, but that doesn't mean it's accurate. He mentioned how first-person shooter video games, which include the popular Call of Duty franchise, have sold millions of copies worldwide for years.
"They're sold very well everywhere, seemingly, and the United States, far and away, has the highest rate of mass shootings or school shootings," he said. "Specifically, if you want to kind of drill down on that and what differs between these different places is not necessarily the penetrance of video games so much as the availability of firearms.
"We can look to, say, Switzerland as a place that has similarly high gun ownership, but pretty strenuous rules and regulations around being licensed for firearms who can actually get them doing good background checks. And we just don't have those same safeguards in places here in the states."
"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.
Quote:The suspect who shot and killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk remains on the run Thursday as investigators released images of a "person of interest" wanted in connection to the incident.
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was struck with a single bullet around 12:20 p.m. local time Wednesday while speaking at an event on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem. Authorities revealed Thursday that they recovered a weapon and have "good footage" of the gunman, whom they described as being "college age."
President Donald Trump also announced Thursday that Kirk will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
"Let me express the horror and grief so many Americans at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk," Trump said during a 9/11 remembrance ceremony. "Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people. Our prayers are with his wonderful wife, Erika, and his beautiful children – fantastic people they are. We miss him greatly."
"I can tell you that we have recovered what we believe is the weapon that was used in yesterday's shooting. It is a high-powered bolt action rifle," FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls said Thursday. "That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled. So the FBI laboratory will be analyzing this weapon. Investigators have also collected footwear impression, a palm print and forearm imprints for analysis."
Multiple sources confirmed to Fox News that investigators are looking at what appear to be messages on both the gun and its ammunition. The content of the messages is unclear.
FBI Salt Lake City released multiple images Thursday of a "person of interest" wanted in connection to the shooting.
"The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual(s) responsible for the murder of Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah," the agency said.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason also said, "we do have good video footage of this individual."
"Starting at 11:52 a.m. this subject arrived on campus. Shortly away from campus, we have tracked his movements onto the campus, through the stairwells, up to the roof across the roof to the shooting location," Mason added. "After the shooting, we were able to track his movements as he moved to the other side of the building, jumped off of the building and fled off of the campus and into a neighborhood."
"Our investigators have worked through those neighborhoods, contacting anybody they can with doorbell cameras, witnesses and thoroughly worked through those communities, trying to identify any leads," Mason continued.
Mason said Wednesday that investigators were in possession of "closed-circuit TV" footage of the suspect taken from campus security cameras.
"We do have that. We're analyzing it. But it is security camera footage, so you can kind of guess what the quality of that is," he added. "But we do know, dressed in all dark clothing."
Utah dispatch audio revealed the frantic moments after Kirk was shot.
"He’s going to be wearing all black, black long gun, black tactical helmet, a black mask, possibly wearing a tactical vest and jeans," a female dispatcher said over the radio, according to recordings.
The common hunting weapon is valued for its reliability but limited to a single shot before reloading
Quote:The gun recovered by authorities in the assassination of Charlie Kirk was a bolt-action rifle — a common hunting weapon valued for its reliability but limited to a single shot before reloading.
Unlike a semiautomatic, the shooter must manually operate the bolt handle to cycle the weapon: lifting and pulling it back moves the spent cartridge, while pushing it forward chambers a new round from the magazine. Lowering the bolt locks the round and seals the chamber, making the rifle ready to fire again — a simple, durable design that has kept it popular among hunters and target shooters.
"This process limits the rate of fire, you can only take one shot at a time," explained retired Marine Lt. Col. Hal Kempfer in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Kempfer noted that with a bolt-action rifle, the spent cartridge often remains in the chamber rather than being ejected, meaning shooters don’t leave behind shell casings or "brass" that investigators can use for forensics.
"That's just one of those things where you, if you've thought it through, you know that you can't leave any forensic evidence for investigators to work with," he said.
On Thursday, authorities said they recovered the rifle used to assassinate Kirk in the woods near the scene, where investigators believe the shooter abandoned it while fleeing to evade law enforcement.
"They're gonna be doing a lot of work on the forensics of this weapon as these firearms tend to have a history," he said, adding that investigators will try to trace where it was sold and how it changed hands.
"It’s possible the shooter used a straw buyer or another method to conceal their identity — but that’s the kind of legwork investigators will now have to do to track the shooter," Kempfer said.
Kempfer, who served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, said that the fatal shot was "not a particularly difficult" one but does take planning.
"You wouldn't have to be some expert sniper or something, hunters take this shot all the time," he said, adding that the distance, clear weather, and elevated position all worked to the shooter’s advantage.
Quote:Members of the European Parliament dramatically refused a request to honor Charlie Kirk via a minute's silence in the chamber Thursday.
Kirk, 31, was tragically killed Wednesday as he addressed students at Utah Valley University, sending shock waves across the nation.
Kirk was known for mobilizing young conservatives and was appearing on college campuses with Turning Point USA. President Donald Trump called him "the best of America."
Over in the E.U., Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the attack on Kirk when he was shot dead as "a deep wound for democracy."
Swedish MEP Charlie Weimers, of the European Conservatives and Reformists group asked colleagues Thursday to pause proceedings in the house and to "declare that our right to freedom of speech cannot be extinguished."
Weimer's wish was supported by members of Germany’s AfD and France’s Identity Liberties movement.
But European Parliament President Roberta Metsola denied the request and said procedural rules requiring tributes had to be formally submitted at the opening of a plenary session.
Since that session had already taken place on Monday, Metsola noted a tribute could still be scheduled for October.
When Weimers went on to give up his remaining speaking time for a moment of silence, Vice-President Katarina Barley cut him off, sparking desk-banging protests from right-wing lawmakers in the chamber.
"We have discussed this, and you know the president said no to a minute of silence," Barley said as centrist and left-leaning members clapped.
Outside the chamber, Hungarian Fidesz MEP András László accused Parliament of hypocrisy, pointing out it had previously honored George Floyd but refused Kirk.
Online, some lawmakers also posted,"I am Charlie" images, showing the slogan from the 2015 Charlie Hebdo attack.
Metsola defended the decision as consistent with parliamentary procedure and offered condolences.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and young children — who were the bedrock of his life," she said.
Quote:A Florida anesthesiologist announced that she is “really glad that Charlie Kirk just got himself f*cking shot” and declared that “no one should give a f*ck that he’s dead,” before wiping her social media account.
Dr. Tatiana N. Atkins of Larkin Community Hospital in Miami posted the disgusting video to her Instagram account, @tati.gets.around, after the Turning Point USA founder was assassinated at a speaking event in Utah, before disabling her profile. The clip was uploaded by the Miami-based hosts of the Mostly Peaceful Latinas podcast:
[X Post]
An online health provider database states that Atkins has also practiced at Riverside Walter Reed Hospital in Gloucester, Virginia, and St. Lucie Hospital in Port St. Lucie, Florida, as recently as 2024.
“I’m just really glad that Charlie Kirk got himself f*cking shot, cause he’s right. Empathy is dangerous to society, so no one should give a f*ck that he’s dead,” the anesthesiologist began in her unhinged rant.
When someone in the background appeared to protest her remark, Atkins replied, “He said it. I’m just saying his words. All I’m doing is using his words. You can’t be mad at me for using his words.”
“Empathy is a new-wave thing and it’s very problematic. You right, you right, no empathy for you,” she continued. “Zero.”
Larkin Community Hospital has yet to comment on the remarks made by their employee.
Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking to a crowd of students at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. He was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead at 31 years old. The suspect is still at large.
Quote:The man police believe killed a retired Auburn University professor was arrested in 2023 and charged with a gun-related felony, but prosecutors later allowed him to plead guilty to several misdemeanors.
Police in Auburn, Alabama said 59-year-old Julie Gard Schnuelle was found dead in a wooded area of Kiesel Park on Saturday with injuries consistent with an assault. Police said officers responded to a 911 call reporting a deceased individual. Schnuelle was walking her dog at the time, which was found unharmed, according to AL.com.
26-year-old Harold Rashad Dabney III was arrested on two counts of capital murder in relation to the death of Schnuelle. In a news release, police said that Dabney was arrested on Sunday following an 8:30 a.m. call reporting a "suspicious person," noting that detectives "made observations that led them to believe Dabney had involvement with the homicide."
Dabney III allegedly stole Schnuelle's Ford F-150 which has since been recovered, police said.
An arrest warrant obtained by Fox News Digital indicates that Dabney was arrested on Dec. 27, 2023 in Virginia Beach, Virginia on a gun-related felony and several misdemeanors.
A Virginia Beach Police Department officer wrote Dabney, homeless at the time, was sleeping in his car in a business's parking lot when law enforcement was called for trespassing.
The officer wrote that he observed Dabney sleeping in the driver's seat, and said he was "f-cked up," refusing to speak any further. Police said when they searched the car, they found a "handgun concealed under driver seat" without a serial number, a "sawed off shotgun in the back seat," white pills and an open container.
Dabney had no prior criminal record before the Dec. 2023 incident and had a job several months prior, but was unemployed at the time, police wrote. Police noted Dabney "refused to swear/affirm to tell the truth for bail hearing."
'That is certainly on the table once he is indicted for this horrific crime," said US Attorney General Pam Bondi
Quote:Following President Donald Trump’s call for swift action, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi shared that the Justice Department may seek the death penalty for Iryna Zarutska’s killer.
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Bondi shared that Zarutska’s alleged murderer, Decarlos Brown Jr., has been arrested and that he is being charged federally.
"We have arrested him. We are charging him federally because it was a murder on mass transit," said Bondi.
"This young woman died a horrific, horrific death, as we all saw, captured on video," she went on, adding, "It was horrible."
"The steps are, we charge, then we indict. Then, legally, we make the decision whether or not to seek the death penalty. That is certainly on the table once he is indicted for this horrific crime," explained Bondi.
Zarutska, a 23-year-old refugee from Ukraine, was stabbed to death while riding a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina. The stabbing, captured on video, took place on Aug. 22 at around 10:30 p.m. as Zarutska was on her way home from work at a pizza restaurant. Still in her uniform, Zarutska sat down in front of a man, later identified as Brown, wearing a red hoodie. Moments later, the man pulled out a knife and stabbed her to death, with several bystanders looking on.
Brown, 34, was arrested shortly after the incident and hospitalized before being charged with first-degree murder. Police confirmed that Brown and Zarutska did not know one another.
Court records, previously reported by Fox News Digital, show Brown has a history of arrests dating back to 2011, including charges of felony larceny, robbery with a dangerous weapon and communicating threats. Most charges were later dropped.
On Tuesday, Trump called for the government to respond to the spate of killings in the U.S. with decisive action, saying, "We have to be vicious just like they are."
He blamed Democratic leaders in major American cities for adopting "catch and release" policies "for thugs and killers."
"In Charlotte, North Carolina, we saw the results of these policies when a 23-year-old woman who came here from Ukraine met her bloody end on a public train," said the president. "She was slaughtered by a deranged monster who was roaming free after 14 prior arrests."
"We cannot allow a depraved criminal element of violent repeat offenders to continue spreading destruction and death throughout our country. We have to respond with force and strength," said Trump.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote, "The ANIMAL who so violently killed the beautiful young lady from Ukraine, who came to America searching for peace and safety, should be given a ‘Quick’ (there is no doubt!) Trial, and only awarded THE DEATH PENALTY. There can be no other option!"
Quote:The U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis, Maryland, is in lockdown after receiving threats towards the base and "out of an abundance of caution," according to a statement posted to the City of Annapolis X account.
Newsweek reached out to the USNA by email on Thursday evening for further information.
Why It Matters
The warning follows several weeks of active shooter reports at college campuses across the country. Authorities in each of those cases have largely determined that no active threat is present.
However, the assassination of conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, has authorities and officials across the country on high alert.
The USNA is located on the Severn River, with around 4,400 students—referred to as midshipmen—enrolled.
What To Know
"Naval Support Activity Annapolis, in coordination with local law enforcement, is currently responding to reports of threats made to the Naval Academy," the statement says. "The base is on lockdown out of an abundance of caution."
"This is a developing situation and we will provide updates as they become available," the statement continued. "Please avoid the area until further notice."
Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson, citing sources inside the Naval Academy, reported that the lockdown is due to a midshipman who was kicked out of the school and returned to campus with a weapon.
Local law enforcement officers responded to the campus, and the campus brigade commander ordered students to "follow their directions," according to the New York Times.
Quote:DETROIT — A young Chinese scientist interrogated for hours after an international flight to Detroit and held in jail for three months was sentenced to time served Wednesday for illegally shipping biological material to the U.S. that nonetheless wasn’t a threat to the public.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Leitman acknowledged that federal agents have a critical role in stopping “bad actors” from trying to get “bad stuff” into the country. But he also noted that Chengxuan Han, who was headed to a one-year job at a University of Michigan lab, doesn’t appear to fit that category.
“That’s the appropriate balance to strike here,” the judge said in declining to keep Han locked up for another three months as the government had suggested.
Han cried as she spoke to the judge in Mandarin and expressed regret for a “very painful” lesson. She said her career will be “destroyed” when she soon returns to China.
“Government agents are doing their duties here. ... I really have no intention to harm anybody and create a security hazard,” Han said through a translator.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit has used unflattering language in promoting the case against Han, even referring to her as an “alien from Wuhan,” a Chinese city that became notorious as the possible source for the global spread of COVID-19.
Han is “not some sort of Chinese operative,” defense attorney Sara Garber said in a court filing.
Han, who is in her late 20s, pleaded no contest to smuggling and making false statements. Before her arrival in the U.S., authorities said she made three shipments to someone in Ann Arbor, Michigan, including a book with a hidden envelope that contained filter paper with 28 shapes containing plasmids, which are found naturally in bacteria.
“Hello! This is a fun letter with interesting patterns. I hope you can enjoy the pleasure within it,” Han wrote.
Han was also accused of sending petri dishes that contained nematode worms, known as C. Elegans. Authorities said the packages were not properly labeled and that Han didn’t have approval to ship them.
“C. Elegans is easy to obtain, easy to study, nonharmful,” Garber said.
She said Han’s research focuses on how organisms detect light, touch and temperature.
“This is not a case of smuggling in some sort of virus or a crop-destroying something or other,” the judge said. “From what I can tell, this material was not a threat at all.”
Han’s case is one of two involving Chinese scientists and the University of Michigan. Yunqing Jian is charged with conspiring with her boyfriend, another scientist from China, to bring a toxic fungus into the U.S. Fusarium graminearum can attack wheat, barley, maize and rice.
It is already found in the East and Upper Midwest, and scientists have been studying it for decades. Jian’s case is pending.
Quote:Investigators looking into why about 75 containers tumbled off of a cargo ship Tuesday in the Port of Long Beach still don’t know the exact cause of the mishap.
The accident on the ship, Mississippi, resulted in a light oil spill, a sprained ankle and waterlogged cargo.
A light oil sheen, a sprained ankle and waterlogged cargo were among the damage reported when approximately 75 cargo containers tumbled off a stationed vessel at the Port of Long Beach on Tuesday morning.
The U.S. Coast Guard, which is leading the investigation into the incident along with the National Transportation Safety Board, provided an update along with Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson and other officials Wednesday afternoon but offered no definite explanation for the cause of the unusual mishap.
The containers, which carried general cargo such as clothes, furniture, shoes and electronics, mysteriously fell overboard while the vessel was “in the process of offloading” at Pier G around 9 a.m., according to U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Stacey Crecy.
The containers crashed into the water as well as struck and damaged a smaller clean-air barge connected to the large ship named Mississippi.
The containers were seen floating in the port Tuesday morning. Members of the Long Beach Police and Fire departments used boats to help corral the giant shipping crates.
“It was a miracle that no one suffered any major injuries, especially those individuals who were on the emissions collection barge at the time when the containers fell on top of it,” Crecy said.
Long Beach Fire Chief Dennis Buchanan said fire units responded at 9:06 a.m. and found that several containers were also leaning against a gantry crane.
Fire personnel immediately established an isolation perimeter, Buchanan said.
Although initial reports Tuesday said there were no injuries, Richardson confirmed that one worker aboard the barge sprained an ankle fleeing the falling containers.
Quote:NEW YORK — Former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez’s wife told a judge that her husband was “not the man I thought he was” before she was sentenced Thursday to 4½ years in prison for selling the powerful New Jersey politician’s influence in exchange for bribes of cash, gold bars and a luxury car.
U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein sentenced Nadine Menendez, 58, after she was convicted in April of colluding from 2018-23 with her husband, the former Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a variety of corrupt schemes, some involving assisting the Egyptian government.
Sobbing as she addressed the judge shortly before she was sentenced, Nadine Menendez described her husband as a manipulative liar.
“I put my life in his hands and he strung my like a puppet,” she said. “The blindfold is off. I now know he’s not my savior. He’s not the man I thought he was.”
Stein told the defendant that she wasn’t the person she was portrayed as during last year’s trial of her husband and two New Jersey businessmen, when the judge said she was painted “as manipulative, hungry for money and the true force behind the conspiracies.”
But he said she also wasn’t the “innocent observer of what was happening around you,” as she was portrayed by her lawyer at her trial.
“You knew what you were doing. Your role was purposeful,” he said.
When she spoke, Nadine Menendez partly blamed her husband, saying she was duped by his power and stature and that she felt compelled to do whatever he wanted, such as calling or meeting with certain people.
“I would never have imagined someone of his ranking putting me in this position,” she said, though she acknowledged that in retrospect, she was a grown woman and should have known better.
Before the hearing, Bob Menendez submitted a letter to the judge saying he regretted that he didn’t fully preview what his lawyer said about his wife during his trial and in closing arguments.
“To suggest that Nadine was money hungry or in financial need, and therefore would solicit others for help, is simply wrong,” he wrote.
In addition to prison time, Stein sentenced Nadine Menendez to three years of supervised release. He said he granted her leniency in part because of the trial she endured, her difficult childhood in Lebanon, her abusive romantic partners, her health conditions and her age.
Stein said a prison term was important for general deterrence purposes: “People have to understand there are consequences.”
Nadine Menendez won’t have to surrender to prison until next summer. Stein set a reporting date of July 10, accommodating a defense request that she be allowed to remain free to complete necessary medical procedures before she heads behind bars. Federal prosecutors did not object to the request.
Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence of at least seven years.
Quote:A majority of a panel of Brazil's Supreme Court justices voted Thursday to convict former President Jair Bolsonaro of attempting a coup to remain in power after his 2022 electoral defeat, a decision that could carry decades in prison and deepen the country's political divisions.
Three of the five justices on the special panel ruled that Bolsonaro, 70, was guilty on multiple counts tied to efforts to cling to office following his loss to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Justice Cármen Lúcia cast her vote Thursday, siding with two colleagues in support of conviction. Her decision came one day after Justice Luiz Fux dissented, voting to acquit Bolsonaro of all charges.
One justice has yet to deliver a vote. Once the panel reaches its conclusion, it will set Bolsonaro's sentence, which prosecutors say could amount to several decades behind bars.
Why It Matters
The case has also drawn international attention, particularly from Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump, an ally of Bolsonaro, recently linked a proposed 50 percent tariff on Brazilian imports to the legal proceedings, denouncing the trial as a "witch hunt." Observers have warned that the United States may impose sanctions on Brazil if Bolsonaro is convicted, adding strain to an already-fragile diplomatic relationship.
"I watched the trial, I know him very well," Trump told reporters outside the White House on Thursday. "As a foreign leader, I thought he was a good president. It is very surprising that this could happen. It's very much what they tried to do with me, but they didn't get away with it at all. He was a good man, and I don't see that happening.'"
What To Know
Bolsonaro, who governed Brazil from 2019 to 2022, has been under house arrest and did not attend the hearings. He has denied any wrongdoing and has relied on his lawyers to represent him in court. His legal team vowed to appeal to the full Supreme Court, which is composed of 11 justices.
The trial has sharply divided Brazilian society. Supporters of the prosecution argue that the far-right leader endangered the country's democratic institutions, while his loyal base has staged street demonstrations, claiming the charges are politically motivated.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is presiding over the trial, said this week that Bolsonaro orchestrated a coup plot and led a criminal organization. On Thursday, Lúcia also voted to convict him of organized crime, in addition to the coup-related charges.
Bolsonaro faced five total charges, including attempting to overthrow Brazil's democratic system, participation in an armed criminal organization, and instigating violence that threatened state assets and heritage sites.
Prosecutors said the former president sought to illegally retain power after losing the 2022 election to Lula, a veteran leftist who returned to the presidency after previously serving two terms.
Despite mounting legal troubles, Bolsonaro remains an influential force in Brazilian politics. Last year, he was barred from running for office until 2030 in a separate case, but allies say he is already grooming a successor to challenge Lula in next year's general election.
For now, Bolsonaro's conviction by a majority of the panel marks the most serious legal setback yet for the polarizing leader, raising questions not only about his political future but also about Brazil's ability to move past one of the most turbulent elections in its modern history.
Quote:Peter Mandelson has been withdrawn as Britain's ambassador to the United States with immediate effect following revelations about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Leaked emails published by The Sun newspaper showed Mandelson telling Epstein in 2008 to "fight for early release" as he awaited sentencing for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
The veteran Labour politician also wrote a handwritten message to Epstein in his 50th birthday book, which was released by the House Oversight Committee this week, in which he described the disgraced pedofile as "my best pal."
Stephen Doughty, a foreign office minister, told the Commons: "Mr. Speaker, in light of additional information in emails written by Peter Mandelson, the prime minister has asked the foreign secretary to withdraw him as ambassador to the United States.
"The emails show, Mr. Speaker, that the depth and extent of Lord Mandelson's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is materially different from that known at the time of his appointment.
"In particular, Mr Speaker, Lord Mandelson's suggestion that Jeffrey Epstein's first conviction was wrongful and should be challenged, is new information."
Mandelson Told Epstein: 'Fight for Early Release'
In the emails released on Wednesday, Mandelson told Epstein: "Your friends stay with you and love you."
"I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened," Mandelson wrote.
"I can still barely understand it. It just could not happen in Britain. You have to be incredibly resilient, fight for early release and be philosophical about it as much as you can."
Mandelson, who took up the prestigious ambassadorship earlier this year has admitted knowing Epstein well and told The Sun newspaper that his comments in the birthday book were "very embarrassing to see and to read."
He said his comments were written before Epstein was indicted and that he did not have a business relationship with him.
Starmer Said He Had 'Confidence' in Mandelson
On Wednesday, Keir Starmer, the British prime minister backed Mandelson, 71.
Starmer said Mandelson has "repeatedly expressed his deep regret" for his friendship with Epstein.
"I have confidence in him, and he is playing an important role in the U.K.-U.S. relationship," he said.
It is thought the decision to dismiss Mandelson was made on Thursday morning at a meeting between Starmer and his foreign secretary, after reviewing the emails.
It has been a difficult month so far for Starmer, following the resignation of his deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, last week for underpaying tax on a property purchase.
Mandelson is no stranger to controversy, and twice resigned from Tony Blair's governments: firstly in 1998 over an undeclared interest-free loan; and 2001 over accusations of using his position to influence a passport decision.
Why do they keep picking Mandelson over and over again? It should be very self-evident that he's a troublemaker.
Quote:ran has set a new condition for its nuclear oversight agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as it says it is redefining how it will allow inspections and monitoring, following recent attacks on its nuclear facilities.
Iran and the IAEA finalized on Tuesday a technical agreement in Cairo to resume inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities. However, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that a new agreement reached with the U.N. watchdog could be nullified.
Newsweek has reached out to Iran's foreign ministry and the IAEA for comment.
Why It Matters
Inspectors remain restricted from accessing nuclear sites except Bushehr, to oversee fuel change. Tehran says the new terms emerged from recent attacks on its nuclear facilities, after which it suspended cooperation with the agency and inspectors pulled out.
Iran passed a law suspending mandatory cooperation and now requires its Supreme National Security Council approval for all inspections.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told the Board of Governors in Vienna on Monday that domestic legislation cannot override Iran's commitments to the agency.
What To Know
"This document and its continuation are conditional on no hostile action being taken against the Islamic Republic of Iran. For instance, if the so-called snapback mechanism is activated, the implementation of this document will also be halted," Araghchi told Iranian media.
The minister was referring to possible sanctions that may be imposed as a result of the mechanism recently invoked on August 28 by E3 countries—France, Germany and the U.K.
The new arrangement reflected both Iran's concerns and the agency's technical requirement, according to both Araghchi and Grossi, who described the move as a step into the right direction.
The document provides technical matters related to the process of inspections for all nuclear facilities in Iran.
The Iranian official also said that the framework for collaboration with the IAEA, hinges on the "the avoidance of unlawful and provocative steps," in a Wednesday post on his X account.
For several decades, Iran's nuclear program has caused international concern. Iran has said that its nuclear program is peaceful, but it is the only non-nuclear-armed nation enriching uranium to a high level.
And in June, a prominent Chinese commentator said Iran's leadership should reconsider its nuclear ambitions.
Iranian nuclear activities, even if they are for civilian use, "will be difficult to continue. From a realist perspective, Iran should rethink its nuclear path," said former Global Times editor Hu Xijin, who led the nationalistic state-run newspaper from 2005-2021.
Quote:Poland has restricted the airspace in the east of the country for the next three months following Russia's drone breach of the NATO member.
A day after Warsaw said it shot down Russian drones which flew into Polish airspace during an overnight bombardment of Ukraine on Wednesday, Poland's Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) announced restriction measures would come into effect from Thursday.
Why It Matters
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski accused Moscow of deliberately violating sovereign airspace after Russian drones crossed into the NATO country before being shot down.
This was the first time a member of the alliance had engaged Russian military assets over its territory, and the largest drone breach of NATO airspace.
Russian officials have denied wrongdoing, but the move to restrict airspace along the east of Poland illustrates how tensions have spiked on NATO's eastern flank and the security risk posed by the drones and missiles Moscow launches toward Ukraine.
What To Know
After a day of concerned responses globally about the implications of Russian drones breaching a NATO member, PANSA issued a statement on Thursday that airspace in the eastern part of the country would be restricted
It said that at the request of Poland's armed forces, air traffic restrictions would be in place until midnight December 9 in the eastern part of the country known as restricted zone EP R129.
It posted a map of the region affected, which runs from Poland's northeastern border with Lithuania, south along Belarus toward Ukraine and Slovakia.
The restrictions would apply between sunset and sunrise, except for military aircraft. The statement said that between sunrise and sunset, the no-fly zone would apply except for manned aircraft which had filed a flight plan and had a transponder switched on.
Russian drones and missiles are usually launched overnight and NATO allies have accused Moscow of sending manned aircraft or turning transponders off to buzz allied airspace.
The group Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) told Newsweek that since the start of the war, there had been at least 50 airspace violations of countries on Ukraine's western borders, mainly crashes involving stray Russian and Ukrainian drones and missiles.
But before Wednesday, only four incidents had occurred in Poland during the war, with Romanian and Moldova most affected, although stray drones were detected in Latvia in September 2024 and fellow NATO members Lithuania and Estonia in July and August this year, ACLED said.
Electronic warfare systems used by both sides to take drones off course and an escalating air war may increase the danger of direct military engagement between Russia and NATO, ACLED senior analyst Nichita Gurcov said.
In comments sent to Newsweek, International Crisis Group's Europe and Central Asia program director Olga Oliker said that NATO states may now be less inclined to tolerate incursions by drones and more likely to seek effective responses which could prompt Moscow "to exercise greater caution about straying into allied airspace."
The Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement saying it had not planned to hit any targets in Poland while Andrei Ordash, Russia's charge d'affaires in Warsaw, rejected claims the drones shot down in Polish territory were of Russian origin.
Quote:fter 19 Russian drones crossed into NATO member Poland early Wednesday, there are uncomfortable, pressing questions for the alliance about how well it could intercept a much larger Russian drone or missile attack.
It is, ultimately, unprepared, analysts say. No one but Israel has built up the capability to defend against a large-scale, sustained aerial attack, said Sam Cranny-Evans, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a major British defense think tank.
Observers say the problem isn't the quality of the systems, it's the quantity. Stockpiles have been funneled to Ukraine for years, and existing factories are hard pressed to more quickly churn out new equipment like interceptor missiles. On top of that are long waits between ordering kit and receiving it and discomfort in Europe over how reliant it is on the U.S.
"Europe has individually capable defensive systems, but nowhere near enough volume to defend itself in the event of a major and protracted war," Matthew Savill, the director of military sciences at RUSI, told Newsweek.
European countries have broadly pledged to increase military spending, although nations forming NATO's eastern flank, close to Russia, have more keenly felt Moscow's presence and traditionally spent a higher percentage of their GDP on defense. By 2030, there may have been enough of a "meaningful increase" to mean Europe can properly defend itself, Cranny-Evans told Newsweek.
"It will take time," Savill said, as well as investment in cheaper systems to deal with drones and other types of threats, like loitering munitions.
What Is a Drone Wall?
The type of air defenses NATO would use to intercept a large-scale drone attack is different from how the alliance would take out incoming ballistic or cruise missiles.
But the number of Russian drones that crossed into Poland, and how far they reached, adds a new urgency to the mammoth task of working out how NATO would take out many drones at once without turning to expensive air defense missiles, which can cost millions of dollars apiece. Cheap drones, like Russia has used in Ukraine, come at a fraction of the price.
Andrius Kubilius, the European commissioner for defense and space, said on Wednesday, shortly after the Russian drones crossed into Poland, that "we must urgently develop" a "drone wall" across the "entire EU Eastern flank."
The idea of a drone wall is essentially about layered defenses, from interceptor drones to cannons and missiles, plus electronic warfare and attempts to jam or spoof incoming drones.
Each layer of defenses would have a go at taking out an incoming threat, said U.K.-based drone expert Steve Wright.
"We need to step up the defense," Wright told Newsweek. But "there isn't a silver bullet," he added.
Many companies now are looking for new ways to make sure drones don't hit their targets. DroneShield, a mostly Australian-owned counter-UAS (unmanned aerial systems) company, say "the problem is getting more complex."
"You really need to look at it as multiple layers that you need to defend against," Matt McCrann, the company's U.S. CEO, told Newsweek. DroneShield says it has "close to 50" national militaries as customers and said in June it signed a $40 million deal to provide its technology to an unnamed European military.
An increasingly dominant tactic is using interceptor drones to smash other drones from the sky before they can reach their destination. Johannes Pinl, who heads defense company MARSS, said their hit-to-kill interceptor drone is "like a knife, cutting through the incoming targets" without using explosives or fuel for tens of thousands of dollars.
The MARSS interceptor drone would be one of the first defenses to engage drones, like the Shahed or Gerbera drones Russia frequently deploys, from roughly 5 kilometers away, Pinl told Newsweek. Pinl said the interceptor drone would be best suited to shielding cities and critical infrastructure from drone attacks.
"The issue with Europe and NATO [is] they're five years behind," Pinl said. "This technology, this drone wall, is deployed in the Middle East. They put budgets aside for this drone wall, and they've silently built up this drone wall.
"They are prepared. But Europe has done "nothing."
Quote:A Russian government newspaper said Europe's condemnation of Moscow's drones entering Polish airspace was a ploy to pressure U.S. President Donald Trump to abandon plans for a Russia-Ukraine peace deal.
An op-ed in Rossiyskaya Gazeta painted the global outrage around Russian drones breaching the NATO member's territory as part of the "demonization" of Moscow, as it also accused Poland of "provocation" with its rhetoric.
Newsweek has contacted the White House and the Polish Foreign Ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
A diplomatic storm continues after Poland said it downed up to four of the 19 drones fired into its territory by Russia on Wednesday in the first engagement between a NATO member and Moscow since the start of the war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Moscow rejected accusations that it intentionally targeted Poland and Kremlin propagandists have pushed the line that Russia is being unfairly accused, as NATO allies express concerns about an escalation in the war.
What To Know
Rossiyskaya Gazeta is the official Russian government newspaper and is thought to reflect Kremlin thinking.
An op-ed headlined, "Why Warsaw inflated a scandal over alleged Russian drones," decried the accusations Moscow has faced from Poland and its allies.
The piece by Yuri Kogalov and Ivan Sysoev reiterated Moscow's position that no strikes on Poland were planned, no explosives in the drones were found and there was no confirmation that the devices were even Russian.
The piece said Europe's leaders "need an escalation of the Ukrainian conflict, a further demonization of Russia, and a reason to increase pressure on Trump to abandon efforts for a peaceful settlement."
Other pro-Kremlin newspapers also took aim at the West, using the word "provocation" against Europe and Ukraine that Moscow is accused of.
A piece in Moskovsky Komsomolets was headlined "a big provocation in Poland—they are trying to turn the SMO [special military operation] into a pan-European war."
It also said origin of the drones has not been proved and the controversy could suit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who wants the direct participation of the West in the war.
It said that Kyiv's goal "is to force Trump to change his political course" and referred to U.S. Vice President JD Vance's comments on Wednesday that the administration saw no reason to isolate Russia economically. As such, Zelensky "desperately needs" Trump to make decisions "that he does not want to make at all," the paper added.
On Russian state TV, 60 Minutes presenter Olga Skabeyeva said that Trump is more interested in economic deals with Russia than punishing it.
Kremlin mouthpiece, Izvestia, quoted military expert Viktor Litovkin as saying that the drones that entered Poland on Wednesday could have been a "provocation by Ukraine or one of the Baltic states."
Another military expert, Alexei Leonkov, told the same paper that "the provocation was needed" so that Ukraine's allies could pressure Trump to draw the United States back into the conflict, or at least provide Europe with security guarantees, which Moscow has rejected as part of any peace deal.
Quote:Russian officials allied with Vladimir Putin have responded to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, by blaming the left and Ukraine supporters for political violence in the U.S.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and Kirill Dmitriev, a key Kremlin negotiator with the Trump administration over Ukraine, weighed in on the shooting of Kirk, founder of the right-leaning youth organization Turning Point USA.
Kirk was popular in Russia for his anti-NATO stance and criticism of Ukraine's President Zelensky. Medvedev linked the murder to supporters of Kyiv while Dmitriev reposted a video showing alleged leftists "in full celebration mode over Kirk getting shot."
A manhunt for the killer is ongoing and no motive has been confirmed. The Russian officials' posts come amid an outpouring of condemnation across the political divide for the killing of Kirk.
Mark Shanahan, a U.S. politics expert from the University of Surrey in England told Newsweek that Kirk's killing showed "an already febrile America is now even more on the edge."
Why It Matters
Kirk, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump and key MAGA figure, had been critical of Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he once described as a "puppet of the CIA" and had previously said that "the political left is normalizing violence."
Medvedev has used social media to attack the West and push Kremlin narratives condemning its support for Ukraine against Russia's full-scale invasion. His latest post, as well as Dmitriev's, appear to exploit U.S. political divisions, particularly around Ukraine.
What To Know
Kirk was fatally shot during his "American Comeback Tour" on Thursday at Utah Valley University in what officials are calling a "political assassination."
American political figures on both the left and right condemned the killing, including Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson former Vice President Kamala Harris and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Medvedev, who was Russian president between 2008 and 2012 and is now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, linked Kirk's murder to what he called "a variety of left-wing liberal scum who support Banderite" Kyiv.
Quote:A United States B-2 stealth bomber conducted an anti-ship weapon test in northern Norway near Russia's Arctic waters, demonstrating its precision maritime strike capabilities.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
Facing growing maritime threats from adversaries including China—which operates the world's largest navy by hull count—and Russia, the U.S. has been enhancing its ship-sinking capabilities by developing advanced weapons such as the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) and modified precision-guided bombs known as QUICKSINK.
The bomb-drop test, conducted in the Norwegian Sea off Andøya Island in northern Norway on September 3, came as the U.S. and its NATO allies formed a naval task group to conduct an operation in the nearby Barents Sea—regarded as Russia's Arctic doorstep. The allied vessels were observed being shadowed by Russian military forces.
What To Know
The U.S. Air Force announced on Tuesday that the B-2 bomber—which participated in the large-scale airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities in June—conducted a long-range strike scenario using the QUICKSINK maritime weapon to defeat a surface vessel.
Andøya Island is approximately 366 miles west of the Norway-Russia land border.
Prior to the bomber's departure from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, airmen prepared two types of QUICKSINK weapons: the 500-pound GBU-38 and the 2,000-pound GBU-31 bombs, both part of the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) family.
By being equipped with a new seeker, a modified JDAM can conduct precision strikes on static and moving maritime targets, providing what the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory describes as an "air-delivered, low-cost surface vessel defeat capability."
"QUICKSINK is an answer to the need to quickly neutralize menacing maritime threats over vast areas around the world," the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory said.
Photos released by the Norwegian military—which deployed four F-35 stealth fighter jets and a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft for the test—show the U.S. bomber dropping a single bomb, identified by defense outlet The War Zone as the GBU-31 variant.
One of the Norwegian military's photos—taken through a submarine periscope—shows a hit on the ship target. Photos released by the U.S. Air Force indicate that both the modified GBU-31 and GBU-38 QUICKSINK bombs were loaded onto the bomber.
The test in Norway marked at least the third time the QUICKSINK weapon has been tested with the B-2 bomber, which dropped a 2,000-pound variant during a naval war game in Hawaii in July 2024 and used a 500-pound variant for a test in Florida.
Quote:China continued expanding its maritime presence in the Pacific by deploying two coast guard vessels—one reportedly carrying a drone—for a fishery law enforcement patrol.
Newsweek has reached out to China's Foreign Ministry for further comment via email.
Why It Matters
As part of the country's rapid military buildup, the China Coast Guard (CCG) operates the world's largest maritime law enforcement fleet, with more than 150 vessels over 1,000 tons, according to a Pentagon report. The fleet includes former naval corvettes and two 12,000-ton "monster" ships, the biggest coast guard vessels in the world.
Like the Chinese navy, the CCG has expanded its presence beyond East Asian waters in recent years, including a joint exercise and patrol with its Russian counterpart in the North Pacific last year. Since 2015, the CCG has also deployed vessels to the North Pacific to conduct fishery law enforcement in accordance with an international treaty.
What To Know
The CCG announced that two vessels—hull numbers 1303 and 1305—departed from Shanghai in East China on Wednesday for a fishery law enforcement patrol mission in international waters of the North Pacific. The deployment is scheduled for 31 days.
Citing photos released by the CCG, @type36512, a Japan-based Chinese military observer on the social media platform X, noted that the vessel 1303 appeared to be carrying a drone on its rear deck, while a helicopter was stationed on the vessel 1305.
This two-vessel deployment marked the 10th time the CCG has been dispatched to fulfill China's international obligations under United Nations General Assembly Resolution 46/215 and the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean, according to a statement.
The UN resolution addresses large-scale pelagic drift-net fishing and its impact on marine resources, while the convention seeks to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of fisheries in the North Pacific and to protect marine ecosystems.
The convention applies to North Pacific waters beyond national jurisdiction. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a coastal state can claim territorial waters extending up to 13.8 miles and an exclusive economic zone up to 230 miles.
By conducting vessel boarding and inspection operations to crack down on illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing, the CCG said this mission would help maintain order in fisheries in international waters and promote the sustainable use of fishery resources.
Quote:China has announced the creation of a national nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal, escalating tensions over the South China Sea flashpoint in a move that drew a sharp protest from the Philippines.
Why It Matters
The Philippines is locked in a bitter territorial dispute with China, which claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea—including features such as Scarborough Shoal that lie well within the U.S. ally's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
China seized effective control of the traditional fishing ground, in 2012 following a standoff with the Philippines. In recent years, the area has seen repeated maritime confrontations as Beijing seeks to block Philippine patrols and missions to resupply local fishermen.
One such encounter last month saw a Chinese coast guard vessel heavily damaged after colliding with a Chinese naval destroyer while both were pursuing a Philippine coast guard ship.
...
What To Know
China's State Council on Wednesday said it had approved the formation of a "Scarborough Shoal National Nature Reserve," calling it an important step to ensure the diversity, stability, and sustainability of the shoal's natural ecosystem.
In a separate notice, the State Forestry and Grassland Administration released an image with geographic coordinates outlining the planned boundaries of the reserve, spanning its northeastern side and covering roughly one-third of the coral reef-rimmed feature.
On Thursday, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs condemned the announcement, calling it an "illegitimate and unlawful action by China, as it clearly infringes upon the rights and interests of the Philippines in accordance with international law."
The department said the country would file a formal diplomatic protest and urged Beijing to respect Manila's "sovereignty and jurisdiction" over the reef.
Responding to Manila's statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters Thursday: "The scope of the Philippines' territory has long been defined by a series of international treaties, and Huangyan Dao has never been part of it."
Lin called on the Philippines to "immediately stop its infringements, provocations, and reckless hype to avoid adding complicating factors to the maritime situation."
Huangyan Dao is China's term for Second Thomas Shoal. The Philippines refers to it as Bajo De Masinloc.
In a landmark 2016 ruling, a Hague-based arbitral tribunal classified Scarborough Shoal as a rock under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, meaning it does not generate its own exclusive economic zone. However, the shoal lies well within the Philippines' 200-nautical-mile EEZ from Luzon.
The ruling largely rejected China's sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea. Beijing did not participate in the proceedings and maintains the decision is invalid.
Quote:Beijing has responded to commentary on its recent "Victory Day" military parade, during which it showcased a wide array of weaponry, including its nuclear triad capabilities.
Why It Matters
The September 3 parade commemorated the 80th anniversary of the official end of World War II in the Pacific. It was presided over by Chinese President Xi Jinping and attended by leaders from more than 20 countries, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un.
Analysts viewed the martial display as a signal to the United States and its allies of China's growing military capabilities and the progress the People's Liberation Army has made toward Xi's goal of building a "world-class military" by mid-century.
...
What To Know
In a Wednesday press release, Chinese Ministry of Defense spokesperson Wu Qian said the military hardware on display last week "demonstrated the comprehensive combat capabilities of the PLA in realistic training and exercises."
He added: "Their appearance shows that our capabilities for defense are improving, but our strategic intention has not changed: We will never seek hegemony, never engage in expansion, never initiate aggression."
Wu emphasized that the parade "was not targeted at any specific country" and said a strong Chinese military supports peaceful development.
Along with hypersonic missiles, a range of new drone types, cyber warfare systems and a laser weapon, five new types of nuclear-capable systems were showcased during the parade. They included three silo-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles—the DF-5C, DF-31BJ, and DF-61—as well as the air-launched JL-1 ballistic missile, said to have a range of nearly 2,000 miles, and the submarine-launched JL-3.
Analysts noted that many of the systems on parade remain untested in combat, as China has not been involved in a full-fledged conflict since 1979.
However, the Pentagon is increasingly concerned about China's expanding missile capabilities—particularly its vast missile fleet, which poses a significant threat to U.S. naval forces in the event of conflict in the region—and its nuclear stockpile.
China is one of only four countries—with the U.S., Russia and India—with a full nuclear triad and ranks third globally in total warheads.
The arsenal is growing rapidly, believed to have reached 600 warheads this year—more than double its 2019 count—according to estimates from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
What People Are Saying
Alexander Neil, Singapore-based security analyst, told Reuters: "For all the operational questions that surround some of these new elements, China was sending a message of technological advance and military strength on all fronts—there is indeed a lot for rival defense planners to get their heads around."
Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in an analysis of the parade posted to X: "As U.S.-China relations become more difficult, the nuclear dimension of competition between the two countries will grow more important."
"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.
Quote:President Trump announced early Friday that a suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination was turned in by his father — with the suspect identified as Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah student who allegedly wrote “Hey fascist! Catch!” on a bullet.
“I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him,” Trump told “Fox & Friends” during a live interview at the cable giant’s Manhattan studio, saying he’d heard just minutes before his 8 a.m. interview.
“Somebody who was very close to him turned him in,” the president said, then revealing it was the suspect’s dad, Matt, who relayed it through “a minister who was involved with law enforcement.”
“I hope he’s going to be found guilty, and I hope he gets the death penalty. What he did — Charlie Kirk was the finest person and he didn’t deserve this.”
Trump did not name the suspect, but he was later confirmed to be Robinson, an ID first confirmed by The Post.
“We got him,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced, with the arrest at 10 p.m. Thursday some 33 hours after father of two Kirk, 31, was gunned down at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
Tyler was turned in by his dad, who confronted him after seeing photos of the killer — with the son saying he would rather kill himself then hand himself in, sources told The Post.
Discord chats with his roommate also showed him discussing a rifle hidden in a towel near where it was found soon after Kirk’s assassination.
Bullets had hateful scrawls on them, including, “If you read this, you are gay LMAO” — and “Hey fascist! Catch!” aimed at the conservative debater.
Another featured the words “Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao,” referencing a popular Italian anti-fascist song, Cox said.
Robinson had been admitted to Utah State University — about 200 miles from UVU, where Kirk was murdered — on a $32,000 Presidential Scholarship as a pre-engineering major, with his family filming him reading his acceptance letter.
However, he was only “a student at USU for one semester in 2021 [fall] and then took a leave of absence,” a rep said, without elaborating on why he dropped out.
He was a current student at Dixie Technical College in St. George, Utah, where he was a third-year student in the electrical-apprenticeship program.
Robinson has two younger brothers and his parents, Matt and Amber, have been married for about 25 years, according to social media posts.
The family lives in a suburb of the city of St. George in southern Utah, about a 3 1/2 hour drive south of the Utah Valley University campus where Robinson is accused of assassinating Kirk, 31, with a single shot from an elevated position about 200 yards from the tent where he was speaking.
Quote:Comcast’s top brass slammed MSNBC’s coverage of the killing of conservative activist Charlier Kirk — including “insensitive” and “inappropriate” remarks by analyst Matthew Dowd, who was fired on Thursday.
The memo, which was signed by Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, Comcast president Mike Cavanagh and Mark Lazarus, CEO of Versant — the spinoff company that includes MSNBC — was circulated to Comcast and NBCUniversal staff on Friday.
“You may have seen that MSNBC recently ended its association with a contributor who made an unacceptable and insensitive comment about this horrific event,” the memo said.
“That coverage was at odds with fostering civil dialogue and being willing to listen to the points of view of those who have differing opinions. We should be able to disagree, robustly and passionately, but, ultimately, with respect. We need to do better.”
The execs added that staffers must “maintain a respectful exchange of ideas” even if they do not agree with the late Kirk’s political views.
They added that “something essential has fractured in our public discourse,” and that their company has a “responsibility to help mend it.”
Kirk was shot and killed Wednesday at an event at Utah Valley College, prompting a media frenzy and manhunt for the conservative activist’s killer.
During MSNBC’s live coverage of the shooting, anchor Katy Tur asked Dowd about “the environment in which a shooting like this happens.”
Dowd answered: “He’s been one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.
“You can’t stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and not expect awful actions to take place. And that’s the unfortunate environment we are in.”
The analyst’s remarks sparked outrage online and prompted MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler to issue an apology on Thursday and fire Dowd, whose comments she called “inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable.”
Comcast — and other major media companies — have been under fire for biased coverage by President Trump and his administration.
On “Fox & Friends” on Friday, Trump commented on the firing of Dowd and MSNBC’s coverage.
“Misery” author Stephen King has been slammed as “a horrible, evil, twisted liar” and “more monstrous” than any of his characters for attacking Charlie Kirk’s memory soon after the father of two was assassinated.
King, 77, was forced to delete his post and apologize — repeatedly — after sparking fury with his response to a heartfelt tribute to the murdered ally of President Trump.
“He advocated stoning gays to death. Just sayin’,” the famous horror author wrote in response to Fox News’ Jesse Watters labeling Kirk “not a controversial or polarizing figure” but “a PATRIOT.”
King’s reply sparked revulsion, with many pointing out that Kirk repeatedly said gay people should be welcome in the conservative movement.
“You are a horrible, evil, twisted liar. No, he did not,” US Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) wrote on X in response to the post, branding King “dishonest and full of hate.”
Kirk’s close friend Dave Rubin told King he was “more monstrous than any of the characters you ever came up with.”
“Charlie was never anything but kind to me and my husband,” Rubin wrote. “We broke bread many times, and he never treated us with anything other than respect. He even came to our house not too long ago and plot twist, didn’t throw rocks at us. Write about that sometime, you hack.”
Many shared a call for Kirk’s family to “sue Stephen King for defamation over this heinously false accusation” — saying “he’s crossed a line” — while Laura Ingraham called King “a sad, bitter man.”
Quote:The mystery bearded man who appeared to be celebrating in the crowd moments after Charlie Kirk was shot claimed he wasn’t cheering the horrifying violence, but shouting “USA” to create a “distraction” that might help “save lives.”
A man going by David on X, who claims to be the person seen in the viral video filmed at the Utah Valley University event, posted a two-minute statement in which he attempts to explain himself.
“When I heard a sharp crack at first I thought it might have been fireworks or a disruptive prank,” the man says, appearing to be wearing the same tan-colored backwards cap as the man apparently celebrating in the video.
“I looked up to the horizon for smoke. When none appeared, I realized it must have been a firearm,” he said in a monotone voice, his eyes seeming to dart back and forth as if reading the statement as he stumbled over some of the words.
He said based on a friend’s reaction he “believed Charlie had been gravely injured,” and “instinctively checked the security team’s movement” before rising to his feet.
“I stood and shouted ‘USA,’ not as a provocation, but to project strength, encourage others, and create a distraction that might help calm panic or even save lives.”
He claims he was only minimally familiar with Kirk‘s content, but said he “would never wish to celebrate harm to anyone.”
A short time later, he posted a rambling follow-up video, calling himself “the happiest person you ever met in your entire life” and claiming to be sick of “my soldiers, including Charlie, dying so you guys can mock each other,” he said staring straight into the camera. “Mock, mock, mock.”
Quote:President Trump announced Friday that Memphis would be the next city to get a federal policing surge — and the second following Washington, DC — after a successful FBI task force collared more than 500 violent criminals earlier this year.
Tennessee’s second-largest metropolis, with a population of around 611,000 people, recorded 297 murders last year and has the nation’s highest violent crime rate among cities with at least 250,000 inhabitants.
According to FBI data, Memphis authorities tracked 2,501 violent crimes for every 100,000 residents in 2024.
“We’re going to Memphis. [It is] deeply troubled and the mayor is happy. The Democrat mayor [Paul Young] is happy. And the [Republican] Governor [Bill Lee] is happy,” Trump said on “Fox & Friends.”
“Deeply troubled — we’re going to fix that, just like we did Washington. I would have preferred going to Chicago.”
At a news conference later Friday, Young insisted that while his city was high on too many “bad lists,” “I did not ask for the National Guard and I don’t think it’s the way to drive down crime.”
The mayor added that any federal presence should examine the “root source of violent crime,” claiming a need for mental health services, jobs and housing help.
“I’m grateful for the President’s unwavering support and commitment to providing every resource necessary to serve Memphians,” Lee said in a statement. “Memphis remains on a path to greatness, and we are not going to let anything hold them back.”
Trump said the move was pitched to him by a friend who is a railroad executive and on the board of Memphis-based shipping giant FedEx.
“He said, ‘When I walk one block to my hotel, they won’t allow me to do it. They put me in an armored vehicle with bulletproof glass to take me one block.’ He said, ‘It’s so terrible.’”
Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) told The Post Friday that the federal surge was the culmination of talks with Memphis business leaders — but also with Young, Lee, FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi dating back to November 2024.
On July 21, the FBI launched Operation Viper to curb violent crime in Memphis with the help of agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration. Lee also deployed 150 state troopers to the city and made $200 million in funding available.
Quote:The man accused in the politically motivated assassination of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband insisted to The Post this week the murders had nothing to do with President Trump or abortion — but stopped short of saying what allegedly drove him to kill.
“You are fishing and I can’t talk about my case…I’ll say it didn’t involve either the Trump stuff or pro life,” Vance Boelter wrote this week from a cell inside Sherburne County Jail in Elk River, about 30 miles northwest of Minneapolis.
“I am pro-life personaly [sic] but it wasn’t those,” he said, using the jail’s internal messaging system. “I will just say there is a lot of information that will come out in future that people will look at and judge for themselves that goes back 24 months before the 14th. If the gov ever let’s [sic] it get out.”
The Post’s communication with Boelter, 57, included messages and two separate, 20-minute video visits Friday — and were his first public comments, outside of brief court hearings, since his arrest for the murders of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their Brooklyn Park home around 3:30 a.m. on June 14.
He’s also accused of shooting state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their Champlin home during the sick spree.
Boelter harped on a handwritten, one-and-a-half page letter left in an abandoned SUV at the crime scene that was addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel, saying critical elements were kept from the public.
“Can I ask what you heard as an outside person about the note that the alleged person — I’ll say alleged person — left in that car, did you hear anything about that?” demanded Boelter, who was wearing a yellow, jail-issued jumpsuit, and spoke with a thick Minnesotan accent.
In the letter, which has not been released publicly, Boelter reportedly claimed he had been secretly trained by the US Military and was asked by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to perform the killings, so that the 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate could run for Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s seat.
“Certain details of that letter were leaked out that probably painted one kind of a picture, but a lot more important details that were in that letter were not leaked out,” Boelter said during the second televisit Friday, refusing to elaborate, only saying the details pertained to “things that were going on in Minnesota.”
Quote:The maniac who allegedly slaughtered an elderly Queens couple inside their own home coldly admitted to the horrifying crime, while also bizarrely claiming he molested them.
“I’ll admit it. I killed them,” repeat criminal Jamel McGriff told police after his Wednesday arrest, according to prosecutors.
“I don’t give a f–k. I killed them. I burnt the n—as. I molested them,” he said.
McGriff’s chilling admission was captured on bodycam footage when he was finally busted — two days after he allegedly tortured Frank and Maureen Olton inside their Bellerose home and went on a shopping spree on their dime.
Wearing a white painter’s outfit, McGriff, 42, blithely stared ahead as prosecutors recounted the “horrifying and shocking” details of the sickening crime to a packed Queens courtroom Thursday night.
Among the tragic new revelations were that 77-year-old Maureen Olton was still alive when McGriff allegedly set fire to the couple’s home on Monday.
Neighbors told The Post that the older woman was bound to her wheelchair.
Her body was “unrecognizable” from the burns, Assistant District Attorney John Esposito told the court, adding that she suffered thermal burns, a fractured larynx — a possible sign of strangulation — and “soot in her trachea.”
Frank Olton, 76, had been tied to a pole in the basement before he was stabbed several times, killing him.
Prosecutors said McGriff set fire to the slain man’s chest before igniting an inferno upstairs.
The sadistic killer — who was inside the home for about five hours — allegedly then went straight to Macy’s and bought $500 worth of clothing on the couple’s credit card, while registering a bonus points card in his own name. He also pawned off two of their cellphones for cash, Esposito said.
Quote:WASHINGTON — Former Biden White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted to House lawmakers Friday she saw no signs of diminished mental acuity from the 46th president — but acknowledged she got guidance on what to say about his condition from top White House officials.
Over nearly six hours of testimony, Jean-Pierre claimed — incredibly — that “she did not see a change in Biden’s competency from 2009 to 2025,” according to a source familiar with the interview by the House Oversight Committee.
While the ex-White House spokesperson acknowledged Biden, now 82, was “not the same speaker he was when she met him,” Jean-Pierre couldn’t attribute a reason for the “speaking change,” the source added.
Jean-Pierre — who has since departed the Democratic Party and is writing a tell-all book about the “broken” administration she served — infamously accused The Post and other outlets in June 2024 of promoting “cheap fakes” by reporting on video footage of Biden wandering away and looking confused during events with world leaders and former President Barack Obama.
The ex-press secretary told her interrogators Friday the “cheap fakes” line was added to the binder she used at every White House briefing — but she does not know who specifically put it in there, per the person familiar with the interview.
In addition, Jean-Pierre acknowledged that talking points were given to her by “various advisers, but those relating to President Biden’s health and mental acuity were handled exclusively at the senior level,” the source went on.
A former Biden White House colleague confirmed to The Post that key aides, such as senior advisers Anita Dunn and Mike Donilon, would coordinate talking points about Biden’s health — but added that few alums of the previous administration were interested in Jean-Pierre’s testimony.
“Biden people are completely ignoring her,” this person claimed, adding that response was “not a good look for the most public-facing person from the last administration, especially when she’s hawking a book.”
“If she would like to forget being a Democrat, then we would like to forget her,” the former aide concluded.
Jean-Pierre, 51, was viewed as incompetent by many West Wing compatriots, including senior Biden aides led by Dunn who attempted unsuccessfully to coax her to leave the White House in late 2023.
A second former Biden White House aide ridiculed Jean-Pierre’s testimony, telling The Post: “I would like to ask her if she has a mind of her own — she just did what was on the paper? No critical thinking.”
The press secretary generally dispensed little information at her regular briefings, and it’s unclear what new details she might spill in her forthcoming book “Independent,” due out Oct. 21.
Jean-Pierre “would not elaborate on her book when asked about its contents,” a source close to the grilling told The Post.
Quote:Ukraine set fire to Russia’s largest oil terminal and two tankers overnight Friday in its largest drone attack against the Kremlin in months.
The port of Primorsk, which has the ability to load about one million barrels of crude oil per day, was for the first time in its war forced to suspend loadings, two industry sources and Ukraine’s military told Reuters.
There was no reported oil spillage, but two vessels were set ablaze, including one with the capacity to carry 700,000 barrels of oil.
Operations at the northwestern port were suspended in the aftermath of the overnight attack. It is not clear if they have since resumed, though the fires had been extinguished.
Oil prices surged in the aftermath of the attack — with the US West Texas Intermediate crude gaining 56 cents, or 0.9%, to $62.93 per barrel.
“Those attacks on Russian energy infrastructure have room to drag down Russian crude and refined product exports,” Security Service of Ukraine analyst Giovanni Staunovo said.
It is the first time a Russian port has been forced to cease operations, despite previous drone strikes on the oil trade in recent months.
Ukraine has been increasingly targeting Russia’s crude oil production terminals and vessels in recent months in an effort to cut the Kremlin off from its main source of revenue by limiting its export abilities.
Kyiv hopes that the move will force negotiations to end the war between the two nations.
The overnight Friday attack is the First on the Primorsk port, a flagship terminal, loading about 1 million barrels per day, as well as 300,000 barrels of diesel.
Russia claims to have intercepted 221 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Meanwhile, at least two civilians were killed in Ukraine’s Sumy region when a Russian glide bomb struck a village near the border.
The Kremlin said on Friday there was a pause in peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Quote:Prince Harry has made a surprising pit-stop in Kyiv, Ukraine, on his way back to the US following a fleeting four-day visit to the UK.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, flew into Poland Friday morning before boarding a train to the Ukrainian capital for a quick visit as part of his work for the Invictus Games.
The visit to Kyiv marks Harry’s first and comes just days after Russia had pounded the city with its largest air strike since the war started in February 2022.
“I had to check with my wife and the British government to make sure it was OK,” the “Spare” author said Friday as he arrived in the war-torn capital.
The duke pledged to do “everything possible” to help thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and service personnel injured in the ongoing, escalating conflict.
“We cannot stop the war but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process,” he went on.
“We can continue to humanize the people involved in this war and what they are going through. We have to keep it in the forefront of people’s minds. I hope this trip will help to bring it home to people because it’s easy to become desensitized to what has been going on.”
The Invictus Games founder is expected to visit the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War where he will meet hundreds of veterans.
Harry — who was invited to Ukraine by Olga Rudnieva, who fronts the Superhumans Trauma Center in Lviv — will also speak with the Ukrainian prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko.
Quote:Russia’s incursion into Poland’s airspace was a deliberate test of NATO’s defense systems and a warning to the West to end its aid for Ukraine, an expert on the conflict said.
While Moscow claims that it did not intentionally deploy drones into Poland on Wednesday, the sheer scope of the incident indicates that it was a coordinated Russian operation, said Christina Harward, an analyst for the Institute for the Study of War think tank.
“Given the number of drones that violated Polish airspace overnight, this was likely a deliberate Russian incursion,” she told The Post.
“We have seen limited drone and missile incursions into Poland and other states that neighbor Ukraine throughout the war, but nothing of this scale,” she added.
At least 19 projectiles were detected flying into Poland on Tuesday night and into Wednesday, prompting the country and its NATO allies to scramble their jets and shoot down some of the drones, officials said.
While most of the projectiles were shot down or crashed near the border with Ukraine, at least two unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, were located more than 100 miles into Poland.
The incident gave Moscow an insight into not only how Warsaw operates, but how NATO might react in the face of an immediate attack on one of its member states, Harward said.
“Russia was trying to gauge their defensive capabilities, reaction times, command structures, and interoperability,” she added.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius surmised the same thing, slamming the incident as a deliberate act meant to test the West.
Harward warned that, along with testing the West’s defenses, the incursion will also be exploited by Russia in the coming days to threaten Europe as a whole, given the EU’s stance on aiding Ukraine.
Quote:A bipartisan group of senators rolled out legislation Thursday to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism over its barbarous mass abduction of thousands of Ukrainian children during its ongoing invasion.
Should the bill become law, Russia will join Cuba, North Korea, Iran and Syria on the list of US-designated terror states as part of a campaign to make Moscow’s economy “radioactive” on the world stage.
“This is what terrorists do. They rape, they murder, they kidnap,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) declared. “If Russia doesn’t want to be a state sponsor of terrorism under US law, return the children.”
Graham was joined by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) in pitching the bill.
Russia has been accused by Ukraine and international watchdogs of kidnapping nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children from their homes and putting some of them up for adoption, with the apparent intent of raising them to be Russian.
Some of the kids reportedly have been sent to military camps and taught to wage war against the country of their birth.
Save Ukraine, a non-governmental organization, has sounded the alarm over a Russian adoption database or “catalog” of nearly 294 Ukrainian children in which users can sort them by eye color, age, number of siblings and other factors.
Ukrainian officials believe that more than 19,500 children have been abducted by the Russians.
Quote:An Iranian lawmaker on Thursday called for Qatar to expel U.S. forces and allow Iran's Revolutionary Guards to deploy missiles on its territory, a move aimed at countering Israel that could escalate regional tensions.
Newsweek has contacted the U.S. State Department and the Iranian and Qatari foreign ministries for comment.
Why It Matters
On Tuesday, an Israeli strike in Doha killed a Qatari security officer and several Hamas members. Iran has accused the U.S. of complicity in the attack, putting Qatar in a precarious position. The situation underscores ongoing friction in the Middle East, where a U.S. military presence, Israeli operations and Iranian influence intersect—raising the risk of broader conflict.
Tehran's statement on Thursday signals its growing willingness to push military influence deeper into the Persian Gulf.
What To Know
Iranian lawmaker Mojtaba Zarei made the remarks on X, directly addressing the ruler of Qatar, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
"I propose that the U.S. Army, accomplice of Israel, be expelled from Qatar, and that the Revolutionary Guard aerospace force deploy Fattah hypersonic missiles on your soil to defend your sovereignty," he wrote in Farsi.
Zarei added that the emir "should request support from the Revolutionary Guard aerospace force to station in Qatar." The call effectively urges Qatar to allow Iranian missile deployment on its territory as a counterbalance to the Israeli and American presence.
Iran Accuses U.S. of Complicity
Iran's armed forces said the Israeli strike could not have occurred without U.S. backing, accusing Washington of supporting "the Zionist regime's crimes."
Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, has emphasized Tehran's commitment to the Gulf, saying, "The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will never hesitate to support our Qatari brothers."
U.S. President Donald Trump said Israel acted independently, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel took "full responsibility" for the operation.
Qatar-Iran Relations
Qatar hosts the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base, the largest American facility in the Middle East, which has long been a point of tension with Tehran.
In June, during the 12-day Israel-Iran war, Iran launched a missile strike on Al Udeid in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Qatar's air defense systems successfully intercepted most of the missiles, and no casualties were reported. Iran had notified Qatar in advance of the strike.
The current exchange highlights Qatar's delicate balancing act, maintaining strong U.S. ties while cultivating relations with Iran. Zarei's missile proposal signals Tehran's willingness to assert military influence in the region despite the U.S. presence.
Quote:Israel “killed any hope” of securing a cease-fire deal to free the remaining hostages being held in Gaza after it attacked Hamas’ negotiating team in Doha, Qatar’s prime minister said on Thursday.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of torpedoing months of work Doha has spent mediating the conflict in Gaza, warning that Tuesday’s attack against Hamas’ leadership threatens the lives of the remaining 20 living hostages.
“I was meeting one of the hostages’ families the morning of the attack,” al Thani told CNN in an interview late Wednesday. “They are counting on this [ceasefire] mediation. They have no other hope for that.”
“I think that what Netanyahu has done, he just killed any hope for those hostages,” he added.
Qatar, which serves as a key US ally in the Middle East, has led the cease-fire talks with Hamas, often working with Egypt to put together proposals to end the war in Gaza and bring the hostages home.
Qatari officials said Al Thani had met with the Hamas delegation team just a day before the attack in Doha to discuss the latest proposal from President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Israel, however, has long maintained that Qatar cannot serve as mediators to the conflict given that Hamas’ leadership is based inside the country, accusing Doha of keeping the terror group safe and financing their activities.
While Trump has called Netanyahu and Al Thani to de-escalate the conflict, promising that such an attack will never happen again, the Israeli prime minister doubled down on his threats to Qatar on Thursday.
“I say to Qatar and all nations who harbor terrorists, you either expel them or you bring them to justice,” Netanyahu said. “Because if you don’t, we will.”
Al Thani, who has vowed to retaliate over the attack in Qatar’s capital, was in New York attending a UN Security Council meeting over the Israeli strike.
Quote:A rare cross was recently uncovered in the United Arab Emirates, shedding light on Christian history during the early Islamic era.
The discovery, made at Sir Bani Yas Island in the Persian Gulf, was announced by Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism in August.
The island contains a variety of luxury resorts and wildlife reserves. Though remote, Sir Bani Yas Island is still accessible via water taxis or private planes.
Officials noted in a release that the discovery was part of the first excavation on the island in 30 years. The cross was linked to a local Christian monastery built between the 7th and 8th centuries.
Officials described the artifact as “molded on a plaster plaque, an object believed to have been used by monks for spiritual contemplation.”
A picture of the find shows that the plaque had shattered over time before archaeologists reconstructed it.
The monastery was part of a large complex that included a church and a place where “senior monks retreated for periods of contemplation and ascetic seclusion,” according to officials.
“The style of the cross shows similarities with finds from Iraq and Kuwait, and is linked to the Church of the East, which has origins in ancient Iraq,” the statement added.
Christianity spread through the Arabian Peninsula between 300 and 500 A.D. After the Arab conquests, Christians and Muslims coexisted in modern-day Abu Dhabi.
The monastery was “peacefully abandoned” before 800 A.D., according to officials.
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chair of the culture and tourism department, called the discovery “a powerful testament to the UAE’s profound and enduring values of coexistence and cultural openness.”
He added, “It stirs within us a deep sense of pride and honor and reminds us that peaceful coexistence is not a modern construct, but a principle woven into the very fabric of our region’s history.”
Officials added that the Sir Bani Yas church and monastery site is open to the public, offering Christian tourists a chance to connect with their religious history.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
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