Trump appears to contradict himself on Russia's intentions in Ukraine
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Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland has been vandalized over his recent remarks about the future of Gaza beyond any ceasefire agreement with Israel.
The president has been accused of using “ethnic cleansing” rhetoric. Activists responded by covering the Ayrshire property with red spray paint and digging up the prized greens.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration revealed on Friday that it’s withdrawing $400 million in grants and contracts from Columbia University because of what the administration says is the school’s failure to protect Jewish students from harassment.
The announcement came after Columbia established a disciplinary panel and increased its own investigations into students who have made critical statements about Israel, to the dismay of advocates for free speech. But the school didn’t do enough according to the federal government.
Trump said Friday that he’s “strongly considering large-scale sanctions” on Russia until a peace agreement is reached with Ukraine, but stoked anger saying it is easier to deal with them as Moscow again bombs Kyiv.
Trump also sent a letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in an effort to reach a deal with Tehran to restrict its nuclear program. Iran said it would not respond to “bully” pressure.
Key Points
Trump names close allies to Naval Academy board
Politico reports that President Donald Trump is nominating his close allies to serve on the board of visitors for the U.S. Naval Academy, one month after dismissing the previous board.
Included on the list is Walt Nauta, a Navy veteran who has served as Trump’s bodyman and was federally indicted alongside the now-president in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith.
Trump also nominated his former press secretary, Sean Spicer, former White House physician Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, and former Navy SEAL Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin.
In February, Trump dismissed the board of visitors for the Naval Academy, along with the boards for the Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard. These boards act as advisory panels to oversee programs and student life at the military academies.
The Biden administration also removed former Trump appointees in 2021.
Oliver O'Connell8 March 2025 19:00
Trump backs funding bill, asking all Republicans to vote yes '(Please!)'
Donald Trump has signaled his approval for congressional Republicans’ continuing resolution to keep the federal government funded.
“All Republicans should vote (Please!) YES next week,” the president wrote on Truth Social after returning from his Saturday golf game.
He implored: “We have to remain UNITED — NO DISSENT — Fight for another day when the timing is right.”
Oliver O'Connell8 March 2025 18:45
Report: Crypto grifter Sam Bankman-Fried lands in solitary after he praises GOP in ploy for Trump pardon
Imprisoned crypto fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried reportedly landed in solitary confinement after he praised the GOP in a jailhouse interview with Tucker Carlson in an apparent ploy to win a pardon from Donald Trump.
Bankman-Fried ended up in solitary after he failed to obtain permission for the interview from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, The New York Times reported Friday. The interview took place on a video call in a side room of the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center on Thursday, which was Bankman-Fried’s 33rd birthday.
Mary Papenfuss has the details.
Oliver O'Connell8 March 2025 18:30
House Republicans unveil continuing resolution to keep government funded
House Republicans unveiled a spending bill Saturday that would keep federal agencies funded through September 30, pushing ahead with a go-it-alone strategy that is likely to provoke a significant confrontation with Democrats regarding government spending priorities.
The 99-page bill would offer a modest increase to defense programs while reducing nondefense programs below the levels set for the 2024 budget year. This stance is expected to be a non-starter for most Democrats, who have long argued that defense and nondefense spending should align.
Congress must act by midnight Friday to prevent a partial government shutdown.
Speaker Mike Johnson is preparing the bill for a vote on Tuesday, despite the absence of support from Democrats, effectively challenging them to oppose it and risk a shutdown. He is also counting on Republicans to push the legislation through the House primarily on their own.
Democrat House Appropriations Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut says: “I strongly oppose this full-year continuing resolution, which is a power grab for the White House and further allows unchecked billionaire Elon Musk and President Trump to steal from the American people.”
“By essentially closing the book on negotiations for full-year funding bills that help the middle class and protect our national security, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have handed their power to an unelected billionaire.”
“Elon Musk and President Trump are stealing from the middle class, seniors, veterans, working people, small businesses, and farms to pay for tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations.”
With reporting from the Associated Press
AP8 March 2025 18:09
JFK, RFK and MLK: The conspiracies behind each assassination that continue to enthrall amateur sleuths
Rhian Lubin writes:
Mobsters, a mysterious man with an umbrella, Ted Cruz’s dad — and aliens.
President Donald Trump’s deadline for officials to submit a plan for the release of the files is this weekend, according to the executive order he issued 43 days ago.
Read on...
Oliver O'Connell8 March 2025 18:00
Watch: Trump says he is finding it more difficult to deal with Ukraine than Russia
Oliver O'Connell8 March 2025 17:41
It's just a 'detox' says Bessent as economy slows
Donald Trump’s new Treasury secretary blew off the apparent slowdown in the nation’s economy as nothing more than “detox” as government spending switches to the private sector.
Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged apparent signs of a slowed economy following a weeklong drop in the stock market rattled by Donald Trump’s tariffs and a lower-than-expected report of 151,000 new jobs in February (170,000 was predicted).
Mary Papenfuss reports.
Oliver O'Connell8 March 2025 17:30
In pictures: Demonstration outside U.S. Embassy in Kyiv
A demonstrator (C) holds a placard depicting US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene during a protest called "America, wake up" in front of the US embassy in Kyiv on March 8, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A demonstrator (C) holds a placard depicting US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene during a protest called "America, wake up" in front of the US embassy in Kyiv on March 8, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP via Getty Images)
A demonstrator holds a placard depicting US vice president JD Vance. A small group of Ukrainians gathered outside the embassy as the country was rocked by overnight strikes that killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens more.
A demonstrator holds a placard depicting US vice president JD Vance. A small group of Ukrainians gathered outside the embassy as the country was rocked by overnight strikes that killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens more. (AFP via Getty Images)
This comes days after US President Trump paused American military and intelligence support for Ukraine, and days ahead of talks between US and Ukrainian negotiators to secure a truce.
This comes days after US President Trump paused American military and intelligence support for Ukraine, and days ahead of talks between US and Ukrainian negotiators to secure a truce. (AFP via Getty Images)
Oliver O'Connell8 March 2025 17:12
Here's what Trump said when he saw his raised-fist assassination photo for the first time
Gustaf Kilander reports on what he said.
AP8 March 2025 17:00
Trump administration drops Biden-era lawsuit to curb cancer-causing emissions from Louisiana petrochemicals plant
The Department of Justice has officially dropped a landmark lawsuit claiming that cancer-causing pollution from a Louisiana petrochemical plant presents an imminent threat to nearby communities.
The lawsuit contended that the Denka Performance Elastomer plant in LaPlace, Louisiana, endangered local residents by emitting unsafe levels of the toxic chemical chloroprene.
The Environmental Protection Agency classifies chloroprene, which is used in the production of synthetic rubber neoprene, as a likely carcinogen, and the suit aimed to force the plant to curb these emissions.
Environmental and public health advocates are alarmed by the decision to abandon the suit, cautioning that the ongoing operations of the plant could jeopardize the health of thousands of residents, particularly hundreds of young children who are especially susceptible to carcinogens.
Conversely, this decision is expected to garner support from prominent Louisiana officials, including Republican Governor Jeff Landry. They argue that the facility provides substantial economic benefits to both the state and the region and that the pollution concerns have been exaggerated.
In a news release on Friday, the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) stated that the dismissal of the case adhered to President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at curtailing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives throughout the federal government.
The department further explained that such initiatives include environmental justice efforts designed to curb pollution in minority communities. LaPlace's population is predominantly Black.
Concurrently, the EPA withdrew its referral of the case to the Justice Department to align with Administrator Lee Zeldin’s pledge to end the use of “environmental justice” as a tool for advancing ideological priorities.
Oliver O'Connell8 March 2025 16:43