DURING HIS TENURE AS AMERICA'S LEADING DIPLOMAT, OBAMA-HOLDOVER BLINKEN GOT EVERYTHING WRONG ..... HE HAS NOTHING TO TEACH AMERICANS OTHER THAN TO DO THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT HE SUGGESTS

Antony Blinken has nothing to teach about Palestinian statehood

His prescription for peace only makes sense if one ignores history and reality. 

 

By Eric Levine 

 

JNS

Aug 19, 2025

 

Blinken and Biden

 

Former U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, “Recognizing a Palestinian State Is a Rebuke to Hamas,” is a delusion, predicated on fallacy, based on a fantasy.

During his tenure as America’s leading diplomat, Blinken got everything wrong: the catastrophic surrender in Afghanistan to the appeasement of Iran; the alienation of Saudi Arabia; the attempted rehabilitation of Venezuelan President Nicolas Máduro; the pathetic response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s preparation for and invasion of Ukraine; the opening of America’s southern border to any thug, terrorist or human trafficker willing to make the trip; and the slow-motion betrayal of Israel. The U.S. State Department under his watch left the world a far more dangerous place than the one it inherited.

Still, Blinken felt the need to “educate” Americans on how best to foster the creation of a Palestinian state and an “enduring, peaceful and secure coexistence” between Israelis and Palestinians. His prescription for peace only makes sense if one ignores history and reality.

Blinken takes issue with the decisions by France, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia to unilaterally recognize a state of Palestine. He claims the establishment of Palestine should be “conditions-based.” Unfortunately, the conditions he envisions make his proposal indistinguishable from that of America’s allies.

Blinken’s approach is predicated on the false assumption that the Palestinians are interested in a two-state solution. The fundamental reason there is no Palestinian state is that there has never been, and is not now, any legitimate Palestinian leader or organization willing to recognize the existence of a Jewish State of Israel living in peace and security within internationally recognized boundaries. Had there been, the Palestinians could have had a state in 1948, 2000, 2005 or 2009.

Since Israel’s creation in 1948, Palestinian leadership has demonstrated it is only interested in a single state: an Arab state with no Jews or one with a subjugated Jewish minority.

Rejecting a role for Hamas in any future Palestinian government, Blinken envisions a “reformed” Palestinian Authority governing the new state. As he writes: “[Israel] must support the reform of the Palestinian Authority instead of trying to undermine it, which lets Israel claim it has no negotiating partner.”

The statement is delusional. Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the PA, is in the 20th year of his four-year term. No one prevented him from calling new elections throughout the past 16 years. He did not do so because he believed (correctly) he would lose to Hamas as he did in Gaza in 2005.

Abbas refused to accept the establishment of the Palestinian state in 2009 that President George W. Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offered to him, because it required him to end the struggle to destroy the Jewish State of Israel.

Instead, he rejected the offer and adopted the policy of “pay to slay.” The P.A. pays families of terrorists who are killed or put in jail by Israel for murdering its citizens. Incredibly, Blinken helped fund this program during his time in the Biden White House.

One would think that after four years of leading the State Department, Blinken could identify an alternative to Abbas or Hamas with whom Israel could negotiate. It is telling that no one comes to mind. He attempts to sound evenhanded, writing: “While Palestinians have a right to self-determination, with that right comes responsibility. No one should expect Israel to accept a Palestinian state that is led by Hamas or other terrorists, that is militarized or has independent armed militias, that aligns with Iran or others that reject Israel’s right to exist, that educates and preaches hatred of Jews or Israel, or that, unreformed, becomes a failed state.”

The reference to Iran is noteworthy. It was an open secret that Iran funded, armed and trained Hamas, and helped plan the terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Yet Blinken was among the strongest advocates in the Biden White House for appeasing the Islamic Republic and granting it billions of dollars in sanctions relief, knowing the money would find its way to support Iran’s terrorist network, including Hamas.

Undaunted, Blinken states: “Addressing these conditions over the next three years—a reasonable time frame—can show Israel and the world that an independent Palestine will be focused on building a state, not destroying Israel.”

He fails to say who will be responsible for addressing these conditions beyond the generic “Palestinian.” The absence of a legitimate interlocutor for the Israelis highlights why Blinken’s brainstorm is a non-starter.

He also fails to say precisely what those “conditions” objectively are. There are no specific metrics for the Palestinians to meet.

What if Israel is not persuaded that the conditions are met, but other countries believe they have been? Does that mean the State of Palestine will be recognized? What metrics will the United States require? What are the consequences for the Palestinians if they fail the Blinken challenge?

Blinken attempts to give Israel comfort by saying the Americans will protect them, saying that “The United Nations Security Council is the appropriate organization to judge whether the Palestinians meet the conditions, and America’s veto would reassure Israelis.”

Putting aside that the United Nations is a cesspool of antisemitism and anti-Israel hate, given the state of the modern Democratic Party, no responsible Israeli leader could ever agree to this insanity. The United States is one election away from betraying Israel and recognizing a Palestinian state. It would already have done so if Kamala Harris had won the presidential election.

Israel’s existence is a message to the world that the destiny and security of the Jewish people will be determined by the Jewish people.

All is not lost, however.

Blinken frequently uses the term “self-determination” interchangeably with the concept of statehood. They are not necessarily one in the same. 

The Kurds have an independent enclave in Iraq that satisfies the definition of “self-determination,” but not a state. Puerto Ricans exercise self-determination in Puerto Rico, but they do not have a state of their own.

Perhaps the best model for Palestinian self-determination is the United Arab Emirates. There, a collection of clans, the various emirates, exercise self-determination within their enclaves, but, ultimately, pay allegiance to Mohammed bin Zalman, the leader of the United Arab Emirates. No clan has its own state.

Some semblance of this is taking shape in Gaza as Israel has been supporting and, in some instances, arming, clans that oppose Hamas. These groups are more interested in the future of their fellow Gazans and have abandoned the goal of destroying the Jewish state. That movement is likely to gain traction.

Blinken also falsely assumes all Gazans want to stay in Gaza. However, if given the opportunity, many will likely leave voluntarily, as their brethren in other Arab countries have done. 

Blinken was a failed secretary of state in a failed administration. He has nothing to teach Americans other than to do the opposite of what he suggests.

IF THE US NAVY CAN USE DRAG QUEENS FOR RECRUITMENT, WHY CAN'T WEST TEXAS AGGIES WATCH A DRAG QUEEN SHOW?

Fifth Circuit halts West Texas A&M drag show ban as free speech lawsuit continues 

In a split decision, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the school’s prohibition on drag performances, finding students are likely to prove it violates the First Amendment.

 

By Jessica Priest

 

The Texas Tribune

Aug 18, 2025

 

 

Drag queens Hanna Santanna and Lily Adonis Kline

 

A federal appeals court Monday blocked West Texas A&M University President Walter Wendler from enforcing a campus drag show ban, ruling that the performances are likely protected under the First Amendment.

The 2-1 ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reverses a lower court’s decision upholding Wendler’s 2023 cancellation of a drag show, which he argued was demeaning to women and compared to blackface.

The decision means Spectrum WT, the student group that brought the lawsuit, can produce drag shows on campus while its lawsuit continues in a lower court.

Judge Leslie H. Southwick, who wrote for the majority, said the context of the students’ event made its message of supporting the queer community clear.

“The viewers of the drag show would have been ticketed audience members attending a performance sponsored by LGBT+ student organizations and designed to raise funds for LGBT+ suicide-prevention charity, “ wrote Southwick, who was appointed by George W. Bush. “Against this backdrop, the message sent by parading on a theater stage in attire of the opposite sex would have been unmistakable.”

 

Protesters on March 23, 2023 demonstrated against the West Texas A&M University president’s decision to cancel a drag performance.

 

The court concluded that Legacy Hall, where the drag show was scheduled to take place, was a designated public forum open to a variety of groups, including churches and political candidates. That meant banning drag shows targeted the content of the event, something the Constitution allows only in the rarest cases.

Finally, the court found that students faced ongoing irreparable harm to their speech rights, noting Wendler had canceled another drag show planned for 2024 and declared that no drag shows would ever be allowed on campus.

That conclusion gave the judges another reason to block the ban for now, since courts only grant such relief when plaintiffs have a strong case and risk being harmed without it.

In March 2023, Wendler canceled Spectrum WT’s drag show intended to raise money for the Trevor Project, a nonprofit that works to reduce suicides in the LGBTQ+ community. He explained in a letter to the campus community that he thought drag shows — where participants often use exaggerated clothing and makeup to explore, celebrate or parody gender roles — were misogynistic.

“As a university president, I would not support ‘blackface’ performances on our campus, even if told the performance is a form of free speech or intended as humor. It is wrong. I do not support any show, performance or artistic expression which denigrates – in this case, women – for any reason,” he wrote.

In September 2023, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a President Donald Trump appointee and former attorney for a conservative legal group that opposed LGBTQ rights, sided with Wendler.

The case arose as Texas lawmakers were also targeting drag more broadly. The same year, they passed a law restricting some drag performances in public spaces, but a federal judge later struck it down as unconstitutional under the First Amendment.

West Texas A&M isn’t the only campus to ban drag shows. This year, the Texas A&M System adopted a systemwide prohibition, and the University of Texas and University of North Texas systems enacted similar restrictions following pressure from conservative officials, including Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare. In March, however, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Texas A&M System’s ban, allowing the “Draggieland” event at the flagship campus to proceed, also finding that students were likely to succeed on their First Amendment claims. That lawsuit is also still working its way through the courts.

Judge James C. Ho dissented in the West Texas A&M case.

“Drag is not inherently expressive,” wrote Ho, who was appointed to the 5th Circuit by Trump and is the former Solicitor General of Texas.

He argued that whether a particular performance conveys a protected message depends on the specific show, performers and audience. He said Spectrum WT had not shown it was entitled to such an “extraordinary remedy” as a court order blocking the drag show ban.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which represents Spectrum WT in the West Texas A&M case and the Queer Empowerment Council in the Texas A&M System lawsuit, hailed the ruling as a major victory for student speech.

“We’re overjoyed that our clients will now be able to express themselves freely, and we’ll be watching to make sure that President Wendler obeys the laws of the land while the case proceeds,” FIRE Attorney Adam Steinbaugh said in a statement.

A spokesperson for West Texas A&M could not immediately be reached for comment, so it’s unclear how the university will respond to the ruling.

The case now returns to district court in Amarillo, where the fight over whether West Texas A&M’s drag ban is constitutional will continue.

BANNING THC IS BY FAR THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE TO ME

Debates over THC, abortion pills, STAAR and more resume as Democrats return for second special session

Now that the Texas House has a quorum following Democrats’ two-week absence, lawmakers are back to debate a wide range of issues, including redrawing congressional maps to benefit Republicans.

 

By Colleen DeGuzman

 

The Texas Tribune

Aug 18, 2025

 

 

House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, gavels in the House at the start of the second special session on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025.

 

Texas House Democrats are back in Austin after leaving the state for two weeks to prevent Republicans from passing new congressional maps aimed at boosting their advantage in Congress. But redistricting isn’t the only issue waiting for them as the second special legislative session gets underway this week.

Abbott’s agenda for this 30-day special session nearly mirrors the first. It’s packed with issues ranging from efforts to eliminate the state’s standardized test in public schools to cracking down on abortion pills. One new item Abbott added seeks to improve safety measures at youth summer camps following the deadly July 4 weekend flash floods that killed at least 135 people in Central Texas, including 27 girls at Camp Mystic.

On Friday, parents of the campers met with Abbott, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows to discuss camp safety reforms such as prevention measures and training standards for camp staff.

Since this is a new special session, lawmakers must refile bills from the first one, but legislation may move more quickly this time around. The Texas Senate had a quorum through the first session and continued hearing and passing bills, so those same bills are likely to zoom through that chamber.

Here are some of the top issues lawmakers will be debating, which all got approval in the Senate during the first special session:

• Hill Country flood response and relief: Following the July 4 floods, Abbott is directing lawmakers to look at flood warning systems, emergency communications, natural disaster preparation, relief funding for impacted areas and safety protocols at youth summer camps. 
• Banning THC: Abbott instructed lawmakers to regulate hemp-derived THC products after he vetoed a bill during the regular session that would have banned them. In the first special session, the Senate passed its second attempt to ban most hemp products, including some that are legal under federal regulations, setting up another potential standoff with the governor.
• Limiting property taxes: Lawmakers are considering legislation that would further restrict how much more cities and counties can collect in property taxes without asking voters. Critics of the bill argue that it would place local governments in a financial bind.
• Bathroom bill: The legislation would require people to use bathrooms aligned with the sex they were assigned at birth in government and school buildings. Offenders would face a $5,000 fine for a first-time violation and $25,000 for subsequent violations.
• Cracking down on abortion pills: The legislation seeks to allow anyone who manufactures, distributes, prescribes or provides abortion pills to be sued for up to $100,000. It also expands the wrongful death statute and authorizes the attorney general to file lawsuits on the behalf of “unborn children of residents of this state.”
• Eliminating STAAR: Lawmakers are pushing to scrap the state’s standardized test following concerns about the pressures students face taking the hours-long exam given at the end of every school year. Scores are used to determine whether a student can advance to the next grade level, and is also used to grade their school’s performance.

I THOUGHT THIS WAS SETTLED ... I THOUGHT WRONG

By Bob Walsh

 

Back in June the Trump administration withdrew the ability of CA to essentially write their own Clean Air regulations.  This isn't the done deal I thought it was.

CA. is still attempting to enforce it's Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) regulation.  This will, if it happens, pretty much destroy the ability of the trucking industry to sell new vehicles and eventually to even operate in CA.

The Trump administration is now suing the formerly great state of CA over their now apparently illegal attempts.  I wonder how Newsom thinks this is going to help him become president?  Most people are smart enough to realize that there is a utility in being able to move goods freely around the county.  If large trucks are limited to driving only about 200 miles a day, which would be the effective outcome of this regulation, it would massively increase the cost of moving goods and greatly slow that movement.  Both of those are bad things to anybody who has the ability to do some critical thinking. 

THIS STINKS EVEN WORSE THAN I THOUGHT

By Bob Walsh

 

James Gallagher, the Assembly Republican leader, criticized the Democrats’ plan to redraw the California congressional map. California Democrats have said that they were responding to redistricting changes by Republicans in Texas.

 

Some more info has hit the air waves this afternoon about the CA Redistricting Plan.  Assuming that KFBK, the major news-talk radio channel in the greater Sacramento area has it right, there is serious reason to believe that at least two state-house Democrats who are about to be termed out agreed to vote FOR this proposal in exchange for them being set up with a secure seat to run for congress.  Allegedly the feds are looking at this.  I don't know how illegal it might be until they actually cast a vote but you never know.  If whatever nameless faceless group has already drawn the appropriate maps that could maybe be considered a specific act in the furtherance of a conspiracy.  It may amount to nothing, but neither does it sound like background noise.  

CLEVER AND SNEAKY ... AND IT MIGHT WORK

By Bob Walsh

 

As you may be aware the formerly great state of California has a redistricting commission made up of 14 members.  Under the current law, the law that Gavin Newsom is trying to invalidate, none of the members of this commission are legally allowed to run for any political office in CA within ten years of having set up district boundaries.  

A Republican member of the CA legislature (whose name I didn't get as I heard it on the car radio while I was driving) is proposing a similar requirement on the members of the current legislature.  ANY member of the CA legislature who votes to approve the new, proposed congressional boundaries would be prohibited from running for any elected office in CA for ten years.  Those sleaze balls would be fucking themselves and their buddies at the same time if they vote for it.

If it gets that far I will sure as shit vote for it.  Maybe the six imaginary friends that live in my tool shed who also vote will vote for it as well.  I can be very persuasive.  

FOUR COPS FIRED FOR SEXUAL MISCONDUCT IN WEST MEMPHIS, ARKANSAS

By Bob Walsh

 

 

Four officers of the West Memphis Police Department are no longer employed after two investigations, one internal and one by a third party, into allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment, retaliation and favor trading.

Major Stacy Allen, Captain Mose Walker, Officer Treasure Gaither and Officer Blake Forthman were fired about a week ago.  Also Ivora Hall, who is not a sworn officer, is also gone.

Former officer Jennifer Jordan, who left the department after 13 years back in 2021, asserted that she had heard complaints from multiple female officers that they did not feel personally safe on the job due to the ongoing issues.

Back in 2021 three women accused Major Allen of harassment and discrimination, These allegations went back at least six years.

The department has declined further comment.

TWO COPS MURDERED, ONE COP AND ONE K-9 WOUNDED

By Bob Walsh

 

Officer Eric Estrada (left) and Sergeant Lee Sorensen (right) of the Tremonton-Garland Police Department both tragically lost their lives in the line of duty when responding to a domestic disturbance in Tremonton on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025 

 

 

Police officers of the Tremonton-Garland, Utah police department were responding to a domestic when the situation turned to crap Sunday night.  

The cops got multiple 911 hang-ups from the residence and a single officer arrived and was speaking to someone at the house when a man exited the house with a gun and fired on the single officer.  That officer died.  A sheriff's deputy and a police dog were wounded in their car as they arrived at the scene.  A deputy from Box Elder County was wounded but was released from the hospital the next day.

Bystanders managed to persuade the armed man to give up before approximately 50 cops arrived, including at least one SWAT team.  

Tremonton is a city of about 13,000 people and is a half-way point for many people on the way to Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon and similar destinations.  

PUTIN SAYS NYET

Moscow REFUSES to commit to Putin-Zelensky peace talks, saying 40-minute call with Trump was only 'fairly constructive' - as Finland's PM questions if 'untrustworthy' Kremlin despot has 'courage' needed to act following US-led bid to end Ukraine war

 

By Olivia Christie, Andy Jehring and Mark Nicol 

 

Daily Mail

Aug 18, 2025

 

 

President Zelensky shakes hands with President Trump during talks on Monday 

 

Vladimir Putin has failed to commit to peace talks with President Zelensky - fuelling fears he will pull out of efforts to end the Ukraine war at the last minute. 

It comes as the Kremlin branded a 40-minute phone call between President Trump and Putin on Monday as 'frank' and only 'fairly constructive'. 

Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov made the comments as he confirmed the pair had explored 'raising the level of representatives of Moscow and Kyiv at the talks'.

Meanwhile, the Finnish prime minister also urged caution about the prospects for peace in Ukraine - as he labelled his Russian counterpart as 'untrustworthy'.

Speaking after he left Trump's historic talks in the White House with Zelensky and other European leaders, Alexander Stubb said: 'Putin is rarely to be trusted. 

'So now it remains to be seen whether he has the courage to come to this type of meeting. 

'Does he have the courage to come to a trilateral meeting, or is he once again playing for time?' 

Stubb's rhetoric was in stark contrast to that of President Trump who hailed the success of Monday's talks in the White House. 

 

Vladimir Putin has failed to commit to peace talks with fears growing he will drop out at the last minute 

Trump, Zelensky and European leaders meet at the Oval Office on Monday 

 

Mr Trump told reporters: 'If everything works out well, we will have a tri-lat [between himself, Zelensky and Putin] and have a good chance of ending the war.'

President Zelensky also said he is ready to sit down for face-to-face talks with Vladimir Putin at the extraordinary Oval Office love-in. 

It comes as William Browder, an expert on Russian foreign policy, warned that Putin's life depends on the continuation of the Ukraine war. 

Writing in Monday's Daily Mail, he said: 'For Vladimir Putin, an outbreak of peace means certain death – by assassination, overthrow and execution, or in an international prison cell as a war criminal.

'The Russian president's only credible hope of survival in the gangster state he has himself created is to prolong the "special military operation" in Ukraine or to win in such outrageously successful terms that he can turn his attention to other former client states, other victims.

'Survival, after all, was Putin's objective in launching the invasion in 2022.' 

French president Emmanuel Macron, however, called for stepping up sanctions against Russia if Putin backtracks on peace in Ukraine. 

He told reporters: 'President Trump believes we can get an agreement and believes that President Putin also wants a peace accord.

'But if at the end this process is met by refusal, we are also ready to say that we need to increase sanctions.'

Monday's meeting, which was praised by Zelensky as the best he had with Trump, saw the two presidents swap praises as they sought to make progress towards peace. 

However, lots of questions remained unanswered early on Tuesday morning as to what that would look like or how it would come about.

 

The Finnish prime minister also urged caution about the prospects for peace in Ukraine - as he labelled his Russian counterpart as 'untrustworthy'

European leaders meet with Trump in the White House on Monday afternoon 

 

Fresh from his Alaskan summit with Vladimir Putin, Mr Trump said he was prepared to provide military support to Kyiv in the event of a peace deal.

'We will give them very good protection, very good security,' the President said.

'There'll be a lot of help when it comes to security. It's going to be good.'

Mr Trump refused three times to rule out putting American boots on the ground though any assistance is more likely to come in the form of air support.

The hastily arranged scenes at the White House saw a contingent of European leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer, puts summer holiday plans to the side and arrive at the West Wing to stand with Mr Zelensky.

They were locked in talks on Monday night as Mr Trump pledged they would 'come to a resolution today on almost everything, including probably security'.

He had earlier spent an hour with just his Ukrainian counterpart, presenting him with a giant battlefield map showing the 20 per cent of the country under Russian control. 

The 'possible exchanges of territory, taking into consideration the current line of contact' was up for discussion, the President said.

Mr Trump told reporters: 'If everything works out well, we will have a tri-lat [between himself, Zelensky and Putin] and have a good chance of ending the war.'

Responding calmly to a provocative first question from an American journalist over whether he is prepared 'to keep sending Ukrainian troops to their deaths', Mr Zelensky said he was ready to sit down with Putin.

'We support the idea of the United States, of personally President Trump, to stop this war, to make a diplomatic way of finishing this war', he said. 'And we are ready for a trilateral, as the president said.

'This is a good signal about trilateral. I think this is very good.'

 

Mr Zelensky handed Mr Trump a letter from his wife, Olena, at the start of the meeting  

 

Mr Trump opened by saying it was 'an honour' to receive the Ukrainian President and that the two men have had 'a lot of good talks' making 'substantial progress'

 

The meeting was a complete contrast to the pair's bust-up in February, which saw Mr Zelensky effectively kicked out of the White House, with the US President this time complimenting his opposite number for his 'fabulous' military-style suit.

Mr Trump opened graciously, saying it was 'an honour' to receive the Ukrainian President and that the two men have had 'a lot of good talks' making 'substantial progress'.

Mr Zelensky responded in turn, saying thank you seven times in his opening speech after last time being dressed down by Vice President JD Vance for his supposed ingratitude over American support.

In another dramatic day of diplomacy over the future of Europe:

• Sir Keir joined the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Finland, the EU and NATO in supporting Mr Zelensky in an unprecedented day at the White House
• The US President was due to phone Putin directly on Monday to update him on the talks
• Any trilateral summit could be held between Putin, Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky as early as this week in Europe
• Furious Russian officials on Monday accused Britain of undermining American efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine

Mr Zelensky arrived dressed in a black jacket, shirt, and trousers as he tried to show Mr Trump respect whilst not breaking his pledge to forego a suit until the end of the war.

The European leaders were each met by a guard of honour outside the White House as protesters outside waved placards reading: 'Do not abandon Ukraine.'

Mr Trump smiled as he personally greeted Mr Zelensky, shaking his hand before putting his arm round the Ukrainian President and ushering him inside.

 

Sir Keir Starmer is greeted by US chief of protocol Monica Crowley at the White House on Monday

Trump greets Ukraine's President Zelensky at the White House on Monday evening 

 

Inside the Oval Office, Mr Zelensky deftly handed Mr Trump a letter from his wife, Olena Zelenska, for the First Lady Melania Trump to thank her for raising with Putin the plight of 20,000 Ukrainian children his forces have kidnapped.

But on hammering out a peace deal, Mr Trump admitted it's 'a tough one' saying while he has ended six wars he 'thought this maybe would be the easiest one... and it's not the easiest one.'

Of the wars he has ended, he said, none had come after a ceasefire, with a complete and lasting end to hostilities being his goal.

That was challenged by both Emmanuel Macron of France and Germany's Friedrich Merz, who pushed for a pause in the fighting before any next meeting.

Mr Trump responded by saying he liked the idea of an immediate ceasefire to 'stop the killing immediately,' but that would be left to Mr Zelensky and Putin to talk about themselves.

Before sitting down he was also overheard on a hot mic telling them of Putin: 'I think he wants to make a deal for me. Do you understand? As crazy as it sounds.'

At the end of the press conference, Mr Trump revealed he was going to call the Russian dictator straight after the meeting of leaders.

 

Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy walk during a meeting on Monday

 

'I just spoke to President Putin indirectly, and we're going to have a phone call right after these meetings today, and we may or may not have a trilat,' he said.

'If we don't have a trilat, then the fighting continues, and if we do, we have a good chance.

'I think if we have a trilat, there's a good chance of maybe ending it. But he's expecting my call when we're finished with this meeting.'

There were hopes on Monday night that a summit between the three leaders could take place as early as this week in Europe.

While Mr Trump favours Rome, Moscow reportedly prefers Geneva.

It marks a remarkable turnaround as there were growing fears of a cataclysmic breakdown of the trans-Atlantic alliance after Putin apparently succeeded in winning over Washington to his worldview in Alaska last Friday.

He appeared to get everything he wanted at the summit in Anchorage, with the Trump administration dropping its desire for an immediate ceasefire to halt the Russian advance and reportedly agreeing that Ukraine should cede all of the Donbas - a huge territory Moscow has failed to take for 12 years.

 

French President Emmanuel Macron is greeted by US Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley

JD Vance looks on during a meeting with US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet at the Oval Office of the White House on Monday

Trump, centre, speaks with Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, right, and France's President Emmanuel Macron, left

 

Mr Trump blasted back at his 'stupid critics' before on Monday night's gathering, writing on his Truth Social platform: 'I know exactly what I'm doing.'

Speaking on board his flight to Washington earlier in the day, Sir Keir insisted that 'we've got to get this right'.

He said: 'This war in Ukraine has been going on for a really long time now, three-plus years.

'It's hugely impacted the Ukrainians who've suffered hugely but it's also affected Europe - it's impacted every single family and community in the United Kingdom.

'And so everybody wants it to end, not least the Ukrainians, but we've got to get it right. We've got to make sure there is peace, that it is lasting peace, that it is fair and that it is just.'

DOG AND PONY SHOW

QUENTIN LETTS: The encounter was electric with jeopardy... It was worse than watching a chess match when the pieces are live grenades

 

By Quentin Letts 

 

Daily Mail

Aug 18, 2025

 

President Trump and Zelensky line up with European leaders at the White House 

 

Zelensky survived. The Ukrainian president’s Oval Office rematch passed without diplomatic incident. The trap door under his seat was not activated. He was not served poisoned tea.

This time there was no muscling in on him by vice-president Vance. An elaborately grateful Mr Zelensky - he must have said ‘thank you’ more than 20 times - was even complimented on his black jacket by the Trumpian suck-up in the press corps who previously attacked him. ‘You look fabulous,’ drawled the reporter. Mr Zelensky joked that the newsman himself was wearing the same dodgy suit as last time. That elicited a laugh from Donald Trump.

Same setting: the two principals sat by a chimney-piece that has been given serious bling treatment since Joe Biden’s day. A study in gilt. Below them, on two sofas, sat three sidekicks from each side. A knot of reporters stood, shouting questions.

 

Ukrainian president Zelensky meets Donald Trump in the Oval Office, joined by Vice-President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and, standing behind, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth

 

Mr Trump loves it when they do that. The air fills with urgent squawks, all aimed at him. He lets it continue, face froggy with satisfaction, until he chooses one of the hacks. Pure, egomaniacal theatre.

Both men were fidgety. Zelensky, with frowns and much dropping of chin to chest, could have been a man fighting indigestion. Trump, hunched, swung his bullish head from side to side, weighing options, controlling his demons, or maybe just bored.

The encounter was electric with jeopardy. One wrong remark, one ill-judged jest, and the touchy old bruin could be triggered. His vanity is a Ming vase, to be handled only by qualified Sotheby’s porters with green-baize gloves. One incautious trip and - smash - World War Three could erupt. It was worse than watching a chess match when the pieces are live grenades.

Meanwhile, all in a nearby room sat the European leaders including Sir Keir Starmer. ‘Seven great leaders of seven great countries,’ said Mr Trump with a straight face. Volodymyr’s posse. Anxiety levels must have been hellish. As they sat there, wringing their hands, waiting in frightful uncertainty, was their ally Zelensky being pushed to the floor and given another kicking by bully-boy Vance and his pals?

The presence of the Europeans took an already unusual day to another level of extraordinary. Here was Nato and western Europe dancing attendance on a mercurial 79-year-old narcissist. The very future of the West was swinging. No more could the United States be counted a steady bet. Had Uncle Sam really joined the axis of evil? Why was Mr Trump so suddenly sounding like a mouthpiece of Moscow?

 

 

'Once Mr Zelensky had survived the initial ordeal in the lion’s den, the European leaders were allowed to join the action.' Pictured: French president Emmanuel Macron and Sir Keir Starmer speak during the meeting at the White House 

 

In the Oval Office Mr Trump appeared not to be too fussed about the gravity of it all. He started talking about how he had made the streets of Washington DC safe enough to allow rich couples to go out to dinner. All while a murderer in the Kremlin makes an entire continent shrivel. He even went into a long rant about postal voting and the threat to democracy. Irony-meters danced crazily.

Once Mr Zelensky had survived the initial ordeal in the lion’s den, the European leaders were allowed to join the action. Everyone took part in a televised meeting at a large, highly polished table. Mr Trump chaired this meeting, calling contributions from the Europeans. They took it in turns to praise him for his diplomatic brilliance, for his far-sighted political genius, his munificence, his humanity. It was perjury on the grand scale. Only one person was swallowing all this guff, surely. But it was the man that mattered.

Nato’s Mark Rutte, such an eager bundle of limbs, was officer in charge of treacle. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, had dragged himself away from his surf board. The president of Finland, Alexander Stubb, was prominent. He plays golf with Mr Trump, you see. ‘It’s Team Europe and Team United States helping Ukraine,’ said golf buddy Stubb. Fore! Balls aloft!

By the way, don’t tell the White House dress-code monitors but a male flunkey accompanying the EU’s Ursula von der Leyen was wearing blue trainers.

KRISTI NOEM EXPOSES HERSELF AS A LOUD-MOUTH DUMBASS ... PUTS BIG MOUTH IN MOTION BEFORE PUTTING LITTLE BRAIN IN GEAR

'ICE Barbie' Kristi Noem's crack at Gavin Newsom over killer migrant truck driver backfires

 

By Melissa Koenig 

 

Daily Mail

Aug 18, 2025

 

 

 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's swipe at California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday spectacularly backfired

 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's swipe at California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday spectacularly backfired.

The so-called ICE Barbie attacked the outspoken Democrat after it was revealed that Harjinder Singh, an illegal immigrant from India, received a commercial driver's license from the Golden State in 2019.

Singh is now accused of making an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike last Tuesday, killing three people. 

'[Three] innocent people were killed in Florida because Gavin Newsom's California DMV issued an illegal alien a Commercial Driver's License,' Noem posted on X.

'This gut-wrenching tragedy should have never happened,' she continued.

Noem added that the Department of Homeland Security will now work hand-in-hand with the federal Department of Transportation 'to root out and prevent illegal aliens from obtaining these licenses from sanctuary jurisdictions that put American drivers and passengers in danger.'

Homeland Security Spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin soon piled on, asking: 'How many more innocent people have to die before @GavinNewsom stops playing games with the American public?'

However, Newsom was not the governor of California when Singh illegally crossed the US-Mexico border in 2018, nor when he received a commercial driver's license, which is federally regulated.

 

The so-called ICE Barbie attacked the outspoken Democrat after it was revealed that Harjinder Singh, an illegal immigrant from India , received a commercial driver's license from the Golden State in 2019

Newsom's Press Office pointed out that commercial driver's licenses are federally regulated, and President Donald Trump was in his first term in office at the time Singh received his license

 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration sets standards for commercial driver's licenses in the United States, including testing requirements and driver qualifications.

Individual states are only charged with setting specific procedures, fees and renewal cycles, and issuing the licenses.

When Singh received his commercial driver's license in 2019, President Donald Trump was in his first term in office - something Newsom's office was quick to point out.

'Hey genius: the federal government (TRUMP ADMIN) already confirmed that this guy meets federal and state immigration requirements - YOU issued him a work permit,' Newsom's press office fired back.

'As usual, the Trump Administration is either lying or clueless,' the press office added, after gaining attention for its fiery posts mocking the president. 

Singh's arrest has sparked fresh debate over immigration, as it was revealed he was at one point earmarked for a fast-track deportation back to India but managed to stay in the United States after claiming he had a 'fear' of returning to his home country.

Immigration officials accepted his claims, which gave him a case for asylum in the US under American immigration law that would be tested in court.

Singh was freed on a $5,000 immigration bond in January 2019 while his case was pending, as is standard practice for asylum seekers.

He was given a notice to appear before an immigration judge at a later date, but the huge backlog of asylum claims meant he never saw a courtroom.

 

Singh was earmarked for fast-track deportation after being caught crossing into California in 2018 - only to avoid being flown home to India after expressing 'fear' and claiming asylum

Terrifying footage shows the illegal immigrant making an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike

 

The illegal immigrant is now facing three counts of vehicular homicide and the Department of Homeland Security issued a detainer on him, applying to have him deported and calling him a 'significant threat to public safety.'

Shocking footage from inside Singh's enormous semi-truck caught the moment he performed the illegal U-turn at a high speed.

As he took up the entire highway, a minivan crashed directly into the side of the truck, unable to break quick enough to prevent the tragedy.

The area in which Singh was attempting to turn around was an 'official use only' pass, as was clearly stated on a no U-urn sign in front of it.

In the video, Singh remained calm as it became apparent the minivan had been completely demolished, with debris strewn across the highway.

He peered out the driver's side window immediately after the impact, before wordlessly putting the truck in park and turning off his engine.

 

All three people inside a minivan were killed in the crash

As he took up the entire highway, a minivan crashed directly into the side of the truck, unable to break quick enough to prevent the tragedy

 

All three occupants of the van were killed. Its driver - a 30 year-old man from Florida City - died after being flown to hospital by helicopter.

The passengers who also died were a 37 year-old woman from Pompano Beach and a 54 year-old man from Miami, NBC6 reported.

None of their identities have been released so far.

'Three people lost their lives as a result of his recklessness, and countless friends and family members will experience the pain of their loss forever,' Dave Kerner from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said.

'The actions taken by the defendant while operating a commercial tractor-trailer are both shocking and criminal.

'Harjinder Singh is in custody on state vehicular homicide charges and immigration violations. 

'He will no longer be able to damage and destroy the lives of Floridians and visitors.'

Singh now faces up to 45 years behind bars, followed by automatic deportation as a felon.

A MOM DEMONSTRATES HOW TO REDUCE CRIME

Burglar shot and killed by mother protecting her baby during home invasion is identified - and he was just paroled in February 

 

By Maryann Martinez and Jimmy McCloskey

 

Daily Mail

Aug 18, 2025

 

 

Shelby Hurd, 36, was shot and killed last Monday by an Illinois mother whose home he had just broken into 

  

A burglar shot and killed by a mother as she hid her baby in a closet during a home invasion was a serial criminal who'd only recently been freed from jail.

Shelby Hurd, 36, died last Tuesday after being blasted in the head with a bullet while entering the unidentified mother's home in Joliet, Illinois.

Patch reported that Hurd was only freed on parole in February this year over a slew of previous burglary convictions.

In 2024, he pleaded guilty to two separate burglary incidents that took place 10 days apart in March 2022. 

Hurd was sentenced to four years with 170 days credit for time served. It is unclear how he ended up being freed back onto the streets in early 2025.

The burglar also spent previous stints behind bars over 2019 charges for burglary of a vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle and being a felon in possession of a weapon. 

His Facebook profile contained numerous disturbing posts, including one shortly after his release from prison earlier this year where he said: 'Sacrificed my peace and sleep.

'I did some sh (sic) you couldn't imagine.'

 

Hurd had a lengthy criminal history and was a serial burglar. He broke into his final victim's home wearing gloves and carrying a screwdriver. The above Facebook post was made shortly after he was released on parole for robbery charges in February 

 

Another post made in April 2023 - before Hurd's most recent incarceration - said: 'I’m from the streets… Better look both ways before you cross me.' 

Hurd's final burglary saw him break into the home of the woman - who he did not know - around 10:30pm on Tuesday August 12. 

He was wearing gloves and carrying a screwdriver, police say.

The mother who was in the house realized it was being broken into and rushed to an upstairs bedroom with her newborn.

She placed the infant in a closet to try and keep them safe just as Hurd burst into that room.

The mom opened fire and shot Hurd in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Last week's horror took place on a peaceful suburban street whose large homes are surrounded by greenery.

Joliet sits around 40 miles southwest of Chicago. 

 

Hurd broke into a home on this peaceful street in Joliet at 10:30pm last Tuesday. A young mother who was inside rushed upstairs to hide her baby in a closet, then shot Hurd in the head as he broke into the bedroom

Another post made by Hurd on Facebook before his final incarceration. Illinois does not have a stand your ground law - but there are self-defense exceptions for people defending their own homes 

 

The city's downtown area is known to have a crime problem, but the burglary took place about seven miles west in a very quiet area.

Joliet Police said an investigation into the burglary and shooting was ongoing.

They said the mother who shot and killed Hurd was cooperating fully. 

Many commenters on Joliet Police Department's Facebook post about the shooting hailed the mother, with one even calling for her to be granted the freedom of the city.  

Illinois does not have a 'stand your ground' law, with locals encouraged to try and retreat before using deadly force.

But exceptions apply - including during a home invasion such as the one that unfolded last week.  

WHAT'S FRANCE GNNA DO ... DECLARE WAR ON ISRAEL?

France warns Israel over consulate's fate in Jerusalem

After Israel Hayom reveals FM has endorsed a plan to shut down diplomatic mission in Jerusalem, Paris says such move, if followed through, would "provoke a strong reaction."

 

by Shirit Avitan Cohen 

 

Israel Hayom

Aug 18, 2025

 

 

Mahmoud Abas and friend Emmanuel Macron

 

 

A day after the report in Israel Hayom said Israel might shut down the Consulate General of France in Jerusalem in retaliation for Paris' move toward recognition of Palestinian statehood, the French Foreign Ministry said on Monday that it was not aware of any plan to close its consulate in the Israeli capital. A French Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday, "We have not been informed by the Israeli authorities of such a measure, which would be particularly damaging to our bilateral relationship and would provoke a strong reaction."

On Sunday, Israel Hayom exclusively revealed that Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar advised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to shut down the French consulate in Jerusalem due to France's recent moves toward unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. The cabinet is expected to make a formal decision soon, following discussions during its recent meeting.

Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli stated during the cabinet meeting that French President Emmanuel Macron's actions "severely harmed the hostages and the State of Israel." He further argued that "drastic measures are required against France, starting with nationalizing its assets in Jerusalem, particularly the consulate's closure." Sa'ar confirmed that this option is under serious consideration and noted he had provided a detailed recommendation to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to follow through.

On July 25, Macron announced on X that France would recognize a Palestinian state, with the decision to be formalized at the United Nations General Assembly in September. "Faithful to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine," Emmanuel Macron said, attaching the letter sent to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Although France's declaration lacks immediate practical impact, it is likely to encourage further international recognition of a Palestinian state by other nations and organizations.