Important Takeaways:
- Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Moscow on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said…
- Following their talks in Jeddah on Tuesday, Washington and Kiev published a joint statement in which Ukraine agreed to a proposed 30-day ceasefire with Russia, while the US announced the resumption of military aid and intelligence sharing with Kiev.
- Speaking to journalists on Friday, Peskov confirmed Witkoff’s visit, stating that the US representative had met with Putin to deliver “additional details” to the Russian leader. Putin also gave the envoy “information and additional signals for President Trump,” Peskov said.
- During a press conference on Thursday, Putin stated that Russia “absolutely supports” the idea of resolving the Ukraine conflict through peaceful means and is ready to discuss Trump’s ceasefire proposal. The Russian president suggested that dialogue could include a personal conversation with the US leader.
- However, he stressed that all the details of a ceasefire must first be clarified, noting that Moscow is not interested in a short-term solution and instead wants to reach a lasting resolution of the conflict.
- Putin cited a system of “control and verification” to monitor any truce as well as Kiev’s potential attempts to use the pause in hostilities to rearm and reinforce its troops on the front line. He also noted the importance of clarifying the status and fate of Ukrainian troops currently encircled in Russia’s Kursk Region, where Kiev launched an incursion last year.
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- A delegation of United States diplomats arrived in Moscow on Thursday morning for talks on agreeing a ceasefire in the Ukraine War, with a possible call between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin to follow.
- America’s Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff flew into Moscow’s Vnukovo airport on Thursday morning, having travelled from Doha, Qatar by way of European airspace…
- To this point Russia has been relatively circumspect on the ceasefire, saying only after it was agreed in principle by the U.S. and Ukraine that they would wait for further details from Washington to study before commenting further. The two nations had agreed to work towards peace at talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, a decision that saw the Trump administration resume military and intelligence support to the Kyiv government.
- Who will be representing the Russian side in negotiations today has not been stated by the Kremlin but it has been briefed Witkoff and the American delegation may speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin. It is also suggested, but not confirmed, that a telephone call between President Trump and President Putin may take place later today.
- Meanwhile, Russia states it continues to retake its own territory in the Kursk Oblast from Ukraine’s counter invasion, a bid to grasp a bargaining chip which appears to be falling apart at the very moment it is most needed. Western intelligence community-adjacent media has stated Ukrainian troops have withdrawn in large numbers to escape being totally encircled and massacred, and Russian state media asserts most of what Ukraine once held has now been recaptured.
- On Wednesday, the U.S. said on peace the ball is now in Russia’s court, and the White House urged Moscow to sign.
- Trump’s Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “This is the closest we have been to peace in this war”. President Trump has warned there would be consequences for Russia if they refuse to go along with his plan, having stated: “That would be very bad for Russia… I don’t want to do that because I want to get peace”.
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin has rolled out 31 groundbreaking actions to dismantle the suffocating web of radical environmental rules strangling America’s economy.
- These bold reforms advance President Trump’s Day One executive orders, promising to unleash American energy dominance, drastically lower living costs for American families, supercharge economic growth, and restore constitutional governance by empowering state authorities.
- “Today, I’m pleased to make the largest deregulatory announcement in U.S. history,” declared Administrator Zeldin in a fiery video statement.
- “The Environmental Protection Agency is initiating 31 historic actions to fulfill President Trump’s promise to unleash American energy, revitalize our auto industry, restore the rule of law, and give power back to the states.”
- Among the regulations being reconsidered are the following:
- UNLEASHING AMERICAN ENERGY
- Reconsideration of regulations on power plants (Clean Power Plan 2.0)
- Reconsideration of regulations throttling the oil and gas industry (OOOO b/c)
- Reconsideration of Mercury and Air Toxics Standards that improperly targeted coal-fired power plants (MATS)
- Reconsideration of mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program that imposed significant costs on the American energy supply (GHG Reporting Program)
- Reconsideration of limitations, guidelines and standards (ELG) for the Steam Electric Power Generating Industry to ensure low-cost electricity while protecting water resources (Steam Electric ELG)
- Reconsideration of wastewater regulations for coal power plants to help unleash American energy (Oil and Gas ELG)
- Reconsideration of Biden-Harris Administration Risk Management Program rule that made America’s oil and natural gas refineries and chemical facilities less safe (Risk Management Program Rule)
- LOWERING THE COST OF LIVING FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES
- Reconsideration of light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicle regulations that provided the foundation for the Biden-Harris electric vehicle mandate (Car GHG Rules)
- Reconsideration of the 2009 Endangerment Finding and regulations and actions that rely on that Finding (Endangerment Finding)
- Reconsideration of technology transition rule that forces companies to use certain technologies that increased costs on food at grocery stores and semiconductor manufacturing (Technology Transition Rule)
- Reconsideration of Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards that shut down opportunities for American manufacturing and small businesses (PM 2.5 NAAQS)
- Reconsideration of multiple National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for American energy and manufacturing sectors (NESHAPs)
- Restructuring the Regional Haze Program that threatened the supply of affordable energy for American families (Regional Haze)
- Overhauling Biden-Harris Administration’s “Social Cost of Carbon”
- Redirecting enforcement resources to EPA’s core mission to relieve the economy of unnecessary bureaucratic burdens that drive up costs for American consumers (Enforcement Discretion)
- Terminating Biden’s Environmental Justice and DEI arms of the agency (EJ/DEI)
- ADVANCING COOPERATIVE FEDERALISM
- Ending so-called “Good Neighbor Plan” which the Biden-Harris Administration used to expand federal rules to more states and sectors beyond the program’s traditional focus and led to the rejection of nearly all State Implementation Plans
- Working with states and tribes to resolve massive backlog with State Implementation Plans and Tribal Implementation Plans that the Biden-Harris Administration refused to resolve (SIPs/TIPs)
- Reconsideration of exceptional events rulemaking to work with states to prioritize the allowance of prescribed fires within State and Tribal Implementation Plans (Exceptional Events)
- Reconstituting Science Advisory Board and Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (SAB/CASAC)
- Prioritizing coal ash program to expedite state permit reviews and update coal ash regulations (CCR Rule)
- Utilizing enforcement discretion to further North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Helene
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- Kennedy has pledged to tackle chronic illnesses by overhauling the U.S. diet and food dye elimination is part of his plan for reform.
- He has encouraged fast-food chains to switch to beef tallow instead of seed oils for French fries, and pushed for bans on additives like food colors, as Breitbart News reported.
- At a closed-door Washington gathering, which included the CEOs of Kellogg’s, Smucker’s and General Mills, Kennedy said it is a top priority of the Trump administration to rid America’s food of the artificial dyes, wrote Melissa Hockstad, president and CEO of the Consumer Brands Association, a trade group, who penned a memo seen by ABC News.
- According to the YouGov poll almost eight in 10 American adults said they support requiring nutrition education in federally funded medical schools, while 74 percent support banning certain additives, including dyes, from the nation’s food supply.
- Banning food additives has widespread support across the political spectrum, the poll found, with 74 percent of Democrats and 81 percent of Republicans supporting such a plan.
- Likewise, 66 percent of Americans — including 71 percent of Democrats and 66 percent of Republicans — want the federal government to increase restrictions on the use of pesticides in agricultural products.
- In August last year, while endorsing Trump for president, Kennedy laid out a vision for the government’s regulating bodies where none are controlled “by giant for-profit corporations” that have allowed the U.S. food supply, medicines, and environment to be compromised by toxic chemicals and additives, leading to a rising chronic illness epidemic.
- “Two-thirds of American adults and children suffer from chronic health issues,” Kennedy said.
- “Fifty years ago, that number was less than one percent. We’ve gone from one percent to 66 percent.”
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- The leader of Canada’s most populous province has followed through on a pledge to hike electricity prices for Americans in response to President Trump’s tariffs as residents of US border states New York, Minnesota and Michigan can expect to pay more for power.
- The Canadian province of Ontario raised electricity export prices by 25% for the three American states on Monday — marking a direct response to the escalating trade dispute between the two countries.
- Ontario Premier Doug Ford ordered the Independent Electricity System Operator, which oversees the province’s electricity market, to implement a $7-per-megawatt-per-hour fee on all power exports to the three states, Bloomberg News reported.
- Despite the aggressive stance, the actual impact on US consumers may be minimal.
- Electricity prices on US spot markets, where power is bought and sold in real-time, fluctuate based on supply and demand.
- With multiple sources available, American buyers are not obligated to purchase from Ontario, meaning they may be able to source cheaper electricity from alternative suppliers.
- New York imported about 4.4% of its total electricity from Canada in 2023, according to Bloomberg calculations using data from the state’s grid operator.
- Minnesota and Michigan relied on Canadian imports even less, according to the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which manages the power grid across much of the Midwest.
- “In 2024, less than 1% of MISO’s total energy was supplied via Canadian imports and less than half of that came from Ontario”
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- The commander-in-chief gave the grim warning as he lamented the dangers of stockpiling nukes amid his push to kickstart arms control talks with Russia and China again.
- “The greatest [threat] is sitting on shelves in various countries called ‘nuclear weapons’ that are big monsters that can blow your heads off for miles and miles and miles,” Trump told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
- “We spend a lot of money of nuclear weapons — the level of destruction is beyond anything you can imagine,” he said in the wide-raging interview.
- “It’s just bad that you have to spend all this money on something that if it’s used, it’s probably the end of the world.”
- “I watched [former President Joe] Biden for years say the existential threat is from the climate,” Trump said. “I said ‘No.’”
- “They talk about the climate and they talk about the dangers of the climate but they don’t talk about the dangers of a nuclear weapon, which could happen tomorrow.”
- “There’s no reason for us to be building brand new nuclear weapons, we already have so many,” Trump said last month. “You could destroy the world 50 times over, 100 times over. And here we are building new nuclear weapons, and they’re building nuclear weapons.”
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- Members of the so-called Five Eyes spy alliance, as well as Israeli and Saudi officials, fear the identities of foreign assets could inadvertently be shared with Moscow.
- The allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia and members of the so-called Five Eyes spy alliance of English-speaking democracies, are examining how to possibly revise current protocols for sharing intelligence to take the Trump administration’s warming relations with Russia into account, the sources said
- “Those discussions are already happening,” said a source with direct knowledge of the discussions.
- No decision or action has been taken, however, the sources said.
- Asked about allies’ possibly limiting what they share with the United States, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council said President Donald Trump is “clear-eyed” about America’s adversaries.
- “The U.S. has unrivaled intelligence capabilities which is exactly why intelligence sharing initiatives such as the Five Eyes exist,” spokesman Brian Hughes said in an email.
- “President Trump is clear-eyed on all threats our adversaries pose to our national security and he will work with any ally or partner who understands the dangerous world inherited after the disastrous Biden years,” he added. “On Biden’s watch, we had the war in Ukraine, the surrender in Afghanistan, and the slaughter of the innocents on October 7th.”
- Publicly, longtime U.S. allies downplayed the issue. The United Kingdom, the most important U.S. intelligence partner, said it had no plans to reduce intelligence cooperation with the United States.
- The Canada Security Intelligence Service said in a statement that it has strong relationships with numerous U.S. agencies that are “long-standing and resilient.
- An Israeli official also praised its alliance with the U.S., saying “Cooperation between Israel and the United States on every level, including the sharing of crucial intelligence data, is as strong and solid as ever.”
- Officials from New Zealand, Australia and Saudi Arabia did not respond to requests for comment.
- Some officials in allied countries, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence matters, played down the idea that Trump’s policies on Russia would disrupt information sharing that dates back decades
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- As members of Congress and guests chanted, “U-S-A, U-S-A,” President Donald Trump addressed the nation as he recounted his achievements since his inauguration.
- With a strong show of support from the Republican-controlled chamber, Trump stated, “Six weeks ago, I stood beneath the dome of this Capitol and proclaimed the dawn of the golden age of America. From that moment on, it has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action to usher in the greatest and most successful era in the history of our country. We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplished in four years or eight years.”
- President Trump continued with a long list of accomplishments, starting with the creation of DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) headed by Elon Musk.
- “The Government Accountability Office, a federal government office, has estimated annual fraud of over $500 billion in our nation. And we are working very hard to stop it.”
- In his first 43 days, the president has signed at least 81 executive orders, ranging from requiring federal workers’ return to the workplace, bringing back free speech by removing government censorship, making English America’s official language, and ending Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (D.E.I.) policies while removing critical race theory from public schools.
- He also addressed transgender controversies, reminding the nation, “There are only two genders, male and female.”
- He brought up the ban on transgender athletes playing in women’s sports and the criminalizing of sex changes performed on children.
- He stated, “A message to every child in America is that you are perfect. Exactly the way God made you.”
- On the topic of immigration, the chief executive introduced a new way successful migrants can buy a path to U.S. citizenship. “We have developed in great detail what we are calling the Gold Card, which goes on sale very, very soon for $5 million,” he said.
- Throughout his speech, the president honored regular Americans, including the family of Laken Riley, a nursing student killed by an illegal migrant while jogging last year.
- One of the most emotional moments of the night came when the president honored D.J. Daniel, a 13-year-old brain cancer survivor who at one time was given five months to live. His dream was to be in law enforcement. On Tuesday night, his dream became a reality.
- Trump announced, “D.J., we’re going to do you the biggest honor of them all. I am asking our new Secret Service Director, Sean Curran, to officially make you an agent of the United States Secret Service.”
- The 47th president concluded his speech with a list of promises to the American people, including fixing the economy for people still struggling under the burden of high prices.
- “Fellow Americans, get ready for an incredible future,” he exhorted. “Because the Golden Age of America has only just begun. It will be like nothing that has ever been seen before. Thank you. God bless you, and God bless America.”
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- A politician vying to replace Justin Trudeau as Canada’s next leader has suggested forming a closer alliance with Britain and France as the NATO nations possess nuclear weapons, which could help safeguard the Canadians against potential threats posed by President Donald Trump.
- Chrystia Freeland, former deputy prime minister under Trudeau, warned that Trump poses a direct “threat” to Canada’s sovereignty by saying that the country could potentially become the 51st U.S. state.
- What Happens Next
- Canada is hoping that the head of state, Britain’s King Charles III, will condemn Trump’s statements on annexing the nation. Trudeau met with the king on Monday at the monarch’s royal residence Sandringham, Norfolk, east England.
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- In an interview on NBC News, Ford said he had never met a single American who supported the idea of tariffs, despite the fact that the majority of Americans voted for Donald Trump.
- Ford ranted:
- We are the largest purchaser of alcohol in the world. We buy over 3,600 products from 35 states. I talked to the Governor of Kentucky and Mitch McConnell. Don’t touch our bourbon. I’m going after absolutely everything.
- And I don’t want to. We keep the lights on for 1.5 million homes in manufacturing in New York, in Michigan, and in Minnesota.
- If he wants to destroy our economy and our families, I will shut down the electricity going down to the U.S. And I’m telling you, we will do it.
- Ford then went on to say that Americans, particularly those in red states, would feel immense pain as his retaliatory measures.
- He continued:
- This is the last thing we want to do. It’s one person that’s coming to attack us economically.
- Your closest friend, your treasured ally, that will stand shoulder to shoulder with you in every situation you’ve faced, and he’s attacking the person, his number one customer.
- There’s no country in the world that buys more products off the U.S. than we do.
- We’re the number one trading customer to 28 states, and a lot of them are red states. They’re going to feel the pain like they’ve never felt before.
- We’re going to feel the pain, but I’ll tell you, Canadians are resilient, we’re strong, we’re proud, and we’re going to fight back like they’ve never seen before.
Read the original article by clicking here.
