"Be Realistic": Iran Dismisses Idea Of Trump Meeting Mojtaba Khamenei

06/05/26 10:05 PM

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed Iran's supreme leader in March after the death of his father and predecessor Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes on February 28.

"No Point": Putin Turns Down Zelensky's Rare Appeal To Meet Him

06/05/26 11:00 PM

Zelensky had on Thursday issued a rare direct appeal to the Russian leader and proposed a meeting between the two of them.

"Righteous Anger": JD Vance Blames EU Migration Policy For UK Student's Murder

06/06/26 1:14 AM

JD Vance's comments on the case of 18-year-old Henry Nowak sparked a swift denunciation from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office, which rejected attempts to "interfere in our democracy."

"War Will End Only When It Ends In Lebanon": Iran's Araghchi Amid US Talks

06/05/26 7:26 PM

Iran has made a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah a condition for any peace deal with the US to resolve the war, and restart shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

'A lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there': Trump orders fresh purge of officials

06/05/26 5:31 PM

President Donald Trump has instructed Bill Pulte, the controversial new acting head of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), to execute sweeping personnel cuts across the nation's 18 federal intelligence agencies and units before a permanent successor is confirmed.In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump revealed his explicit mandate to Pulte, who lacks the necessary security clearances, to dramatically reduce the size of an agency he views as "unnecessary and/or too big.""I'd like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn't be there," Trump admitted to The Journal, specifically targeting career officials from the Biden and Obama administrations. When asked directly if he was ordering firings, Trump confirmed the instruction. "I want him to 'start the process,'" Trump said, adding that his eventual permanent nominee should continue the purge once confirmed.Trump bluntly framed Pulte's temporary status as an operational advantage rather than a limitation. "You're less shackled," Trump said of the acting designation. "It sort of gives you more power, you know, for a somewhat limited period of time."The president outlined a calculated strategy to complete major structural changes before his permanent appointee takes office, allowing the future ODNI to inherit a smaller, ideologically aligned agency rather than managing the cuts themselves."Frankly, it might be good for him to shake it up before people come," Trump explained. "Because, if he [Pulte] reduced the size, in conjunction with me…and in conjunction with possibly the person coming in…he can do a lot of the hard work and we wouldn't have to saddle somebody that goes in."The approach reflects Trump's broader effort to reshape the intelligence community according to his preferences, The Journal reported. Pulte, who has no prior intelligence experience and has been highly critical of the FBI and other agencies, is widely viewed as unlikely to survive Senate confirmation despite his acting appointment.Pulte and ODNI representatives declined to comment to The Journal on the directives.

'Cringe level is off the charts': Hegseth mocked over motivational speech to Navy sailors

05/29/26 4:58 PM

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was criticized Friday after giving what was intended as a motivational speech to a group of Navy sailors.Hegseth joined the military personnel for a workout drill on USS Boxer, which is docked in Singapore, when he stopped to give a pep talk about the ongoing Iran war.“The president said 'Iran can either do it the right way, with a deal across the table, or they can deal with my guy on the left.' That happened to be me. But it's not me. It's you guys!” Hegseth said.People online mocked Hegseth's message to the group."The cringe level is off the charts," journalist Aaron Rupar, who has 1.1 million followers, wrote on X."Hegseth is an actor playing a Secdef in a cheesy movie," former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), a frequent Trump administration critic and veteran, wrote on X."Pete Hegseth got how many of our fellow Americans killed and injured and how many bases destroyed all because he used GROK to plan a war with Iran and then got America's A-- handed to her?" Pastor Ben Dixon, a political commentator with more than 164,000 followers, wrote on X."This is so ... stupid!" Gwilym Eades, a lecturer in human and environmental geography at Royal Holloway University of London, wrote on Bluesky.the cringe level is off the charts https://t.co/SvhS7oolvs— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 29, 2026

'Don't be absurd!' Scott Bessent loses it as Dem pins him on Trump's Iran claims

06/04/26 7:48 PM

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent snapped "Don't be absurd!" at a Democratic lawmaker Thursday after getting cornered on the administration's rosy claims about the Iran conflict — a tense exchange that exposed the widening gap between White House spin and reality on the ground.During a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on the Treasury Department's budget priorities, Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) pressed Bessent on an offhand remark the secretary had made suggesting the conflict with Iran was over."Do you truly believe that we are no longer in conflict with Iran and that they are no longer a threat to Israel or allies in the Gulf, that their nuclear program has been destroyed, that they no longer have a ballistic missile program and drone program threatening its neighbors in the region?" Schneider demanded.Bessent walked it back fast. "The conflict is on pause," he said."So everything's good with Iran now?" Schneider pushed."No. Don't be absurd."The back-and-forth cut to the heart of the administration's credibility problem on Iran. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that President Donald Trump has told aides privately he would only consider ending the ceasefire if Tehran kills American troops — a far cry from the decisive victory the White House has been claiming. The U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28 in strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, but a ceasefire has been in effect since April 8.Bessent cited Trump's statement, telling Schneider that unless an American life is lost, the president does not believe he will have to restart "kinetic action."The exchange grew heated again when Schneider pivoted to the cost of living, rattling off rising prices for beef, coffee, housing, and health insurance. Bessent interrupted repeatedly, at one point shouting "Sir! Sir!" as Schneider reclaimed his time."I think you're just out of touch with what American families are facing," Schneider told him.Bessent fired back with a broadside at Schneider's home state: "No wonder so many people are leaving Illinois. Why don't you come see me in South Carolina?"The two did find rare agreement on one point — that no president, Republican or Democrat, should be shielded from IRS audits — before Schneider circled back to the administration's controversial IRS settlement, which Democrats have called an illegal act of self-dealing.

'Extremely Intelligent' Bear Attacks 4, Escapes Factory Through Locked Window In Japan

06/05/26 9:15 PM

Authorities in Fukushima continue searching for a bear that injured four people before escaping an electronics factory by opening a locked window.

'He has no idea how to get out': Internet in uproar as Iran suspends talks with US

06/01/26 3:54 PM

Reactions were mounting Monday after Iran announced it was suspending talks with the United States following Israeli strikes and an increased military offensive in Lebanon, which Iran had set as a condition for any ceasefire.The US had reportedly been in talks with Iran, which said it was now considering a full closure of the Strait of Hormuz just hours after President Donald Trump told critics to "sit back and relax" and let him handle the now cancelled negotiations.Iranian state media Tasnim news agency reported Iran's negotiating team was halting "talks and exchanges of texts through mediators." Media and political commentators shared their reactions on social media, questioning Trump's negotiations amid the ongoing war."$300 billion to Iran for war reparations. 30 billion would have funded healthcare subsidies here," AI expert and Fractional chief technology officer Jeff Nall, who has more than 10,000 followers on Bluesky, wrote in a post."Maybe if he hadn’t been telling us for 3 months that a surrender deal with Iran was imminent he wouldn’t have to post at 1:02 AM that he has no idea how to get out of this war while accomplishing anything meaningful," Ron Filipkowski, MeidasNews editor in chief and former Marine who has more than 782,000 followers, wrote on Bluesky."Another reason to just walk away. Does America benefit at all from playing referee between Israel & Lebanon? Prior to the war, Iran couldn’t dictate terms in Lebanon, but their control of the Strait of Hormuz gives them the ability to do so. Cut our losses & just leave," Joe Kent, ex-Trump administration insider and former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, wrote on X."America voted in 2024 to end foreign wars, not to go to war with Iran and to fund genocidal wars. Americans aren’t billionaires who can afford to sit back and relax paying over $4.50 for gas and nearly $6 for diesel. I’m not sorry for 'chirping' because it’s my 1st amendment right, I don’t belong to a cult where I owe blind faith and obedience, and I want America First and I thought that’s what we promised the American people. If Iran’s military is obliterated and if they’re [SIC] nuclear program is completely wiped out like President Trump has boldly claimed, then America should just pull out of the war and the Strait will reopen and we can call it a victory. Be done with this pointless nonsense before America’s 250 and put America FIRST and ONLY," former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), an ally of Trump now turned critic, wrote on X."It's been nearly two months straight of 'Don't worry guys, we're super close to a deal! Iran really wants to make a deal. This whole Iran war thing was absolutely genius.' Followed by the inevitable resumption and/or expansion of warfare. Rinse, repeat," Michael Tracey, a journalist with more than 346,000 followers, wrote on X.

'Sad, pathetic little man': Lindsey Graham's latest Trump grovel appalls onlookers

05/28/26 7:15 PM

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was ridiculed on Thursday after he suggested that the Nobel Peace Prize be renamed the Trump Prize after President Donald Trump, according to reports.Graham shared the idea on Fox News during a Wednesday night episode of "Hannity."Trump hasn't been shy about his desire to win the famed international prize. He's never been awarded it, but he frequently has claimed he deserves it and has been critical of the selection process, particularly when the award was given to other recipients. In 2025, he said "I deserve it, but they will never give it to me," during an Oval Office press conference, according to The Independent. In January, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado traveled to Washington, D.C. to present Trump with the Nobel Prize she won in 2025 for her work to spread democracy in Venezuela. Trump said he planned to keep the prize, although he had not won it.The internet was quick to call Graham out for his comments."Girl, stop. You’re humiliating yourself," writer and producer Andy Ostroy, who has more than 90,000 followers, wrote on X."Further proof they're in a cult," writer and scholar Dr. Allison Wiltz, who has more than 71,000 followers, wrote on X."There’s really not much to say about Lindsey anymore. He is just a sad, pathetic little man," Veterans For Responsible Leadership, a pro-democracy veterans organization with nearly 30,000 followers, wrote on X. Girl, stop. You’re humiliating yourself… https://t.co/mkMilTXZes— Andy Ostroy (@AndyOstroy) May 28, 2026