"A Day Apart Feels Like 3 Autumns": Putin, Xi's Bonhomie In Beijing

05/21/26 12:16 AM

Putin was received by Xi outside Beijing's opulent Great Hall of the People in much the same fashion as Trump last week, complete with chanting children and military fanfare.

"Al Instrument For Inclusive Development": PM Modi, Meloni In Joint Article

05/20/26 3:17 PM

The leaders said the two countries "aim to create an open, trustworthy and equitable digital space in which every nation can shape and benefit from Al".

"Netanyahu Will Do Whatever I Want": Trump Claims 99% Rating In Israel

05/20/26 9:24 PM

Citing his exceptionally high approval ratings in the country, US President Donald Trump said, "So maybe after I do this, I'll go to Israel, run for prime minister. I had a poll this morning. I'm 99%."

"Not In Line With Israel's Values": Netanyahu Rebukes Minister After Gaza Video

05/20/26 11:31 PM

Netanyahu said that although Israel has every right to stop "provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters," the way National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir dealt with the activists was "not in line with Israel's values and norms."

"Violates Dignity": Meloni Rips Into Israel Over Gaza Protesters Video

05/20/26 7:50 PM

Meloni called for the immediate release of any detained Italian citizens and demanded an apology from Israel.

'Critical point' for consumer shortages flagged as 'emergency buffers fail simultaneously'

05/17/26 4:30 PM

Renowned international security expert Robert Pape issued a dire warning on Sunday that an irreversible “critical point” had been reached in the U.S. war against Iran, one that risks sparking global shortages and economic disruptions on a scale not seen in decades.“Two months ago, I warned that the Iran war was not simply creating an oil price spike. It was creating the conditions for shortages, supply disruptions, and eventually economic contraction,” Pape, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, warned in an analysis published Sunday on his Substack. “That transition is now beginning.”Among Iran’s first responses to the “unprovoked” attack from the United States and Israel was to close the Strait of Hormuz – a critical shipping waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil trade historically flowed – to U.S.-aligned vessels. Predictably, the strait’s partial closure sent oil prices skyrocketing.With the war now stretching into its 78th day as of Sunday, the strait’s closure has finally exhausted worldwide “buffers” that have helped to slow the economic impact from disrupting trade through what is among the busiest shipping channels on earth, Pape warned.“The critical point is no longer oil prices alone,” Pape wrote. “The world’s emergency buffers – inventories, reserves, subsidies, and logistical workarounds – are beginning to fail simultaneously.”Signs of existing stockpiles or resources still in transit being exhausted have already reached the United States. The final shipment of oil from the Strait of Hormuz before its partial closure arrived in California earlier this month, and reporting suggests a major shortage of motor oil may be imminent.

'How is this real?' Hegseth pilloried for bizarre cartoon asking for $1.5 trillion

05/14/26 4:09 PM

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced backlash after he shared an animated video arguing that the Pentagon needed a massive $1.5 trillion for war preparations.In a social media post on Thursday, Hegseth called the funds a "GENERATIONAL DOWN PAYMENT on America's national defense.""We remain the strongest military power on Earth, but that power requires renewal," the defense secretary said in the video. "And with global threats that are constantly evolving, it's time to make a $1.5 trillion investment, a generational down payment. For far too long, Washington bureaucrats allowed America's defense industrial base to fall apart."The video featured a cartoon version of former President Joe Biden alongside a crumbling factory."The execution of operations Midnight Hammer, Southern Spear, Absolute Resolve, and Epic Fury are testaments to this restoration of strength," Hegseth crowed. "America's $1.5 trillion investment guarantees that the United States military will maintain this advantage against any adversary, anywhere, at any time."However, not all viewers of the cartoon were sold on Hegseth's pitch."How is this real?" author Jim Stewartson asked. "This is a pitch for $1.5 trillion and it looks like a bad Sora demo. The Pentagon is a clown show. What a tragedy.""Not for nothing, but the School House Rock vibe is bad," Lincoln Project strategist Reed Galen observed."More bullsh— from a bulls—er," Democratic author James Graham quipped."We've never seen a Secretary of a Cabinet position have to SELL the PRESIDENTS ideas with bad AI commercials," KRLL radio host Mark Bland commented.

'Not Expecting More Company-Wide Layoffs This Year,' Meta CEO Tells Staff

05/20/26 11:38 PM

He made the announcement on the same day the Facebook owner carried out a massive restructuring of the company, laying off 10 per cent of its workforce globally and transferring 7,000 other employees.

'Straight out of South Park': MS NOW hosts burst into laughter as Trump plan falls apart

05/20/26 10:54 AM

MS NOW host Joe Scarborough and “Morning Joe” regular John Heilemann had a good laugh on Wednesday morning over a report that Donald Trump and the Israelis had a grand plan to reinstall Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the leader of Iran.According to the New York Times report, “… the audacious plan, developed by the Israelis and which Mr. Ahmadinejad had been consulted about, quickly went awry, according to the U.S. officials who were briefed on it.”The report added, “Mr. Ahmadinejad was injured on the war’s first day by an Israeli strike” and that “after the near miss he became disillusioned with the regime change plan.”On “Morning Joe,” the Times' Elizabeth Buhmiller prompted the conversation by noting that, when it comes to Iran, Trump is “ …kind of stuck in a corner. He — it's a real problem.”Pointing to the aborted Ahmadinejad plan, she added, “It just shows you how unplanned and by the seat of their pants this war is.”Co-host Scarborough then piled on as Heilemann burst into laughter. “It ended up all the time the moderate was Ahmadinejad, who would have known they were going to blow him out of prison, almost killed him,” Scarborough sarcastically pointed out as Heilemann laughed. “Of course, this is like, this is straight out of — this is, this is straight out of a South Park episode or a movie.”“What was the movie where they had the American heroes that saved Paris by blowing up the Eiffel Tower and everything else?” he joked. “Great movie a couple of years ago. But anyway, that's what, that's what we were doing.” - YouTube youtu.be

'Tale of two readouts': White House statement curiously breaks from China's in taut summit

05/15/26 12:49 AM

A White House statement about Trump's discussion with Chinese leader Xi Jinping curiously took on a different tone from what counterparts put out, reporters noticed.Politico correspondent Phelim Kine posted on X that the White House statement touted discussions of Chinese investment in the United States, fentanyl, the Strait of Hormuz, purchasing oil from the United States, and an agreement that Iran can't have a nuclear weapon."A Tale of Two Readouts: Here's what's in the WH readout of the Trump-Xi meeting but conspicuously absent in the Chinese readout: 1. Chinese investment into the U.S. 2. fentanyl 3. Hormuz 4. Chinese purchases of U.S. oil. 5. Agreement that Iran "can never have a nuclear weapon," Kine said.However, Kine found that any mention of these discussions was "conspicuously absent in the Chinese readout."Semafor journalist J.D. Capelouto wrote that it "exposed the sharp divides in their foreign policy postures," adding that "experts also noted that Beijing's briefing included a stark warning over Taiwan, which Washington's didn't mention."Michael Froman, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, also noticed the diverging readouts in a Thursday piece, and wrote that it showed how the summit is "unlikely to alter the character and course of the US-China relationship long-term."