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Mamata Banerjee says Narendra Modi’s party ‘forcefully captured’ election that ended her party’s 15 years in powerA political showdown is taking place in the Indian state of West Bengal as the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, India’s most powerful female politician, has refused to resign after she lost elections to the prime minister’s party this week.Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) won an overwhelming victory on Monday in state elections in West Bengal, where Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress party (TMC) have been in power for 15 years. Continue reading...

Leading newspaper La Nación calls US’s barring of board members ‘indirect attack on press freedom’ The US state department has cancelled tourist visas for more than half of the board members of Costa Rica’s leading national newspaper, La Nación, which has been a critical voice against the country’s president, Rodrigo Chaves, an ally of Donald Trump.During Chaves’s 2022 presidential campaign, La Nación published several articles documenting allegations of sexual harassment against him that had forced him out of his job at the World Bank. The paper also reported on allegations of illegal campaign financing, which Chaves denied. Continue reading...

President Donald Trump suggested a possible deal might be on the table to end the war in Iran.The 79-year-old president sent out a Truth Social post Wednesday morning following a flurry of developments this week, such as the start and quick end to Project Freedom, an effort to ensure safe passage for commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, and reports that the White House believes it's close to an agreement with Iran."Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran," Trump posted. "If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP."Axios correspondent Barak Ravid reported that Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are negotiating on a one-page, 14-point memorandum of understanding with several Iranian officials."Among other provisions, the deal would involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the U.S. agreeing to lift its sanctions and release billions in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions around transit through the Strait of Hormuz," Axios reported."Many of the terms laid out in the memo would be contingent on a final agreement being reached, leaving the possibility of renewed war or an extended limbo in which the hot war has stopped but nothing is truly resolved," the report added.

Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul admitted he was startled that Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared the war with Iran over at a time when hostilities continued and no agreement is in place in particular with regard to future nuclear capabilities.Speaking with the hosts of “Morning Joe,” McFaul noted Rubio’s remark that “The Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. I'm not going to, you know - we're not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What the president would prefer is a deal.”“I’ve got to tell you, honestly, I was completely shocked by what Secretary Rubio said yesterday,” he admitted. “When I saw it on some feed, I couldn't believe it that he was brought — and whether he works at the White House or State Department, it's kind of confusing, right? But there he was, alone, not with the president, by the way, declaring the end of the war that they launched without achieving any of those objectives that Joe [Scarborough] outlined from the centerpiece; none of them, and especially on the nuclear weapons deal. That they've got nothing but a commitment to negotiate in the future. After a one-page memorandum, a memorandum of understanding.”“This is a an epic defeat,” he stated. “In fact, I'm going to make a prediction: I think it's so epic that they're going to reverse it, because they're going to look at this and say, we cannot defend this. And the president's going to change his mind again.” - YouTube youtu.be

A man who formerly worked for the U.S. government found himself in a shouting match with Russian "Merchant of Death" arms dealer Viktor Bout on Tuesday.During a segment on The Alex Jones Show, a caller from Kansas named Lee spoke to Bout about Russia's war in Ukraine."It's quite a unique experience to be able to talk to you, sir," Lee said. "The question I'd like to put forward to you is, you are a legislator, a legislator in your government. Is that correct?""Well, I'm a part of the regional legislature, and this year we are participating in the election to our federal Duma," Bout explained."Very good," Lee remarked. "Now, this war with Ukraine, your country has been waging the last four years, has created millions of casualties, and you've really not changed anything. The lines have been drawn for the last two and a half. At what point are you going to start coming down on Vladimir Putin about ending this war, even if it means a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from all Ukrainian territory prior to 2014?"Before allowing Bout to respond, Jones defended Russia's war of choice."Russia has stopped NATO's expansion, and it's now fighting the proxy war that was launched," Jones claimed. "And that's just a fact... The EU Commission has said they want to break up Russia. The West launches attack. Let's just be honest about it.""My response is very simple," Bout chimed in. "First of all, [Ukraine's] Donbas is a Russian land. It was illegally, you know, given to so-called Ukrainian Republic.""Second one, majority of the population of these areas is almost 90% is Russians," he continued. "What are you thinking? That Russia ever will abandon its own, you know, people to be, you know, subjugated to these neo-Nazis regime? Hell no! The population of Russia fully supported [the war]!"Bout insisted that the war was a battle for Russia's future. "And this is our land," he quipped. "So there is no way Russia will, you know, decide it or surrender or get out, because first of all, everything, if you look from the history, Ukraine has not existed. It's an artificial creation... it should be a single unitary territory of Russia."Jones again spoke up in defense of Russia: "Well, Russia's had naval bases in Crimea for 500 years.""I find it audacious that I see you on here saying, well, the Ukrainians are hitting residential areas," the caller replied. "What I mean you've been doing it for four years, sir? The other thing is, you guys invaded illegally in 2014. You started this war. The only resolution is the complete withdrawal of Russian troops!""You have lost the war!" the man exclaimed. "No, it's absolutely incorrect!" Bout shouted back. "We're not started this war!" "Would we put up with a bunch of foreign troops on the Canadian border or the Mexican border?" Jones asked."What troops were in Ukraine prior to [the war]?" the caller shot back."Oh, my! I've had family over there as advisors before this even started!" Jones bellowed. "But Lee, you sound really pissed off because you know Russia is winning this war against the unelected EU and the British Empire, who are our enemies. This war is hurting America. We should have trade deals with Russia.""Yeah, if you want to give your taxpayer money to this, you know, drug addict Zelenskyy," Bout said, "who everything — lost his legitimacy, go ahead. Spend your money. Then you don't have a [expletive], you know, bridges, schools! Go ahead, support Ukraine!"Before hanging up, Jones scolded the caller."NATO for decades has moved missiles up to the border of Russia," he ranted. "And then we were taught, oh, Russia went into Cuba because — just to start a fight. No, they did it and said because you put nukes on our border. Now they've got hypersonic nukes even closer. This is crazy!"

President Donald Trump struggled to demonstrate his athletic prowess to a group of children at the White House, failing on several attempts to putt a golf ball.After arriving on the White House lawn to "Eye of the Tiger" on Tuesday, Trump walked over to a group of kids who were on hand to promote the Presidential Fitness Test. The president observed the kids playing golf for several minutes before grabbing a club.He attempted two to three putts before giving up on trying to sink one.Trump, 79, reportedly claims a handicap of 2.8 in the Golf Handicap Information Network, the lowest recorded for any president. He has been repeatedly accused of cheating. In a 2025 viral video, the president's caddie appeared to drop a ball in a more favorable position.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has gone missing from public view and has shifted his attention away from diplomacy amid "America's global collapse," an analyst pointed out on Tuesday. Salon's Chauncey DeVega described how Rubio's focus appears to be on the State Department — and altering its previous emphasis on "cultural pluralism, secularism and inclusiveness in its public messaging and other communications" — and not on international peace negotiations, including the Iran war, or Ukraine and Russia war. "He has not visited the Middle East since last October, nor has he played a direct role in diplomatic negotiations over Ukraine and Gaza," DeVega explained. Instead, Rubio has been restructuring his "department as a tool of MAGA." "While also attending to Trump’s needs, Rubio has been busy remaking the State Department in the MAGA image — an act that is undermining democracy at home and accelerating strategic failures abroad," DeVega wrote. "What the administration calls 'America First' is, in practice, white racial authoritarianism and white Christian nationalism that governs who and what is deemed to be in America’s vital interests."Under Trump, the State Department has dropped its recognition of Islamic holidays or other non-Christian religious observations that it previously celebrated on social media. Now, Rubio has been pushing a MAGA agenda forward. "Since Trump’s return to power, the United States has been repositioning itself as an explicitly Judeo-Christian nation — and government departments and agencies are following suit," DeVega wrote. "On Easter Sunday Rubio shared a video on social media in which he passionately described the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The department’s Instagram account has featured images of Christian crosses and references to 'Christ’s sacrifice.'"Trump has reportedly asked Republican allies whether he should endorse a Rubio or Vice President JD Vance 2028 presidential nomination, with focus groups apparently favoring Rubio for the potential run."Many see him as a stabilizing force, as well as a more presentable and traditional representative for their 'America First' nationalism and so-called conservative values," DeVega wrote. "Rubio sacrificed his values and the storied institutional legacy of the State Department itself to be in closer proximity to Donald Trump, a chaos agent — and America’s reputation and power are collapsing," DeVega added.

During a relatively subdued Pentagon briefing on the Iran War on Tuesday morning, both Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine were caught by surprise by a question about “kamikaze dolphins” being deployed in the Strait of Hormuz.During the question and answer segment following the opening statements, a reporter identifying herself as Mary Margaret Olohan from the far-right Daily Wire addressed her question to both of the Pentagon officials.“My first question is for General Caine," she began. "You said that the attacks by Iran so far are below the threshold of restarting major combat operations. What is that threshold? And then for Secretary Hegseth, are there still concerns about mines in the strait? And can you kind of clarify these reports of kamikaze dolphins that we've heard about?”That led Caine to smile and glance over at his counterpart and then joke, “I haven't heard the kamikaze dolphin thing. It's like sharks with laser beams, right?” to laughter from the assembled reporters.After Caine added, “The threshold of restarting is a political decision above my pay grade,” Hegseth contributed, “And I can't confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm they don't. Ultimately, the any follow-on effort, if there are mines identified, would be something that some of our units could undertake or the world could undertake. But right now we know we have a lane of safe passage.” - YouTube youtu.be