Top World News
Taliban release US academic held in detention for more than a year
Marco Rubio welcomes release of Dennis Coyle, who was detained in January last year for violating unspecified lawsAfghanistan’s Taliban authorities have released the American academic Dennis Coyle after holding him for over a year, with the foreign ministry saying the release came on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.A statement from the ministry said the academic researcher had been released in Kabul on Tuesday, following an appeal from his family and after Afghanistan’s supreme court “considered his previous imprisonment sufficient”. Continue reading...
Trump blurts out 'striking admission' on Iran — and signals big problem: report
Donald Trump's improvised comments about Iran while boarding Air Force One on Monday demonstrated his chaotic approach to military strategy — and his apparent blindness to critical consequences unfolding around him, according to a report.The president made a comment revealing that Iran's regional retaliation caught planners of the military action against the country off guard."Look at the way Iran attacked unexpectedly all of those countries surrounding them. That was not supposed to-- nobody was even thinking about it," the president conceded before reasserting without substantiation, "But they wanted to take over the Middle East."The remarks prompted analysis from New Republic correspondent Greg Sargent and Matt Duss, executive vice president at the Center for International Policy.Sargent highlighted the troubling implications on his podcast. "He said no one anticipated that Iran would attack other countries in an effort to widen the war," he commented. "But in saying that, Trump revealed that he didn't anticipate it — which is a striking admission about his own lack of foresight."He continued, "We think this captures something broader. On one front after another, Trump plainly didn't prepare for eventualities that most experts fully did anticipate. So how directly responsible are these failings for what we're seeing right now — that by most indications, the war is getting worse for Trump and the U.S. on many fronts?"Duss responded, "Well, we know that this is going much worse than Donald Trump himself thought it would. We know that Donald Trump does not do the reading. We know that Donald Trump has the attention span of a fly. We know that he just makes stuff up all the time. Trump made this threat over the weekend to bomb power plants — which is clearly a war crime, to attack plants that produce power for civilians. And then I think he woke up and saw that the stock market is in trouble, oil prices are continuing to go higher."Duss dismissed Trump's characterization that the attacks blindsided everyone as fundamentally dishonest."Everyone anticipated this," he stated flatly. "Every one of these countries that Iran has attacked — we should have expected it, whether it's Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, obviously Israel. This is part of Iran's defensive strategy. This is part of how they believe they were creating deterrence."He went on, "So Iran is following through — they have to follow through, in a sense, if they want to make sure that this doesn't happen again in the future. So yes, to answer your question, of course, people knew Iran was going to do this. Again, Donald Trump does not bother to do the reading."
Iran left 'emboldened' as it survives Pentagon's best shot: Ex-Trump Defense head
According to former Defense Secretary Mike Esper, who served in Donald Trump’s first administration, the leadership of Iran is feeling pretty confident about its position after three weeks of having war waged upon them by the president.In a clip shared on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe,” Esper admitted the Pentagon’s military objectives seem to have been met, but now the hard part begins — and Iran has some leverage to make demands.“In terms of the military objectives that [Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff] Gen. Dan Caine outlined, you know, taking down the navy, the air force, ballistic missiles production, etc. Degrading the nuclear, they've made incredible progress on those things,” he said before adding the caveat, “I'm not hearing as much about the nuclear, but I think the military objectives are being accomplished.”“Now, of course, it's unclear what the political objectives are," he continued. “The president has moved around and said different things at times, and so it's hard to see what the yardstick is at when it comes to that. At the end of the day, it's going to be the political yardstick that determines, you know, win-loss. You know how much of a victory, whatever the case may be.”“But what's interesting now, I think, is the Iranians. My sense is they survived the decapitation,” he elaborated. “They probably feel like they've taken three weeks of, you know, America's and Israel's best, and they've survived. There's no signs of the regime fracturing.”“I mean, the [director of national intelligence] said that the other day in the hearing,” he pointed out. “And they feel emboldened, so much so that they're making demands as to what it would take to have a negotiated end to the conflict. So they are emboldened.”“I don't see them giving up anytime soon,” he predicted. - YouTube youtu.be
Saudi prince privately urges Trump to continue bombardment of Iran: insiders
Donald Trump is searching for an exit strategy from his increasingly unpopular war with Iran, but Saudi Arabia's de facto leader is pushing hard in the opposite direction — pressuring the president to view the conflict as an opportunity to reshape the entire Middle East.According to the New York Times, controversial Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been aggressively urging Trump to intensify the war against Iran, according to people briefed by American officials on the private conversations.In discussions over the past week, Prince Mohammed has told Trump that he must accelerate efforts toward dismantling Iran's hard-line government, according to those familiar with the talks.Prince Mohammed contends that Iran represents an existential long-term threat to the Gulf region that cannot be adequately addressed without regime change, the sources said.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu similarly regards Iran as a long-term threat, though the two allies have divergent strategic interests. Analysts note that Israeli officials would likely view a destabilized Iranian state consumed by internal chaos as a strategic victory, whereas Saudi Arabia sees a failed Iranian state as a direct and immediate security catastrophe.Yet senior officials within both Saudi and American governments harbor serious concerns about prolonged conflict. They fear Iran will unleash increasingly devastating strikes against Saudi oil infrastructure while the United States becomes mired in an indefinite war.Trump's public messaging has been erratic, oscillating between declarations that the war could end imminently and suggestions of escalation. On Monday, the president wrote on social media that his administration and Iran had engaged in "productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities," though Iran denied that any negotiations were taking place.The war's toll on Saudi Arabia — economically and strategically — has been severe. Iranian drone and missile strikes, launched in response to American and Israeli military action against Iran, have already triggered significant disruptions throughout global energy markets.Saudi Arabia's government flatly disputed claims that Prince Mohammed has advocated for prolonging the conflict."The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always supported a peaceful resolution to this conflict, even before it began," the Saudi government said in a statement, adding that officials "remain in close contact with the Trump administration and our commitment remains unchanged."
LaGuardia pilots raised safety alarms months before deadly runway crash
Nasa reports show repeated warnings of close calls before crash that killed two pilots and injured 41 othersSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxPilot safety concerns about New York’s LaGuardia airport were filed to aviation officials months before Sunday’s collision between an airplane and a fire truck left two pilots dead and 41 other people hospitalized.According to the aviation safety reporting system administered by the US space agency Nasa, a pilot using the airport in the summer wrote, “Please do something,” after air traffic controllers failed to provide appropriate guidance about multiple nearby aircraft. Continue reading...
‘We consider every mile we drive’: how fuel shortages are affecting readers worldwide
From a shop owner in India to a community worker in New South Wales, rising fuel prices are forcing people to ration oil usageMiddle East crisis – live updatesAlagesan, 35, needs liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to run his roadside drink and snack shop in Coimbatore, India, but with the fuel shortage since the US-Israel attacks on Iran, he worries his business could fold.“I am far away from the Middle East, but my life is affected,” he said. “The gas cylinder is not available because of the war. I don’t know what to do.” Continue reading...
'Finish the job': MAGA fans revolt as Trump calls off the dogs on Iran
More than a few of Donald Trump’s supporters were displeased early Monday morning after the president called off imminent attacks on Iran’s power plants as discussions took place aimed at ending the war.In an all-caps Truth Social announcement, that was reposted moments later to fix multiple typos, the president declared, in part, “I HAVE INSTRUCTED THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR TO POSTPONE ANY AND ALL MILITARY STRIKES AGAINST IRANIAN POWER PLANTS AND ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A FIVE DAY PERIOD, SUBJECT TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ONGOING MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS.”That did not sit well with some MAGA fans who voiced their unhappiness on Truth Social.Retired Air Force veteran Birdnut implored, “Please dont let this drag on like Ukraine. Pauses do not benefit anyone but the enemy.”“Any kind of agreement with the Islamic Republic is a betrayal of the people of Iran. If the Republic survives, it will massacre the people just as it is executing them every day. And be sure that if it survives, it is a wounded snake that will seek revenge on the world as soon as it comes to its senses,”warned Mina45.Viji demanded, “Finish the job.”“Don’t believe a word they say!!!!” wrote patriot4ever45 to which Ceyberdog added, “Don’t trust these people!!!! Only a complete surrender is acceptable…. Have been negotiating for 47 years and they do not abide.”FlyingFox advised, “I wouldn’t believe a word the Iranians have said - any agreement will be broken within hours - blame will then be laid at the feet of Israel and the U.S. The world press will then write another fake news report blaming President Trump. The merry go round starts again! Appeasement doesn’t work with Terrorists! Nothing short of total destruction has any future benefit regrettably!”“Please don't negotiate with the Islamic regime terrorists. Finish the job, Mr. President. clean up those jihadists from the earth. end this dictatorship and let the world and Iranians to breath!” added MiladDev.Misaelmesa pointed out, “That wicked regime will not back down; they are merely stalling for time to regroup. You must press on to the very end, granting no quarter to those damned Satanists.”“If they're [sic] capability of developing a nuclear bomb is not completely halted, then we have lost,” lamented SallySunshine75.
‘US siege is warfare’: Cuba faces second nationwide blackout in under a week
Some Cubans got power back on Sunday after another nationwide blackout on Saturday—the second in less than a week and the third time the grid has collapsed this month after the Trump administration intensified the United States’ decades-long economic blockade, cutting off the island nation from Venezuelan oil.“The Cuban Electric Union, which reports to the Ministry of Energy and Mines, reported that the total disconnection of the national energy system was caused by an unexpected shutdown of a generation unit at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant in Camaguey province, without providing details on the specific cause of the failure,” according to The Associated Press.Critics from around the world have condemned the US siege as “economic warfare,” which is notably occurring as President Donald Trump and his allies in Washington, D.C., repeatedly float a potential takeover of the country located just 90 miles south of Florida.Saturday’s blackout came a day after The Washington Post reported that “the Cuban government this week refused a request by the US Embassy in Havana to import diesel fuel for its generators, calling the ask ‘shameless,’ given the Trump administration’s fuel blockade on the island, according to diplomatic cables” reviewed by the newspaper.It also followed the arrival of some members of Nuestra América Convoy, which is bringing humanitarian aid to the island. The effort involves hundreds of people from over 30 countries and 120 organizations.Highlighting the convoy on social media early Saturday afternoon, US Rep. Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill.) declared that “Trump’s oil blockade in Cuba has caused a worsening humanitarian crisis—cutting Cubans off from power, food, healthcare, and clean water.”“I am heartened by the solidarity and bravery of the courageous people on the Nuestra América Convoy, arriving in Cuba to bring critical aid directly to the people,” she said. “I stand with the global community demanding that the Department of State and Department of Defense ensure their safety and security.”Another progressive in Congress, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), similarly said later Saturday that “we must lift the US oil blockade on Cuba. This is economic warfare designed to suffocate an island. Food is spoiling. Water supply is compromised. Healthcare services are disrupted. End the blockade now. Grateful to all those helping deliver humanitarian aid!”Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan Robinson is reporting on the convoy from Havana. On Sunday, he wrote that “when the power went, I was watching a concert held at the Pabellon Cuba, a delightfully strange Brutalist outdoor event space... People can live without music if they have to, I suppose. (The Cubans refuse to, though, and as I walked through the streets tonight I saw plenty of dancing in the dark.) What they cannot live without is healthcare, and the blackout is of course hitting hospitals hard. People aren’t able to get crucial surgeries, or even get to the hospital, which means Trump is simply killing the sickest Cubans. Late last night, a report came in that patients on ventilators at the Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital have died.”“It has been tragic and depressing watching the effects of the blockade. This is already a poor country. People didn’t have much to start with. But now they can’t take buses, they can’t afford to run their cars (I have been told gas costs anywhere between 10 dollars a gallon and 40 dollars a gallon, if you can find it—this in a country where a nice meal will cost you about $20),” Robinson explained. “Food in restaurants is starting to run out. Garbage is accumulating in the streets. I had to sprint to get through a city block where the flies were so thick it was a struggle to breathe without ingesting one. The entire supply chain appears to be breaking down. Tourism is drying up—few want to come and experience shortages and sanitation crises. Taxi drivers can’t drive their taxis.”“With the evaporation of tourists comes greater despair, since so many depend on this influx of foreign money. Everyone in Cuba is warm and friendly, but you can tell they’re desperate. At the large San Jose art market, sellers had booths overflowing with souvenirs, and hardly anyone was there to buy. The merchants were outcompeting each other on pushiness—it was obvious many of them would not make a single sale all day,” the American journalist added. “I cannot believe how cruel what my country is doing is.”
JD Vance's 'diminution' accelerates as the war in Iran rages on: analysts
Political analysts were floored on Sunday after Vice President JD Vance seemed to struggle selling President Donald Trump's war in Iran during a recent public appearance. Tommy Vietor and Ben Rhodes, co-hosts of "Pod Save the World," said during a new episode that Vance's recent appearance showed he is trying to "distance himself" from Trump's war, but not enough to anger the president. This stance seems to comport with Vance's rhetoric on the campaign trail, where he made it clear that he would rather take a restrained approach to foreign policy, including backing away from supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. But Vance's hesitancy to criticize Trump publicly suggests that the war in Iran has put the Vice President in a bit of a pinch. "He's trying so hard to signal that he wasn't all in on this war. But also, as people have briefed, he told Trump to go big, and he owns everything they're doing," Vietor said. "It's not working, buddy."Rhodes, a former national security advisor in the Obama White House, added that Vance's shifting stance on the war in Iran shows he's "full of s---." "He owns this, and he's never going to be able to come out and fully-throated say he was wrong because he depends on Donald Trump for his political survival," Rhodes said. "So, you're watching JD Vance's diminution as a political figure in real time because his identity doesn't work without opposition to forever wars. It's central to him in a way ... And so, the air of the JD Vance balloon is rapidly running out."
Trump's European allies are abandoning ship: 'We cannot be the lap dog of America first'
Far-right politicians across Europe who enthusiastically embraced Donald Trump following his re-election are now rapidly retreating from the relationship, with the Iran conflict and his demands for NATO intervention serving as the breaking point.According to reporting from the Wall Street Journal's Bertrand Benoit and Max Colchester, tensions have been building over Trump's tariff policies—which were struck down by the Supreme Court in a landmark ruling—but the invasion of Iran and subsequent demands that European nations share the military burden have pushed nationalist-minded European lawmakers to openly reconsider their alignment with the American president.The State Department has actively courted European right-wing parties, channeling grants to think tanks and nongovernmental organizations promoting Trump's "America First" agenda, including policies on free speech and immigration crackdowns. Initially, these parties welcomed the support and association.But as Europe absorbs the consequences of U.S. policy decisions, the political calculus has shifted dramatically. European politicians are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain their public gratitude while advancing their own nationalist agendas.Even longtime Trump confidant Nigel Farage has begun hedging his bets. "Look, he's a friend of mine. I agree with many things that he does. I don't agree with other things that he does," Farage recently admitted—a stark contrast to his previous unqualified support.Public opinion in Europe has turned decisively against Trump. In the U.K., the vast majority of voters identify as "anti-Trump," according to YouGov polling. Only a quarter of British and German voters support Trump's attack on Iran. In France, even right-wing voters hold unfavorable views of the president.This presents a mounting dilemma for MAGA-aligned parties. As Tim Bale, a politics professor at Queen Mary University of London, explained, politicians like Farage who harbor ambitions for higher office must appeal to a much broader electorate—one that largely abhors Trump.Criticism from Trump's European allies intensified around the Greenland episode. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who previously served as a diplomatic bridge between Europe and the U.S., has noticeably cooled her public praise. Her deputy, Matteo Salvini—one of Trump's most vocal Italian supporters—flatly rejected the president's requests for European nations to help police the Strait of Hormuz. "Italy isn't at war with anyone," Salvini declared.French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and her protégé Jordan Bardella have escalated their criticism, condemning Trump's military strikes in Venezuela, though they have remained more cautious regarding the Iran attack, reflecting the party's strong support for Israel.Germany presents the starkest rebuke. Senior Alternative for Germany (AfD) lawmaker Peter Felser stated bluntly: "We cannot be the lap dog of an 'America First' policy if it destroys German jobs. We must remain a sovereign German party, not just the German branch of the MAGA movement."Gerold Otten, an AfD lawmaker and defense expert, characterized Trump's military actions and contempt for international norms as deeply troubling. "You enter very dangerous territory when you say, 'I am above the law,'" Otten warned. "On the global stage, saying 'I'm doing it because I can, because I am powerful'—that leads to the breakdown of civilization, a state where only the law of the jungle remains."
Trump's UN ambassador refuses to take bombing Iran's nuclear power plant 'off the table'
According to Donald Trump’s UN ambassador, the president should not be constrained from ordering the Pentagon to bomb Iran’s sole nuclear power plant located southeast of the city of Bushehr, situated on the waterfront of the Persian Gulf.During an appearance on “Face the Nation,” Ambassador Mike Waltz, who was shuffled over to the UN after he was caught up in the “Signalgate” scandal, was asked about Trump’s 48-hour threat to begin bombing Iran’s power plants unless the Strait of Hormuz is opened to shipping.In a post on Truth Social, the president wrote, “If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP”That led CBS host Margaret Brennan to ask Waltz, “The reason I'm asking you is when the President says he's going to bomb energy infrastructure, civilian energy infrastructure. Is he going to bomb a nuclear power plant or is that off the table?”“Well, I would never take anything off the table for the president, certainly not on national television,” Waltz replied. “However, there are larger plants. There's one outside of Tehran, there are others outside of other cities that are gas-fired, thermal, thermal-powered.”“I think the important point here is to understand,” he attempted. “The IRGC, a declared terrorist organization not only by us, but in a number of European countries, controls a huge swath of Iran's critical infrastructure, their economy and certainly many of their governing institutions, and so to the extent we're degrading their military capability and their defense industrial base, all options should be on the table, and the President's made that very clear.”
Trump is 'grappling with a lack of control' as his plans go awry: Axios
As Donald Trump’s war on Iran enters its 23rd day, the administration is putting out signals that it would like to begin peace talks at the same time that the president is raising the threat that he will destroy the country’s energy infrastructure within two days.Appearing on MS NOW, to discuss the mixed messaging, AXIOS reporter Eli Stokols stated that the president is clueless about the best path to proceed down, and events on the ground –– particularly the closing of the Strait of Hormuz –– show no signs of being easily resolved.Speaking with the hosts of “The Weekend, “ he explained, “Look, I think the president has been sort of all over the place. And I think the post overnight, with the threats if they don't, you know, open up the strait, we're going to blow their power plants to smithereens; the president's grappling with a lack of control. He started this conflict. He is not capable of ending it on his own.”“Iran has a say here,” he observed. “And I think, you know, he's frustrated about not getting more help from European allies, which, like we all know why that is. And I think there's a sense, as much as they are saying, 'Well, we need $200 billion, we need all this money to keep this war going.'”“There's a clear sense that the president would probably like to wrap this up, but that doesn't mean he can't escalate if he gets frustrated,” Stokols predicted. “And so I think there's a lot of uncertainty and incoherence in the strategy, because that reflects an uncertainty about how to proceed and what he can actually do to bring about an outcome that he'll be happy with a sort of clean ending to this war that he started.” - YouTube youtu.be
