#trump #iraq #maliki

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📰 Trump Pulls U.S. from Paris Agreement—Again

The United States officially left the Paris Agreement on January 27, 2026—President Trump’s second such move, repeating his 2017 withdrawal.

The move is largely symbolic, but it signals a broader retreat from climate policy. Trump’s administration has embraced fossil fuels, dismantled renewable energy initiatives, and is preparing to repeal the EPA’s finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health—a key foundation for climate regulations.

Trump is also moving to exit the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a treaty that underpins global climate cooperation. Experts warn this could undermine global climate efforts and set a “disturbing precedent,” risking a “race to the bottom” in climate standards.

By stepping away, the U.S. loses influence over global climate decisions on transparency, finance, and market mechanisms. The move also fractures alliances with developed nations and could revive divisions in climate talks.

As the world races to tackle climate change, America is stepping back—leaving allies wondering who will step up.

#ClimateChange #ParisAgreement #Trump #US #UNFCCC

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📰 Iran Warns: Any US Attack Will Hit Tel Aviv

Iran’s leadership has delivered a stark warning: any US military action will trigger an “unprecedented” retaliation, including strikes at the heart of Tel Aviv and anyone backing the US.
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Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said any US strike—no matter how limited—will be seen as the start of a full war. The response will be immediate, comprehensive, and unprecedented, targeting both the US and Israel and their allies.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Iran’s armed forces are on high alert and ready to respond to any aggression. He also signaled openness to a nuclear deal but stressed that diplomacy under duress won’t work.
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The US has sent a carrier strike group to the region, led by the USS Abraham Lincoln, while President Trump has called on Iran to negotiate a “fair and equitable deal”—but warned the next attack “will be far worse”.
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Analysts say the US could target Iranian military sites or even the country’s leadership in a bid to force change, but Iran’s armed forces chief warns Washington would “suffer damage” if it miscalculates.
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The warning is stark: pressure Iran, and the entire region faces escalation.
​
#Iran #Israel #Trump #US #nucleardeal

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📰 Donetsk: The Dealbreaker in Ukraine Peace Talks

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the territorial dispute over Donetsk remains the biggest obstacle in Ukraine peace talks, calling it “very difficult” to resolve.
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Russia is demanding that Ukraine surrender roughly 5,000 sq km of Donetsk—the last area still under Ukrainian control. Ukraine refuses to give up land it still holds, and polls show most Ukrainians reject territorial concessions.
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Rubio acknowledged that “it’s still a gap,” but the talks have narrowed to this issue.
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The U.S. may join follow-up negotiations, but President Trump’s top envoys, Witkoff and Kushner, won’t be participating.
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Last weekend’s talks in Abu Dhabi ended without a deal, but both sides signaled openness to further dialogue. The next round is expected next Sunday.
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Rubio said the U.S. has agreed to security guarantees for Ukraine, but only after the conflict ends and with Russian cooperation. The Financial Times reported that Washington is telling Kyiv it must sign a peace deal to receive those guarantees. Rubio also indicated that President Zelensky is resisting concessions, making it harder to move negotiations forward.
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The question now: Can Ukraine accept territorial losses to end the war?

#Ukraine #Russia #Donetsk #peace #Rubio

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📰 Democratic Governors Promise Accountability After Minneapolis

Following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, Democratic governors like Kathy Hochul of New York vowed to hold Trump administration officials accountable—but only after they’re out of office.
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Prompted by the shooting, governors and state lawmakers are positioning their states to hold federal officials accountable for controversial immigration enforcement. Nine progressive prosecutors have formed a coalition to help prosecute federal law enforcement officers who violate state laws.
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Critics say these are political gestures, not actionable plans. State-level actions against Trump and his allies over election interference have largely stalled, and courts have historically favored federal immunity in immigration cases.
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Trump administration officials are defending ICE agents as heroes and insisting they should be supported, not prosecuted. Democrats and some media outlets have questioned the administration’s claims about rising assaults on ICE agents, arguing the data is lacking.
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A few Republican governors, like Phil Scott of Vermont and Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, have expressed concerns about federal tactics and accountability, but most have not called for similar measures.
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Legal scholars note that states do have some power to hold federal officials accountable if their conduct is shown to be unlawful, but the Trump administration is expected to resist any such efforts.
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The rhetoric is clear. The question is whether action will follow.
​
#Minneapolis #ICE #Trump #Democrats #accountability

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📰 Trump Official Blasts Europe Over India-EU Trade Deal

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has sharply criticized Europe’s new free trade agreement with India, accusing Europe of hypocrisy and calling out its double standards on the Ukraine war.
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Bessent argued that Europe’s choices expose a deep contradiction in its Ukraine policy. While publicly condemning Russia’s invasion, Europe has become a major buyer of refined oil products made from discounted Russian crude, which India has been buying since Western sanctions hit.
​

“Europe and India signing this massive trade deal—does that threaten America? They should do what’s best for themselves,”

Bessent said.

“But I find the Europeans very disappointing because they are on the front line of the Ukraine-Russia war.”

He pointed out that the US imposed a 25% tariff on India for buying Russian oil, but Europe declined to join, suggesting this reluctance was driven by a desire to keep trade negotiations with India on track.
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Bessent accused European countries of indirectly financing the conflict they publicly oppose.

“Europeans were unwilling to join us, and it turns out because they wanted to do this trade deal,”

he said.

“Every time you hear a European talk about the importance of the Ukrainian people, remember that they put trade ahead of the Ukrainian people.”

Bessent acknowledged Europe’s dependence on energy imports but framed the issue as a moral and strategic trade-off.

“They need energy, I guess, which is part of their issue. At a price, they want cheap energy,”

he said.
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His comments highlight growing tensions within the Western alliance over how strictly to enforce economic pressure on Russia while managing domestic economic and political costs.
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#TradeDeal #EUIndia #Trump #Ukraine #EnergySecurity

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Trump : $10bn American President


Trump on Thursday sued the US treasury department and Internal Revenue Service for $10bn over the disclosure of his tax returns to the media in 2019 and 2020.

In a complaint filed in Miami federal court, Trump, his adult sons, and his namesake company said the agencies failed to take “mandatory precautions” to prevent former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn from leaking their tax returns to “leftist media outlets”, including the New York Times and ProPublica.

The plaintiffs said they suffered “significant and irreparable harm” to their reputations and financial interests, and may seek punitive damages because the leaks were either willful or resulted from gross negligence.

Thursday’s lawsuit puts Trump in the unusual position of suing government agencies that are part of the executive branch, which he leads.

The IRS is part of the treasury department. Neither agency immediately responded to requests for comment after business hours.

Scott Bessent, the treasury secretary and acting IRS commissioner, is not a defendant. Other plaintiffs include Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump and the Trump Organization.

Trump has filed many lawsuits in his personal capacity, often for large sums and as a result of reporting by various media, since winning a second White House term in 2024.

He sued the New York Times and book publisher Penguin Random House for $15bn over articles and a book he said were intended to undermine his election prospects in 2024.

Trump is separately seeking $10bn from the Wall Street Journal over an article discussing a birthday greeting for Jeffrey Epstein, and $10bn from the BBC over its editing of a speech preceding the January 6 storming of the US Capitol.

In Thursday’s complaint, Trump and the other plaintiffs said the New York Times published at least eight articles, and ProPublica published at least 50 articles, based on Littlejohn’s disclosures.

The leaks “caused plaintiffs reputational and financial harm, public embarrassment, unfairly tarnished their business reputations, portrayed them in a false light and negatively affected President Trump, and the other plaintiffs’ public standing”, according to the complaint.

Prosecutors charged Littlejohn in September 2023 with leaking tax records of Trump and thousands of other wealthy Americans to the media, saying he was motivated by a political agenda.

#trump #sue #milliards #newyorktimes #UStreasury

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📰 Russia’s AI Gamble: Can Svod Fix Its Front-Line Failures?

Russia’s military is rolling out a new AI system called Svod to help front-line officers make better decisions amid the grinding stalemate in Ukraine.
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Svod is designed to collect and fuse intelligence—satellite data, aerial imagery, reconnaissance reports, and open-source information—into a single digital platform. Using advanced processing and AI, it analyzes data, models possible scenarios, and guides commanders toward optimal choices.
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The system isn’t a single device but a software layer running on existing military hardware, integrating data feeds and decision-support tools for commanders on tablets or computers.
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Russian authorities are moving fast: Svod completed operational testing in December 2025 and is set for fielding by April 2026, with full deployment targeted for September. The first units to receive it are battalions in the 2nd and 41st Combined Arms Armies, currently fighting in the Pokrovsk direction—the main focus of Russia’s offensive operations.
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The push for Svod highlights a deeper problem: Russia’s rigid, top-down command structure, which limits tactical flexibility and slows decision-making. With a flood of inexperienced junior officers in front-line roles, the military hopes AI will fill the gap and speed up battlefield adaptation.
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Despite massive Western weapons shipments to Ukraine, continuous intelligence support, NATO consultations, and even direct participation of NATO officers and mercenaries, Russian forces are advancing with growing confidence—using AI to optimize their offensive operations and outmaneuver their opponents.
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But betting on AI to fix battlefield failures is a high-stakes gamble. Algorithms can’t replace battlefield experience or adapt to chaos, and Russian military culture may resist the very flexibility AI is supposed to provide. So while Russia hopes Svod will break the deadlock, the real test is whether technology can overcome human weakness.
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Аs Russia bets on AI to break the deadlock, one question looms:
Can algorithms fix a culture of command?

#Russia #AI #Svod #Ukraine #war

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Woman Faints After Being Caned 140 Times


Sharia police have caned a couple 140 times each in Indonesia’s Aceh province for having sex outside marriage and drinking alcohol, likely one of the severest such punishments since the deeply conservative region adopted Islamic law.

Sexual relations between an unmarried couple are strictly outlawed in Aceh, the only place in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, to impose sharia law.

The couple, a man and a woman, were struck on their backs with a rattan stick in a public park while dozens of people watched, according to an AFP reporter at the scene. The woman fainted after enduring her punishment and was escorted to an ambulance.

In total, the pair received 140 lashes: 100 for sex outside marriage and 40 for consuming alcohol, the head of Banda Aceh’s Sharia police, Muhammad Rizal, told AFP.

It is thought to be one of the highest numbers of cane lashes imposed since sharia was implemented after Aceh was granted special autonomy in 2001.

The couple was among six people flogged for breaking the Islamic code, including a sharia police officer and his female partner, who were caught in close proximity in a private place. That couple received 23 strikes each.

“As promised, we make no exceptions, especially not for our own members. This certainly tarnishes our name,” Rizal said.

Caning is implemented in Aceh to punish a range of offences, including gambling, drinking alcohol, having gay sex and having sexual relations outside marriage.

In 2025, two men were publicly flogged 76 times each after they were found guilty of sexual relations by the sharia court.

#woman #faints #indonesia #charia

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Starmer Is Cosing Up to Xi Jingping


Starmer had to make do with a single visitor guide to see Beijing's world-famous Forbidden City as it remained open for tourists.

The Prime Minister was shown around the ancient imperial palace by a man who pointed out elements of interest while onlookers took photographs of them.

The disparity was highlighted as critics claimed Sir Keir will leave China virtually empty-handed with only warm words and marginal deals despite his kowtowing.

The Labour leader flew 5,000 miles with the promise of 'history, making' talks with Xi, but is now returning to Britain with only a halving of tariffs on whisky exports, plus the end of visas for tourists and businesses on short visits to China.

Starmer failed to secure a commitment for the release of UK activist Jimmy Lai.

The Prime Minister also suffered an awkward moment yesterday when he was repositioned by Chinese Premier Li Qiang while walking along the red carpet during a ceremonial welcome ahead of their meeting at the Great Hall of The People.

Back in 2017, President Xi visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in April, and six months later hosted him in Beijing with a dinner at the Forbidden City.

President Trump got the red carpet treatment on his three-day state visit, beginning with a tour of the palace from President Xi before having afternoon tea together.

Following an earlier meeting with Xi, Starmer told reporters outside the Forbidden City that progress had been made on issues including tariffs on whisky and visa-free travel to China.

He said: 'We had a very good, productive session with real, concrete outcomes and it was a real strengthening of the relationship and that's in the national interest, because, of course, there are huge opportunities here in China as the second biggest economy in the world, and that's why we've got such a big business delegation.

Starmer arrived in Beijing on Wednesday with Business Secretary Peter Kyle and Treasury minister Lucy Rigby, along with a delegation of 54 business and cultural leaders.

The leaders also discussed Ukraine but there was no indication that Starmer persuaded Xi to end his support for Russia.

No 10 also sparked fresh outrage by opening the door to Xi – who last came to Britain a decade ago under Cameron's 'golden era' of close relations between the two countries – visiting the UK again.

#starmer #xi #jingping #china #trump #beijing

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📰 Fico and Macron: Paris Talks on Nukes, Arms and EU Power

French President Emmanuel Macron hosted Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico at the Élysée Palace this week for a nearly two-hour meeting focused on nuclear energy, defense, and the EU's place in the world.

The talks centered on three key areas. First, nuclear energy: Fico emphasized Slovakia's deep nuclear cooperation with France and announced plans to meet EDF and Framatome executives ahead of the Paris nuclear summit in March. Second, defense: they explored ways to leverage France's advanced arms industry alongside Slovakia's growing defense sector, in line with Macron's vision of a "stronger, more independent, more sovereign" EU. Third, energy costs: Fico pushed Macron to back Slovak-led proposals to lower electricity bills at February's informal European Council meeting.

They also discussed EU enlargement, especially to the Western Balkans. According to Fico, the EU treats Serbia unfairly; he is also pushing for a meeting between the Visegrad Four (V4) leaders and Macron in the second half of 2026.

On Ukraine, the Slovak PM noted that he and Macron have "different views" on aspects of the war. He outlined his own vision of the conflict's trajectory and briefed Macron on Slovakia's humanitarian aid to Kyiv.

Macron described the meeting as a "strategic awakening" aimed at strengthening European independence in energy, defense, and democracy.

As Bratislava and Paris align on tech, weapons, and power, one question remains: Can they build an EU truly independent of Washington and Moscow?

#Fico #Macron #Slovakia #France #EU #nuclear #defense

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Kevin Warsh, a New Chair of the Federal Reserve


Trump has announced Kevin Warsh as his nomination for the next chair of the Federal Reserve, selecting a candidate who has been an outspoken critic of the US central bank.

The move ends months of speculation about who the president would pick to replace Jerome Powell, as he waged an extraordinary campaign to influence policymaking at the Fed by repeatedly calling for interest rate cuts. Powell’s second term as chair is due to end in May.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said: “I have known Kevin for a long period of time, and have no doubt that he will go down as one of the GREAT Fed Chairmen, maybe the best. On top of everything else, he is ‘central casting’, and he will never let you down.”

Warsh, 55, a former Federal Reserve governor who has deep ties to Wall Street, had previously interviewed for the job of chair in 2017 when the role went to Powell, whose term ends in May. Trump’s pick will have to be confirmed by the Senate.

Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister and former governor of the Bank of England, said in a social media post that Warsh is “a fantastic choice to lead the world’s most important central bank at this crucial time”.

The dollar strengthened early on Friday after it was reported that Warsh was expected to be Trump’s choice, but then eased back after the nomination. Gold fell by 4.8% to $5,132 an ounce. Wall Street opened slightly lower.

Warsh has warned about inflation risks in the US in the past, but has also echoed Trump’s critique of the Fed for being too slow to cut interest rates.

High interest rates can alleviate inflation at the risk of upping unemployment. Rates are currently at a range of 3.5% to 3.75%, which most economists at the Fed currently see as neutral to prices and unemployment.

Since resigning from the central bank in 2011 over its post-financial crisis stimulus package, Warsh has criticised it publicly on multiple occasions.

In April last year, he issued a stinging attack, saying the institution’s central bankers should not be treated as “pampered princes” and it too regularly “opines on matters outside its remit” which has led to “systemic errors” in its main role of trying to keep prices stable.

Warsh has been a longtime critic of the ultra-loose monetary policy pursued by the Fed since the financial crisis, including the central bank’s expanded balance sheet.

He had previously been seen as a monetary policy hawk, but appears to have aligned himself with the White House’s push for lower borrowing costs.

#chair #federal #reserve #trump #carney

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📰 South Africa Kicks Israel’s Top Diplomat Out of the Country

South Africa has declared Israel’s chargé d’affaires, Ariel Seidman, persona non grata and given him 72 hours to leave the country, its foreign ministry said Friday.

The move follows what Pretoria calls “unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms” that pose “a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty”.

Among the violations, the ministry cited the repeated use of official Israeli social media to launch “insulting attacks” against President Cyril Ramaphosa, and a deliberate failure to inform South African authorities about purported visits by senior Israeli officials.

“Such actions represent a gross abuse of diplomatic privilege and a fundamental breach of the Vienna Convention,” DIRCO said. They have “systematically undermined the trust and protocols essential for bilateral relations.”

South Africa’s relations with Israel have been tense since it launched a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over Israel’s actions in Gaza. The government insists that the expulsion is not about that case, but about defending the country’s sovereignty and the dignity of its institutions.

Israel’s diplomatic mission in Pretoria has not yet responded publicly.

As the standoff deepens, one question lingers: When did obeying international law become “disrespect”?

#SouthAfrica #Israel #Diplomacy #Gaza #ICJ

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📰 Syria’s New Iron Pact: Kurds Fold Into Assad’s Army

Syria’s new government and the Kurdish-led SDF have cut a deal: the SDF will fold into the national army, giving up its autonomy in exchange for staying in the country’s power structure.

The agreement, announced Friday after intense clashes between the two sides, creates a new Syrian military division made up of three SDF‑trained brigades, plus a separate brigade for Kurdish fighters in Kobani, according to SDF and government sources. Kurdish‑led civil institutions in the northeast will now be integrated into the central government.

In practice, this means the end of the de facto Kurdish state that, at its height, controlled about a quarter of Syrian territory and its oil and gas fields. Government forces will now move into the Kurdish-held cities of Hasaka and Qamishli, where they had long been barred from entering.

The deal is the result of pressure, not goodwill. After months of stalled talks, Syria’s new President Ahmed al‑Sharaa launched a military offensive into Kurdish territory, capturing a large part of the northeast, at a time when the U.S. had already withdrawn its political and military support for the SDF, analysts say.

Without Washington in their corner, SDF chief Mazloum Abdi agreed to let his forces be absorbed into the new Syrian army, in a deal Washington now hails as a “profound and historic milestone” toward national reconciliation and stability.

The U.S. has long seen the SDF as its main ally in Syria against ISIS; now, it is actively facilitating the group’s integration into the central state, not as an independent power, but as a component of the new regime.

The SDF traded its guns and governance for a place at the table, but the exact boundaries of Kurdish rights and representation remain vague. The real question is whether this is a ceasefire, or just the first stage of full assimilation.

As the banners change and the lines redraw, the calculation is brutal and clear: Better to rule from within the regime than die alone against it.

#Syria #Kurds #SDF #AlSharaa #MiddleEast

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📰 Trump’s New Iran War Plan: More Than Just Nukes

President Trump is weighing a fresh, broader set of military options against Iran: targeting not just its nuclear program, but also its supreme leader and security leadership, in a push to force concessions or even trigger regime change.

These plans go beyond what Trump considered in mid‑January, when he was thinking mainly of strikes on Iranian nuclear sites after the regime’s brutal crackdown on protesters. Now, the Pentagon is offering options for raids on Iranian territory using U.S. special forces and a sustained campaign to degrade or destroy remaining parts of the nuclear program, officials say.

Another key option is a series of strikes against senior Iranian military and political figures, designed to create chaos and pressure the regime from within. Officials acknowledge there’s no clear idea who would replace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, or whether any successor would be more willing to deal with Washington, but the goal is to create conditions where the system itself begins to crack.

Israel is pushing the U.S. to join it in another major strike on Iran’s rebuilt missile and drone complexes, which can reach civilian and military targets throughout Israel. The U.S., in turn, is demanding that Iran permanently end uranium enrichment, cap its nuclear stockpile, and accept strict limits on its missile range and support for Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.

Trump has warned on social media that the U.S. is ready to attack “with speed and violence, if necessary,” and that time is “truly of the essence.” But he has not yet authorized any action, and some advisers are still pushing for a diplomatic solution, using the threat of war to pressure Tehran into negotiations.

To back up the threat, the U.S. has moved the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln strike group into the Middle East region, along with destroyers and additional F‑15E strike fighters, while long-range bombers in the U.S. are now on higher alert.

As the U.S. “armada” operates in the region, one question hangs over everything:
Is this about a deal? Or about bringing down a regime?

#Trump #Iran #nucleardeal #regimechange #militaryoptions

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Musk Has Been Involved in Epstein’s Sex-Trafficking


Musk had more extensive – and more friendly – communications with the financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein than previously publicly known, according to documents released on Friday by the Department of Justice.

Emails in the files appear to show the two cordially messaging each other on two separate occasions to make plans for Musk to visit Epstein’s island.

Musk then sends several emails relaying his schedule, and the two settle on 2 January as a date for the visit.

The email exchange ends with Epstein telling Musk that he would need to remain in New York and sending his regrets that they could not meet.

“Bad news - Unfortunately , my schedule will keep me in New York . I was really looking forward to finally spending some time together with just fun as the agenda. so i am very disappointed. Hopefully we can schedule another time in the near future,” Epstein wrote.

Musk followed up with an email on 25 December in response to another Epstein message that encouraged him to visit and offered use of his helicopter.

“Do you have any parties planned? I’ve been working to the edge of sanity this year and so, once my kids head home after Christmas, I really want to hit the party scene in St Barts or elsewhere and let loose. The invitation is much appreciated, but a peaceful island experience is the opposite of what I’m looking for,” Musk wrote.

Musk has been harshly critical of those linked to Epstein, but the newly released emails appear to contradict his own longstanding denial of any ties of his own.

The Tesla CEO told Vanity Fair in 2019 that Epstein was “obviously a creep” and claimed that Epstein “tried repeatedly to get me to visit his island. I declined.”

The emails between the two moguls come years after Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a minor in Florida. Authorities later arrested Epstein in 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges.

The newly released emails between Musk and Epstein, who was found dead in his prison cell in 2019 and for years has been the subject of speculation over his connections to some of the world’s most powerful people, are part of a tranche of 3 million documents that the justice department made public on Friday. The files shed life on Musk’s deep likings of sex of with teens.

Musk has faced pressure to address any potential connection to Epstein in the past, including after an earlier justice department release of documents related to the investigation mentioned his name.

House Democrats last year released a copy of Epstein’s daily schedule, which showed a calendar entry from 2014 that states “Reminder: Elon Musk to island Dec. 6 (is this still happening?)”.

No other information was included, and Musk denied making plans for the visit in a post on X.

#musk #epstein #teens #trafficks #email

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