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Sep 6, 2025 - World

Outside of Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, there is little excitement within the Pentagon and among former defense officials to see the Department of Defense (DOD) renamed as the Department of War (DOW) with worries about cost, confusion and also how other nations will use the change for propaganda purposes.According to a report from Politico, the long-anticipated rebranding landed with a thud on Friday as the president and the controversial Hegseth discussed it in an Oval Office press availability.Trump told reporters, “We won World War I, we won World War II, we won everything before that and in between, and then we decided to go woke, and we changed the name to DOD. So, we’re going Department of War.”That was greeted with “frustration, anger and downright confusion at the effort, which could cost billions of dollars for a cosmetic change that would do little to tackle the military’s most pressing challenges — such as countering a more aggressive alliance of authoritarian nations,” wrote Politico’s Jack Detsch, Paul McLeary and Joe Gould.One former defense official scoffed, “This is purely for domestic political audiences. Not only will this cost millions of dollars, it will have absolutely zero impact on Chinese or Russian calculations. Worse, it will be used by our enemies to portray the United States as warmongering and a threat to international stability.”“I see there being a million small headaches and annoyances if this actually happens. It’ll eat up time and effort,” a current Pentagon official added.Going on the record, former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) cautioned on X, “If we call it the Dept. of War, we’d better equip the military to actually prevent and win wars. Can’t preserve American primacy if we’re unwilling to spend substantially more on our military than Carter or Biden. ‘Peace through strength’ requires investment, not just rebranding.”Politico is reporting, “The seemingly ad hoc rollout of the name change has caused confusion within the building. One Pentagon official, who independently decided to squat on the Department of War LinkedIn page to prevent a foreign adversary or Trump administration critic from taking it over, openly asked on the social network to whom he should hand the page.”Another official pointed out that the Pentagon, during Trump’s second term, has already been dragged into making major changes at Hegseth’s request, when they were forced to scrub any mention of DEI initiatives, explaining, "That was just taking down photos. The seal will have to change and thus anything with it.”The Department of War changes would be significantly more labor-intensive.“On a tactical level, it would mean having to rebrand a mountain of contracting, marketing, business development materials, you name it, both digital and otherwise, that specifically cite the Department of Defense or DOD,” a defense analyst warned.You can read more here.

Sep 5, 2025 - World

The Department of Defense sent letters last week to European countries informing them that it will pull military support for nations near the Russian border, including Ukraine.Reuters reported Friday that Section 333 of the U.S. Code permits the Secretary of Defense to provide training and equipment to foreign security forces for counterterrorism or anti–drug trafficking operations. However, a Lithuanian defense ministry official revealed that Pete Hegseth is moving to rescind this support for some European countries bordering Russia, following the receipt of the Pentagon’s letter.The decision follows President Trump’s declaration of a war on drug trafficking and cartels.Two sources confirmed on Thursday that the U.S. would begin a phase-out of European security assistance, raising concerns, particularly from those in Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. Fox News' national security correspondent, Jennifer Griffin, posted on X, "Pentagon’s Elbridge Colby begins push to cut US military aid to Eastern European and Baltic countries that border Russia in move that has raised eyebrows among National Security officials in chilling message to Europe and Ukraine: sources tell Fox."One American in Ukraine couldn't help but notice that this announcement comes after Trump refused to sanction Russia. He then posted photos of himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin and praised their "great relationship" during a White House dinner. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, on Thursday, reaffirmed Canada's support for NATO, pledging to continue working with those on the border with Russia to ensure their sovereignty. The Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, along with Ukraine, were once part of the Soviet Union. All three Baltic nations declared independence shortly after the fall of the "Iron Curtain" in 1989. Russian President Vladimir Putin has long sought to restore Russia to its pre-1991 borders, which would include regaining control over the Baltics and Ukraine.Read the full report here.

Sep 5, 2025 - World

Donald Trump is reportedly feeling "shattered" after the leaders of China, Russia, and North Korea "threw him to the curb," according to a former insider.Lev Parnas, a former associate of Rudy Giuliani whose conduct on behalf of the first Trump administration was at the heart of the president's impeachment for purportedly abusing his authority to benefit in the election, wrote an article on Friday called, "Another Deadline, Another Illusion: Trump’s Dictator Dreams Collapse" in which he argues, "Trump worships strongmen who mock him."Calling on his experience as a Soviet-born operative sent to Ukraine by Giuliani to "dig up dirt on Biden," Parnas claims that the president is obsessed with dictators such as Putin."Well, here we are again, folks. Another two weeks, another deadline has passed—Donald Trump once more promising to be 'tough on Russia.' He threatened sanctions. He floated secondary tariffs. He postured like a strongman. But in reality, all Donald Trump is worried about right now has nothing to do with holding Putin accountable. It’s about his own obsession—his place in the world of dictators," Parnas wrote before highlighting a recent meeting between leaders of Russia, China, and North Korea. "Because while Ukraine fights for survival and Europe steps forward, Trump sulks. Shattered, shunned, left standing outside the dictators’ club he so desperately wants to join. Putin brushes him off. Modi turns to China. Kim Jong-un toys with him. And the fanboy president is left begging for approval from men who laugh behind his back," Parnas wrote. "Trump has always seen himself as part of the dictators’ club. In his mind, Putin was his friend. Modi was his friend. Kim Jong-un was his friend. He bragged about it endlessly, believing their handshakes and photo ops meant loyalty."But according to the former insider who was later convicted of campaign finance and fraud crimes, "those men never saw him as an equal.""They saw him as a mark. Putin used him and discarded him. Modi shifted toward whoever gave India leverage. And now, with China pulling Moscow and Delhi closer into its orbit, Trump feels it slipping away," he added. "The dictators he idolizes don’t admire him—they mock him. He talks tough about 'negotiating,' but deep down, he’s a fanboy, desperate for their approval. And every time, he’s thrown to the curb."Read the full post here.

Sep 5, 2025 - World

Mere moments after President Donald Trump took to social media Friday to complain about having “lost” India to China, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivered a vicious snub to the Trump administration on an issue that has sparked the president’s fury.The Trump administration has slapped India with its highest tariff rate of 50%; a 25% baseline tariff, and an additional 25% secondary tariff as a penalty for its continued purchasing of Russian oil. Trump was reportedly “completely upset” with India over its refusal to halt its purchasing of Russian oil, and Friday, bemoaned the two countries’ “lost” relationship.Just moments after Trump’s social media musings, however, India defied Trump yet again, with Sitharaman declaring that India would continue to do “what suits us best.”“Where we buy our oil from, especially a big-ticket foreign exchange item where we pay so much, highest in terms of import, we will have to take a call on what suits us best,” Sitharaman said, speaking in a televised interview on Friday, Bloomberg reported. “We will undoubtedly be buying.”India had already responded to the Trump administration’s steep tariffs, halting the purchase of billions of dollars’ worth of American-made weapons. The nation paused a previously-planned purchase of Boeing planes, Javelin missiles and combat vehicles in early August, a decision that will likely land a significant blow to American arms manufacturers, with India being the world’s second-largest arms importer.The snub also comes in the wake of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit this week in eastern China, further forming a wedge between the United States and India.

Sep 20, 2024 - World

The Brazilian “King of Football” had been treated for colon cancer since 2021.View Entire Post ›