Trump defends direct US-Hamas talks as Israel seethes, attempts to sabotage them

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-defends-direct-us-hamas-talks-as-israel-seethes-attempts-to-sabotage-them/

US President Donald Trump on Thursday defended his administration’s unprecedented direct negotiations with Hamas, saying they were being conducted for the benefit of Israel and in order to secure the release of Israeli hostages.

“We are helping Israel in those discussions because we’re talking about Israeli hostages,” Trump told reporters while signing executive orders in the Oval Office.

“We’re not doing anything in terms of Hamas. We’re not giving cash,” he continued. “You have to negotiate. There’s a difference between negotiating and paying. We want to get these people out.”

Jerusalem is not happy about the direct US-Hamas talks, however, a government official told The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity. Accordingly, Israel was behind Wednesday’s media leak about the negotiations’ existence, the official said, confirming reporting in the Ynet news site.

While the White House claimed it consulted with Israel on the matter, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu only found out about the US talks with Hamas after the fact, the official said.

Russia launches devastating attack on Ukraine after Trump’s defence of Putin

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/08/russian-attacks-on-ukraine-intensify

Russia launched a devastating attack on Ukraine on Saturday, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens more, hours after Donald Trump defended Vladimir Putin and said the Kremlin leader was “doing what anybody would do”.

Russia’s relentless bombardment of Ukrainian cities has intensified after a torrid week in which Trump has pulled the plug on intelligence sharing with Ukraine and halted the supply of US weapons.

These hostile moves mean the alarm system that warns Ukrainian civilians of incoming enemy missiles is less effective. Asked if Putin was taking advantage of US aid pauses, Trump on Friday acknowledged Ukraine was experiencing a “tremendous pounding”.

He suggested, however, that “anyone in Putin’s position” would do the same. Before a meeting on Tuesday between US and Ukrainian representatives in Saudi Arabia, Trump said he was “finding it easier” to deal with Moscow than with Kyiv.

Marco Rubio Melts Down at Musk in Furious Cabinet Shouting Match

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/marco-rubio-clashes-with-elon-musk-in-furious-cabinet-meeting-meltdown/

Marco Rubio blew up at Elon Musk at a closed-door Cabinet meeting after the DOGE head accused the secretary of state of failing to slash his staff, according to a report.

Musk, the world’s richest man, told the secretary of state, who was seated next to Donald Trump at the meeting on Thursday, that he had fired “nobody,” The New York Times reported. He sarcastically added that the one person Rubio had perhaps fired was an employee of Musk’s DOGE.

Finally, Trump stepped in to play peacemaker. He said that Rubio was doing “a great job.” Everyone needed to work together, he added.

Before turning his attention to Rubio in the meeting, Musk, an unelected tech billionaire hand-picked by Trump, had taken shots at other top members of the president’s Cabinet.

Russian Strikes Have Surged Since Donald Trump's Return

 https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-strikes-trump-missile-2041606

Russia has increased its drone and missile attacks on Ukraine since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House, according to figures by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Citing data showing Russia's increased drone and missile strikes on Ukraine, George Barros, who leads ISW's Russia team and geospatial intelligence team, said on X, formerly Twitter, that Moscow, not Kyiv, was "the obstacle to peace."

MAGA conspiracy confusion Trump vs Zelensky who was the Victim?

 https://mishpacha.com/who-got-set-up-and-who-got-upset/

Did Trump set the stage for Zelensky’s downfall, or did Zelensky stage the set for his own diplomatic coup?

Unless… Zelensky saw the confrontation coming and weaponized it to his advantage. I mean, he knew Trump was reluctant to commit to Ukraine long-term. He knew Europe was watching, looking for signals of American wavering. He knew the Western media was ready to pounce at any sign of Trump stepping back from Ukraine. So, what if Zelensky used the meeting to force a moment of crisis?

President Google

 https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzQZTVxGZNkfhbgFjFBDRRVnKZlW

Updates from DOGE: President Musk and his merry band of technocrats continue to play Operation with the federal government, to much shock and awe. Musk is looking at basic systems like government credit cards, and it turns out there are more open credit cards than there are federal workers (4.6 million active credit cards to about 3 million federal employees). He continues to cut various programs that really did turn out to be huge scams, but as the DOGE boys move fast, they also break so very many things. Because they are using search terms to find the easiest-to-cut, silliest government programs. But some words have woke and non-woke meanings. Woe betide the researchers studying ecological diversity. Woe be the fools who thought they could abbreviate point-of-care as POC or any words that contain the letters D, E, or I. There are some hilarious and dark stories about all the totally apolitical programs caught in the keyword dragnet, and yes, ecological diversity and point-of-care healthcare services really are among them. So too is an image of the B-29 aircraft Enola Gay, which was flagged for removal from the DoD website even though it dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, which you think would get Enola a little respect. I’m impacted personally, as my research on the faggot case moth hangs in the balance. And my 15 government-issued credit cards.

The Awkward Truth About Trump, Musk, and Kids With Cancer

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-awkward-truth-about-trump-musk-and-kids-with-cancer/

Before honoring a 13-year-old survivor in his address to Congress, President Trump joined Elon Musk in cutting funds for pediatric cancer research and treatment.

“Democrats reminded us they are the party of insanity and hate—they could not even clap for a child,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X following the address.

Afterwards, Democrats reminded everybody who questioned the decision that this was a president who had been joined by Musk in cutting funds for pediatric cancer research and treatment. And the Democrats did not forget that Trump had pardoned those who injured 138 cops on Jan. 6 while assaulting the very building where Trump now honored this brave youngster in a cut-to-size police uniform.

“That said, if the president is going to help kids with cancer, granting DJ Daniel an honorary Secret Service agent position is not going to do it.”

She suggested Trump could start by releasing and fully restoring the NIH research grants he had frozen, without cutting the provisions for necessary administrative costs.

“And he could stop talking about Medicaid cuts,” she continued. “Half of all kids in the United States are on Medicaid. It’s going to really hurt seriously ill children if we cut Medicaid.”

Trump’s Embrace of Putin Has Germany Thinking of Nuclear Weapons

 https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/germany-nuclear-weapons-trump-956f9d10

President Trump’s embrace of Russia is causing Europeans to rethink their security and giving currency to an idea the U.S. has long sought to avoid: a nuclear-armed Germany.

Friedrich Merz, who is poised to become Germany’s next chancellor, said Berlin should start talks about expanding the French and British nuclear deterrents to cover Europe, according to an interview the conservative politician did with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung weekly.

Netanyahu was not aware of US-Hamas talks

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405017

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not informed ahead of time that the US was holding direct talks with the Hamas terror group on the next stages in a potential deal, the Washington Post reported.

According to the report, Israel fumed at US President Donald Trump's decision, saying that holding direct talks with the terror group on the matter of the hostages' release violates the ethical code of conduct on the matter and harms Israel.

Diplomatic sources told the Post that Netanyahu was caught by surprise when he saw reports about the process, and that he was not updated through official channels before the talks took place.

Nuclear Warning for Donald Trump

 https://www.newsweek.com/nuclear-weapons-atomic-donald-trump-nato-russia-ukraine-iran-korea-war-2040910

Trump has said he wants denuclearization along with Russia and China, saying on Thursday "it would be great if everybody would get rid of their nuclear weapons."

But Europe has been shaken by the Trump administration's approach to security, with countries openly questioning the future of the U.S.-dominated North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that they had seen as their main protection for decades.

Not only has Trump become much closer to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and shown an apparent readiness for concessions to end the Ukraine war that European countries oppose, but his administration has also challenged them to increase their defense spending and appeared ready to reduce U.S. troop numbers in Europe. Then there have been his threats against Panama and his view that the United States should take over Greenland—if not make Canada the 51st state, too.

U.S. allies such as Japan in South Korea in Asia and also those in the Middle East are watching closely and questioning how far they can count on American power to defend them.

"You have discussion already in Europe and interest in nuclear options in countries like South Korea. I think most of them would hedge their bets and watch," said Lukasz Kulesa, director of Proliferation and Nuclear Policy at Britain's Royal United Services Institute think tank.

As Trump pivots to Russia, allies weigh sharing less intel with U.S.

 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-pivots-russia-allies-weigh-sharing-less-intel-us-rcna194420

Members of the so-called Five Eyes spy alliance, as well as Israeli and Saudi officials, fear the identities of foreign assets could inadvertently be shared with Moscow.

The allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia and members of the so-called Five Eyes spy alliance of English-speaking democracies, are examining how to possibly revise current protocols for sharing intelligence to take the Trump administration’s warming relations with Russia into account, the sources said.

Trump administration’s direct talks with Hamas break an old taboo

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/03/06/hamas-talks-trump-gaza-netanyahu/

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not informed of the talks before they took place and was caught off guard, said an Israeli with knowledge of the matter.

Netanyahu was not informed of the talks through official channels before they took place and was caught off guard, said an Israeli with knowledge of the matter. Separately, an Israeli official said that if Trump were to secure the release of U.S. hostages but not Israeli citizens, the issue could cause embarrassment for the prime minister domestically. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details.

“Any negotiation, mainly direct negotiation, provides Hamas with a broader layout or space of maneuver as well as legitimacy. Furthermore, it enables Hamas to manipulate and play between Israel and the U.S.,” said Kobi Michael, a former head of the Palestinian desk at Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs and now a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.

America-Led Spy Network Risks Collapse Over Trump-Russia Fears

 https://www.newsweek.com/america-led-spy-network-risks-collapse-over-trump-russia-fears-2039941

This Anglophone intel-sharing arrangement, dubbed the Five Eyes, has seen its members through the many decades since, an elaborate web of intelligence capabilities pitted against threats they all agree pose a danger.

But in a matter of days, U.S. President Donald Trump and his top officials have shredded the order, and the consensus, that has dominated for 80 years. Upending U.S. foreign policy, slapping tariffs north of the border and splattering America's allies with disdain, the new administration quickly had those relying on Washington asking whether they can trust the U.S. to provide vital, and sensitive, capabilities.

Little is more sensitive than the Five Eyes, its gaze long fixed on Moscow and Beijing. It is, in short, the "most important intelligence sharing agreement in history," said Calder Walton, a historian specializing in national security and intelligence at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

Some are now actively discussing reeling in the intelligence they share with the U.S. because of the administration's Russia stance, NBC reported on Thursday, citing four anonymous sources with knowledge of the debates.

As it stands, Putin "could not dream of doing better than having the Five Eyes alliance undermined and sabotaged from within," Walton said. "Whether Trump knows it or not, he's doing Putin's bidding for him."

Trump’s Tariffs Are No ‘Emergency’

 https://www.wsj.com/opinion/donald-trump-tariffs-emergency-power-ieepa-trade-mexico-canada-33e2739a?mod=hp_opin_pos_1

The President invokes a law that doesn’t give him power to impose sweeping tariffs. Someone should sue.

President Trump delayed his Mexico-Canada tariffs again on Thursday—this time for another month. He’s treating the North American economy as a personal plaything, as markets gyrate with each presidential whim. It’s doubtful Mr. Trump even has the power to impose these tariffs, and we hope his afflatus gets a legal challenge.

The Constitution gives power over trade to Congress, which for most of U.S. history wrote tariff law. That changed after the catastrophe of the 1930 Smoot-Hawley tariff, as Congress said stop us before we kill the economy again and ceded authority to the President to negotiate bilateral trade deals. It ceded more power after World War II.