President Donald Trump has floated the idea of Venezuela becoming America's 51st state, saying "good things are happening" there.
European allies broadly support building closer ties to China -- and believe America's role as a global superpower is fading. read more
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative policy group that was involved in the development of the Republican agenda for the second Trump presidency, Project 2025, published a report on Jan. 8 aimed at reshaping U.S. family policy. read more
President Donald Trump on Thursday blamed "the genetics" of assailants in a string of recent attacks across the country. read more
A frustrated truck driver posted on Reddit to share dashcam footage of the road hazard created by a new form of advertising. "I hope this doesn't become normalized," said the original poster, sharing their video in r/Truckers.
@#1 ... The suggestion also echoes Trump's broader interest in expanding U.S. territory ...
Also... Cuba ...
Trump vows to 'take' Cuba as island reels from oil embargo
www.japantimes.co.jp
... U.S. President Donald Trump vowed Monday to "take" Cuba as the communist island plunged into darkness under a total power blackout linked to a crippling oil embargo imposed by Washington.
After nearly seven decades defying the United States, Havana's communist authorities are under massive pressure from a Trump administration determined to make history.
"You know, all my life I've been hearing about the United States and Cuba. When will the United States do it?" Trump told reporters at the White House.
"I do believe I'll be ... having the honor of taking Cuba," Trump said.
"Whether I free it, take it -- think I could do anything I want with it, you want to know the truth. They're a very weakened nation right now."
It was one of Trump's most explicit threats and came as the Caribbean island of 9.6 million people grappled with yet another major power cut. ...
Related ...
Trump was warned of likely Iranian retaliation on Gulf allies, sources say
www.reuters.com
... President Donald Trump was warned that attacking Iran could trigger retaliation against U.S. Gulf allies despite his claims on Monday that Tehran's reaction came as a surprise, said a U.S. official and two sources familiar with U.S. intelligence reports.
Pre-war intelligence assessments did not say that Iran's response was "a guarantee, but it certainly was on the list of potential outcomes," said one source, who like the other two requested anonymity to discuss the issue.
The president twice on Monday said that Iran's retaliatory strikes against Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait were a surprise, the first time at a Kennedy Center board meeting in the White House.
"They (Iran) weren't supposed to go after all these other countries in the Middle East," he said. "Nobody expected that. We were shocked."
Trump's assertion followed other administration claims that have not been backed by U.S. intelligence reporting, such as that Iran would soon have a missile capable of hitting the U.S. homeland and that it would need two to four weeks to make a nuclear bomb and would then use it.
Those allegations and an imminent threat posed by Iran to the U.S. and its forces in the region have been among varying reasons that Trump and some top aides have given to justify his decision to join Israel in launching their air war against Iran on February 28. ...
#@22 ... Is Iran eventually having "the bomb" acceptable to you? ...
Apparently, it was acceptable to Pres Trump when he cancelled the treaty during his first term.
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
en.wikipedia.org
... The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA...),[5][6] also known as the Iran nuclear deal or Iran deal, was an agreement to limit the Iranian nuclear program in return for sanctions relief and other provisions. The agreement was finalized in Vienna on 14 July 2015, between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) -- China, France, Russia, the U.K., U.S. -- plus Germany)[a] together with the European Union. ...[emphasis mine]
Related ...
Trump side-stepped diplomacy on his way to war in Iran. Now, he's asking China and others for help
www.yahoo.com
... President Donald Trump relied on his gut and largely side-stepped diplomatic coordination as he made the decision to launch strikes on Iran with Israel. But now with the war's economic and geopolitical consequences unfurling rapidly, he's cajoling allies and other global powers to help mop up the mess.
Trump says he's asked roughly a half-dozen other countries to send warships to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz, a consequential waterway through which one-fifth of the world's traded oil flows. So far, none has committed. Trump even indicated he would use his long-planned trip to China to pressure Beijing to help with a new coalition meant to get oil tanker traffic moving through the strait -- a notion that his treasury secretary later downplayed. ...
... maybe even boots on the ground. ...
US Marines deploy as Trump weighs seizing Iran's Crown Jewel' Kharg Island
gulfnews.com
... The deployment of US Marines to the Middle East is raising fresh questions about Washington's next moves in the escalating conflict with Iran " and whether Tehran's key oil export hub on Kharg Island, often described as the "crown jewel" of Iran's energy sector, could become a target.
A Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), typically consisting of around 2,500 to 3,000 personnel, has been deployed to the region as tensions rise in the Gulf. The move comes as US President Donald Trump is reportedly weighing the possibility of seizing Kharg Island, a strategic facility that handles most of Iran's crude exports. ...
Another view from The Hill ...
Johnson refutes Joe Kent on Iran: 'There was clearly an imminent threat'
thehill.com
... Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday refuted former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent's assertion that Iran posted no imminent threat to the U.S. before President Trump ordered strikes on the country.
"I'm on the Gang of Eight. I got all the briefings. We all understood there was clearly an imminent threat," Johnson said in a press conference, referring to the classified briefings provided to top Congressional leaders.
"I don't know where Joe Kent is getting his information, but he wasn't in those briefings, clearly," Johnson said.
Other top Democrats who were in those Gang of Eight briefings, however, have disagreed with Johnson and said they were not presented evidence that the U.S. was under threat of an imminent attack from Iran. ...
Trump says US doesn't 'need' NATO allies for Iran war
abcnews.com