President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that their nations will jointly begin production of drones and other armaments.
Republican leaders on the Hill are eager to see the emergency military funding request as they map out their legislative strategy ahead of the midterm elections.
US Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday that Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump shared a mutual hatred, pushing back firmly against the notion that the president had any meaningful connection to the disgraced financier.
Ticketmaster parent company Live Nation holds an illegal monopoly over the concert and live event industry, a Manhattan federal jury found on Wednesday.
The FIFA 2026 World Cup tournament has opened our eyes to the complexities of implementing border intelligence and protection measures for a tri-nation event drawing six million visitors from around the world. With the Summer Olympics arriving in Los Angeles in 2028 ("LA28") and major international sporting events and concert tours unfolding, there's likewise opportunity to reassess how we handle security at major events themselves.
@#16 ... Time to draft his crotch fruit Barron. ...
Or, might Mr Barron Trump suddenly seem to have bone spurs?
Has anyone in the Trump lineage ever served their Country in the military?
Barron Trump barred from military service by bizarre medical exemption amid Iran war
www.irishstar.com
... Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, both in their 40s, are exempt from US military draft under current Selective Service requirements ...
Mr Barron Trump seems to be too tall to server the Country.
There's a reason for the need of body-cams.
For example ...
Public Defenders: Body Cam Footage Shows Officer Planting Drugs (2017)
www.cbsnews.com
... The Office of the Public Defender has released body cam video they say shows a Baltimore officer planting drugs that resulted in an arrest.
The 90 seconds of body camera video has police investigating their own, but police officials say there is more to this story than a short video clip showing officers handling drugs.
They have released more video to back up their claims as they continue to investigate these serious allegations.
The footage in a Baltimore alley is clear, as it was recorded on police body cameras, but the reason why the Baltimore police officer appears to be planting drugs is not. ...
@#1
World Trade Without the US
www.cato.org
... As the Trump administration imposes a barrage of illegal and unprecedented tariffs on an ever-increasing number of imported products, the rest of the world is showing that it can continue trading despite these tariffs and without the United States.[emphasis mine]
Other countries are lowering trade barriers with each other by concluding new bilateral and plurilateral trade agreements, and exporters are reconfiguring supply chains to route around American protectionism.
Regardless of whether the United States remains indispensable to the global economy, international trade is still happening -- and it is happening increasingly without the United States. ...
Nationwide Survey: Most Farmers Can't Afford Fertilizer
www.fb.org
... An overwhelming majority of America's farmers who responded to a nationwide survey say they cannot afford to purchase enough fertilizer to get them through the year. The percentage who pre-purchased fertilizer varies significantly by region.
Conducted by the American Farm Bureau Federation April 3-11, the survey shows 70% of respondents say fertilizer is so expensive that they will not be able to buy all the fertilizer they need.
More than 5,700 farmers, both Farm Bureau members and non-members, from every state and Puerto Rico took the survey. Farm Bureau economists analyzed the results in the latest Market Intel.
The analysis reveals that almost 8 in 10 farmers in the southern U.S. say they can't afford all needed supplies this year, followed by the Northeast and West at 69% and 66%, respectively, compared to 48% of the farmers in the Midwest.
Just 19% of farmers in the South prebooked fertilizer purchases in advance of planting season. In the Northeast, only 30% of farmers prebooked, followed by 31% in the West, and 67% in the Midwest. Even with higher pre-booking rates, almost one in three Midwestern farmers still report entering the season without securing all of their fertilizer needs.
The conflict in the Middle East sent fertilizer and fuel prices soaring. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is keeping critical fertilizer supplies and crude oil from reaching global markets, putting a squeeze on supplies around the world.
"Spring planting decisions depend heavily on access to fertilizer and diesel fuel, both of which have been impacted by geopolitical risks that have disrupted global markets," the Market Intel states. "Since the escalation of tensions in the Middle East, nitrogen fertilizer prices have risen more than 30%, while combined fuel and fertilizer costs have increased roughly 20% to 40%.
Urea prices have increased by 47% since the end of February, marking the largest month-to-month percentage increase in the price of urea. These increases are occurring when many producers were already facing tight margins for many consecutive years." ...
Donald Trump Branded 'Dangerous and Corrupt Gangster' by British Political Leader
www.yahoo.com
...Donald Trump has been branded a "dangerous and corrupt gangster" by a politician in the UK.
Speaking at the House of Commons, the leader of Britain's Liberal Democrats party accused the US President of being "immoral." He also urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to advise King Charles to cancel his upcoming visit to the United States. The monarch is due to travel to America later this year to mark the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. ...
Found this ...
(I've not a clue about its accuracy at this point, but here it is for your edification and critique ...)
The Cost of America's War with Iran
iranwarcost.com
Industry - State of the Nation (1983)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
...
[Verse 1]
I see them marching off to war
They're looking so heroic
I'm told they won't be gone for long
But that's a lie and they know it
Ten thousand gone they won't return
Never to be seen again
Strategic games is all we learn in the end
But they say
[Chorus]
Don't you worry about the situation
A message from the telephone
They out there fighting for the state of the nation
I'm waiting a chance to come home
They always have to fight the alienation
And realize I'm fighting alone
[Verse 2]
When nightmares memories fades to dust
We'll get back on our feet again
This war has nothing to do with us
But somehow we're still involved in it
[Chorus]
Well, don't you worry about the situation
A message from the telephone
They out there fighting for the state of the nation
I'm waiting a chance to come home
Well, don't you worry about the situation
A message from the telephone
They always have to fight the alienation
And realize I'm fighting alone
[Bridge]
There's no place like home
There's no place like home
There's no place
I don't want to be anywhere else
There's no place like home
There's no place like home
There's no place
I don't want to be anywhere else
There's no place like home
There's no place like home
There's no place
I don't want to be anywhere else
There's no place like home
There's no place like home
There's no place
I don't want to be anywhere
[Chorus]
Don't you worry about the situation
They out there fighting for the state of the nation
Don't you worry about the situation
A message from the telephone
They always have to fight the alienation
And realize I'm fighting alone
They out there fighting for the state of the nation
I'm waiting a chance to come home
They always have to fight the alienation
And realize I'm fighting alone
[Outro]
There's no place like home
There's no place like home
There's no place like home
There's no place like home
...
Which Countries Have Shown the Largest Declines in Positive Views of the United States Since Trump's Return?
factually.co
... Executive summary-
Global polling shows the sharpest drops in favorable views of the United States since Donald Trump's return concentrated in North America and northern Europe, with Mexico, Sweden, Poland and Canada repeatedly cited as having the largest year-to-year falls in positive sentiment [1][2][3]. Multiple independent surveys -- Pew Research Center, YouGov, Ipsos and national reporting -- converge on a pattern of double digit declines in allied democracies rather than in every region [4][5][6].
1. Mexico and Sweden: the biggest single drops reported
Pew's multicountry survey finds Mexico recorded one of the largest declines, with favorable views of the U.S. falling from 61% in 2024 to 29% in 2025 -- a 32point drop that Pew highlights as among the largest changes across its 24country sample [1]. DW's reporting, relying on the same Pew data, echoes that Mexico and Sweden saw the steepest falls overall, with Sweden down 28 points (from 47% to 19%) between 2024 and 2025 [2].
2. Poland, Canada and other NATO partners: big hits to allied goodwill
Pew and contemporaneous press reporting single out Poland (down roughly 22 points), Canada (down about 20 points) and Sweden as NATO allies where U.S. favorability plunged substantially after Trump's return [3][7][1]. YouGov and the Chicago Council analysis broaden the pattern across Europe, noting roughly eight-point average declines in seven major European democracies and sharper falls -- 20 points in Denmark, 12 in Sweden -- in northern Europe [8][5].
3. Canada stands out in other trackers as well
Ipsos' international tracker records one of the largest single country collapses in perceptions of the U.S., finding Canada's share saying the U.S. would have a positive influence fell from 52% in late 2024 to 19% in spring 2025 -- a 33point fall the firm calls the largest recorded for any country in their series [6]. That mirrored Pew's finding of a large Canadian decline in overall favorability from 54% to 34% year-over-year [1]. ...
@#10 ... That is a much easier question to answer. ...
Yup.