Instead of prioritizing stakeholder profit, the Witkoff-Europe combo should address Eurasian security architecture and NATO-Russia-China frontiers to gain traction in Moscow.

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Back in December 2025, U.S. commentator Sundance, writing in the Conservative Treehouse, wrote about Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s new ‘Money Diplomacy’ solution for Ukraine that “require[d] [the establishment of] a system whereby the western opportunity for financial benefit continues”. From this perspective, the U.S. negotiators would “propose a long-term plan for continued financial benefit”.

From their current language it appears that Witkoff and Kusher are still confident they can construct a financial reward system for western banks, investors, politicians and Ukraine officials that will retain the benefits of war without the ancillary ingredient of bloodshed.

As Sundance noted —

“If the U.S. delegation can pull this off, then Russia can gain the territory they want, corrupt Ukraine officials can keep skimming investment money, the EU can retain the power it wants to extract financial payments, American politicians can use the “long-term recovery projects” for money laundering, and quasi-public/private investment banks can benefit from the exploitation of Ukraine resources”.

From this evident New York real estate worldview, all other issues — territorial boundaries, security and NATO’s encroachment into Central Asia’s security architecture — are but ‘downstream details’ “to the stuff that really matters, the money”.

Monetary diplomacy, however, has not brought a solution for Ukraine (nor for that matter, for Gaza either). Nonetheless, Witkoff has a new plan that David Ignatius has outlined in his column at the Washington Post.

Ignatius highlights that despite the recent Ukraine “flap” over its targetting of Russian refineries, “the U.S. and Europe are moving toward a joint peace proposal that would deliver financial and security benefits to both Ukraine and Russia as a baseline for a territorial settlement that falls short of both sides’ war aims”. In other words, ‘a sweetener’ dangled to persuade the sides to stop bombing each other’s refineries and to open the path for this ‘new’ initiative.

If Zelensky agrees to halt refinery attacks, “we’re back in, and we go to Moscow”, an American official told Ignatius.

In gist, the 4-point plan envisages a generous reconstruction framework to meet “Zelensky’s myriad cash needs”; security guarantees for Ukraine equivalent to NATO’s Article 5; the economic integration of Russia, Ukraine and Europe through an energy deal — “This might consist of a pipeline carrying Russian oil and gas to Europe with Ukraine and Russia splitting the profits. Such a pipeline could sharply reduce European energy costs”, a U.S. official said. In addition to providing Russia with “long-term access to the European energy market”, a peace deal would specify how and when existing economic sanctions on Russia would be removed.

The final point – wait for it — would be a ceasefire along the existing front line, or the ‘line of control’.

It seems extraordinary: The U.S. and Europeans negotiate amongst themselves, seemingly oblivious to the explicit statements issued by the Russian side.

Oil and gas would be supplied by Russia to the needy Europeans who voluntarily forsook their earlier cheap Russian supply, who are trapped by their own decisions and who denigrate Russia at every opportunity. And with the profits to be “split” with Ukraine? No way will Russia accept such a one-sided proposal.

FM Lavrov said at the UNGA no ceasefire under any format. That means that any negotiations would have to take place under fire, and Putin has suggested that even then, he would ‘think twice’ about starting any negotiations (whether under fire or not).

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed just last week that “piecemeal solutions and agreements” would prevent a comprehensive settlement from being reached; a “freeze” of the conflict would not help either —

“[Ukraine] is a highly complex matter, and the settlement must be comprehensive … We need a solution for future generations — one that is guaranteed and safeguarded against setbacks”.

It seems that the Europeans have not grasped that a Korean-style cessation of hostilities (as argued by General Kellogg) along a front where two militaries face each other is a recipe for precisely no solution. It has been 73 years since the Korean War was frozen by armistice. Nothing has changed.

The repeated return to this mantra of a ceasefire along line of contact, rather than solution first; ceasefire last, shouts out to the Russians that the West wants to keep Ukraine in the locker-room for the time when a platform from which to exert pressure (again) on Russia in the future is to be jacked-up.

The fatal flaw to this initiative is its cultural deafness. For Witkoff and Kushner it may be “all about the stuff that really matters – money” — but that is not the case for Russia.

If the Witkoff-Europe combo recalled Russian history, they would understand why, for Russia, security, security, security comes top.

Walter Munchau cautioned just this week that “the Ukraine war risks escalating” —

“We should be under no illusion about a war with Russia. We are absolutely not in a position to win. Whose bond markets are going to be blown up first? Who is going to run out of interceptor missiles first? … On every [count] — military, energy, finance — Europe is at a disadvantage. That’s not all. There is a relatively plausible scenario in which Ukraine and Iran merge into a single West Eurasian war — and become the ultimate proxy conflict between the U.S. and China”.

If, instead of putting continued ‘stakeholder’ grift first, with its mechanism to ensure “that the western opportunity for financial benefit continues”, the Witkoff-Europe combo chose rather to address the fundamentals to the conflict — the deeper question of a Eurasian security architecture; the definition of where exactly the frontier that separates NATO security interests from those of Sino-Russian interests physically lies — they might find a more receptive audience on their next trip to Moscow.

Alas, circumscribing NATO’s extent is not possible – as things stand.

O presidente republicano da FCC (Comissão Federal de Comunicações dos Estados Unidos) está aconselhando emissoras locais a ficarem atentas a “pesquisas falsas”, sem especificar quais considera fraudulentas, enquanto várias sondagens respeitáveis indicam que os democratas podem conquistar avanços importantes nas Eleições de Meio de Mandato.

As violent riots grip France, British political leader Nigel Farage warned Americans against repeating what he described as Europe's mass immigration failures, arguing that years of unchecked migration have transformed European cities and fueled unrest that could eventually spread elsewhere.

"People like me who were warning about this years ago have sadly been proven right, but the problems are gonna be here for a very, very long time," Farage told Fox News Digital in an interview. "Please, please don't make the same level of mistakes that we have," he said in his message to Americans.

Violent riots have erupted across parts of Europe in recent weeks, particularly in France, with Farage pointing to years of mass migration and failed political leadership as key factors fueling the unrest. The Reform UK leader singled out Emmanuel Macron, arguing that the French president should have mobilized the military to confront the violence, after education protests spiraled into riots, destruction and theft.

MACRON JETS OUT OF RIOT-TORN FRANCE FOR GULF TRIP AS POLITICAL PRESSURE MOUNTS

"Macron was asleep at the wheel, and it isn't just that he was at a concert," Farage said. "And whilst the French do have effective police forces, the scale of the uprising, I mean the mass looting, the mass looting and violence that took place in Paris was genuinely horrendous."

"Meloni's reaction was swifter and a better sign of leadership," Farage said, referring to the Italian leader deploying 500 military troops to Milan in response to recent riots. "But the problem is, for people like Macron, who have always said, any criticism of immigration, whether legal or illegal, makes you racist, they psychologically find it hard to face up to their own failures of policy."

Farage warned that the unrest he described in France and elsewhere in Europe could eventually erupt in Britain, pointing to demonstrations in London and questioning whether British leaders would respond more forcefully than Macron.

ITALY UNLEASHES MILITARY RESPONSE TO VIOLENT RIOTS AS FRANCE FACES A RECKONING OF ITS OWN

"You know, my real worry is they can happen in this country too," Farage said. "We've got the same hard left here. We've the same hate mobs that march, chanting in the streets of London, from the river to the sea."

"I'm concerned that these things could happen here. And I wonder whether a British Prime Minister has got any more courage than President Macron in France," he added.

Farage contrasted Europe's failure to control its borders with President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown in the United States.

TRUMP, WALTZ LINK FRANCE RIOTS TO MASS IMMIGRATION AS THOUSANDS ARE ARRESTED

"Look, whatever you think of President Trump's current policies, one thing he has done, and he promised he'd do. He's closed the southern border," Farage said.

Trump vowed Tuesday to treat potential rioters in the U.S. "very rough," pointing to the unrest in France," he said at a rally in Greenville, North Carolina before being interrupted by a protestor in the crowd.

"They're crazy, these people. Look at that guy. He's a nutjob," Trump said, in reference to the protester.

He warned that he would crack down on potential threats, saying he would not allow similar unrest to take hold in the U.S.

FRANCE COULD FACE EVEN WORSE DESTRUCTION WITH SECOND WEEKEND OF PLANNED RIOTS, STATE DEPT WARNS

"That's what you witness over the last three or four days. You watch nutjobs like him in France ruining their country," Trump said. "We're not going to put up with it by the way."

"If a possible threat, which could happen, I hope you won't get angry if I treat them very, very rough, because that's what's going to happen. They're not going to destroy our country," he said.

On Tuesday, British counterterrorism police rearrested two men suspected of assisting Iranian intelligence in an alleged plot targeting RAF Fairford, a U.K. base used by U.S. bombers.

Authorities say Iranian state involvement is "highly likely," though no charges have been filed.

FOILED TERROR PLOT AT BOMBER BASE SIGNALS WIDER THREAT TO US MILITARY INSTALLATIONS: EXPERT

Farage said he has foreshadowed such criminal acts, alleging that Iran has exploited illegal crossings of the English Channel to move operatives into Britain.

"I've called again and again for this to be declared a national security emergency. I have been ignored. If the Americans removing their bombers from RAF Fairford isn't enough warning. I don't know what is," he said.

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"We've just become so caught up over here in Europe and Britain with this human rights culture, which puts the interests, frankly, of the bad guys above the interests of the majority."

• Google CEO Sundar Pichai said no Trump asked him to rename the Atlantic Ocean, the president said.
• Trump has floated the idea of renaming either the Atlantic or the Pacific to the "Trump Ocean."
• Earlier this year, he issued orders to change the names of the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario.

President Donald Trump's plan to rename the Atlantic Ocean hit choppy waters when he took it to Google.

At a Wednesday rally in South Carolina, Trump said he considered putting his name or "America" on one of the two oceans that flank the US: the Atlantic and the Pacific.

"I’m not going to put either Trump or America on any other ocean but these two," he told the crowd.

Then, he said, he called Google to ask about making the change on Google Maps.

The tech giant had previously changed its US labels for the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario to the Gulf of America and Lake America after executive orders from the president.

"I spoke to a brilliant guy, Sundar. He heads all of Google," Trump said, referring to CEO Sundar Pichai. He also praised Google cofounder Sergey Brin, calling both men "totally brilliant guys," before joking that they were "still rattled from the Gulf."

Trump recounted putting his idea directly to Pichai: "Sundar, I’m thinking of the Atlantic Ocean. Can you handle it?"

"No, no, no. This time I’m not doing it," Trump quoted Pichai as replying. "Oceans are different, sir. They cover really a lot of countries. Please don't ask us to do that."

"So I'll probably pass," Trump told the crowd. "Should I pass it?" He then answered his own question: "I think let's keep it the Atlantic Ocean."

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It was not Trump's first ocean pitch. At a Tennessee rally in early October, he floated "Trump Ocean" or "Ocean of the Americas" for the Atlantic or Pacific.

He has also mused about renaming a river, calling New Mexico "New America," and rechristening the Strait of Hormuz the "Trump Strait."

While those ideas remain proposals, Google Maps did adopt "Gulf of America" and "Lake America" for US users after the names changed in federal records. Users in Mexico and Canada still see the original names for the gulf and lake, respectively. Users in the rest of the world see the original names, followed by Trump's new names in brackets.

The changes have created a dilemma for people who make maps for an international audience. "The issue of international acceptance is also a factor, as some nations may not accept it," Joseph Wright, CEO of Replogle Globes, told Business Insider's Joshua Nelken-Zitser after the lake order.

"We sell globes worldwide."

For now, Trump's Atlantic idea appears to have sunk before it reached Google Maps.

Russia launched 21 ballistic missiles against Kyiv in three successive waves overnight on 21–22 October, striking residential buildings, energy facilities and transport infrastructure just hours after President Vladimir Putin held peace negotiations with US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on Thursday morning that at least two people had been killed and 34 injured, including five children, in Russian attacks affecting 12 Ukrainian regions. The capital sustained extensive damage, with strikes reported against railway and metro infrastructure, shopping centres, industrial premises and a monastery.

The bombardment followed a three-hour meeting between Witkoff and Putin on Wednesday, during which the Russian president indicated his willingness to resume trilateral negotiations involving Moscow, Washington and Kyiv. The Russian attacks continued despite the diplomatic initiative, prompting Zelenskyy to call for renewed international pressure on the Kremlin.

Kyiv Under Three Waves of Ballistic Missiles

In a statement published on Telegram, Zelenskyy said Russian forces had launched three waves of ballistic missiles against the Ukrainian capital, causing numerous direct hits and widespread destruction.

The Ukrainian president referred sarcastically to Russia’s supposed humanitarian intentions, an apparent reference to Witkoff’s description of Putin as a humanitarian during their meeting the previous day.

Emergency services were deployed across several districts of Kyiv, where residential and commercial buildings suffered damage. Part of the capital’s metro infrastructure on the Southern Bridge was affected, disrupting traffic, while a strike on an ambulance station in the Pecherskyi district damaged six emergency vehicles. No medical personnel were injured at that location.

According to Ukrainian military and emergency service reports, the overnight assault also involved 210 attack drones and several types of missiles, including Iskander-M, S-400, Zircon and Oniks weapons.

By Thursday morning, Ukrainian air defences had intercepted or suppressed 181 drones. Russian weapons struck 32 locations, while debris from intercepted drones fell at eight others.

The assault followed several consecutive days of Russian attacks against Kyiv, including earlier strikes on hospitals, residential buildings and the capital’s transport network.

Witkoff’s Meeting with Putin

The timing of the latest bombardment placed renewed scrutiny on Washington’s diplomatic engagement with Moscow.

On 21 October, Witkoff met Putin at the Konstantin Palace in St Petersburg, accompanied by Russian officials, including Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlin’s representative for international economic cooperation. The discussions lasted approximately three hours.

The meeting followed talks in Oslo on 20 October, where Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Zelenskyy alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

Following the St Petersburg meeting, Witkoff described the discussions as constructive and indicated that negotiations would continue at the technical level between representatives of the United States, Russia and Ukraine.

Putin reportedly expressed agreement in principle to restarting trilateral negotiations, potentially during the first half of November. However, no agreement on a ceasefire or suspension of Russian attacks was announced.

The meeting also attracted controversy after Witkoff praised Putin as a humanitarian following the release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American citizen who had been detained in Russia for more than four years.

The remarks prompted criticism from Republican lawmakers in Washington, who questioned the characterisation of the Russian president while Moscow continued its military campaign against Ukraine.

Zelenskyy Calls for Pressure Rather Than Diplomatic Concessions

Zelenskyy characterised the overnight missile attack as evidence that Russia’s participation in negotiations had not produced any substantive change in its conduct.

He argued that diplomatic efforts to end the war should continue but must be accompanied by measures capable of altering Moscow’s military calculations.

Those measures, according to the Ukrainian president, include stronger air defence capabilities, faster deliveries of interceptor missiles, the ability to destroy Russian ballistic missile launchers and continued economic sanctions.

The latest attacks also place Ukraine’s air defence requirements firmly within the ongoing negotiations with Washington. Kyiv has repeatedly sought additional Patriot missiles and more reliable advance warning of Russian ballistic launches, particularly as repeated strikes place increasing demands on its interception capabilities.

For the Trump administration, the immediate question is whether Russia’s stated willingness to negotiate can produce verifiable commitments to reduce hostilities.

The Kremlin has offered the prospect of further talks without announcing a halt to its offensive operations. Kyiv, meanwhile, continues to face missile and drone attacks against civilian infrastructure even as discussions concerning a possible settlement proceed.

The events of 21–22 October leave Washington’s diplomatic initiative moving forward against the background of an expanding Russian aerial campaign, with no indication that Moscow intends to suspend its attacks while negotiations continue.

L’improvvisa accelerazione diplomatica dei giorni scorsi per porre fine alla guerra in Ucraina potrebbe portare a un obiettivo fino alla scorsa settimana impensabile. C’è una “discussione in corso” su un possibile vertice tra Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky e Donald Trump. Lo ha detto oggi il vice ministro degli Esteri russo Serghei Ryabkov, rispondendo alla domanda se questo sia stato tra gli argomenti dell’incontro di ieri a San Pietroburgo tra l’inviato americano Steve Witkoff e il presidente russo. “L’argomento è stato sollevato, ma al momento non c’è ancora una chiara comprensione in merito. Non c’è un accordo completo, ma la discussione è in corso“, ha detto Ryabkov, citato dall’agenzia Interfax.

La dichiarazione di Ryabkov giunge all’indomani dell’incontro durato circa tre ore al Palazzo di Costantino a San Pietroburgo. La visita di Witkoff in Russia non è stata isolata: il giorno precedente, l’inviato di Trump si trovava a Oslo, dove ha incontrato Zelensky e i leader di Finlandia e Norvegia per gettare le basi di un quadro di pace coordinato con gli alleati europei e la Nato. Durante il colloquio con Putin, anche il consigliere americano Jared Kushner si è unito telefonicamente per presentare alcune proposte.

L’incontro di San Pietroburgo potrebbe aver segnato un netto passo avanti rispetto al ristagno delle trattative degli ultimi mesi. Secondo quanto riferito dai consiglieri del Cremlino, Putin avrebbe accettato “in linea di principio” di avviare un nuovo ciclo di negoziati trilaterali a partire da metà novembre. La sede ipotizzata per il confronto a tre tra Stati Uniti, Russia e Ucraina è Abu Dhabi. Se confermati, i colloqui si concentrerebbero sulla definizione di un sistema di garanzie di sicurezza per l’Ucraina e la Russia al termine delle ostilità.

Sul terreno, intanto, si continua a morire. “Tre ondate di missili balistici sono state lanciate contro Kiev dai ‘compassionevoli‘ russi da ieri sera – ha scritto sui social Zelensky, ironizzando sull’espressione usata da Witkoff per definire Putin -. Sono stati impiegati 21 missili. Purtroppo, numerosi luoghi in tutta la città sono stati colpiti e danneggiati, persino un monastero”. “Quasi immediatamente dopo un altro ciclo di colloqui, la Russia ha lanciato un attacco mirato. Ciò significa che il suo atteggiamento nei confronti di tutto ciò che sta accadendo non è realmente cambiato”.

Le autorità ucraine hanno denunciato anche che le forze russe hanno attaccato un mercato a Lozova, nell’oblast di Kharkiv. Secondo i dati preliminari, due persone sono rimaste uccise e il numero dei feriti è di almeno 17 persone.

L'articolo Vertice Putin-Zelensky-Trump, Mosca: “La discussione è in corso” proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

O presidente dos Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, afirmou que Sundar Pichai, CEO do Google, recusou seu pedido para renomear o Oceano Atlântico como “Oceano Americano”.

“Eu só gosto de dois oceanos, o Oceano Atlântico e o Oceano Pacífico. Não vou colocar nem Trump nem América no nome de nenhum outro oceano além desses dois. Então, analisamos seriamente o Oceano Atlântico, e liguei para o Google Maps, que foi realmente ótimo com o lago e muito bom também com o golfo”, afirmou o presidente americano durante comício na Carolina do Sul nesta quarta-feira (21).

Segundo Trump, a empresa explicou que os oceanos “são diferentes” porque abrangem muitos países.

“Eu disse: ‘Sundar, estou pensando no Oceano Atlântico. Você consegue fazer isso?’ ‘Não, não, não, desta vez não vou fazer isso.’ Ele disse: ‘Os oceanos são diferentes, senhor. Eles abrangem muitos países. Muitos mesmo. Por favor, não nos peça para fazer isso.’”

O Google, controlado pela Alphabet, mudou o nome do Golfo do México para “Golfo da América” em seus mapas para usuários nos Estados Unidos depois que Trump ordenou a alteração, em janeiro de 2025.

Trump assina decreto para renomear o Lago Ontário como Lago América | LIVE CNN

Should President Donald Trump deliver a primetime address next week with the avowed purpose of impacting the elections nationwide?

Yes. Absolutely yes.

President Trump is often the best proponent of his own policies, and the much-anticipated "blue wave" would effectively paralyze those policies and his plans to finish the battle with Iran, build the Golden Dome and Golden Fleet, and slow, if not reverse, the regulatory overhaul underway.

MORNING GLORY: MINNESOTA'S MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL COULD DELIVER A STUNNING SENATE UPSET

Loss of the Senate majority would also mean near-zero chances of confirming any appellate judges or Supreme Court justices. Spending on the Pentagon would also plummet as Democrats return to their long-standing position of insisting that every dollar of increased defense spending must be matched by one for non-defense domestic discretionary spending.

If President Trump makes these arguments directly to voters and names the names of the senators or Senate candidates who are key allies or the Democratic nominees he believes are from the far, far left, the sharpened focus could help mobilize his base to again support his agenda one last time.

13 DAYS UNTIL MIDTERMS, TRUMP HEADS TO SOUTH CAROLINA AS DEMOCRATS WIDEN BATTLEGROUND MAP

There are precedents for such an appeal, and they had mixed results.

On October 24, 2022, President Biden made a direct closing argument for Democrats at Democratic National Committee headquarters, 15 days before Election Day. The expected "red wave" that year was reduced to a ripple.

On October 25, 2006, President George W. Bush held a nationally televised news conference less than two weeks before the midterms. President Bush discussed Iraq and framed the election choice around national security and taxes. It was a news conference, not a formal primetime address. The GOP got "thumped," to borrow President Bush’s own characterization of the 2006 results.

The takeaway from that limited data set? A speech could work to rally a president’s base voters. A press conference won’t.

President Trump’s rallies around the country have always served as a feedback loop for his messaging. He knows it’s his base that turns out, and he tries out various messages and themes, then amplifies what works and cuts what doesn’t in subsequent rallies and in his conversations with the press.

Getting the feedback is particularly important when it comes to turning out the base. As the president has been everywhere in the past month, he has a good idea of what "works" in this campaign cycle.

TRUMP CAMPAIGN INSIDER REVEALS STRATEGY BEHIND MIDTERM BLITZ THAT WHITE HOUSE HOPES PAYS OFF BIG

The Trump PAC may even want to buy network time for an address, or it may simply allow social media to do its thing. A tight 15 minutes would play and play, give birth to ten thousand posts and reels and, crucially, focus the base and independent voters on the stakes, which are very high indeed.

President Trump has got a fine writing staff, but brevity is not second nature to him or them when it comes to speeches. If he does try such a direct appeal, the crucial points I hope he makes in succinct fashion are these:

TRUMP'S UNUSUAL ROLE AT MIDTERM CONVENTION REVEALED AS SCHEDULE GOES PUBLIC

1. Economists see the next few years as a boom for the nation. We can’t screw it up by ceding control of taxes and spending to Democrats. The 71 economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal this week predict continued and expanding economic growth, falling gas prices and tamed inflation ahead. "Morning in America" is beginning to dawn again.
2. Iran is defeated, but the mop-up will take some months, even though oil exports from the Middle East have risen to levels that exceed prewar levels. President Trump knows the scorecard on the battle by heart. He should repeat it again. The United States has decisively triumphed over the evil Iranian regime, and he will finish the job. It will be easier with Republican majorities.
3. The battle with Iran has demonstrated to the world the need for missile defense and a vibrant, modernized Navy. The president should emphasize his plans for both and warn that Democratic majorities present mortal threats to each.
4. "Medicare for All" is a clever way of saying "higher taxes, rationed healthcare, and diminished healthcare for seniors." President Trump should pledge again to stop efforts to pass Obamacare 2.0.
5. The only thing Democrats can agree on is a combination of obstruction and impeachment. Their commitment to weaponizing all of government and bringing back McCarthyism — this time aimed at every Trump supporter and not just him — is extremely strong. Democrats are unapologetically calling for these things, as well as for packing the Supreme Court and many other radical plans.
6. The Democrats have put forward the most radical set of candidates in American history. Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota, Troy Jackson in Maine and James Talarico in Texas are all extremists camouflaged as Democrats. In Alaska, they have attempted to defeat the great Senator Dan Sullivan by running a "decoy Dan Sullivan" in an attempt to get leftist Mary Peltola over the finish line. Retreads like left-winger Sherrod Brown in Ohio should not replace the effective and able Jon Husted. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson is exactly what Iowa needs. North Carolina should send Michael Whatley to Washington to continue his long-standing partnership with the president. These are easy choices when the big picture is set before voters, especially when they are reminded of just how far off the normal political map El-Sayed, Flanagan, Talarico and Troy Jackson are.

VOTERS PREPARE TO WEIGH-IN ON TRUMP'S ECONOMY AS COSTS CONTINUE TO SURGE

The president should explicitly ask voters to support Mike Rogers in Michigan, Michele Tafoya in Minnesota, Ken Paxton in Texas and Susan Collins in Maine. President Trump should note that Rogers and Tafoya are likely to be as independent-minded as Sen. Collins, who has often opposed presidential policies, but that all of them represent their states very well. 

States that are "light blue" or "light red" deserve senators that represent them, not Hamas or other extremist positions.

President Trump should close by reminding everyone of the mess he inherited. The once wide-open border is now completely closed and sealed tight, with the long-awaited wall nearing completion. Fraud in Minnesota, California and other blue states is being exposed and corrected. Inflation is way down from the 9.1% it reached under President Joe Biden but needs to go down further still, and President Trump and his economic team can get that done with support from Congress, not obstruction.

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And the evil regime in Iran that has terrorized the world for 47 years is on its last legs and wobbling. Its nuclear weapons program is obliterated and will not be allowed to be rebuilt. There is work to be done with our allies across the globe, but taking us down the impeachment road because the Democrats have no proposals to do anything else would be a disaster for everyone.

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"America’s Golden Age is indeed upon us," President Trump should conclude. "I need your vote, and so do these great Republican candidates. Please make a plan to vote and turn out. Thank you. God bless our troops everywhere, but especially in the blockade and at the bases around the Islamic radicals in Iran, and those confronting Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, and God bless the United States."

Hugh Hewitt is a Fox News contributor and host of "The Hugh Hewitt Show" heard weekday afternoons from 3 PM to 6 PM ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh drives Americans home on the East Coast and to lunch on the West Coast on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel’s news roundtable, hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990. Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcasting. This column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.

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Washington and Israel have devised new plans to strike Iran again after the U.S. midterm elections, The New York Times reports, citing senior U.S. officials and other sources. The planning comes as the armed forces of both countries have stepped up military maneuvers in the region to rehearse bombing missions, and as the State Department has ordered nonessential embassy staff and their families to evacuate Saudi Arabia amid the prospect of possible new attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen. It also comes as Israel prepares for an election in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting for re-election.

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One month after Washington, D.C., celebrated America's 250th anniversary, it marked a more ignominious milestone: a full year since President Donald Trump deployed thousands of National Guard soldiers to the capital.

The approximately 4,600 National Guard members have been an unavoidable presence in D.C., wandering the National Mall and downtown streets in groups of three or four, or standing idly in Metro stations chatting. Occasionally, they're tasked with picking up trash at parks. Tourists take selfies with them by the now-fenced-off Lafayette Square in front of the White House.

They're not going anywhere. The Trump administration is moving forward with plans to acquire up to 2,000 housing units to support long-term National Guard deployments. The Department of Defense has estimated that extending the mission from October 2026 through to the end of the Trump administration in January 2029 will cost about $1.4 billion.

According to the Trump administration, all of this has been necessary to transform D.C. "from a crime-ridden city into a safe and beautiful haven for residents and visitors alike."

Crime in D.C. is down 20 percent from 2025, according to the Metropolitan Police Department, but an August Reuters investigation found National Guard soldiers were involved in only a tiny fraction of arrests in the safer parts of the city, mostly for minor offenses such as shoplifting and turnstile jumping. Crime has been dropping nationwide, a trend that started before Trump took office and includes cities that aren't occupied by federal law enforcement and soldiers.

Even if the Guard presence has contributed to a drop in crime, it's a civil liberties nightmare. It puts untrained military in the role of policing civilians. It usurps local police departments that are ostensibly answerable to the communities they police, and it normalizes the deployment of military forces domestically—a red line for a free society.

"There's a deep irony that here we are in the capital of the free world, and our president is treating it like a police state," Scott Michelman, legal director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia, told PBS in August. "D.C. residents have lived with our National Guard troops in our neighborhoods for about a year, despite the absence of any genuine emergency and really any reason for them to be here."

Last November, a federal court preliminarily ruled that the deployment was illegal. However, an appeals court allowed the Trump administration to keep troops deployed in D.C. while it considers the administration's appeal of that ruling.

The appeals court decision is absurd. The appellate panel is fully aware that every day the case drags on is another day that D.C. residents are being subjected to a potentially illegal military occupation, and another day that taxpayers will foot the bill for a wasteful fit of presidential hubris.

The damages are compounding. The first anniversary of Trump's deployment of National Guard soldiers to D.C. should be the last.

The post Crime Is Down in D.C., but Trump's National Guard Deployment Probably Isn't the Cause appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Infrastrutture energetiche, impianti nucleari, arsenali di missili e droni. Potrebbero finire di nuovo nel mirino Stati Uniti e Israele, che si starebbero preparando a riprendere la guerra in Iran dopo le elezioni di medio termine del 3 novembre. I vertici militari di Washington e Tel Aviv, riferisce il New York Times, hanno sviluppato piani specifici per nuovi attacchi per quella che si prevede come “un’operazione breve ma intensa“.

Le forze armate dei due paesi, riporta il quotidiano statunitense, hanno intensificato le esercitazioni, facendo volare aerei sopra l’Iraq per testare le manovre d’attacco contro il regime di Teheran. Il Segretario alla Difesa Pete Hegseth, hanno dichiarato funzionari statunitensi, ha incontrato il primo ministro Benjamin Netanyahu in Israele questa settimana per discutere della nuova campagna militare.

Gli Usa, riporta ancora il giornale , in queste settimane stanno radunando in Medio Oriente un “enorme arsenale“, che dovrebbe essere pienamente operativo entro inizio novembre. Anche se nel frattempo continuano i movimenti diplomatici, con negoziatori Usa che puntano a “fare leva” sulla minaccia di nuovi attacchi per portare l’Iran a cedere rispetto alle richieste statunitensi riguardanti la questione nucleare.

Tra coloro che stanno pianificando le prossime mosse in questo conflitto lato Usa c’è chi è convinto che una campagna militare breve ma intensiva, di tre giorni, potrebbe infliggere danni economici sufficienti a modificare la posizione iraniana. D’altro canto, il precedente delle conseguenze degli attacchi di Stati Uniti e Israele tra febbraio e aprile scorsi introduce “ragioni per dubitare che una ripresa della guerra possa avere più successo della prima fase”.

Funzionari iraniani, spiega ancora il Ny Times, hanno pronosticato che Teheran potrebbe rispondere a nuovi raid sul proprio territorio “ampliando gli obiettivi al di là di navi commerciali e infrastrutture energetiche della regione” e mettendo nel mirino anche “centri di elaborazione dati e i cavi sottomarini per Internet”.

È inoltre tutt’altro che certo che Donald Trump approverà nuovi raid, sottolinea il Nyt. Più volte quest’anno il presidente ha posto il veto a piani per il ritorno a grandi operazioni di combattimento, come nelle scorse settimane quando le forze armate statunitensi e israeliane erano quasi pronte ad attaccare.

L'articolo Il New York Times: “Usa e Israele preparano nuovi attacchi contro l’Iran dopo le elezioni” proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.