Free Republic

SummaryTrump's Middle East focus shifts to Gulf business deals PM Netanyahu's right-wing govt at odds with some U.S. policy shifts U.S.-Israel relations strong but diverging priorities evident, say observers JERUSALEM, May 14 (Reuters) - Israel's right-wing government has maintained a diplomatic silence this week as U.S. President Donald Trump fired off a blizzard of announcements that have shaken Israeli assumptions about their country's standing with its most important ally.Trump's decision to bypass Israel during his current visit to the Middle East had already been seen as a marker of the his administration's increased focus on lucrative business deals with wealthy...

The United States and Saudi Arabia reached a $142 billion arms deal, President Donald Trump shared on Tuesday. Trump’s announcement came during his speech at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, amid his state visit to the Middle East. “In addition to purchases of $142 billion of American-made military equipment by our great Saudi partners, the largest ever, this week, there are multibillion dollar commercial deals with Amazon, Oracle, AMD…Uber, Qualcomm, Johnson & Johnson, and many, many more,” the president said. The commander-in-chief touted the quality of American military products moments earlier. “Nobody makes military equipment like us;...

Rarely has an economic policy been repudiated as soundly, and as quickly, as President Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs—and by Mr. Trump’s own hand. Witness the agreement Monday morning to scale back his punitive tariffs on China—his second major retreat in less than a week. This is a win for economic reality, and for American prosperity. Make that a partial win for reality. The Administration agreed to scrap most of the 145% tariff Mr. Trump imposed on Chinese goods on April 2 and later. What remains is his new 10% global base-line tariff, plus the separate 20% levy putatively tied to...

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Friday that the Trump administration is "actively looking at" suspending habeas corpus, the right of a person to challenge their detention in court. If carried out by President Donald Trump, the suspension of habeas corpus would be a dramatic escalation of his administration's immigration policy by significantly curtailing a right enshrined in the Constitution. "First, you know, President Trump has talked about potentially suspending habeas corpus to take care of the illegal immigration problem. When could we see that happen in the future?" a reporter asked Miller as he spoke outside...

President Donald Trump has tapped "The Five" co-host Judge Jeanine Pirro to be the interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. "I am pleased to announce that Judge Jeanine Pirro will be appointed interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social on Thursday. "Jeanine is incredibly well qualified for this position, and is considered one of the Top District Attorneys in the History of the State of New York. She is in a class by herself. Congratulations Jeanine!" Pirro has left Fox News Channel and a rotation of Fox News personalities...

President Trump again pushed for a 30-day cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine Thursday after speaking by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, promising to “stay committed to securing Peace” after earlier threatening to walk away from talks between the warring nations. “Talks with Russia/Ukraine continue,” Trump, 78, posted to Truth Social. “The U.S. calls for, ideally, a 30-day unconditional ceasefire. Hopefully, an acceptable ceasefire will be observed, and both Countries will be held accountable for respecting the sanctity of these direct negotiations.” “If the ceasefire is not respected, the U.S. and its partners will impose further sanctions,” he added. Zelensky,...

With the new mineral rights deal between Washington, D.C., and Kyiv, President Donald Trump fulfilled his pledge to hold Ukraine financially accountable for the billions of dollars that has already been provided in military assistance. This now opens a new avenue for the U.S. to provide weaponry to the country without using any taxpayer funds. Following months of discussions, the deal was signed on Wednesday. It established a common investment fund to which both countries will contribute, including through the sale of mineral rights, oil, and gas licenses in Ukraine — with a 50/50 profit split. The agreement states that...

President Trump said he wants to rename the federal holiday Veterans Day “Victory Day for World War I Day” and add another holiday to commemorate World War II, declaring the United States should “start celebrating our victories again!” “Many of our allies and friends are celebrating May 8th as Victory Day, but we did more than any other Country, by far, in producing a victorious result on World War II. I am hereby renaming May 8th as Victory Day for World War II and November 11th as Victory Day for World War I,” Trump wrote on Truth Social late Thursday....

The US and Ukraine have signed a deal that will give Washington access to some of the war-torn country's natural resources.Months in the making, it sets up an investment fund that Ukraine hopes will cement US assistance as the country struggles to repel Russia three years after the invasion. The Ukrainians have now published the deal and there have been public statements from both sides. Here are seven key takeaways.snipThere were some concerns in Kyiv that the resources deal could hinder Ukraine's ability to join the EU, if it gave preferential treatment to US investors, as Kyiv and Brussels already...

The United States will no longer mediate peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia after Vladimir Putin refused to sign up to a ceasefire.The State Department said it is changing “the methodology of how we contribute” to the talks and will no longer “fly around the world at the drop of a hat” for meetings. “We will continue to help, but we will no longer fly around the world as mediators in meetings,” said Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson.She added that Kyiv and Moscow must now present “concrete” proposals for ending the war and should meet directly to resolve the conflict.Washington withdrawing...

America is to scale back its role in mediating peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, the US State Department has said, as JD Vance admitted the war will “not end any time soon”. Tammy Bruce, a State Department spokeswoman, said the US would change “the methodology of how we contribute” to talks and will no longer “fly around the world at the drop of a hat” for discussions.

Russia has rejected a Ukraine war peace deal proposed by Donald Trump, the US president, because it does not grant international recognition to territory seized by Moscow’s troops.Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, also suggested the plan did not satisfy the Kremlin’s demands to oust Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, and limit the size of Kyiv’s armed forces.The rejection came as Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, offered a temporary, 72-hour truce next month to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.

President Donald Trump is pushing hard for interest rate cuts. He should be careful what he wishes for, because he is begging for more inflation. Literally. Trump started badgering Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell about rate cuts even before his inauguration, saying last January that "interest rates are far too high." In fact, this running battle with Powell over rates dates back to Trump's first term. As the Fed finally tried to normalize rates in 2017 after holding them at zero for nearly a decade in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Trump frequently criticized Powell and urged him...

Mel Kiper is hardly the biggest name in Shedeur Sanders’ corner. Donald Trump himself blasted teams for passing on Sanders in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft in a Truth Social post on Friday in which the Commander-in-Chief praised his father, football great Deion Sanders, and called out the NFL owners who passed on the prospect. “What is wrong with NFL owners, are they STUPID?” he wrote. “Deion Sanders was a great college football player, and was even greater in the NFL. He’s also a very good coach, streetwise and smart! Therefore, Shedeur, his quarterback son, has PHENOMENAL...

China just raised the stakes in its standoff with Washington. Despite President Trump's recent attempts to dial down the rhetoric and hint at possible tariff relief, Beijing isn't budging. A spokesperson from China's Commerce Ministry flatly rejected any notion of progress, calling U.S. claims of renewed dialogue groundless. The message: if the U.S. wants to talk, it needs to first undo the damagestarting with a full rollback of unilateral tariffs, now as high as 145%. China also made it clear that future talks hinge on more than just kind words; Washington needs to get serious about core issues like sanctions...

In this week’s Live from the Vault, Andrew Maguire welcomes back Lynette Zang, who breaks down the patterns driving financial collapse and explains how to spot these signals to secure the future with gold and personal preparedness. Zang warns that the systemic reset might already be underway, with the dollar collapsing under the weight of inflation and debt. As central banks hoard metal and gold surges past $3,300, Lynette urges immediate action to embrace real-world assets. Check out Lynette: ‪@TheLynetteZang‬ https://www.lynettezang.com/ Timestamps: 00:00 Start 02:55 Patterns of collapse: history's warning signs 09:00 Central banks stock up on gold – why...

Washington -- The infighting and backstabbing that plagued President Donald Trump’s first term have returned as a threat to his second, with deepening fissures over trade, national security and questions of personal loyalty. The latest turmoil threatens to engulf the Pentagon, where Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed out top advisers and faces fresh controversy over sharing sensitive information about airstrikes in Yemen outside of classified channels. A former Pentagon spokesperson who was ousted last week wrote in Politico that Trump should fire Hegseth for presiding over a “full-blown meltdown.” The interpersonal drama is not - at least yet -...

China is doubling down: China has just announced that they will be pulling back from US private equity investments. Chinese state-backed funds are halting new investments in US PE firms due to government pressure. According to PE executives, funds like China Investment Corporation (CIC) have already begun withdrawing planned commitments. Chinese investors are also avoiding US-linked deals, even when managed by non-US based PE funds. Just 24 hours ago, China warned they would retaliate against countries that cooperate with the US in ways that compromise their interests. It's very clear what's happening here: China is seeking to isolate the US...

China has halted exports of seven critical rare earth elements to the United States, a move that threatens to disrupt supply chains across key American industries, including automotive, semiconductor, and aerospace sectors. China’s Ministry of Commerce recently added seven rare earth elements—including dysprosium, terbium, and lutetium—to its restricted export list. These elements are essential for manufacturing high-performance magnets used in electric vehicles, advanced weaponry, and consumer electronics. NY Times reported:

The guidance that was issued also excludes flash drives and memory cards from the new tariffs President Trump exempted phones, computers and chips from his new tariffs on Friday. The guidance that was issued also excludes flash drives and memory cards. Trump has imposed 145% tariffs on imports from China. He paused further tariff actions on other countries in favor of a 10% baseline tariff.