Pope Leo on Trump’s Gaza peace plan: ‘So far it seems to be a realistic proposal’– thehill.com Source Link Excerpt:
Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday called President Trump’s Gaza peace plan “realistic” when talking to reporters.
“So far it seems a realistic proposal,” the pope said, according to Vatican News, also saying he wishes Hamas would go with the plan “within the established timeframe.”
“It’s important, nonetheless, that there be a ceasefire and the release of the hostages. But there are elements there that I think are very interesting, and I hope Hamas will accept it within the established time frame,” he added.
Trump would chair an international “board of peace” to govern and rebuild Gaza within a 20-point plan that the White House unveiled Monday, which describes an end to the Israel-Hamas war and a transition toward peace.
The president would oversee the framework and funding for Gaza’s rebuilding until the Palestinian Authority has reached conditions to gain governance in Gaza.
“This body will call on the best international standards to create modern and efficient governance that serves the people of Gaza and is conducive to attracting investment,” according to the plan.
Trump Announces Major Deal With Pfizer. Here’s What You Need to Know.– townhall.com Source Link Excerpt:
President Donald Trump announced plans to partner with Pfizer that will see the company invest $70 billion to build U.S.-based drug manufacturing factories. Trump also announced plans to purchase some Pfizer drugs at wholesale prices and offer those savings to customers through a Trump Rx.
Hegseth Uses Extraordinary Meeting to Fat-Shame Generals – Mother Jones– www.motherjones.com Source Link Excerpt:
More than 800 members of the US military’s top brass, including hundreds of generals and admirals, gathered for an extraordinary meeting in Quantico, Virginia, on Tuesday, where they were greeted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s order to return to “the highest male standard” in military fitness tests and training exercises.
In the same breath, Hegseth disparaged women serving in the military, claiming they were physically incapable of meeting the same physical standards.
“I don’t want my son serving alongside troops who are out of shape or in combat units with females who can’t meet the same combat arms physical standards as men,” Hegseth said as the crowd remained virtually silent throughout the meeting. The former Fox weekend host included references to “woke garbage” and fat-shaming—”It’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals”—before all but announcing an end to formal processes that allow military personnel to register complaints of abuse.
“We are overhauling an inspector general process that has been weaponized, putting complainers and poor performers in the driver’s seat,” he said. “We are doing the same with the equal opportunity policies. No more frivolous complaints, no more anonymous complaints.”
A similar silence greeted President Donald Trump as he aired a characteristically discursive speech that at turns featured self-praise for his decision to send the National Guard to Portland, Orgeon, suggesting that such cities be used as “training grounds” for the military, misguided claims that he ended eight world wars, love for his own signature, and comparisons of “nuclear” power to the “n-word.”
Gaza peace plan agreed to by Trump, Netanyahu– www.chicagotribune.com Source Link Excerpt:
CAIRO — After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threw his support behind the U.S. peace plan for Gaza, the question now is whether Hamas will agree.
Hamas faces a bitter tradeoff — the proposal demands that the group effectively surrender in return for uncertain gains. But if it rejects the deal, the U.S. could give Israel an even freer hand to continue its punishing campaign in the already devastated territory.
Under the proposal, the group would have to disarm in return for an end to fighting, humanitarian aid for Palestinians, and the promise of reconstruction in Gaza — all desperately hoped for by its population.
But the proposal has only a vague promise that some day, perhaps, Palestinian statehood might be possible. For the foreseeable future, Gaza and its more than 2 million Palestinians would be put under international control. An international security force would move in, and a “Board of Peace” headed by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair would oversee Gaza’s administration and reconstruction. The territory would remain surrounded by Israeli troops.
Trump and Netanyahu said they agreed on the plan Monday after talks at the White House.
The proposal includes one provision that Netanyahu and his hard-line government most strongly oppose: It says the Palestinian Authority will eventually govern Gaza. But Netanyahu is likely betting that will never come to pass. Israel also rejects any Palestinian state.
The White House issued the text on Monday of its 20-point proposal. Here is what to know.
The ceasefire
The plan calls for all hostilities to immediately end. Within 72 hours, Hamas would release all hostages it still holds, living or dead. The fighters still hold 48 hostages — 20 of whom are believed by Israel to be alive.
In return, Israel would free 250 Palestinians serving life sentences in its prisons as well as 1,700 people detained from Gaza since the war began, including all women and children. Israel would also hand over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for each body of a hostage handed over.
Troop withdrawal
The plan calls for an Israeli troop withdrawal. But it would only take place after Hamas disarms and as the international security force deploys to fill in areas that Israeli forces leave.
Israel would also maintain a “security perimeter presence” – a vague phrasing that could mean it would keep a buffer zone inside Gaza.
Those terms could bring pushback from Hamas, which has said it will not release all its hostages unless it receives a “clear declaration” the war will end and Israel will leave Gaza completely.
The fate of Hamas and postwar Gaza
Hamas would have no part in administering Gaza, and all its military infrastructure — including tunnels — would be dismantled. Members who pledge to live peacefully would be granted amnesty, and those who wish to leave Gaza would be allowed to.
The international security force would ensure Hamas’ disarmament and keep order. It would also train Palestinian police to take over law enforcement. Mediator Egypt has said it is training thousands of Palestinian police to deploy to Gaza.
Meanwhile, humanitarian aid would be allowed to flow into Gaza in large amounts and would be run by “neutral international bodies,” including the U.N. and the Red Crescent. It is unclear whether the Gaza Humanitarian Fund, a controversial alternative food distribution system backed by Israel and the U.S., would continue to operate.
The plan also specifies that Palestinians will not be expelled from Gaza, and that there will be an international effort to rebuild the territory for Palestinians.
In normal cases, that might not need spelling out. But Palestinians have feared mass expulsion after both Trump and the Israeli government spoke of pushing out Gaza’s population — ostensibly in a “voluntary” manner — and rebuilding the strip as a sort of international real estate venture.
The interim administration of Palestinian technocrats would run day-to-day affairs in Gaza. But it would be overseen by the “Board of Peace.” The board would also supervise funding of reconstruction, a role that could give it enormous power over governing Gaza since that is the biggest task facing the territory, almost completely destroyed by Israel’s campaign.
The Palestinian Authority and statehood
During this interim administration, the Palestinian Authority would undergo reforms so it can eventually take over governing Gaza.
The plan has only a slight nod to the issue of statehood. It says that if the Palestinian Authority reforms sufficiently and Gaza redevelopment advances, “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
The response so far
Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence chief shared the 20-point plan Monday evening with Hamas negotiators. The Hamas negotiators said they would review it in good faith and provide a response.
Hamas has so far rejected disarmament, saying it has a right to resist until Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands ends.
Arab countries appear to back the outline. The governments of Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates issued a joint statement applauding Trump’s proposal.
Netanyahu could face resistance from within his own ultra-nationalist coalition allies.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is part of Netanyahu’s security Cabinet, published a list of his “red lines” on X on Monday. Top among them, he wrote, any deal must not allow involvement of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza or allow a Palestinian state. Smotrich is one of the more vocal members of the right-wing bloc of Netanyahu’s coalition who have previously threatened to leave the government if Netanyahu halts the war in Gaza.
Netanyahu may see a loophole. The proposal makes PA involvement in Gaza conditional on it completing internal reforms, which it pledged to do, saying it welcomed Trump’s plan to end the war.
But in his comments alongside Trump on Monday, Netanyahu expressed his belief it will never successfully do so.
How Trump and Hegseth’s gathering of top US generals unfolded– www.bbc.com Source Link Excerpt:
Hundreds of US generals and admirals gathered at the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Virginia on Tuesday after being summoned from their posts all around the world.
Netanyahu hails TikTok takeover as Israel’s new ‘weapon’ in information war– www.lifesitenews.com Source Link Excerpt:
NEW YORK (LifeSiteNews) — Benjamin Netanyahu described the expected purchase of the social media platform TikTok by allies of Israel as the acquisition of a “weapon” that is “most important” to “fight the fight.” And he believes this development “could be extremely consequential.”
The Israeli prime minister was speaking to a group of “pro-Israel influencers” in a meeting after his address at the United Nations General Assembly last Friday were an overwhelming majority of national delegations walked out in apparent protest to what is widely considered a genocidal war he and his nation are inflicting against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
A media release from Netanyahu’s office reported the prime minister spoke with this group of “pro-Israel American influencers” about “challenges in the new era, as well as the public diplomacy efforts and the influence of the social networks on the discourse for and against Israel.”
Asked about how to combat dangers to the Zionist cause due to a potential loss of Evangelical support in the United States, which is also impacted by popular Israel-critics Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, Netanyahu directed his listeners to considering social media as “tools for battle” and then emphasized the expected purchase of TikTok to be “most important” in serving Israel’s interests in this regard.
“What we have to do is we have to secure that part of the base of our support in the United States, that is being challenged systematically… How do we fight back? Our influencers, I think you should also talk to them if you have a chance,” the prime minister said. “And secondly, we’re going to have to use the tools of battle. The weapons change over time… we have to fight with the weapons that apply to the battlefields within which we’re engaged. And the most important ones are on social media.”
‘Say it to my face’: House minority leader slams Trump; calls US president ‘racist’ over deepfake video– timesofindia.indiatimes.com Source Link Excerpt:
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday accused President Donald Trump of being “racist” over a deepfake video posted to the social media platform, which depicted him wearing a sombrero.The fabricated video was posted on Trump’s Truth Social account on Monday night and featured Jeffries sporting an exaggerated handlebar moustache with mariachi music playing in the background. The video, released hours after Trump met with congressional leaders about the looming government shutdown, appeared aimed at mocking Democrats’ stance on federal benefits for migrants — a claim Democrats deny. Speaking on the steps of the Capitol, where numerous Democrats rallied for Republicans to negotiate a bipartisan spending bill, Jeffries stated, “Mr. President, the next time you have something to say about me, don’t cop out through a racist and fake AI video.” He added, “When I’m back in the Oval Office, say it to my face. Say it to my face.”Trump, known for attacking minorities and exacerbating racial tensions to energise his MAGA base, has a longstanding record that Jeffries, the first Black lawmaker to lead either party, has consistently opposed. Uploaded hours after Trump met with congressional leaders regarding the shutdown, the video parodied a press conference held by Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York outside the White House following that meeting. The fake audio portrayed Schumer attacking his own party as being deeply unpopular “because of all of our woke, trans bulls—.” It further asserted, “Not even Black people want to vote for us anymore.”
Trump says US to impose 100% tariff on movies made outside the country– www.france24.com Source Link Excerpt:
President Donald Trump said on Monday he would impose a 100% tariff on all films produced overseas that are then sent into the U.S., repeating a threat made in May that would upend Hollywood’s global business model. Story by Bryan Quinn.
Why Democrats Are Backing An Illegal Alien To Run Iowa Schools– thefederalist.com Source Link Excerpt:
State officials revoked the license of the superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district Monday after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Ian Roberts Friday on a deportation order and weapons charges. On Saturday, the Des Moines school board placed Roberts on paid administrative leave while protesters demand his release.
ICE says Roberts is not only an illegal alien from Guyana who was working illegally, but also that he fled arrest in a school district-owned car and was in illegal possession of a loaded gun and hunting knife when agents finally nabbed him. The school board voted in secret to select Roberts as the “first person of color” to assume the Des Moines superintendency in 2023. The noncitizen also holds a Maryland Democrat voting registration.
Trump says Hamas has ‘three or four days’ to respond to Gaza peace plan: Live updates– www.independent.co.uk Source Link Excerpt:
Hamas is inclined to accept a Gaza peace plan laid out by Donald Trump but only under certain conditions, officials close to Israel-Hamas negotiations in Qatar told Haaretz.
The group is currently consulting with other Palestinian factions to come to a unified position on the plan.
Hamas is expected to clarify that it is willing to accept the outline in the form that was presented to Arab leaders last week, before prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu made changes to it, the outlet added.
JUST IN: Trump Administration Threatens MASS LAYOFFS If Government Shuts Down– wltreport.com Source Link Excerpt:
This could be very big…
Ahead of a possible government shutdown on October 1st, the White House Office of Management and Budget has instructed federal agencies to prepare for mass layoffs.
Thousands of federal employees — specifically in agencies that lack funding and don’t align with President Trump’s goals — could permanently lose their jobs if the shutdown happens.
Here are the details:
🚨🇺🇸BREAKING: TRUMP ADMIN THREATENS MASS FEDERAL LAYOFFS IN SHUTDOWN
OMB Director Russ Vought ordered agencies to prepare Reduction in Force (RIF) notices for “thousands” of federal employees if government shuts down October 1.
Trump, RFK Jr. outline plan to attack autism, issue warning about Tylenol during pregnancy– www.lifesitenews.com Source Link Excerpt:
(LifeSiteNews) — President Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and other top administration officials announced a series of steps and early successes in identifying the root causes of the meteoric rise in autism cases in children in recent decades. They also identified a promising drug for its treatment.
From the outset of his current administration, President Trump has made the prevention and improved treatment of autism an all-hands-on-deck priority.
“Effective immediately, the FDA will be notifying physicians that the use of acetaminophen — commonly known as Tylenol — during pregnancy can be associated with a risk of increase of autism,” Trump said. “For this reason, they are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy.”
“Taking Tylenol is not good,” said Trump, who emphasized, “I’ll say it. It’s not good.”
Kennedy, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), expanded on the President’s comments.
“To meet the president’s challenge, I ordered HHS to launch an unprecedented, all-agency effort to identify all causes of autism, including toxic and pharmaceutical exposures,” Kennedy said.
“At President Trump’s urging, NIH (the National Institute of Health), FDA (the Food and Drug Administration), the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), and CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) are turning over every stone to identify the (causes) of the autism epidemic and how patients and parents can prevent and reverse this alarming trend,” Kennedy said.
BREAKING: Secret Service Arrests Man Who Endangered Trump by Pointing Laser at Marine One– conservativeroof.com Source Link Excerpt:
The U.S. Secret Service has arrested a man in the nation’s capitol for allegedly pointing a laser at Marine One while President Donald Trump was on board, an incident the agency said could have resulted in a midair collision.
In an affidavit on Sept. 22 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, a Secret Service agent said he encountered the suspect, identified as Jacob Samuel Winkler, in the early hours of Sept. 20 while patrolling the secure area near Constitution Avenue NW. At the time, Marine One was airborne, carrying the president southbound from the White House South Grounds and crossing over The Ellipse.
The agent reported seeing the suspect walking shirtless along the south sidewalk of Constitution Avenue, “talking to himself and being loud.” Because the area was poorly lit, the agent shone a flashlight on him. In apparent retaliation, Winkler allegedly pointed a red laser at the agent’s face, briefly disorienting him. As this occurred, Marine One flew low and directly above where the two stood.
“The rotor noise was loud, and the aircraft appeared large overhead,” the agent wrote. The agent said that as he approached, Winkler looked up, aimed the same red laser pointer toward Marine One, and activated the beam.
Doing so posed “a risk of flash blindness and pilot disorientation,” particularly during low-level flight near the Washington Monument, as well as other helicopters operated by the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Park Police, the agent told the judge.
Trump’s H-1B visa fee sparks chaos and confusion among Chinese talents in the U.S.– www.cnbc.com Source Link Excerpt:
A Chinese student wearing a New York marathon t-shirt walks at Beijing Foreign Studies University in Beijing on May 29, 2025.
Anger and confusion gripped Chinese professionals in the U.S. after White House leader Donald Trump slapped hefty fees on new work visas, deepening anxiety among those seeking to build careers stateside.
Last Friday, the Trump administration said that it would ask companies to pay $100,000 for new H-1B visa applicants. A slew of tech firms and banks including Microsoft, JPMorgan and Amazon responded to the announcements by advising employees holding the H-1B visas to stay in the country.
The White House has now clarified that the new rule only applies to new H-1B applicants, not to current visa holders or to those seeking to renew their permits.
While the U.S. government may cash in on a windfall from the visa fee hike in the near term, the new policy will almost certainly deter Chinese students from pursuing a degree or career in the U.S., said Xinbo Wu, director of Fudan University’s Center for American Studies in Shanghai.
India was the largest beneficiary of H-1B visas last year, accounting for 71% of approved visa holders, with China as a distant second at 11.7%, according to the U.S. homeland security data.
Trump, Eye On Central Asia, Clinches $12B In Deals With Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan– www.rferl.org Source Link Excerpt:
US President Donald Trump has clinched $12 billion in trade deals with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan amid a push to deepen economic ties with the strategic Central Asian region.
Uzbekistan agreed to buy 22 787 airplanes from Chicago-based Boeing for more than $8 billion, Trump said in a September 22 post on Truth Social.
“We will continue to work together on many more items!” Trump said in the post.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan signed an agreement to buy 300 US locomotives as well as other rail equipment from Pennsylvania-based Wabtec Corporation for $4.2 billion. The US Commerce Department described it as the largest rail deal in U.S. history.
“This landmark deal advances US manufacturing jobs and accelerates growth, opportunity, and connectivity in America and Central Asia,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said during a signing ceremony in New York with Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev.
Trump earlier in the day spoke by phone with Toqaev, who is in the United States to attend the UN General Assembly.
Trump is seeking to strengthen trade and investment ties with resource-rich Central Asia as he focuses on ending US dependence on China for critical minerals, including rare earths.
Trump says US would defend NATO’s eastern flank if Russia escalates – RBC-Ukraine Source Link Excerpt:
The US will help defend Poland if Russia keeps escalating, Trump told the media.
Journalists asked Trump whether the US would defend Poland and the Baltic states — Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia — if Russian leader Vladimir Putin continues to escalate.
“Yeah, I would. I would,” Trump said.
Commenting on a recent incident in which Russian fighter jets violated Estonia’s airspace, Trump reiterated, “We don’t like it.”
US again vetoes UN Security Council Gaza ceasefire call– www.channelnewsasia.com Source Link Excerpt:
UNITED NATIONS: The United States on Thursday (Sep 18) again wielded its veto and thwarted a UN Security Council call for a ceasefire in Gaza, shielding its ally Israel from meaningful diplomatic pressure.
The vote came as Israeli tanks and jets pounded Gaza City, the target of a major new ground offensive, forcing Palestinians to flee south.
The resolution text seen by AFP had demanded “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties” as well as the immediate and unconditional release of hostages.
The US has repeatedly rejected that approach multiple times, most recently in June when it used its veto to back Israel.
This was the sixth time the US had cast a veto in the Security Council over the nearly two-year war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas.
“Let this resolution send a clear message, a message that the Security Council is not turning its back on starving civilians, on the hostages and the demand for a ceasefire,” Denmark’s UN ambassador Christina Lassen said ahead of the vote.
“A generation risks being lost not only to war – but to hunger and despair. Meanwhile, Israel has expanded its military operation in Gaza City, further deepening the suffering of civilians as a result.
“It is this catastrophic situation, this humanitarian and human failure that has compelled us to act today.”
Trump used ‘golden share’ to block U.S. Steel’s production halt plan: WSJ– japantoday.com Source Link Excerpt:
The U.S. government blocked United States Steel Corp’s plan to shut down production at a plant in the Midwest, resorting to its new authority over the company, which has been acquired by Nippon Steel Corp, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
As part of the $14.1 billion takeover deal of the iconic yet struggling American steelmaker by the Japanese company that was finalized in June, the U.S. government was granted a “golden share” that gives it veto power over key management decisions.
According to the newspaper, U.S. Steel notified workers in Granite City in the state of Illinois two weeks ago that plant operations would cease in November. Nippon Steel said it would continue to pay the mill’s nearly 800 employees despite the closure.
But U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick reportedly called U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt and told him that the administration would not allow operations to cease, and President Donald Trump would invoke the “golden share” authority over plant operations.
U.S. Steel therefore reversed its plan and said that Granite City Works will continue rolling steel slabs into sheet steel, according to the WSJ.
U.S. Steel told Kyodo News that the company is “pleased to have found a solution to continue slab consumption at Granite City,” noting that its goal was to “maintain flexibility.”
An official of Nippon Steel declined to comment on the production halt plan and the involvement of the U.S. government.
“We are not in a feud with the U.S. administration,” the official said.
Trump Threatens Afghanistan With ‘Bad Things’ If Bagram Not Handed Back To US– www.rferl.org Source Link Excerpt:
US President Donald Trump threatened Afghanistan with unspecified “bad things” if it doesn’t turn the massive Bagram Air Base outside Kabul back to United States, an action previously rejected by the country’s Taliban rulers.
“If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN,” Trump said on September 20 in a Truth Social post.
Asked by reporters at the White House whether he would consider sending troops to recapture the facility, Trump said only that “we won’t talk about that.”
“We’re talking now to Afghanistan, and we want it back and we want it back soon, right away. And if they don’t do it — if they don’t do it, you’re going to find out what I’m gonna do,” he told reporters.
The remarks come after Trump on September 18 said the United States was attempting to get Bagram Air Base back from Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, citing the extremist group’s need for US help and the facility’s proximity to China’s nuclear assets.
“We’re trying to get it back because they [Taliban rulers] need things from us,” Trump said without being specific during a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London.
Store in Germany declares Jews banned to protest Israel actions in Gaza– www.foxnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
A German shop owner in the northern city of Flensburg posted a sign on Wednesday that Jews are banned from entering his store, sparking outrage among state officials in Schleswig-Holstein.
Hans-Velten Reisch, the 60-year-old owner of the store that sells Gothic-Utensils and technical literature, posted a sign that reads, “Jews are banned from entering here! Nothing personal. No antisemitism. Just can’t stand you.”
Germany’s largest daily newspaper, Bild, reported on Thursday that Reisch defended his anti-Jewish sign. He told the paper that “I watch the news every evening. And when I saw what the Jews were doing in the Gaza Strip, I lost my temper and printed out the poster.”
