Trump wraps momentous Middle East trip with economic deals, Syria sanctions relief and warning to Iran
President Donald Trump on Friday wrapped up a momentous week in the Middle East and is headed home having finished the final leg of his three-nation trip to the UAE. While the trip, which first included stops in Saudi Arabia and then Qatar, was expected to be largely economically focused with massive investment deals secured with Riyadh, Doha and Abu Dhabi, the president also made geopolitical shockwaves by lifting decades-long sanctions on Syria, issuing another warning to Iran, and downplaying hard fought peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, which Moscow confirmed at the last moment would not be attended by Russian President Valdimir Putin. Here’s a look at what happened this week: TRUMP SIGNS ‘STRATEGIC ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP’ WITH SAUDI ARABIA Ahead of his trip to the Gulf, the president said he intended to return home with at least $1 trillion in trade and investment deals – though he far outstripped this apparent goal. While in Saudi Arabia, Trump signed a $600 billion “strategic economic partnership” agreement with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which will see Riyadh invest in U.S. AI data centers and energy infrastructure, investment in “cutting-edge transformative technologies in both countries” and a whopping $142 billion defense package – which the White House claimed is the “largest defense sales agreement in history.” The president suggested the deal could near $1 trillion in the months to come and generate up to 2 million U.S. jobs. Trump also secured a big deal in Qatar with a $1.2 trillion “economic exchange” with Doha that included a purchase of 210 Boeing jets by state-owned Qatar Airways for $96 billion, as well as energy infrastructure agreements and an investment in state-of-the-art quantum technologies and workforce development.” The deal in Qatar was overshadowed by the controversial announcement that Qatar wanted to “gift” Trump a new Air Force One jet. The president also expanded on a $1.4 trillion deal brokered with the UAE in March and announced an additional $200 billion “in commercial deals” between Washington and Abu Dhabi. TRUMP OFFERS IRAN CHOICE: DROP NUCLEAR WEAPONS OR FACE ‘MAXIMUM PRESSURE’ Trump addressed one major geopolitical issue not only plaguing Washington’s politics but the Middle East as a whole – Iran and its pursuit of a nuclear weapon. While nations like Saudi Arabia have long stood in opposition to Iran and its support of state-sponsored terrorism, the UAE and Qatar have increasingly looked to normalize relations with Tehran in an effort to stabilize the region. But Trump used his visit to hone in on Washington’s determination to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon. “If Iran’s leadership rejects the olive branch and continues to attack their neighbors, then we will have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure,” Trump said during an address in Saudi Arabia. “The choice is theirs to make.” Trump harshly criticized Iran’s leadership and Iranian representatives did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions over whether the president’s rhetoric could negatively impact the negotiations. “If only the Iranian regime had focused on building their nation up instead of tearing the region down,” Trump said. “Yet I’m here today not merely to condemn the past chaos of Iran’s leaders, but to offer them a new path and a much better path toward a far better and more hopeful future. “In the case of Iran, I have never believed in having permanent enemies,” he added. TRUMP ASKS SYRIA TO JOIN ABRAHAM ACCORDS, NORMALIZE TIES WITH ISRAEL IN RETURN FOR SANCTIONS RELIEF Trump took the international community by surprise, including some in his administration, according to reports, when he announced the U.S. would reverse a decades-old policy of sanctions on Syria. The U.S. first implemented sanctions on Damascus in 1979 when it designated it a State Sponsor of Terrorism. But following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime and the takeover by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham – which is a U.S. and U.N.-designated terrorist organization – Trump argued on Wednesday the country should be given a chance to recover. “We are currently exploring normalizing relations with Syria’s new government,” Trump said. Trump met with Syria’s leader, President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia and confirmed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would also meet with the Syrian foreign minister in Turkey this week. “I am also ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria to give them a fresh start. It gives them a chance for greatness, as the sanctions were really crippling,” he added. “It’s not going to be easy,” Trump said in reference to rebuilding Syria and addressing the ongoing fighting that still persists in the country. “It gives them a good, strong chance. And it was my honor to do so.” TRUMP TO SKIP RUSSIA-UKRAINE PEACE TALKS, CALLS ZELENSKYY THE ‘GREATEST SALESMAN, MAYBE IN HISTORY’ Trump raised eyebrows earlier this week when he made the surprise announcement that he was considering traveling to Turkey from the UAE to participate in the Ukraine-Russia peace talks. But Russia refused to say whether Putin would in fact be traveling to Ankara, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had intended to visit to start hashing out a solution to end Russia’s three-year-long invasion. On Thursday, the Kremlin confirmed Putin would not participate in peace negotiations, which renewed questions over his seriousness in ending the war. However, Trump downplayed Putin’s refusal to participate in the talks and suggested it was due to a schedule miscommunication. “Look, nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I get together. OK?” Trump said apparently annoyed over the question as to whether he was disappointed Putin would not participate in the talks. “He was going to go, but he thought I was going to go. He wasn’t going if I wasn’t there. “I don’t believe anything’s going to happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together” he added, suggesting the Thursday talks in Ankara are not expected to accomplish much. “But we’re going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying.” Despite Qatar being a leading player
Dem gubernatorial candidate blasted for meltdown over ‘shocking’ ICE arrest of 2 criminal illegal aliens
FIRST ON FOX: Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger is facing pushback from both her opponent and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after condemning the “shocking” execution of an ICE raid at a Virginia courthouse earlier this month that netted two criminal illegal immigrants. “I think what we’ve seen most shocking, including here in Charlottesville, has been cases where people haven’t provided identification and have been in some cases masked and in plain clothes,” Spanberger, a former Democratic congresswoman and former intelligence officer, told the Daily Progress last month after an ICE raid at Albemarle County Courthouse led to the arrest of two illegal immigrants. “I’m a former federal agent, and I used to work narcotics cases and money laundering cases,” she said. “I have been on so many arrest warrants and search warrants at the crack of dawn and at all hours of the day, and identifying yourself, demonstrating who you are, making clear to a community member — even someone you are about to put handcuffs on, even when you enter a home, in a stack, lined up, guns drawn, yelling, ‘Police!’ — you show your badge, you show your credentials, you show your warrant.” The raid that Spanberger took issue with resulted in the arrest of two illegal immigrants who DHS told Fox News Digital had criminal records. FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN TURNED VA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE ABIGAIL SPANBERGER ACCUSED OF ETHICS VIOLATION Teodoro Dominguez-Rodriguez, a Honduran national, was described by DHS as a “violent illegal alien” with “multiple arrests for assault and battery as well as an outstanding order of protection against him.” Pablo Aparicio Marcelino, a Mexican national, was also described by DHS as a “criminal illegal alien” with “multiple arrests for failing to stop at the scene of an accident, driving without a license, and driving under the influence.” Spanberger’s questions about the process of arresting the two foreign nationals drew pushback from her opponent in the race for governor, Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. “Abigail Spanberger’s outrage over criminal illegal immigrants being taken off our streets is everything Virginians need to know about what kind of governor she’d be — criminals first, victims last,” Earle-Sears press secretary Peyton Vogel told Fox News Digital. VIRGINIA’S YOUNGKIN ENDORSES WINSOME EARLE-SEARS FOR GOVERNOR “She created this mess when she voted in Washington to keep criminal migrants here, and now she wants to stand in the way of cleaning it up.” A Spanberger spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the Virginia Democrat supports arresting criminal illegal immigrants but believes the ICE agents acted improperly. “Abigail believes that violent criminals who are in the United States illegally should not be allowed to stay and that immigration enforcement should be focused on removing these individuals,” the spokesperson said. “As a former federal law enforcement officer who worked narcotics cases, Abigail executed warrants and arrested criminals. And as Abigail made clear to the Daily Progress, she made these arrests in uniform, displaying her badge and arrest warrant to those taken into custody.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended raids at courthouses, saying it is “common sense.” “It conserves valuable law enforcement resources because they already know where a target will be. It is also safer for our officers and the community. These illegal aliens have gone through security and been screened to not have any weapons. Secretary Noem is empowering law enforcement to use common sense to remove criminal illegal aliens from American communities.” McLaughlin also pushed back on Spanberger’s suggestion that the ICE agents did not properly identify themselves. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “When our heroic law enforcement officers conduct operations, they clearly identify themselves as police while wearing masks to protect themselves from being targeted by known and suspected terrorist sympathizers,” McLaughlin said. “It is interesting that the media who are so concerned with our law enforcement officers wearing masks to protect themselves don’t say a word about the terrorist sympathizers on U.S. college campuses who cowardly wear masks as they do the bidding of terrorist organizations that relish the killing of Americans and Jews.” Earle-Sears, endorsed by the term-limited Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, will square off against Spanberger this November to determine the next governor of the commonwealth. Immigration has been a prominent topic in the race, including in the first ad that the lieutenant governor dropped, which criticized Spanberger over her past opposition to a border wall. A Spanberger spokesperson at the time called the ad a “distraction attempt,” adding that Spanberger “led bipartisan bills that were signed into law by both President Trump and President Biden to disrupt fentanyl trafficking at our ports of entry, combat Mexican cartels and secure our borders.”
Dem says it’s ‘obvious now to me’ that Biden ‘was not in a condition to run for reelection’
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., has noted that it is now “obvious” to him that then-President Joe Biden “was not in a condition to run for re-election.” “To rebuild trust, Democrats must be honest. In light of the facts that have come out, Joe Biden should not have run for reelection, and we should have had an open primary,” Khanna said in an X post when sharing the link to his appearance on Fox News Channel’s “The Story.” “In my limited public interactions with the President, he appeared coherent. It is obvious now to me, based on @jaketapper and others reporting, that he was not in a condition to run for reelection, and he should have made the decision not to. We must be honest with people about our party’s mistake,” Khanna added in another post. DEM SENATOR SAYS ‘NO DOUBT’ BIDEN DECLINED COGNITIVELY DURING PRESIDENCY During his appearance on “The Story,” Khanna said that the Democratic Party should admit to making a “mistake” and should have more strongly called for Biden not to seek re-election. Fox News Channel’s Martha MacCallum confronted Khanna with multiple clips of his own comments about Biden, such as when Khanna described him as “fully coherent” in 2024. After several clips of Khanna aired, MacCallum asked the congressman whether he was being truthful in his past comments about Biden. JAKE TAPPER’S PAST COVERAGE OF BIDEN’S COGNITIVE DECLINE UNDER SCRUTINY AHEAD OF HIS NEW BOOK “I was,” Khanna said, but he also admitted that he did not “have the full picture.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Office of Joe and Jill Biden but did not receive a response by the time of publication. JOE AND JILL BIDEN FIRE BACK ON ‘THE VIEW’ AGAINST ACCUSATIONS OF HEALTH COVER-UP, CALL STORIES ‘WRONG’ During an appearance on “The View” earlier this month, the former president pushed back against the notion that he suffered significant cognitive decline during his last year in office.
India’s Sudarshan Chakra: How much does it cost to fire missile from S-400? The price will SHOCK you!
In DGMO Rajiv Ghai’s words, “The activities that have been going on for the last 3-4 days are no less than a war.” But do you know how much it costs for S-400 to fire one missile at a time?
Rajnath Singh lauds IAF over ‘Operation Sindoor’: ‘Jitni der mein nashta pani hota hai, utni der mein…’
In a rousing address at the Bhuj airforce, union defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday, i.e., May 16, hailed the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) successful ‘Operation Sindoor’, declaring to the world that the military operation crushed terrorism and showcased India’s ability in the defence sector.
Top traders vow not to do business with Turkey, Azerbaijan, they say…
In the wake of India-Pakistan clashes, trade leaders have appealed to the Indian film Industry not to undertake shooting of any film in Turkey or Azerbaijan and if any shooting is done, the business community and the people would boycott such films.
Trump says US has given Iran proposal for nuclear deal
President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. has given Iran a proposal for a nuclear deal. “Yeah they have a proposal, but more importantly, they know they have to move quickly or something bad, something bad is going to happen,” Trump said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned this week that the United States is facing a critical moment with Iran to curb its efforts to develop a nuclear weapon and limit its uranium enrichment. U.S. and Iranian officials have held four rounds of talks, primarily in Oman, since Trump took office to address Tehran’s nuclear program. The International Atomic Energy Agency, often referred to as the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, noted in a March report that Iran’s stockpile of 60% enriched uranium had alarmingly grown from 182 kg to 275 kg, approximately 401 pounds to 606 pounds, in early 2025. “Once you’re at 60, you’re 90% of the way there. You are, in essence, a threshold nuclear weapons state, which is what Iran basically has become,” Rubio said Thursday on “Hannity”. “They are at the threshold of a nuclear weapon. If they decided to do so, they could do so very quickly. If they stockpile enough of that 60 percent enriched, they could very quickly turn it into 90 and weaponize it. That’s the danger we face right now. That’s the urgency here,” he said. The president also said Thursday in the United Arab Emirates that the U.S. and Iran have “sort of” agreed to terms on a nuclear deal. “Iran has sort of agreed to the terms. They’re not going to make — I call it, in a friendly way — nuclear dust,” Trump told reporters. “We’re not going to be making any nuclear dust in Iran.” Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Blue state congressman ditches Dem playbook, seeks to codify Trump’s latest executive order
EXCLUSIVE: While Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., has been a vocal opponent of President Donald Trump‘s tariff and deportation policies, the president’s latest executive order targeting prescription drug prices inspired the Silicon Valley congressman to trade political disses for diplomacy. Khanna proposed legislation on Wednesday to codify Trump’s executive order aimed at lowering drug prices, and the Democrat is urging his Republican colleagues to follow his lead, reaching across the aisle to deliver for everyday Americans. “President Trump’s executive order says that Americans should pay the least price. We should not pay any more than people are paying in countries overseas. Then, it gives the Cabinet secretaries the ability to go after Big Pharma companies that are price-gouging. Now, he tried something similar in his previous administration. Big Pharma sued him, it got tied up in courts, nothing happened. That’s why we need Congress to act. I have introduced something that codifies President Trump’s language, and I’m hoping we get a Republican co-sponsor,” Khanna told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. As Democrats search for party unity after losing the White House, the Senate and failing to regain the House of Representatives last year, Democrats have gravitated toward an outright rejection of the Trump administration, as depicted through ongoing protests. Khanna, however, said he does not mind if Trump “gets a political win” if it benefits the American people. REP RO KHANNA TEES UP 2028 RIVALRY DURING POINTED SPEECH IN JD VANCE’S HOME STATE “If Donald Trump says that’s something that’s good for the American people, I’m not going to oppose it just for political points,” Khanna said. DEM RISING STAR EYES VANCE AS KEY LONG-TERM THREAT: ‘NEEDS TO BE DEFEATED’ Khanna is considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate and, like many ambitious Democrats, has crisscrossed the United States this year, bringing his vision for America to the national conversation. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Mich., also expected to harbor 2028 ambitions, faced some flack within the party this year for engaging directly with Trump to deliver for Michiganders. “If Donald Trump has a good idea that’s going to help the American people, we should work with him. If we have a philosophical disagreement, we shouldn’t. But the barometer for me, the test case is, is this helping people? Is this something that I think is going to help this country? Where I have philosophical disagreements, I speak up. But when I think that it is good legislation, I am willing to support him. And I don’t care, like some people, if he gets a political win. So much of politics is, ‘Oh, we don’t want to give the other side a political win.’ For all I care, he can have a great political win if the American public gets lower drug prices,” Khanna told Fox News Digital. While Khanna said he has not communicated with Trump directly about codifying his executive order, he delivered a now-viral House floor speech Wednesday, urging his Republican colleagues to join the bipartisan effort to lower prescription drug prices. “Are you on the side of the people, or are you on the side of the $16 billion in Big Pharma lobbyist money that was spent last year? My legislation, there’s no trick to it. It is President Trump’s idea, President Trump’s executive order, President Trump’s language into law. Every Republican should support this, and every Democrat should,” Khanna added. Ahead of Trump’s executive order signing, Khanna affirmed his support for lowering drug prices, reminding Americans that he proposed similar legislation alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., with the same goal in mind. “I just don’t understand why any Republican wouldn’t support this. It’s President Trump’s executive order, and every American agrees that prescription drug price costs are too much, that it’s so unfair that Americans are stuck with all these high bills when other countries are paying pennies on the dollar for their drugs. It’s time that Americans be treated fairly,” Khanna said. As Khanna, who was a surrogate for then-President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign in 2024, finds common ground with the current administration, he told Martha MacCallum on “The Story” Wednesday that Biden should not have run in 2024. “I do think it’s important that, given what has come out, that we take accountability,” Khanna said. “Obviously, he should not have run. We should be clear to say that. Obviously, there should have been an open primary. And, I don’t think that’s very difficult that Democrats should just be straight up that he should not have run, now that we have all the facts. There should have been an open primary. I think to move on and move forward, it’s important to take accountability and be straight-forward with the American people.” While Khanna said he did not have the full picture of Biden’s health and mental acuity when he defended him before the disastrous debate performance, Khanna admitted, “We should be honest as a party that we made a mistake.”
Senate candidate in hotly contested race slapped with ethics investigation
The Kentucky Executive Branch Ethics Commission decided to move forward Wednesday with an investigation into U.S. Senate candidate Daniel Cameron due to allegations dating back to July 2023 that the then-Kentucky attorney general and gubernatorial candidate solicited campaign donations from a company his office was investigating at the time. “What’s happening to me is exactly what they did to President Trump: a shameless weaponization of government to take out political opponents,” Daniel Cameron told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement. “This is the first major case of Democrat lawfare in the 2026 cycle, and the timing is no coincidence. I’m leading the GOP field by more than 20 points. It’s clear who the left fears most.” KENTUCKY SENATE RACE FOR MCCONNELL’S SEAT HEATS UP The Associated Press reported in July 2023 that an attorney representing Edgewater Recovery Centers said the organization received a call from Cameron followed by a campaign representative to organize a fundraiser. Cameron’s Kentucky attorney general’s office was investigating Edgewater Recovery Centers at the time, and the AP reported that several Edgewater executives donated $7,600 to Cameron’s gubernatorial campaign. Fox News Digital spoke on Thursday to a source close to Edgewater at the time who said as soon as details about the transactions and phone calls were made public, there was quick dissipation of any plans for a fundraiser and any campaign funds were returned almost immediately. Cameron’s current U.S. Senate campaign confirmed to Fox that Cameron recused himself from the attorney general’s office investigation into Edgewater as soon as the matter came to his attention, canceled the events and refunded checks to the executives. LESS THAN 4 MONTHS INTO TRUMP’S 2ND TERM, DEMS ARE ALREADY EYEING THE 2028 RACE Sitting Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear called for the investigation back in 2023, and his administration is now moving forward with the probe two years later. Fox News Digital also reported earlier this week that Beshear’s name could be in the mix for a possible Democratic presidential candidate in 2028. Fox News Digital reached out to Beshear’s office, but did not receive a response. CHINA DOESN’T PLAY BY THE RULES, SAYS REP. ANDY BARR The news of the investigation comes as Cameron’s campaign for former Senate Leader Mitch McConnell’s soon-vacant U.S. Senate seat is in full swing. Republican Rep. Andy Barr is the only other declared GOP candidate in the race. Fox News Digital reached out to the Kentucky Executive Branch Ethics Commission but did not receive a response.
Texas lawmakers push to enforce election transparency law after newsrooms found school districts failed to comply
ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found nearly three dozen school districts were missing required campaign finance reports online. Now lawmakers are pushing to impose steep penalties on local governments that fail to abide by the law.