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Trump heads to NATO summit as Europe agrees to heed his defense spending demands

Trump heads to NATO summit as Europe agrees to heed his defense spending demands

President Donald Trump, fresh off announcing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, is off to The Hague, Netherlands for the yearly summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a conference where he’s hoping to drum up another foreign policy win by pushing European leaders to increase defense spending. The president is expected to land in the Netherlands on Tuesday and return to the White House on Wednesday.  It’s Trump’s first NATO summit since becoming president for a second term. In the past, he’s railed against NATO members for “freeloading” off U.S. military protection. This time, European allies are eager to prove him wrong.  NATO reached an agreement for all nations to boost their defense spending to five percent of their gross domestic product, except Spain.  Trump initially made the demand, which is expected to be finalized at the summit.  “This summit is really about NATO’s credibility, and we are urging all of our Allies to step up to the plate and pay their fair share for transatlantic security,” U.S. NATO Ambassador Matthew Whitaker said. Spain complicated the consensus when Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez demanded an exemption from the new spending target – which would be a sharp increase from the 2 percent target Spain has had trouble meeting.  TRUMP’S WEEK AHEAD WILL INCLUDE A TRIP TO THE HAGUE TO MEET WITH NATO LEADERS AS IRAN CRISIS GROWS LARGER “We fully respect the legitimate desire of other countries to increase their defence investment, but we are not going to do it,” Sanchez said.  Trump is expected to meet with Rutte and other world leaders and hold a press conference. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also expected to attend, continuing his push for Ukraine’s admission into the alliance and its collective defense pact. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte boasted that allies were “stepping up to equal sharing of responsibility for our shared security.” Trump has said he does not think the U.S. needs to hit the 5% target. “I don’t think we should, but I think they should,” he told reporters last week.  WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE UPCOMING NATO SUMMIT: TRUMP, SPENDING, UKRAINE, IRAN The President’s time at the summit will be brief, spending approximately 24 hours on the ground. His meetings “will focus on issues of shared concern and reaffirm the United States strong ties with our allies and partners,” according to an administration official. But they come after Trump can boast of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.  “It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE (in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions!), for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.  Rutte has suggested NATO would stand behind the U.S. after Iran launched a counterstrike on its air base in Qatar, following American attacks on three Iranian nuclear sites. “My biggest fear would be for Iran to own and be able to use a nuclear weapon,” Rutte told reporters ahead of the summit. He defended the U.S. strikes on Iran after being asked about parallels between the U.S. and Russia when it invaded Ukraine in 2022.  “This is a consistent position of NATO: Iran should not have its hands on a nuclear weapon,” he said. “I would not agree that this is against international law — what the U.S. did.” Rutte had wanted the summit to be a show of NATO unity to Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. But conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran makes the conference less predictable.  The Iraq War in 2003 deeply divided NATO: France and Germany were opposed to the invasion while Britain and Spain joined the coalition forces. 

Trump front-and-center as nation’s biggest city holds primary election for mayor

Trump front-and-center as nation’s biggest city holds primary election for mayor

He’s not on the ballot, but President Donald Trump is front-and-center in the city where he was born and made his fame, as heavily blue New York City holds its Democratic Party primary for mayor. And in the nation’s most populous city, where Democrats for generations have dominated the political landscape, Trump has been the boogeyman on the mayoral campaign trail. “LA’s in chaos. Imagine it’s Times Square. Trump’s coming for New York. Who do you think can stop him?” said the narrator in an ad earlier this month by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. “Trump’s at the city gates,” the narrator in Cuomo’s ad warned. “We need someone experienced to slam them shut.” NEW YORK CITY ON HIGH ALERT AHEAD OF DEMOCRATIC MAYORAL PRIMARY AFTER U.S. STRIKES IRAN Cuomo was spotlighting the recent protests in Los Angeles, sparked by immigration raids carried out by ICE at the Trump administration’s direction, to raise warnings about Trump and showcase his own experience. The former three-term governor of New York, who resigned from office in 2021 amid multiple scandals and is now working to pull off a political comeback, was arguing that the president had “declared war” on the Big Apple and other cities across the country and suggested Trump may eventually send troops into New York City. Cuomo, who said recently that, as mayor, he’d mount a national campaign to try and thwart Trump’s agenda, vows to protect New York City from what he suggests is a possible future federal crackdown against immigration protests. And on the eve of the primary, Cuomo told a large crowd of supporters at a union hall that Democrats need to “stand strong, stand united, stand tall” against Trump.  THIS FORMER PRESIDENT BACKS ANDREW CUOMO IN NEW YORK CITY’S DEMOCRATIC MAYORAL PRIMARY It’s not just Cuomo. Most of the other candidates in the 11-candidate Democratic mayoral field have also taken aim at Trump and showcased the steps they’d take to push back against the president. And Trump was a top topic at the final primary debate earlier this month. And that was before Trump further dominated headlines this past weekend by launching military strikes against Iran. ‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’ PHRASE STIRS TENSIONS ON NYC CAMPAIGN TRAIL AS MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT RAGES While national and at times even international events and figures often impact the campaign trail in New York City, Marist University Institute for Public Opinion director Lee M. Miringoff noted that “the fact that Trump is so front-and-center is so unusual.” Cuomo’s commercial, part of what his campaign said was major ad buy, came as progressive Zohran Mamdani was surging in the latest public opinion polls, closing the gap with the more moderate former governor. Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assembly member from Queens, is a democratic socialist originally from Uganda. His primary bid was boosted earlier this month after he landed an endorsement from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive rock star and New York City’s most prominent leader on the left, and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the progressive champion and two-time Democratic presidential nominee runner-up. With multiple candidates on the left running in the primary, the endorsements by Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders aimed to consolidate the support of progressive voters behind Mamdani. AOC BACKS RISING PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE IN NYC DEM PRIMARY IN PUSH TO DEFEAT FRONTRUNNER CUOMO  The 67-year-old Cuomo, for weeks, has been questioning Mamdani’s experience leading New York City. Cuomo’s campaign has criticized Mamdani as a “dangerously inexperienced legislator” while touting that the former governor “managed a state and managed crises, from COVID to Trump.” Mamdani is also spotlighting the president, as he aims to tie Cuomo to Trump by pointing out that many of the former governor’s donors had backed Trump in last year’s presidential election. “Oligarchy is on the ballot. Andrew Cuomo is the candidate of a billionaire class that is suffocating our democracy and forcing the working class out of our city,” Mamdani’s campaign argued in an email to supporters. Trump and his administration were also in the New York City mayoral campaign spotlight last week when New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is in a distant third place in the most recent polls, was arrested in Manhattan by Department of Homeland Security agents. Lander was detained for allegedly assaulting a federal officer as he tried to escort a defendant out of an immigration court. Temperatures are forecast to reach 100 degrees in New York on Tuesday as the city holds its primary. The dangerously high temperatures may keep some older voters from heading to the polls. Because of that possibility, the heatwave could affect turnout in a race that may come down to Cuomo’s union support and campaign structure versus Mandani’s volunteer forces. New York City election officials said that more than 384,000 Democrats cast ballots in early voting, which ended on Sunday. The election is being conducted using a ranked-choice voting system in which voters rank candidates by preference on their ballots. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the lowest vote-getter is dropped, with that candidate’s votes reallocated to voters’ next-highest choices. The process is repeated until one candidate cracks 50%. Mamdani is hoping that the ranked-choice process boosts his chances against Cuomo. New York City’s primary comes as the Democratic Party works to escape from the political wilderness, following last year’s elections, when the party lost control of the White House, the Senate majority and failed to win back control of the House from the GOP. And it comes as the party works to resist Trump’s sweeping and controversial second-term agenda. Miringoff said the results of the primary will be seen as a barometer of which way the Democratic Party is headed, towards the center if Cuomo wins and towards the left if Mamdani is victorious. “Because it’s New York and it’s a very blue city and everything that happens is magnified, I think we’re going to be hearing a lot about the future of the Democratic

Exclusive: Red state updating education standards to address rise in antisemitism in schools

Exclusive: Red state updating education standards to address rise in antisemitism in schools

EXCLUSIVE: In light of the surge in conflicts in the Middle East and rising tension within the U.S., the Oklahoma Department of Education has sent a memo to all public schools within the state guiding them to “safeguard students from woke, radicalized, terrorist-sympathizing rhetoric pushed by leftist educators.” In the memo, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters said, “Oklahoma kids will be taught facts, not indoctrination.” The memo issues new guidance to Oklahoma public schools to ensure that social studies courses present instruction on Israel that is “historically grounded and balanced,” requiring instruction using primary sources, historical evidence and “guarding against antisemitic or politicized narratives.” Its new guidance instructs Oklahoma public educators to present the history of Israel and its “fight to rightly exist in the world, including the atrocities of the Holocaust and the current struggle with Iran, in a way that is historically grounded, intellectually honest, and free from antisemitic bias.” THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF HAMAS’ WAR ON ISRAEL FOR THE US AND GLOBAL SECURITY “These standards provide essential context for understanding modern threats to Jewish communities and democratic nations and require students to think critically while ensuring the instruction of Israel is historically grounded and balanced,” the memo states. This comes as antisemitic incidents have risen across the country since 2020. Tensions have risen even further following Israel’s launch of strikes against Iran and the U.S. joining in by launching strikes on three Iranian nuclear development sites on Saturday. Fox News Digital obtained a copy of the memo being sent to schools. In the memo, the Oklahoma State Department of Education points to the recent controversy in New York in which they said a state standardized exam study guide “described Zionism as a ‘colonial’ movement and included misleading references to terrorism.” The memo said that New York “serves as a staunch reminder that there exists ideology and educational materials not only distort historical fact but risk promoting ideologies that are inconsistent with Oklahoma values.” EXPERT CALLS CONTROVERSIAL UN REPORT ‘A FRIGHTENING INDICATION OF ANTISEMITISM’ “Oklahoma’s standards are designed to prevent this by setting clear expectations for content accuracy and instructional integrity,” says the memo. “The tragic events of October 7, 2023 — when Hamas militants launched a brutal surprise attack on Israeli civilians, killing over 1,200 people and taking hundreds hostage — marked a turning point in modern Middle Eastern history,” the memo states. “These developments are not just headlines, they are history in the making and highlight the urgent need for educators to present global conflicts with clarity, accuracy, and moral responsibility.” In a statement emailed to Fox News Digital, Walters touted Oklahoma’s history standards, saying they are “the best in the country” because “they are based on facts and safeguard students from woke, radicalized, terrorist-sympathizing rhetoric pushed by Leftist educators.” IRAN STRIKE ‘WORTHY’ OF NOBEL PRIZE IF SUCCESSFUL, FORMER DEMOCRATIC COUNSEL SAYS This comes amid heightened tensions in the U.S. due to the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel and President Donald Trump’s decision to launch U.S. military strikes on three Iranian nuclear development sites. Iran has vowed to retaliate and on Monday launched missiles at the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

Trump claims ceasefire reached between Israel and Iran

Trump claims ceasefire reached between Israel and Iran

United States President Donald Trump says that Iran and Israel have agreed to a “complete and total” ceasefire, which will come into effect in the coming hours. Trump’s announcement on Monday came shortly after an Iranian missile attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which houses US troops. “On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, ‘THE 12 DAY WAR,’” Trump said in a social media post. “This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will! God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and GOD BLESS THE WORLD!” Neither Israel nor Iran has confirmed the agreement. Trump’s statement suggested that Iran would stop firing at Israel hours before the Israeli military ends its operations. Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi noted that there has not been an official confirmation of the deal more than an hour after Trump’s announcement. “Just a few minutes ago, we heard the sounds of explosions related to an interception and the activation of the air defence system here across the capital,” Asadi said. “So the reality on the ground is that we are witnessing the continuation of the Israeli strikes, and that’s paving the way for further retaliatory reactions by the Iranian side.” Middle East analyst Omar Rahman told Al Jazeera that many details are missing from Trump’s announcement, including whether negotiations would follow the purported ceasefire. Advertisement Rahman accused Trump of previous “deception” on behalf of Israel. The US president had re-asserted the US commitment to diplomacy hours before Israel launched its initial attack on Iran. Last week, Trump said he would decide within two weeks whether to join Israel in the war, only to strike Iran two days later. Rahman said a major Israeli attack in the final hours, including the possible assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could blow up the deal. “If that’s the last operation, would that suddenly end the war? No, of course, not. So, I don’t know what’s in the cards,” he said. Israel launched a massive attack against Iran in the early hours of June 13, without direct provocation. Israeli officials claimed that the strikes, which killed hundreds of people, were “preemptive” and aimed at the country’s nuclear and missile programmes. In the first wave of the attacks, Israel killed several Iranian generals. Iran said the attacks were unprovoked aggression in violation of the United Nations Charter, and responded with hundreds of missiles that left widespread destruction inside Israel. On Saturday, Trump authorised US strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. Earlier on Monday, Iran launched an unprecedented missile attack at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in response to the US strikes. Trump dismissed the retaliation as “weak”, suggesting that the US would not respond. Liqaa Maki, a scholar at Al Jazeera Media Institute, said the US may be able to withstand Iranian attacks on its bases without responding if they do not cause casualties. “The US, after the important strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, needs to transform the military achievement into a political one enshrined by an agreement,” Maki told Al Jazeera Arabic after the Iranian attack. He noted that Iran still has large quantities of highly enriched uranium as well as nuclear know-how. “So in two to three years, Iran could resume its nuclear activity but without inspections. It could produce a bomb without the world noticing,” Maki said. The damage that the Iranian nuclear programme has sustained remains unclear. Iran insists that it is not pursuing a nuclear weapon, while Israel is widely believed to have an undeclared nuclear arsenal. Adblock test (Why?)