Here’s what happened during President Donald Trump’s 6th week in office
The Trump administration’s efforts to broker a peace negotiation ending the war in Ukraine came to a halt Friday following a testy exchange between President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The encounter ultimately led to a canceled press conference, Trump requesting Zelenskyy to leave the White House, and the failure to sign a rare-earth minerals deal between the U.S. and Ukraine that would have allowed the U.S. access to Ukraine’s minerals. Tensions escalated in the Oval Office after Zelenskyy challenged Vance, who said that the path forward was through diplomacy. Instead, Zelenskyy issued a caution and noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin has broken other agreements in the past. “What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about?” Zelenskyy said. “What do you mean?” In response, Vance said: “I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country.” “Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media,” Vance told Zelenskyy. “Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for bringing it, to bring it into this country.” Trump also snapped at Zelenskyy and warned him that Ukraine was in “big trouble” and was “gambling with World War III.” TRUMP SAYS ZELENSKYY CAN ‘COME BACK WHEN HE IS READY FOR PEACE’ AFTER FIERY WHITE HOUSE EXCHANGE Following the encounter, Trump announced a pause to peace negotiations and said that Zelenskyy could return to the White House when he was “ready for Peace.” Additionally, Zelenskyy left the White House without signing the minerals deal. “I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations,” Trump said in a Truth Social post Friday. “I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.” Zelenskyy also followed up with a social media post on X expressing gratitude to the U.S. for its support. “Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit,” Zelenskyy said. “Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.” Despite the fallout from the meeting, Zelenskyy told Fox News’ Bret Baier on Friday that the relationship between Ukraine and the U.S. could be salvaged. Here’s what else happened at the White House this week: The Trump administration also sent a memo instructing agencies across the federal government to launch plans for “large-scale reductions in force” and construct reorganization plans by mid-March. The White House’s Office of Management and Budget and Office of Personnel Management sent a memo on Wednesday ordering agencies to prepare to cut staffers and share reorganization plans by March 13. “The federal government is costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt,” the memo said. “At the same time, it is not producing results for the American public.” Several federal government roles are exempt from the order, including those “necessary to meet law enforcement, border security, national security, immigration enforcement, or public safety responsibilities,” according to the memo. Trump held his second administration’s first meeting with Cabinet members Wednesday, where he shared plans to massively cut the Environmental Protection Agency and seek to retrieve military equipment left in Afghanistan. Trump revealed that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is eyeing cutting 65% of federal employees from the agency. WORLD LEADERS BACK ZELENKSYY FOLLOWING TRUMP, VANCE OVAL OFFICE SPAT “I spoke with Lee Zeldin, and he thinks he’s going to be cutting 65 or so percent of the people from Environmental, and we’re going to speed up the process too at the same time,” Trump said. “He had a lot of people that weren’t doing their job, they were just obstructionists, and a lot of people that didn’t exist.” Trump also shared that he wanted back the military equipment U.S. troops left behind when withdrawing from Afghanistan, but didn’t share plans on how the U.S. would retrieve the equipment. “We left billions, tens of billions of dollars worth of equipment behind, brand new trucks,” Trump said Wednesday. “You see them display it every year, or their little roadway, someplace where they have a road and they drive the, you know, waving the flag and talking about America … that’s all the top of the line stuff. I think we should get a lot of that equipment back.” The Taliban seized most of the more than $7 billion worth of equipment U.S. troops left in Afghanistan at the time of the withdrawal in August 2021, according to a Department of Defense report released in 2022. Trump signed an executive order Friday mandating English as the official language of the U.S. The order eradicates a previous mandate from President Bill Clinton in 2000 requiring federal agencies and recipients of federal funding to issue language assistance to those who don’t speak English. The executive order allows each federal agency to determine whether it will offer services in languages besides English. The U.S. is an anomaly in that it has never had an official language, whereas roughly 180 countries out of the 195 countries in the world have official languages, a White House official told Fox News Digital. Fox News’ Emma Colton and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Blame game intensifies in Congress as government shutdown threat inches closer
Democrats and Republicans in Congress are gearing up to blame each other for a potential partial government shutdown next month, even as negotiations to avoid the pitfall continue. “The federal government will run out of money on March 14. Republicans, who control Congress and thus decide whether the government shuts down, will bring to the floor tomorrow arguably one of the worst budget bills ever,” Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, wrote on X recently. With just over 10 days left in session before the deadline, congressional Republicans are tentatively looking at passing a short-term extension of last year’s federal funding, known as a continuing resolution (CR), while potentially modifying it to account for priorities set by President Donald Trump, Fox News Digital was told. It could also include extra funding for military readiness to ease defense hawks’ concerns. BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS Trump himself weighed in on Truth Social on Thursday night: “We are working very hard with the House and Senate to pass a clean, temporary government funding Bill (“CR”) to the end of September. Let’s get it done!” But Republicans have drawn a red line at Democrats’ demands for added assurances that Trump will not move to unilaterally cut cash flows already appropriated by Congress. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., said in a closed-door GOP meeting last week that the Democrats’ price was too high, a lawmaker at the meeting told Fox News Digital. On Friday, the top two Democratic negotiators released a blistering statement accusing Republicans of “walking away from bipartisan negotiations to fund the government — and raising the risk of a shutdown in so doing.” And Democratic lawmakers for weeks have already been positioning to place the blame on Republicans if no agreement is reached. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., dodged a question from Fox News Digital earlier this week about whether Democratic leaders would encourage their members to reject a funding bill if it did not meet their demands. “The appropriations process at this moment is in the hands of [House Appropriations Committee ranking member Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn.] on behalf of House Democrats,” he said. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote on X this week, “Republicans are spending precious time trying to cater to the wishes of Trump’s billionaire buddies INSTEAD OF working to avoid a disastrous government shutdown that would hurt tens of millions of American families. Democrats are fighting for families.” Since Republicans took back control of the House in 2023, any government funding bill that’s been signed into law has needed Democratic support in both chambers to pass. But this year, some Democrats are arguing that Republicans will fully own a shutdown, since they now control both chambers of Congress and the White House. KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN Republicans, however, have accused Democrats of being unreasonable and are readying to blame them if a shutdown occurs. “If that happens, that’s because the Democrats do not want to do the necessary work of getting waste and inefficiency out of our government,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., told Fox News’ Bill Hemmer. House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., suggested liberals were still playing hardball earlier this week during his weekly press conference. “If they are interested in collaborating with us and us putting up votes to fund government, then they have to work with us. If they walk away, that is a signal that they have this on their own… We’re not interested in putting up votes just because,” he said. “We’re interested in funding a government that protects vulnerable populations, protects our communities, makes investments in our national security and defense. Those are the things that Democrats care about. If Republicans don’t want to partner with us, then, clearly they must have a strategy to fund this on their own, using their own votes.” Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Democrats “are at the table negotiating in good faith to fund the government.” “But Republicans are the majority in the House and Senate. If they want our votes, they need to work with us,” she said, warning Republicans not to “follow [Elon Musk] toward a shutdown.”
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Texas lawmaker proposes bill to ban gender transition treatment for everyone, including adults
A Texas state lawmaker introduced legislation that would amend the state’s ban on gender transition procedures or treatment for minors to also apply to adults in the Lone Star State. H.B. 3399 filed by Rep. Brent Money, a Republican, would change the language in the current law banning gender-transitioning procedures or treatment for children by replacing the word “child” with “person.” Money’s proposal would prohibit medical procedures “for the purpose of transitioning a person’s biological sex” or “affirming the person’s perception of the person’s sex” if the perception is not consistent with the person’s biological sex. PENTAGON SAYS TRANSGENDER TROOPS ARE DISQUALIFIED FROM SERVICE WITHOUT AN EXCEPTION Surgeries and puberty-blocking drugs would be banned for all Texans under the bill, with exceptions for a doctor prescribing puberty-blocking drugs to a child with parental consent to normalize puberty and for surgery on a person born with a “verifiable genetic disorder of sex development.” People who have already started puberty-blocking medications must be weaned off the drugs in a “medically appropriate” manner that “minimizes the risk of complications.” Texas has an estimated 93,000 transgender adults, making it the state with the third-most, behind only California and Florida, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA’s School of Law. About 30,000 Texans between the ages of 13 and 18 are transgender, also making it the state with the third-most, behind California and New York. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed a bill in 2023 banning gender-transitioning treatment for transgender youth after the measure was approved by the state legislature. The law was challenged in the Texas Supreme Court, with the lawsuit that sought to block the law arguing that the ban has devastating consequences for transgender teenagers who are unable to obtain treatment recommended by their doctors and parents, according to Fox 7. WASHINGTON TEEN REFUSES TO COMPETE AGAINST TRANS BASKETBALL PLAYER, FACES CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLAINT But the court upheld the ban last summer in an 8-1 decision. Only one justice dissented, saying the state Supreme Court was allowing the state to “legislate away fundamental parental rights.” Texas is one of at least 25 states with laws restricting or banning gender-transitioning treatment for transgender minors.
What are the implications of the PKK leader’s call to disband?
The jailed founder and leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, calls on the group to disband. That follows four decades of fighting with Turkiye, costing 40,000 lives. So, why is this coming now and what impact could it have on Turkiye – and the region? Presenter: Nick Clark Guests: Omer Ozkizilcik – Non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Program and director of Turkish studies at the Omran Center for Strategic Studies HA Hellyer – Senior fellow in geopolitics, international security and Middle East studies at the Royal United Services Institute, a defence and security think tank Mohammed Salih – Non-resident senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and Kurdish affairs specialist Adblock test (Why?)
World reacts after Donald Trump, JD Vance berate Ukraine’s Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with United States President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, ended abruptly after the two leaders clashed in a heated exchange over Russia’s war against Kyiv. At the Oval Office on Friday, Trump and his vice president, JD Vance, berated Zelenskyy for being “disrespectful” and not thanking the US enough for its support. “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people,” Trump shouted. “You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country – this country.” Zelenskyy, who was meeting with Trump to convince him not to side with Russian President Vladimir Putin and discuss possible US security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, told Trump that there would be “no compromises with a killer on our territory”. As the Ukrainian leader left the White House shortly after the verbal match, Trump took to the Truth Social social media app, which he owns, to write that Zelenskyy was not “ready for peace if America is involved”. Advertisement “He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for peace,” he added. Zelenskyy posted on X after the meeting to thank the US for its support. “Thank you POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that,” he wrote. US President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House [Brian Snyder/Reuters] Here is how some world leaders reacted to the heated dispute: Russia Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of the Russian Security Council, wrote on Telegram that Trump had given Ukraine a “strong slap on the wrist”. “For the first time, Trump told the cocaine clown the truth to his face: The Kyiv regime is playing with the Third World War. And the ungrateful pig received a strong slap on the wrist from the owners of the pigsty. This is useful. But it’s not enough – we must stop military aid to the Nazi machine,” said Medvedev, who is also a former Russian president. Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, also praised Trump for showing “restraint” with the Ukrainian leader, whom she called a “scumbag”. “I think Zelenskyy’s biggest lie of all his lies was his assertion in the White House that the Kyiv regime in 2022 was alone, without support,” she wrote on Telegram. “How Trump and Vance held back from hitting that scumbag is a miracle of restraint.” European Union EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted a message of solidarity with Zelenskyy, writing on X: “Your dignity honors the bravery of the Ukrainian people. Be strong, be brave, be fearless.” Advertisement The bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, meanwhile, said it was clear that “the free world needs a new leader”. “Ukraine is Europe! We stand by Ukraine,” she said in a social media post. “We will step up our support to Ukraine so that they can continue to fight back [against] the aggressor,” she added. “Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.” France French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters in Portugal that Russia is the “aggressor” in the Ukraine war and Ukrainians are the “aggressed people”.“I think we were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago, and to continue to do so. We, that is the United States of America, the Europeans, the Canadians, the Japanese and many others,” Macron said. “And we must thank all those who have helped and respect those who have been fighting since the beginning. Because they are fighting for their dignity, their independence, their children and the security of Europe. These are simple things, but they’re good to remember at times like these, that’s all,” he added. Germany Outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, “Ukraine can rely on Germany and on Europe.” “No one wants peace more than the citizens of Ukraine! That is why we are jointly seeking the path to a lasting and just peace,” he said. Johann Wadephul, a top legislator from incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s party, also backed Ukraine. “The scenes from the White House are shocking,” he wrote on X. “How can you stab the president of an invaded country in the back like this? Free Europe will not betray Ukraine!” Advertisement United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with both Trump and Zelenskyy following their public fallout. According to a Downing Street statement, Starmer said he is looking forward to “hosting international leaders on Sunday, including President Zelenskyy”. “He retains his unwavering support for Ukraine and is playing his part to find a path forward to a lasting peace, based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine,” the statement said. Norway Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere condemned the events in the White House as “serious and disheartening”. “Ukraine still needs the US’s support, and Ukraine’s security and future are also important to the US and to Europe. “President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has strong support in Ukraine, broad support in Europe, and he has led his people through a very demanding and brutal time, under attack from Russia. That Trump accuses Zelenskyy of gambling with World War III is deeply unreasonable and a statement I distance myself from,” he said in a statement to Norwegian TV2. Poland Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X: “Dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone.” Spain Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also expressed solidarity with Ukraine. “Ukraine, Spain stands with you,” he wrote on X. Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni proposed a meeting between the US and European leaders to reaffirm their bonds. “A summit without delay is needed between the United States, European states and their allies to talk frankly about how we intend to tackle today’s major challenges, starting with Ukraine, which together we have defended in recent years,” Meloni, a right-wing leader, said in a statement. Advertisement Her deputy meanwhile expressed support for
Trump cuts talks short with Zelenskyy after heated meeting
NewsFeed US President Donald Trump cuts talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy short after a contentious meeting at the White House. They had been expected to sign a deal for US access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. Instead, Zelenskyy left early. Published On 28 Feb 202528 Feb 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
‘Go to sleep…’: Agra techie’s sister allegedly told wife to let him be after latter said he might end his life
Manav Sharma, a techie working at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), was found hanging in his home on Monday (February 24). His sister found the video on his phone two days after his death. Police have registered a case based on a complaint filed by Manav’s family.
Trump staffers load boxes of items seized by FBI in 2022 Mar-a-Lago raid onto Air Force One
President Donald Trump reclaimed items seized during a 2022 raid on his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, which was executed by former special counsel Jack Smith. Trump staff members were seen loading boxes onto Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews Friday after the Department of Justice (DOJ) returned them to the president’s possession. “The Department of Justice has just returned the boxes that Deranged Jack Smith made such a big deal about. They are being brought down to Florida and will someday be part of the Trump Presidential Library,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social Friday evening. “Justice finally won out. I did absolutely nothing wrong. This was merely an attack on a political opponent that, obviously, did not work well. Justice in our Country will now be restored.” JUDGE UNSEALS FBI FILES IN TRUMP CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS CASE, INCLUDING DETAILED TIMELINE OF MAR-A-LAGO RAID The FBI agents seized 33 boxes of documents in August 2022 from Mar-a-Lago, spurring a legal battle that Trump has called a “scam.” Former Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith to oversee the investigation, resulting in 40 felony counts against Trump, including his alleged violation of the Espionage Act, making false statements to investigators and conspiracy to obstruct justice. The FBI at the time told a judge there was “probable cause to believe” that classified documents at Mar-a-Lago were being improperly stored and that investigators would find “evidence of obstruction.” Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges and slammed the case as an “Election Inference Scam” promoted by the Biden administration and “Deranged Jack Smith.” “The FBI is giving the President his property back that was taken during the unlawful and illegal raids,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said. “We are taking possession of the boxes today and loading them onto Air Force One.” TRUMP LAWYERS CLAIM MAR-A-LAGO SEARCH DONE WITHOUT PROBABLE CAUSE AS PROSECUTORS SLAM ‘CONSPIRACY THEORY’ Trump counselor Alina Habba told reporters during a gaggle Friday the boxes were with the FBI and contained personal items. For example, Habba said the FBI raided Trump’s son Barron’s closet and wife Melania’s closet and went through drawers, making a mockery of the justice system. She reiterated that personal items like pictures, newspaper articles and things “completely irrelevant” to lawsuits were removed from the home and are now being returned to Trump. FEDERAL JUDGE POSTPONES TRUMP’S CLASSIFIED RECORDS TRIAL WITH NO NEW DATE Returning the items to the president, she explained, brought the issue full circle. “I personally actually carried some of the boxes with the team to get them back to where they belong, which is where they were unlawfully taken from, and that is Florida,” Habba said. “So, it is truly an honor and full circle to be on this trip. “The boxes are going back, and frankly, this was a hoax, as we knew. So, I think that the biggest message in America today is that justice is going to be restored.”
Tulsi Gabbard thanks Trump for ‘unwavering leadership’ in Oval Office clash with Zelenskyy
Tulsi Gabbard, the new director of national intelligence, thanked President Donald Trump Friday for his “unwavering leadership” after his clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting in the Oval Office earlier in the day. “Thank you @realDonaldTrump for your unwavering leadership in standing up for the interests of the American people, and peace,” Gabbard wrote on X Friday evening, hours after the fiery exchange. “What you said is absolutely true: Zelensky has been trying to drag the United States into a nuclear war with Russia/WW3 for years now, and no one has.” Tensions increased during the Oval Office meeting between Trump, Zelenskyy and Vice President JD Vance about a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine after Zelenskyy said Russian President Vladimir Putin couldn’t be trusted and had breached other agreements. ZELENSKYY SPEAKS OUT AFTER PUBLIC SPAT WITH TRUMP, VANCE, SAYS DUSTUP ‘BAD FOR BOTH SIDES’ Trump and Vice President JD Vance then accused Zelenskyy of not being grateful for the support the U.S. has provided over the years and said the Ukrainian leader was in a “bad position” at the negotiating table. “You’re playing cards,” Trump said. “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III. You’re gambling with World War III. And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country.” After Vance told Zelenskyy Ukraine had manpower and military recruiting problems, Zelenskyy said war means “everybody has problems, even you,” adding the U.S. would feel the war “in the future.” “Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel,” Trump responded. “We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel.” Zelenskyy was asked to leave the White House after the exchange, a press conference was canceled and a deal for Ukraine to give the U.S. its rare earth minerals was left unsigned. Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude for America’s help after the meeting. “Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit,” he wrote on X. “Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.” The Ukrainian president told Fox News’ Bret Baier in an interview after the meeting he believes Ukrainian-U.S. ties can be salvaged. “Yes, of course, because it’s relations more than two presidents,” he said in the exclusive interview on “Special Report.” “It’s the historical relations, strong relations between our people. And that’s why I always began … to thank your people from our people. “Of course, thankful to the president and, of course, to Congress,” he said, “But, first of all, to your people … we wanted very much to have all this strong relations and where it counted. We will have it.” Zelenskyy said he was “not sure we did something bad” when asked about the heated exchange but conceded the dustup was “bad for both sides.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Trump also received support from Republicans like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said Trump was “standing up for America,” while Democrats like Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly wrote on X, “To be clear, the only winner in this shouting match in the Oval Office is Putin. Almost can’t believe this happened.”