Putin expresses ‘hope’ that nuclear weapons will not be needed in Ukraine
Comments aired ahead of Putin’s three-day ceasefire, as Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says he does ‘not believe’ Russia will stick to pledge. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that there has so far been no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, expressing “hope” that they will not be required. Putin said his country had enough “strength and means” to bring the three-year war, sparked by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, to a “logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires”. His comments were part of a documentary marking his quarter century in power by state television channel Rossiya 1 that was released on Sunday. Responding to a question from journalist Pavel Zarubin about the Russian response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, Putin said: “There has been no need to use those [nuclear] weapons … and I hope they will not be required.” His comments came ahead of his unilaterally declared three-day ceasefire over May 8-10 to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany in World War II, an initiative that he claimed would test Kyiv’s readiness for long-term peace. Advertisement Moscow earlier rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire proposed by Kyiv and Washington in March. ‘No faith’ Speaking during a visit to the Czech Republic, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he did “not believe” Russia would adhere to its truce. “This is not the first challenge, nor are these the first promises made by Russia to cease fire,” he said. “Today and all these days they are talking about wanting some kind of partial ceasefire, but you should know, for example, that the number of assaults today is the highest in recent months,” Zelenskyy said, citing a military report showing Russia had carried out more than 200 attacks on Saturday. “So there is no faith [in them],” he said, calling on Kyiv’s allies to increase pressure on Russia at a joint press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel on day one of his two-day visit to the country. Pavel, a former NATO general, said Putin could end the war with “a single decision”, but he had not shown any “willingness” to do so. Continued strikes With the two countries still at odds over competing ceasefire proposals, hostilities persist. Russia fired two ballistic missiles and a total of 165 exploding drones and decoys overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force said. Of those, 69 were intercepted and a further 80 lost, likely having been electronically jammed. Two people were killed by Russian guided bombs Sunday, one each in the and Sumy regions, Ukrainian officials said. A Russian drone attack overnight on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, wounded 11 people, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said Sunday. Advertisement Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 13 Ukrainian drones overnight. The governor of Russia’s Bryansk region said Ukrainian forces struck an electrical equipment factory close to the border with Ukraine, destroying much of the plant but causing no casualties. Adblock test (Why?)
Brazil police arrest two suspects over Lady Gaga gig bomb plot
Police believe attackers targeted LGBTQ fans attending American star’s free concert on Rio’s Copacabana Beach. Brazilian police have arrested two people in connection with an alleged plot to detonate explosives at a Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro that drew more than two million people. The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro said on social media on Sunday that it had thwarted a bomb attack that had been planned by the suspects for the free concert, held on the famous Copacabana Beach on Saturday. The police added that an adult “responsible for the plan” had been arrested along with a teenager in an operation codenamed “Fake Monster” – a reference to “Little Monsters”, the star’s pet name for her fans. The suspects, it said, had recruited people online to “carry out attacks using improvised explosives” in the aim of “gaining notoriety on social media”. Police working in coordination with the Justice Ministry carried out raids across Rio de Janeiro state as well as in the states of Sao Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, and Mato Grosso. Felipe Cury, secretary of the Rio Police, said on Sunday that authorities believed the suspects sought to target Brazil’s LGBTQ community as they had “clearly” stated they were planning an attack “motivated by sexual orientation”. Advertisement Rio Police Chief Luiz Lima said the group behind the plot disseminated hate speech and violent content online “in order to attract more viewers, more participants – most of them teenagers, many of them children”. The show, which Rio City Hall said attracted 2.1 million people, went ahead without disruption even though Brazilian authorities said they had arrested suspects in the hours preceding the event. A spokesperson for Lady Gaga said in a statement that the star and her team had not been aware of safety concerns “prior to and during the show”, only learning about the threat the next morning. The statement added: “Her team worked closely with law enforcement throughout the planning and execution of the concert and all parties were confident in the safety measures in place.” Security was tight at Saturday’s concert, with 5,200 military and police officers deployed to the beach where fans revelled in the pop singer’s classic hits like the song Born This Way, which became an LGBTQ anthem after its 2011 release. The free beach concert stood out at a time of exorbitant ticket prices for live music around the world. Adblock test (Why?)
Starving under Israel’s siege – what is next for the people of Gaza?
Dozens of people are already dead from starvation as Israel bars trucks with food and aid. Starvation now threatens the people of Gaza due to Israel’s blockade. Food and vital supplies are running out across the Gaza Strip. Yet Israel is calling up 60,000 more reservists to intensify military action. So why is this happening? Presenter: Neave Barker Guests: Olga Cherevko – Spokeswoman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaza City Sami Al-Arian – Professor of public affairs and director of the Center for Islam and Global Affairs at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University Neve Gordon – Professor of international law at Queen Mary University of London Adblock test (Why?)
White House celebrates ‘Star Wars Day’ with AI image of muscular Trump wielding a lightsaber
The White House slammed the “radical left” in a social media post Sunday, showing an AI-generated image of President Donald Trump wielding a lightsaber in celebration of May the Fourth, or “Star Wars Day.” May 4 has long been regarded as a day to celebrate the iconic movie franchise as fans post on social media “May the Fourth be with you,” an offshoot of the memorable Star Wars quote “May the force be with you.” On Sunday, the White House took an opportunity to celebrate the popular day with a post on X, while also taking digs at the Trump administration’s biggest critics. “Happy May the 4th to all, including the Radical Left Lunatics who are fighting so hard to bring Sith Lords, Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners, & well known MS-13 Gang Members, back into our Galaxy. You’re not the Rebellion—you’re the Empire,” the White House wrote. “May the 4th be with you.” ‘STAR WARS’ CREATOR SLAMS CRITICS WHO COMPLAIN SAGA ISN’T DIVERSE ENOUGH: ‘MOST OF THE PEOPLE ARE ALIENS’ The post included an AI-generated image of Trump, who not only donned a Jedi robe and set of ripped arms but also held a red lightsaber. Behind him in the image were two bald eagles and two American flags. The post received mixed reactions. “Our efforts to FOIA info about a reported ‘Death Star’ have been stonewalled. And we pulled The Honorable Darth Vader as a judge when we sued so THAT will go nowhere,” a user wrote. MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU AS YOU SHOP AMAZON’S STAR WARS COLLECTION, BACK MAY 4TH THROUGH 6TH Another user asked X’s AI feature Grok what the meaning of a red lightsaber is in Star Wars. Those who follow the science fiction franchise will remember Darth Vader, Kylo Ren and others associated with the dark side or Sith powers used a red lightsaber of some sort. The Star Wars fandom website Wookieepedia explains that in the process of making a lightsaber, negative emotions like rage, hate, fear and pain would result in a red hue. POLITICIANS MOCKED FOR COMMEMORATING STAR WARS DAY WITH ‘CRINGE’ TWEETS: ‘HOW HORRIBLY EMBARRASSING’ “How do you not have one nerd on staff to tell you what color lightsaber is good and what color is bad???” a user asked in reaction to the White House post. But supporters of the president were quick to respond to reactions about the color of the lightsaber Trump is holding in the image. “People arguing Trump using a red lightsaber equates him to evil…R ed is literally one of the three colors in our nation’s flag,” a user wrote. “He is the leader of the Republican Party which is often ascribed the color Red. Context matters.” ‘STAR WARS’: CARRIE FISHER’S COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BELOVED FRANCHISE Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment on the matter. Still, the White House was not the only federal government agency to have fun with May the Fourth. The U.S. Army Pacific posted an AI-generated image to social media of two soldiers with lightsabers – one holding red and the other holding a red, white and blue weapon – walking into combat at night, with the Milky Way Galaxy behind them. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Across every galaxy – known and unknown – no force rivals our discipline, strength, and precision,” the post read. “We don’t just defend the world. We protect the future. Victory is forged not found. May the 4th be with you.”
Here’s what happened during Trump’s 15th week in office
President Donald Trump officially crossed the finish line of his first 100 days in office this week, signing executive orders cracking down on immigration and advancing religious liberty. Among the most consequential events marking the week was a major staff shakeup where he announced that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz would depart his post at the White House. Hours later, Trump unveiled plans to tap Waltz to represent the U.S. at the United Nations. “I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating Mike Waltz to be the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations,” Trump posted to Truth Social Thursday. “From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation’s Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role. In the interim, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as National Security Advisor, while continuing his strong leadership at the State Department. Together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Here’s what also happened this week: On Monday, Trump signed an executive order demanding the Justice Department and Homeland Security establish a list of all sanctuary cities failing to follow federal immigration laws. Per the executive order, cities will receive notification and have the opportunity to drop the sanctuary status. Failure to do so could cause them to risk losing federal funding, according to the executive order. Sanctuary cities are local jurisdictions that restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities, including refusing to comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer requests. “It’s quite simple: obey the law, respect the law, and don’t obstruct federal immigration officials and law enforcement officials when they are simply trying to remove public safety threats from our nation’s communities,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday. “The American public don’t want illegal alien criminals in their communities. They made that quite clear on Nov. 5, and this administration is determined to enforce our nation’s immigration laws.” Trump also revealed new plans Tuesday to swap out the retiring A-10 Warthog aircraft based out of Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan with 21 brand-new F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets. Trump shared details of the new fighter jet mission during a speech to National Guard members at the Michigan base for an event commemorating his 100th day in office. Selfridge will become the fourth military installation to operate the fighter jet, which entered operational service in July 2024. TRUMP ANNOUNCES NEW ‘SERIOUS POWER’ FIGHTER JET MISSION FOR MICHIGAN GUARD BASE TO REPLACE AGING A-10S “Fresh off the line. That means they are brand new,” Trump said. “They’ve never been anywhere. This is where they’re going to be for a long time. And I saw one of them, flew over my head, and I said, ‘What the hell is that?’ That plane has serious power. So, this is the best there is anywhere in the world, the F-15EX Eagle II. This will keep Selfridge at the cutting edge of Northern American air power.” The fighter jet is an updated version of the F-15C Eagle aircraft the Air Force introduced in 1989 and features bolstered fuel efficiency, radar and avionics, according to the Air National Guard. The jet is designed to work alongside other Air Force aircraft, including the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II fighter jets. Trump signed an executive order Thursday establishing a presidential commission on religious liberty. Trump disclosed plans for the new commission during a National Day of Prayer event at the White House, revealing that Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will serve as the chairman of the commission. “The last administration attacked people of faith for four years,” Patrick said Thursday. “There’s a saying that no one should get between a doctor and a patient. I think we would say no one should get between God and a believer. No one should get between God and those seeking him.” TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER STANDS UP PRESIDENTIAL RELIGIOUS LIBERTY COMMISSION The Religious Liberty Commission will compose a report evaluating threats to religious liberty in the U.S., ways to enhance religious freedom and examine the history of American religious liberty, according to a White House fact sheet on the executive order. The report will address issues including parental rights in religious education, school choice, attacks on religious places of worship and free speech issues for religious organizations, according to the fact sheet. Additionally, these leaders will provide guidance to the White House on policy and legislative solutions to advance religious liberty.
EPA chief Zeldin announces overhauls to bring agency back to Reagan-level staffing
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is facing a massive overhaul to slash staffing down to Reagan-era levels and save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars a year, agency chief Lee Zeldin announced on Friday. “This reorganization will bring much-needed efficiencies to incorporate science into our rulemakings and sharply focus our work on providing the cleanest air, land, and water for our communities,” Zeldin said in a press release on Friday. Zeldin announced that he is on a mission to save taxpayers an estimated $300 million annually by next year through an office overhaul that he said will maintain the EPA’s focus on protecting human health and the environment while “recommitting” the agency to “common sense policies.” The EPA employs roughly 15,000 full-time workers, which Zeldin said he is working to bring down to levels “near those seen when President Ronald Reagan occupied the White House,” according to a video announcement of the office overhauls. There were 11,400 EPA staffers in 1984 under the Reagan administration, Reuters reported. 35 DEMOCRATS VOTE WITH GOP TO BLOCK BIDEN RULE ALLOWING NEWSOM’S GAS CAR BAN The EPA said the Office of the Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), and Office of Water will all face restructuring. Zeldin said he will reorganize the agency’s research office to shift its focus on “statutory obligations and mission-essential functions,” including by creating a new office called the Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions. The new office will “prioritize research and put science at the forefront of the agency’s rulemakings and technical assistance to states. At the program level, the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention will add more than 130 scientific, technical, bioinformatic and information technology experts to work directly on the backlog of over 504 new chemicals in review that are beyond the statutorily required timeframe. And they’re also going to address the backlog of over 12,000 reviews that are well beyond the expected review timelines in the pesticides program,” Zeldin said. EPA CHIEF TAKES ON MEXICAN ‘SEWAGE CRISIS’ FLOWING INTO US WATERS WHERE NAVY SEALS TRAIN The EPA will also create the Office of State Air Partnerships within the Office of Air and Radiation, which Zeldin said will streamline resolving air permitting concerns across the state, local and tribal levels. “EPA is also creating the Office of Clean Air programs that will align statutory obligations and mission essential functions based on centers of expertise to ensure more transparency and harmony in regulatory development. Similarly, changes to the Office of Water will better align the development of regulations, guidance and policy with the science that underpins it,” Zeldin added of another new office in the agency shakeup. PETA, ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUPS PRAISE TRUMP ADMIN FOR PHASING OUT ‘CRUEL TESTS ON DOGS’ AND OTHER ANIMALS Zeldin underscored that when he took the reins of the agency earlier this year, he “inherited a workforce that didn’t come into the office.” “In 2024, the record high day of attendance at EPA headquarters in D.C., clocked in around 37%. Upon President Trump’s swearing in, we immediately ended COVID-era remote work,” Zeldin said. SCOOP: BIDEN-ERA GRANT PROGRAM DESCRIBED AS ‘GOLD BAR’ SCHEME BY TRUMP EPA ADMINISTRATOR UNDER SCRUTINY The former New York congressman added that EPA’s budget and awards in granted last year alone, under the Biden administration, sat at $63 billion — though it had previously been funded to the tune of between $6 billion and $8 billion a year, he said. “We are going to massively reduce this excess spending. We owe it to the American taxpayer to be as efficient as possible. We’ve already started to make significant progress by re-examining grants and contracts, real estate footprint, travel costs, staff and more. With the help of DOGE, EPA has identified and canceled more than $22 billion in grants and contracts. These are direct savings for the American people,” Zeldin said.
Dem immigration talking points fizzle as dark picture of Abrego Garcia emerges
Democrats rallying around illegal immigrant KIlmar Abrego Garcia are facing a narrative reckoning as allegations of violent and criminal behavior mount against the man they made a poster child in the fight against President Trump’s mass deportations. In recent weeks, evidence has emerged that Abrego Garcia beat his wife and was caught trafficking migrants during his time living illegally in Maryland. He has since been deported to El Salvador, where several Democrats, including Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, have rushed to meet with him and decry what they say was a lack of due process extended to him. “The fact that they went to the mat for this guy just shows exactly who they are,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Saturday. “That they are people who don’t put America first. They don’t care about our citizens and protecting our communities. So, I’m glad that the onion’s been peeled back and that their true motivations have been revealed, and this is just one of the cases that we’re getting off the streets.” Van Hollen has led the surge of Democrats traveling to El Salvador since April, after Abrego Garcia was deported to the country in March and sent to its notoriously high-security prison equipped to handle violent gang members, known as CECOT. The Trump administration has repeatedly cited court and police documents showing that the El Salvadoran man was not only in the U.S. illegally, but also connected to the MS-13 gang and that his wife had sounded the alarm to police about his violence. ABREGO GARCIA’S WIFE BEGGED JUDGE FOR PROTECTION ORDER, SAYING ‘HE SLAPPED ME’: AUDIO Democrats and the media had characterized Abrego Garcia as a “family man” and a “Maryland man” who was wrongly deported back in March and the following weeks. Van Hollen met last month with Abrego Garcia and advocated for his release, declaring that the deportation risks “the constitutional rights of everyone who resides in the United States of America.” Van Hollen’s trip sparked other left-wing lawmakers to also make the trip south, including Reps. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, Maxine Dexter of Oregon, Maxwell Frost of Florida and Robert Garcia of California last month. At one point, Dexter pledged to remain in El Salvador until Abrego Garcia was brought back to the U.S. But Democrats have gone largely silent amid a flood of newly unearthed evidence against Abrego Garcia. ‘I AM AFRAID’: ANOTHER PROTECTIVE ORDER FILING AGAINST DEPORTED ‘MARYLAND MAN’ CHAMPIONED BY DEMS SURFACES Fox News Digital exclusively reported on Thursday that new court records show Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, filed a protective order against her husband in August of 2020. The order said their shared son and stepchildren needed protection from Abrego Garcia, accusing him of verbal and physical abuse against her and mental abuse against her children. The protection form described an incident in November 2019 when Abrego Garcia allegedly grabbed Vasquez Sura “by the hair in the car,” “dragged” her “out of car and left [her] in the street.” She wrote that he also “broke” her son’s tablet, “broke doors” in the house, pushed her against a wall, broke a phone and a television and damaged the walls that spring. TENNESSEE BODYCAM OF ‘MARYLAND MAN’ TRAFFIC STOP SHOWS TROOPERS’ HANDS TIED DESPITE SMUGGLING CLUES Audio recordings allegedly of Vasquez Sura asking for the protection order in 2020 have also surfaced. “On Wednesday, he hit me, like around like, three in the morning, he would just wake up and like, hit me,” Vasquez Sura told the court in the recordings, Fox Digital previously reported. Vasquez Sura said that while she was trying to escape Abrego Garcia, she saw a neighbor walking their dog and screamed “help.” Vasquez Sura said Abrego Garcia then “grabbed me from my hair, and then he slapped me.” Vasquez Sura asked for the petition to be rescinded, however, saying her family wanted to take part in their son’s birthday, and Abrego Garcia “also agreed to continue counseling and if not [he’s] willing to sign divorce papers.” The 2020 protective order is the second publicly-known order filed against Abrego Garcia. Vasquez Sura filed a separate protective request against her husband in 2021, accusing him of repeatedly hitting her. “At this point, I am afraid to be close to him. I have multiple photos/videos of how violent he can be and all the bruises he [has] left me,” she told a Prince George’s County, Maryland, court, Fox Digital previously reported. “In November 2020, he hit me with his work boot,” she added of the alleged attacks. “In August 2020, he hit me in the eye leaving a purple eye.” DEM SENATOR SAYS ABREGO GARCIA SITUATION ‘NOT GOING TO END WELL’ FOR TRUMP, ARGUES HE’S ‘UNDERMINING’ FREEDOM His wife, however, has since publicly defended him and addressed the domestic violence allegations following the revelation of the first protective order request. “After surviving domestic violence in a previous relationship, I acted out of caution following a disagreement with Kilmar by seeking a civil protective order, in case things escalated. Things did not escalate, and I decided not to follow through with the civil court process. We were able to work through the situation privately as a family, including by going to counseling,” she said in a statement last month. The Trump administration and conservatives have come out in full force condemning Democrats for supporting an illegal immigrant accused of gang ties, human trafficking and domestic violence. Trump designated violent gangs such as MS-13 and Tre de Aragua as terrorist organizations in his second administration. “I think it’s bizarre that you see these Democrat politicians making a pilgrimage down there … to sit there with this guy, because I never have seen those Democrat politicians meet with angel moms who’ve lost kids because of illegal alien crime,” Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Fox News last week. MARYLAND GOVERNOR SAYS HE WON’T TRAVEL TO EL SALVADOR FOR ABREGO GARCIA “This is
IndiGo passenger behaves inappropriately with cabin crew, handed over to security personnel: ‘Unruly’
An ‘unruly’ passenger aboard IndiGo flight 6E 6404 from Delhi to Shirdi was handed over to security personnel upon landing after he allegedly misbehaved with a member of the cabin crew, the airline said in an official statement on Sunday.
Trump says he could ‘walk away’ from Russia-Ukraine talks, cites ‘tremendous hatred’ on both sides
The U.S. could withdraw from peace talks with Ukraine and Russia if the two sides can’t make progress toward ending their three-year war, President Donald Trump said. Trump made the comments during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday, telling host Kristen Welker that there is “tremendous hatred” between Ukraine and Russia. The president says he remains hopeful a peace deal is possible, but confirmed that the U.S. would not remain a mediator indefinitely. “I do believe we’re closer with one party. And maybe not as close with the other, but we’ll have to see,” Trump said. “Five thousand soldiers a week on average, are dying. They’re not American soldiers. But I want to solve the problem.” ZELENSKYY SPEAKS OUT AFTER PUBLIC SPAT WITH TRUMP, VANCE, SAYS DUSTUP ‘BAD FOR BOTH SIDES’ “How long do you give both countries before you’re going to walk away?” Welker asked. “Well, there will be a time when I will say, okay, keep going, keep being stupid,” Trump replied. “Maybe it’s not possible to do,” he added. “There’s tremendous hatred. Just so you understand, Kristen, we’re talking tremendous hatred between these two men and between, you know, some of the soldiers, frankly, between the generals, they’ve been fighting hard for three years. I think we have a very good chance of doing it.” The interview comes just days after Trump blasted Russian President Vladimir Putin, questioning whether his Russian counterpart has any interest in peace. TRUMP INSISTS UKRAINE-RUSSIA PEACE DEAL IS CLOSE, BUT MISTRUST IN PUTIN LEAVES EXPERTS SKEPTICAL Trump spoke up on social media last week after Russian forces launched missiles into Ukrainian cities. “There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump wrote. “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!” Secretary of State Marco Rubio also appeared to temper expectations for a major peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia last week. Rubio argued it was “silly” to put a specific date or timeline on when the U.S. might pull out from mediation, but he said this will be “a very critical week.” Days later, the White House signed a rare earth minerals agreement with Ukraine, a months-long priority for Trump.
Trump says he will not drop tariffs to get China to negotiating table
President Donald Trump said he will not drop tariffs on China to get Beijing to come to the negotiating table. The president discussed his stance on the tariffs, which he defended, in an interview with NBC’s “Meet The Press” recorded Friday from his Mar-a-Lago estate. He claimed that “They said today they want to talk. Look, China, and I don’t like this. I’m not happy about this. China’s getting killed right now,” Trump told host Kristen Welker. “They’re getting absolutely destroyed. Their factories are closing. Their unemployment is going through the roof. I’m not looking to do that to China now. At the same time, I’m not looking to have China make hundreds of billions of dollars and build more ships and more Army tanks and more airplanes.” “You’re not dropping the tariffs against China to get them to the negotiating table?” Welker asked. Trump responded, “No.” CHINA OPEN TO TALKS WITH TRUMP ADMIN ON LOWERING TARIFFS, MINISTRY SAYS “At some point, I’m going to lower them, because otherwise you could never do business with them,” he added later. “And they want to do business very much like their economy is really doing badly. Their economy is collapsing.” Trump pushed back on the premise of Welker’s question about whether he’d consider relief for small businesses. The president said the NBC host should consider larger businesses, such as the car industry, that “are going to make a fortune” because of his tariff plan. Trump also declined to rule out making some tariffs permanent, claiming the U.S. could expect $9 trillion worth of new investments since he took office. CHINESE OFFICIAL REPORTEDLY SEEKING TALKS WITH TRUMP ON FENTANYL INGREDIENTS AMID TRADE WAR He noted that Apple and other tech companies, as well as automobile companies, such as Toyota, Honda, General Motors and Stellantis, have made multi-billion-dollar commitments to bring their plants to the United States. The Chinese government has assembled a list of American products that would be exempt from its 125% tariffs on U.S. goods, Reuters reported last week. Beijing already has exemptions for some U.S. pharmaceuticals, microchips and aircraft engines. Trump also declined to rule out a potential recession in the short term, though he promised the “greatest economic boom in history.” “Is it okay in the short term to have a recession?” Welker asked. “Look, yeah. . . . Everything’s okay,” Trump responded, arguing that the U.S. economy is in a “transition period” and “we’re going to do fantastically.” “Are you worried about a recession?” Welker asked. To that, Trump responded flatly, “No.” “Are you worried it could happen? Do you think it could happen?” she pressed. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Anything can happen,” Trump said. “But I think we’re going to have the greatest economy in the history of our country. I think we’re going to have the greatest economic boom in history.”