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President Donald Trump will use the upcoming summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin to test how serious Putin is about ending the war with Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Sunday.

Rutte told ABC’s ‘This Week’ that the meeting comes as Trump continues to put pressure on Putin, noting the recent secondary sanctions on countries like India, which purchased Russian oil, and delivering lethal weapons to Ukraine.

‘Next Friday will be important because it will be about testing Putin, how serious he is on bringing this terrible war to an end,’ Rutte said.

Trump announced the first in-person meeting with Putin since Moscow launched its deadly invasion of Ukraine in 2022 in a Truth Social post on Saturday. The leaders are expected to meet in Alaska on Friday, Aug. 15.

In recent weeks, Trump has refused to mince words when asked about Putin. Trump said during a Cabinet meeting July 8 he was fed up with Putin and said he was eyeing potentially imposing new sanctions on Russia. 

The NATO chief called the upcoming meeting ‘an important step’ in the process of reaching full-scale peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, wasn’t expected to be at the summit with Trump and Putin as of Sunday. Despite Zelenskyy’s absence, Rutte said ‘we need Ukraine at the table.’

‘It will be about territory,’ Rutte said of the upcoming meeting. ‘It will, of course, be about security guarantees, but also about the absolute need to acknowledge that Ukraine decides on its own future, that Ukraine has to be a sovereign nation deciding on its geopolitical future, of course having no limitations to its own military troop levels, and for NATO to have no limitations on our presence on the eastern flank in countries like Latvia, Estonia and Finland.’

U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker told CNN on Sunday that no decision had been made at this point about whether Zelenskyy would be invited to the meeting.

‘If [Trump] thinks that that is the best scenario to invite Zelenskyy, then he’ll do that,’ Whitaker said, adding that ‘there’s time to make that decision.’

When asked about whether Putin can be trusted, Whitaker said that in any situation of competing national interests it will be actions, not words, that decide whether peace is achieved and preserved.

‘Words are cheap, but in this case, whether it’s the Russians or the Ukrainians, both sides are going to have to take the actions to have peace and to continue to honor that peace,’ he said.

Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

President Donald Trump recently spoke to the South Carolina Republican Party’s Silver Elephant Gala through a phone that Sen. Lindsey Graham held up to a microphone.

Trump, who endorsed Graham for re-election earlier this year, continued expressing his support for the senator while speaking on the phone.

Trump said the senator has his ‘full endorsement,’ calling him a ‘great guy,’ saying that Graham has always been there for him when he needed him and he ‘won’t forget it.’

‘Thank you for your surprise call, Mr. President!’ Graham said in a post on X that also featured footage of Trump’s remarks about him. 

‘With your support, I’ll keep delivering the America First agenda to the great people of South Carolina. I’m glad to have been part of the most awesome six months in modern history led by President @realDonaldTrump.’

Graham, who has served in the Senate since 2003, is facing Republican primary challengers.

Paul Dans, the former director of the 2025 Presidential Transition Project at the Heritage Foundation and who is one of Graham’s challengers, attended the event where Trump spoke by phone.

‘Lindsey Graham’s terrified—his Senate seat’s at risk against me, his toughest challenger yet. After 32 years of broken term-limit promises, he’s done. Clinging to President Trump won’t save him from SC’s America First Patriots who see his grift. #LindseyPanic #PrezTrumpPlsHelpMe,’ Dans wrote in a post on X.

Graham will be up for re-election in 2026.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Here’s a quick recap of the crypto landscape for Friday (August 8) as of 9:00 p.m. UTC.

Get the latest insights on Bitcoin, Ethereum and altcoins, along with a round-up of key cryptocurrency market news.

Bitcoin and Ethereum price update

Bitcoin (BTC) was priced at US$116,454, down by 0.8 percent over the last 24 hours. Its lowest valuation on Friday was US$115,979, while its highest valuation was US$117,038.

Bitcoin price performance, August 8, 2025.

Chart via TradingView.

An executive order from the Trump administration about the addition of cryptocurrency investment options to federally regulated 401(k) retirement plans could trigger an influx of new capital and drive up Bitcoin’s price.

Separately, over US$1 billion in Bitcoin call options are set to activate if Bitcoin hits US$200,000 on December 26, when US$8.8 billion in options are set to expire; however, experts believe the presence of these call options reflects strategic positioning rather than a widespread belief in a year-end surge to that level. Cointelegraph analyst Marcel Pechman notes that pro traders are using far-out-of-the-money calls in structured strategies like diagonal spreads and inverse butterflies to manage risk and seek asymmetric upside, not as direct bets on extreme price targets.

Ethereum (ETH) was priced at US$4,053, up by 4.9 percent over the past 24 hours and its highest valuation of the day. Its lowest valuation on Friday was US$3,910 at the start of trading.

Altcoin price update

  • Solana (SOL) was priced at US$178.05, up by 3.8 percent over 24 hours. Its lowest valuation on Friday was US$174.86, and its highest was US$179.36.
  • XRP was trading for US$3.30, up by 6.6 percent in the past 24 hours. Its lowest valuation of the day was US$3.22, and its highest price was US$3.35.
  • Sui (SUI) was trading at US$3.85, up 3.1 percent over the past 24 hours. Its lowest valuation of the day was US$3.73, and its highest was US$3.86.
  • Cardano (ADA) was trading at US$0.7964, up by 4.2 percent over 24 hours. Its lowest valuation on Friday was US$0.7787, and its highest was US$0.8022.

Today’s crypto news to know

Trump order opens door for crypto and private equity in 401(k)s

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing the Department of Labor to review its fiduciary rules for retirement plans, potentially clearing the way for assets like cryptocurrencies, private equity and real estate to be included in 401(k)s. While no laws have changed, the move signals a potential shift from the Biden era.

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act still requires fiduciaries to choose “prudent” investments, meaning employers will need to justify the inclusion of volatile or opaque assets. Legal experts say the order could influence how federal agencies interpret the rules, but it won’t override decades of court precedents on fiduciary duty.

For now, employers remain cautious due to the risk of lawsuits over imprudent or overly expensive options. Crypto in 401(k)s remains rare, though large firms like BlackRock are already exploring target-date funds with alternative assets.

SEC and Ripple dismiss appeals, ending lawsuit

Ripple and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have dismissed their respective appeals, effectively ending a five-year lawsuit, as per a brief filing on Thursday (August 7) with the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

“Following the Commission’s vote today, the SEC and Ripple formally filed directly with the Second Circuit to dismiss their appeals,” Ripple’s chief legal officer, Stuart Alderoty, wrote on X.

The SEC sued Ripple in 2020 for selling XRP as an unregistered security. A July 2023 ruling by Judge Analisa Torres found XRP was not a security when sold on public exchanges, but was when sold to institutional investors.

The SEC appealed, and Ripple cross appealed. However, this past April, both parties filed a joint motion to pause their appeals, hinting at a settlement. They settled in May, asking Torres to dissolve the injunction and lower the US$125 million fine. She denied that in June, stating that Ripple must still follow federal securities laws.

Following the announcement, open interest in XRP grew by over 15 percent in 24 hours and futures volumes rose by over 233 percent, according to Coinglass data.

Parataxis to go public via SPAC merger

Bitcoin asset manager Parataxis announced its plan to go public by merging with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) called SilverBox Corp. IV on Wednesday (August 6).

The deal aims to raise up to US$640 million to “support acceleration of digital asset purchases and support long-term strategy.’ It implies a total pro forma equity value of up to US$800 million for the combined company, assuming the US$10 share price and no redemptions. The new public company will be named Parataxis Holdings and will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “PRTX.”

The company’s goal is to launch a yield-enhanced Bitcoin treasury strategy in the US and South Korea. The deal also includes an equity line of credit to raise additional funds. This will allow it to continue accumulating Bitcoin.

The company has already allocated US$31 million for an initial Bitcoin purchase.

Fundamental Global files to raise funds for ETH accumulation

Fundamental Global (NASDAQ:FGF), a new Ethereum treasury vehicle, has filed to raise US$5 billion, signaling the potential emergence of a new mega whale in the Ethereum market.

According to a Friday press release, the company aims to use the majority of the proceeds from a potential US$4 billion common stock offering to acquire a 10 percent stake in the Ethereum network.

“This US$5 billion shelf filing represents a significant step in our capital raising capabilities and positions us to move with speed and scale when capital deployment opportunities arise,” said CEO and Chairman Kyle Cerminara.

“We believe this framework will enable us to capitalize on ETH accumulation opportunities and support our target of a 10 percent stake in the Ethereum Network,’ he added.

Binance partners with Spain’s BBVA to bolster asset security

Binance is teaming up with Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), Spain’s second largest bank, to give customers the option of storing their assets with a regulated custodian rather than directly on the exchange.

The arrangement is designed to reassure investors after Binance’s US$4.3 billion fine from US regulators in 2023 over anti-money laundering failures. With BBVA acting as an independent custodian, customer funds would remain secure even if Binance faced hacking, insolvency or further regulatory action.

The partnership leverages BBVA’s strong reputation for compliance and innovation, aiming to encourage more cautious investors to engage with crypto. The move also follows leadership changes at Binance, including founder Changpeng Zhao’s resignation and brief prison sentence, as the company works to repair its image.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

This week saw tech stocks push the Nasdaq Composite (INDEXNASDAQ:.IXIC) to its best week since June.

However, on Monday (August 4), multiple news outlets reported that various Wall Street firms were warning of a near-term drop in the S&P 500 (INDEXSP:.INX) after its strong rally. In a note to clients, Mike Wilson of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) forecasts that tariffs, which went into effect this week, will lead to a 10 percent correction.

“Over the last couple of weeks, we have noted that investors should expect a modest pullback in the third quarter,” Wilson wrote. Julian Emanuel of Evercore (NYSE:EVR) anticipates a 15 percent drop. Additionally, Parag Thatte’s team at Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) points to an overdue drawdown following three months of equity expansion.

Markets appear to have disregarded the warnings, as economic data released this week has revived expectations for interest rate cuts. Stephen Miran, US President Donald Trump’s interim selection for Adriana Kugler’s position as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, has further fueled these expectations. According to CME Group’s (NASDAQ:CME) Fedwatch tool, traders now anticipate a nearly 90 percent probability of a rate cut next month.

Furthermore, exemptions to the Trump administration’s tariffs for companies investing in US manufacturing capacity led to a midweek rally in tech stocks that persisted through to Friday (August 8).

1. OpenAI’s busy week

On Wednesday (August 6), OpenAI unveiled the long-awaited GPT-5 version of ChatGPT, which CEO Sam Altman described as a “significant step” along the path to artificial general intelligence (AGI).

Altman declared that GPT-5 gives users PhD-level expert assistance on any subject, with fewer hallucinations, as well as superior coding abilities that could lead to an era of “software on demand.’

“Something like GPT-5 would be pretty much unimaginable in any other time in history,” he said during a pre-briefing with journalists on Wednesday. While GPT-5 exhibits signs of broad intelligence, Altman clarified that it lacks a key characteristic of AGI: the ability to learn and improve autonomously.

Concurrently, OpenAI for Government announced it is partnering with the US General Services Administration to offer ChatGPT Enterprise to the federal executive branch workforce for US$1 per agency for the next year.

In a statement to Wired, Altman said the agreement was part of Trump’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan, which is geared at leveraging AI to better serve the American people.

Additionally, the company reportedly engaged in early discussions this week for a secondary stock sale that would increase its valuation to US$500 billion. During an interview with Schwab Network, Ben Emons, chief investment officer and founder of FedWatch Advisors, said OpenAI’s valuation could hit US$1 trillion.

A recent report by the Information found that OpenAI has hit an annualized run rate of US$12 billion, roughly double the US$6 billion recorded in revenue in the first half of 2025.

OpenAI also introduced a pair of freely available models this week, which Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) will offer to cloud-computing clients.

2. Stocks react to chip tariff exemptions

Trump announced plans to impose a nearly 100 percent tariff on semiconductor chips on Wednesday, but carved out an exemption for companies investing in US manufacturing capacity.

After a meeting at the White House, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook pledged an additional US$100 billion investment in US manufacturing capacity, bringing its total commitment to US$600 billion over the next four years.

However, final assembly is expected to remain overseas “for a while,” according to Cook, and the announcement did not include any mention of future iPhone assembly in the US.

Apple performance, August 5 to 8, 2025.

Chart via Google Finance.

The pledge led to a significant market reaction, with Apple shares climbing over 4 percent, leading gains on Wall Street.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE:TSM) also saw strong gains after it was reported that National Development Council Chief Liu Chin-ching told parliament that the company will be exempt since it has factories in the US, referring to fabrication plants currently under construction in Arizona.

However, he added that some of Taiwan’s chipmakers will be affected.

Likewise, South Korean trade officials stated that Samsung Electronics (KRX:005930) and SK Hynix (KRX:000660) will both avoid the tariffs due to their investments in US manufacturing facilities. Samsung has two chip fabrication plants in Texas, while SK Hynix is building a new advanced chip packaging and R&D facility in Indiana.

3. Firefly Aerospace makes explosive Nasdaq debut

Firefly Aerospace (NASDAQ:FLY) made a strong debut on the Nasdaq Global Market on Thursday (August 7).

The stock opened at US$70 per share, a significant jump from its initial public offering price of US$45.

After first targeting between US$35 and US$39 per share, the company raised the price from US$41 to US$43 on Tuesday (August 5). Firefly was valued at over US$2 billion after a Series D funding round in November 2024.

Its opening price represented a further increase. After briefly topping US$73.80, the company closed its first day on the market at US$60.35, raising US$868.3 million and achieving a valuation of approximately US$8.5 billion.

The company experienced a moderate pullback on Friday, opening at US$54.85 before briefly touching US$57.07; it then closed the week at US$50.17.

4. Tesla desbands Dojo team

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk confirmed reports that the company is disbanding its Dojo supercomputer team, posting to X on Thursday evening:

“It doesn’t make sense for Tesla to divide its resources and scale two quite different AI chip designs.

“The Tesla AI5, AI6 and subsequent chips will be excellent for inference and at least pretty good for training. All effort is focused on that.”

Tesla intended for Dojo to facilitate the training of its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems.

Sources for Bloomberg, which first reported the story, said Tesla will rely on partners like NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA), Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) and Samsung for chip manufacturing.

This move contradicts Musk’s commitments to “double down on Dojo” during his company’s second quarter earnings call on July 23. The development follows a letter sent to shareholders by two Tesla directors on Monday explaining the board’s decision to grant Musk a US$23.7 billion stock award.

Robyn Denholm, chair of Tesla’s board of directors, and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson, a director, said the decision was driven by Tesla’s transition from electric vehicles to AI and robotics.

The letter emphasizes the critical need to motivate Musk, stating that his involvement is essential for attracting and retaining talent at Tesla, especially as competition for AI talent intensifies.

5. Palantir reports solid growth in Q2

Major software company Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR) reported its Q2 earnings on Monday, revealing revenue growth of 48 percent to US$1.003 billion. Shares of the company opened over 7 percent higher on Tuesday and continued to rise, finishing the week up nearly 18 percent.

Palantir Technologies performance, August 5 to 8, 2025.

Chart via Google Finance.

“This was a phenomenal quarter. We continue to see the astonishing impact of AI leverage,’ said Alex C. Karp, co-founder and CEO of Palantir, in a press release. “We are guiding to the highest sequential quarterly revenue growth in our company’s history, representing 50 percent year-over-year growth.”

Free cashflow rose by 282 percent to US$568.7 million. The company is projecting further revenue growth of around 49 percent in the third quarter. Its share price is up over 145 percent year-to-date after starting the year at US$76.20. As of Friday’s closing bell, shares of Palantir were trading for US$186.96.

Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Why did the Sydney Sweeney ad for American Eagle become such a national sensation that has lasted multiple weeks? 

What made this story unique is that it wasn’t the outrage that prolonged the story but the reaction to that outrage. It represented a win for normalcy after many years of abnormal hysteria. 

Sydney Sweeney has great jeans, proclaims the American Eagle ad released toward the end of July. The ad has been called racist, sexist and more. The controversy ostensibly stems from a pun. The accusation that the play on words, that Sweeney actually has good genes, means celebrating eugenics. 

In one video, Sweeney says, ‘Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue.’

Thousands of internet commenters weighed in angrily about the ad, both because of the pun and because they didn’t approve of Sweeney’s classic American blonde hair, blue eyed beauty. Vanity Fair called the ad a ‘very, very bad idea.’ Megan Graham at the Wall Street Journal called the ad ‘male-geared’ and quoted TikTok users who used the term ‘male gaze,’ a silly film term that alleges women are often portrayed only for the consumption of a male audience.

The New York Times took issue with Sweeney doing so many ads for different brands. ‘Why does an actress who has two Emmy Award nominations and has been featured in a number of films and TV shows — including the hit rom-com ‘Anyone But You,’ which brought in over $200 million worldwide — need to lend her face to so many brands?’ they wondered while closely inspecting her bank account.

The Sweeney ad didn’t just show a beautiful girl in tight jeans. It represented a shift in culture, the left felt it and it made them angry. But the real test of that shift is what came next. Nothing. 

It’s one thing for a brand to make what used to be considered a fairly safe ad featuring a pretty girl wearing the clothes in a provocative fashion. It’s another for that brand to stand by it amid backlash. American Eagle put out a short statement noting ‘it’s always been about the jeans.’ What would have been a groveling apology just a few years ago was suddenly a terse comment telling people, essentially, to get over it.

One of the top comments on their Instagram page noted ‘It’s giving ‘I’m sorry you feel that way” which is another way of saying it’s a non-apology. That’s exactly right. American Eagle isn’t sorry and they shouldn’t be. Sweeney hasn’t commented publicly about the non-controversy at all.

Sweeney has been the center of dumb internet storms before and it’s possible she learned some lessons. Three years ago, Sweeney posted photos from her mom’s 60th birthday and, in the blurry background of some of the photos, red hats in the style of the Trump campaign’s MAGA hats are visible. Her brother pointed out that the hats actually read ‘Make Sixty Great Again,’ which did little to assuage the mob. 

At first, Sweeney tried to brush it off, posting on her then-Twitter account that ‘An innocent celebration for my moms milestone 60th birthday has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention. Please stop making assumptions.’

But it was 2022 and the mob had total control over the narrative. A year later, in an interview with Variety, Sweeney somewhat capitulated and noted, ‘The people in the pictures weren’t even my family.’ In that same interview, Variety described her bikini photo shoot with them as channeling ‘a ’90s-throwback magazine queen.’ Somehow she wasn’t catering to the male gaze then.

In the parsing of the American Eagle story, some outlets have pointed out that Sweeney posted a Black Lives Matters post in 2020, which feels particularly Soviet. Does this person really believe? Is their zeal real? Is she for us or against us? Then the news broke that Sweeney had registered as a Republican.

A few days ago, the president gave new life to the story when he was asked about it. President Donald Trump responded, ‘You’d be surprised at how many people are Republicans. That’s what I wouldn’t have known. But I’m glad you told me that. If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic!’ The truth is, the ad is fantastic whether she’s a Republican or not. 

The larger win here is for giving people what they want. American Eagle wasn’t making a political statement, it was making a marketing one. Pretty girls wear our clothing and you should too. In May, American Eagle was forced to downgrade their outlook for the year after lackluster sales. Since the controversy, their stock price is up. 

If it’s true that they have good jeans, their growth will continue. They’ve done a service for the American people by standing their ground and focusing on their product.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

As Japan marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings, the mayor of Nagasaki is warning that the world could see the same kind of devastating attack again.

Approximately 2,600 people, including representatives from 90 countries, attended the memorial event on Saturday at Nagasaki Peace Park, according to the Associated Press. At 11:02 a.m., the exact time the bomb exploded over the city, the attendees held a moment of silence. Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki, whose parents survived the 1945 attack, addressed the crowd and called for global action against nuclear weapons.

‘Conflicts around the world are intensifying in a vicious cycle of confrontation and fragmentation,’ Suzuki told a crowd on Saturday, according to a translation by The Mainichi. ‘If we continue on this trajectory, we will end up thrusting ourselves into a nuclear war. This existential crisis of humanity has become imminent to each and every one of us living on Earth.’

Mayors for Peace, which brings together mayors and city leaders from across the globe, is holding its 11th General Conference in Nagasaki this weekend as the city mourns the tragic day. The organization’s aim is to abolish nuclear weapons, a point Suzuki emphasized in his remarks.

‘In order to make Nagasaki the last atomic bombing site, it is essential to show a specific course of action for achieving the abolition of nuclear weapons. Procrastination can no longer be tolerated,’ Suzuki said, according to The Mainichi. 

The mayor also noted that the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) ‘will represent a crucial moment capable of swaying the fate of humanity.’

Every five years, world leaders meet to review the provisions of the NPT, which was opened for signature in 1968 and entered into force in 1970, 25 years after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on Japan three days apart. The first was dropped on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and the second was dropped on Nagasaki three days later, on Aug. 9. The bombs decimated both cities, leading to Japan’s surrender on Aug. 15, 1945, and later the end of World War II.

A bomb nicknamed ‘Little Boy,’ weighing approximately 9,000 pounds and producing an explosive force equivalent to 20,000 tons of TNT, detonated 1,800 feet over Hiroshima, causing massive devastation. ‘Fat Man,’ the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, weighed 10,000 pounds and detonated at approximately the same altitude as ‘Little Boy.’

‘I would like to express my deepest condolences for the lives claimed by the atomic bombings, and to all of the victims of war,’ Suzuki said, according to The Mainichi. ‘In marking 80 years from the atomic bombing, Nagasaki has resolved to continue our duty to relay, both inside Japan and overseas, the memories of the bombing, which are a common heritage to all humanity and should be passed down for generations throughout the world.’

He concluded with a declaration, which was also translated by The Mainichi: ‘I hereby declare that in order to make Nagasaki the last atomic bombing site now and forever, we will go hand-in-hand with global citizens and devote our utmost efforts towards the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of everlasting world peace.’

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FBI Director Kash Patel took to social media on Saturday to celebrate the bureau’s successes in the first 200 days of the Trump administration. 

‘200 Days of Trump Admin, From Jan 20 to Present: FBI has arrested over 1,600 people for violent crimes against children, to include 270 arrests for human trafficking,’ Patel wrote on his official X account.

Patel added that 1,500 kilos of fentanyl – ‘enough lethal doses to kill 113,850,000 Americans’ – has also been seized in that time, which he said was a 25% increase from the same time last year, and the ‘most ever.’

He added, ‘We look forward to working with our @SecDef and DoD partners to getting after it even more, thanks @realDonaldTrump for the new authorities.’ 

In a third post, Patel said the FBI had identified and located 4,000 child victims. 

‘FBI investigations targeting Foreign Terrorist Organizations has resulted in 1,000 arrests of those wanting to harm our nation. Seized 6,300 Kilos of methamphetamines = lives saved,’ he wrote, adding the hashtag ‘#SummerHeat.’

The White House also posted an article on X on Saturday, touting ‘200 Days of American Renewal,’ including ‘historic border security to infrastructure revitalization.’ 

Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, who had considered resigning over the administration’s handling of the Epstein files earlier this summer, according to a source, reposted Patel’s post, writing, ‘This isn’t even the beginning of the beginning. More coming.’ 

Many in MAGA world have also been frustrated with the lack of transparency over the Epstein files. 

The U.S. Department of Justice has denied the existence of an Epstein client list, and President Trump defended Attorney General Pam Bondi last month, saying ‘she’s really done a very good job.’ 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

President Donald Trump said Saturday he was nominating U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce to become the next deputy representative to the United Nations. 

‘I am pleased to announce that I am nominating Tammy Bruce, a Great Patriot, Television Personality, and Bestselling Author, as our next Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations, with the rank of Ambassador,’ the president wrote on social media.

‘Since the beginning of my Second Term, Tammy has been serving with distinction as Spokesperson of the State Department, where she did a fantastic job. Tammy Bruce will represent our Country brilliantly at the United Nations. Congratulations Tammy!’

Bruce has defended the Trump administration’s immigration policies and its position on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. 

Last week, she warned Russia on Fox News that it needs to take Trump ‘seriously’ on his deadline for a ceasefire. 

Bruce has been with the administration since Trump took office. 

Before Trump tapped her as State Department spokesperson, she was a longtime conservative commentator and contributor to Fox News. 

When Trump chose her for the State Department, he described her as a ‘highly respected political analyst who understood the power and importance of ‘MAGA’ early on.’

‘As one of the longest-serving News Contributors, Tammy has brought TRUTH to the American People for over two decades,’ Trump added. ‘I know she will bring that same strength of conviction and fearless spirit to her new position as State Department Spokesperson.’ 

Dorothy Shea, who served as deputy ambassador last year, is the current acting ambassador. 

Trump’s nominee for U.N. ambassador, Mike Waltz, is still awaiting confirmation.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

The White House, faced with an ongoing and growing tsunami of murderous attacks by Islamic State-allied groups against Christians in sub-Saharan Africa, is now working closely with the State Department to find ways to stop the killing.

Last week, the White House told Fox News Digital, ‘The Trump administration condemns in the strongest terms this horrific violence against Christians,’ after the U.N. reported 49 Christians were butchered with machetes on July 27 in and around a church in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), while Catholic worshipers were praying for peace. Authorities say the killers were Islamist militants from the Allied Democratic Forces, also known as Islamic State DRC.

In neighboring Nigeria last month, 27 Christians were reported killed by Islamist Fulani tribesmen in the village of Bindi Ta-hoss, where residents are predominantly Christian. Eyewitness Solomon Sunday said, ‘I advised my family to seek refuge in the church, which seemed the safest place at the time. I lost my wife and second daughter in the attack; they were burned [alive] by Fulani militias.’ 

Local youth leader D’Young Mangut, who helped retrieve the bodies, added, ‘People are being killed like chickens, and nothing is being done.’

‘Such grisly proceedings have become commonplace in central Nigeria,’ John Eibner, president of Christian human rights organization Christian Solidarity International, told Fox News Digital. ‘It is part of a longstanding process of violent Islamization, of ethno-religious cleansing. Last Palm Sunday, 50 Christians were similarly slaughtered in nearby Bassa. Over 165 Christians have been killed in the last 4 months in Plateau State (one of Nigeria’s provinces) alone,’ he added.

‘Massacres of the sort that happen in central Nigeria are also happening with increasing frequency in predominately Christian places like Congo and Mozambique. There is no simple solution.’

The U.K. division of Open Doors, a global Christian charity which supports and speaks up for Christians persecuted for their faith, told Fox News Digital, ‘The crisis facing large areas of sub-Saharan Africa is hard to overstate. It is potentially existential for the future peace and stability of several nations in the region, not least Nigeria.’

‘Around 150,000 people have been killed in Jihadist violence over the last ten years. Over 16 million Christians have been driven from their homes and their land across the region.’

The Trump administration appears to be preparing for action. This week, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, ‘The Department of State is working closely with the White House to identify opportunities to further the cause of religious freedom around the world.’

The spokesperson added, ‘Religious freedom for all people worldwide is a moral and national security imperative and a U.S. foreign policy priority.  As President Trump has stated, the United States will vigorously promote this freedom.’

Nigeria is among the most dangerous places in the world to be a Christian. Recent Open Doors research shows that more Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than the rest of the world combined. Local bishop Wilfred Anagbe was threatened, and some 20 of his parishioners killed, after he spoke out against the killings to a Congressional Committee in March. 

This week, the bishop spoke exclusively to Fox News Digital, declaring that ‘the attackers form part of the larger Islamic- Jihadists family headed in Nigeria by the likes of Boko Haram, ISIS West Africa and similar groups. Nigeria has had a long history with Islamic fundamentalism. (But) the violence, killing and displacements without consequences suggests a new pattern where the Islamists have resorted to use their control of official government and apparatus to continue this jihad.

‘There is a strong tendency by fundamentalist Muslims in Nigeria to turn the whole or part of Nigeria (in)to an Islamic State.’

‘This is what the Nazis did to the Jews,’ David Onyillokwu Idah, director of the International Human Rights Commission, told Open Doors, adding, ‘It’s ethnic cleansing, step by step.’

John Samuel, legal expert for Open Doors, told Fox News Digital that where the Islamist groups are operating, if Christians gather for ‘a prayer meeting, let’s say, or go to a church, (it) could be a one-way ticket, or something very deadly.’

‘If you’re a Christian, you either convert to Islam or die.’

Samuel gives an example of a Nigerian Christian who was ambushed by Boko Haram fighters. According to his widow, ‘he was asked to deny his faith and say an Islamic prayer. He refused and he was killed instantly. You are a target. You are a target by the mere fact that you identify with Christ.’

Across the region, it’s claimed the Islamist attackers want the land belonging to the Christians they attack. Lawyer Jabez Musa fights in court in Nigeria to get this land back. He told Fox News Digital the displaced Christians ‘want their land restored back to them for their livelihood. The cry is always I have been dispossessed of what belongs to me, my house, the food, foodstuff, the land. As we speak, over 64 communities in Plateau State have been dispossessed and taken over by the Fulani militants.’

‘Only Christians are targeted, they’re killed, displaced, and their lands are taken over.’

Henrietta Blyth, CEO of Open Doors U.K. and Ireland, told Fox News Digital that ‘African governments must urgently provide three things: justice – because very few of these perpetrators are ever held to account, and this impunity emboldens them.  Restoration – people want their lives back, an opportunity to rebuild their homes, send their kids to school, have a future together.  And protection – the state must protect them from these attacks.  The security forces need to get out of their barracks and be deployed around the most vulnerable.

‘For too long, nobody has been talking about the horrific wholesale slaughter of Christians and moderate Muslims in Africa. The Western world needs to wake up and be outraged,’ she said.

One grieving relative told reporters after the massacre in Nigeria’s Bindi Ta-hoss this past month, ‘We are tired of condolences and statements. What we need is real security, not sympathy.’ 

Fox News Digital reached out to the governments of both Nigeria and the DRC but received no response.

Lawyer Jabez Musa pleaded ‘I urge the American government, especially President Trump personally … to come to the help of Christians.’

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