Leaked transcripts from White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s call with a top aide to the Russian President Vladimir Putin, published Tuesday by Bloomberg, touched off a massive controversy in Washington this week. The transcripts appear to show Witkoff coaching Yuri Ushakov, a senior Russian diplomat, on how to negotiate with President Donald Trump during upcoming talks about a peace settlement in Ukraine. According to the transcript, Witkoff told Ushakov to arrange a phone call between Trump and Putin before the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s planned visit to the White House. Witkoff also gave Ushakov some instructions for how Putin should flatter Trump during the call to most effectively preface negotiations. “Just reiterate that you congratulate the president on this achievement,” Witkoff told him. “[Say] that you supported it, you supported it, that you respect that he is a man of peace and you’re just, you’re really glad to have seen it happen.” The revelation provoked an angry response from Ukraine hawks in Washington on both sides of the aisle, who argue that the transcripts are proof that Witkoff is assisting Russia obtain a more favorable settlement to the war. Rep. Bryan Kilmeade (R-PA) said that the leaks are “a major problem” and added that “these ridiculous side shows and secret meetings need to stop.” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) went further, calling the special envoy “an actual traitor,” and saying that “Steve Witkoff is supposed to work for the United States, not Russia.” Trump defended Witkoff’s actions as “a very standard form of negotiation.”  “That’s what a dealmaker does,” the president said. “You’ve got to say look, they want this, you’ve got to convince them of this.” The post Leaked Witkoff Transcript Ignites Controversy Over Ukraine Peace Negotiations appeared first on The American Conservative.

President Donald Trump will halt all immigration from “Third World” countries to the United States, he wrote on Truth Social late Thursday night. The term “Third World” historically referred to nations not aligned with either the United States or the Soviet Union during the Cold War and has come to refer to poor countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. “I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover,” Trump wrote. The president added that he would “terminate” the “illegal admissions” authorized by the Biden administration and remove immigrants who do not benefit the United States. “Only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation,” Trump wrote. The announcement comes amid outrage after an Afghan national admitted into the country under Joe Biden shot two National Guard members in DC on Wednesday. One of the guardsmen, Sarah Beckstrom, was pronounced dead on Thanksgiving while the other, Andrew Wolfe, remains in critical condition. Prominent conservatives, including the late Charlie Kirk, have come to oppose Third World immigration in recent years. Trump’s post signals that the nation’s immigration policy could shift to align more closely with their views. The post Trump Says He Will ‘Permanently Pause’ Immigration From the ‘Third World’ appeared first on The American Conservative.

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A woman who spent weeks living without power or running water now has electricity again after her community came together to pay her overdue utility bill. Source: Strangers help restore power to woman after she goes months without electricity Nice.

Even better than Fab. The post The one song Phil Collins claimed to outdo The Beatles on first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Heartland America: After the Collapse of Democrat’s EV Socialism, Bipartisan Protectionism Emerges

A 16-year-old boy from Australia died within hours of eating sausages on a camping trip in 2022. Now his mother believes he died as a result of a tick-borne meat allergy

Land operations against Venezuelan drug traffickers will begin “very soon”, President Trump said on Thursday